Bruce Goldfarb is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, USA Today, Baltimore magazine, American Archaeology, American Health, and many other publications. For ten years, Bruce has served as executive assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland and the public information office for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Bruce’s newest book, OCME: Life in America’s Top Forensic Medical Center published February 2023.Host Mike Sacopulos discusses the new OCME book with Goldfarb, a behind-the-scenes portrait of one of the largest and busiest forensic medical centers in the United States. Once celebrated as the gold standard of death investigation, the OCME of Maryland was hammered between an epidemic of violence and opioid deaths and strangling budgetary restraints imposed by indifferent state officials, ultimately plunging the institution into crisis. The author highlights the dedicated professionals who work against increasingly daunting odds.In the U.S., forensic death investigation is in a precarious state.  The shortage of forensic pathologists, shrinking government support, a decade-long opioid epidemic causing a rising tide of drug related deaths, delays in autopsies leading to delayed burial and survivor benefits being paid, delays in criminal investigations and civil litigations, all contribute to a system failing to provide essential public health services in many parts of the country.brucegoldfarb.com/ocmeLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.4086514258

Host Mike Sacopulos interviews senior vice president of marketing and innovation from Jackson + Coker, Ted Weyn. He covers the current landscape for locum tenens, from the perspective of the organization that is interested in using locums and the physicians who are looking at work-life alternatives.Physician leaders and healthcare administrators are familiar with the staffing problems in medicine. The lack of physicians in certain geographic regions has become a chronic concern for healthcare systems and medical practice. This episode of SoundPractice covers:Insights and tips for organizations in need of physicians and how locums should be a part of manpower planning.Physicians who need a change – of career, setting, or for personal reasons – and how locums offer a path forward.How locums impact a hospital’s profitability and ability to deliver patient care.What a good relationship looks like between a staffing company and a healthcare organization.https://jacksoncoker.com/Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.org.https://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2456995263

Susan Dentzer is the president and chief executive officer of America’s Physician Groups (APG), the organization of more than 335 physician practices that provide patient-centered, coordinated, and integrated care for patients while being accountable for cost and quality.  APG members provide care to nearly 90 million patients nationwide.Dentzer is one of the nation’s most respected health and health policy thought leaders and a frequent speaker and commentator on television and radio, including PBS and NPR, and an author of commentaries and analyses in print publications such as Modern Healthcare, NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine)-Catalyst, and the Annals of Internal Medicine. As part of Mike Sacopulos’ introduction of Susan Dentzer, “In one of the darker moments of the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin said to his fellow patriots, ‘We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.’ ”While coming together to make this country a better place is not new, it is still needed. Organizations like America’s Physician Group help the medical profession and our nation.  In this insightful conversation, you’ll learn the initiatives the APG is putting in place to benefit all physicians.https://www.apg.org/team/susan-dentzer/Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1315698887

All medical education involves the study of Anatomy.  If you think the field of anatomy has not changed since your days in medical school, think again. Host Mike Sacopulos interviews Valerie DeLeon, PhD, president of the American Association of Anatomy (AAA).“Evolution of a Discipline, the Changing Faces of Anatomy” a Special Issue, was recently published in The Anatomical Record.Sacopulos and DeLeon discuss the Special Issue, the AAA Anatomy Scholars Program, and other current initiatives.  The AAA and its members have been busy with a range of advocacy issues and DeLeon and her colleagues have been doing thoughtful work.https://www.anatomy.org/AAA/AAA/Awards/Anatomy-Scholars-Program/Anatomy-Scholars-Program.aspx?hkey=b397a528-c0b2-4787-b530-198329ed74c0https://www.anatomy.org/Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.3059159720

Climate change is most often thought of in terms of unpleasant weather events.  We occasionally think about specific animal species being impacted by climate change.  Less focused upon are the mental health consequences experienced from an unpredictable environment.Lise Van Susteren, MD, is a general and forensic psychiatrist in Washington, DC, and an expert on the physical and psychological impacts of climate change. In 2011 she co-authored The Psychological Effects of Global Warming on the United States: And Why the U.S. Mental Health System Is Not Adequately Prepared. Van Susteren is also clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University and has been a consultant to the executive branch of the U.S. government profiling world leaders. She joins host Mike Sacopulos to discuss her work.  Meteorologists and politicians can debate the causes of climate change, but physicians and other healthcare professionals are left to care for the people impacted. https://www.lisevansusteren.com/https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Inflammation-Discover-Triggers-Equilibrium-ebook/dp/B07SH4425BLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.2162557914

Host Mike Sacopulos discusses supply chain management, from the perspective of the physician, the institution, and the patient, with Jimmy Y. Chung, MD, MBA, FACS, FABQAURP, CMRP, chief medical officer of Advantus Health Partners (a subsidiary of Bon Secours Mercy Health) and a board member of the American Association for Physician Leadership. Dr. Chung has spoken at conferences around the country as an expert on clinical integration of supply chain and development of physician leadership in optimizing the cost, quality, and outcomes of healthcare.“Physicians play an important and critical role in the management of supply chains,” says Chung.  In this podcast episode, Chung describes the lessons learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, efficiencies and costs savings that can be gained, and tactics for aligning with physicians for the safety of patients and improved patient outcomes. Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.9043378883

The integration of technology comes with risks while holding the promise of promoting quality of care. Often, quality requires a multi-disciplined approach to both implementation and use.  In this important and widely applicable episode, Mike Sacopulos and Dr. Brian McBeth discuss not only the use of technology for healthcare, but the need for humility in the implementation and use of technology.  He is a contributing editor to the forthcoming book on the topic, Advanced Health Technology: Managing Risk While Tackling Barriers to Rapid Acceleration.Dr. Brian D. McBeth, an attending emergency physician, has worked in clinical medicine and hospital administration for more than 20 years. He completed the American Association of Physician Leadership’s program as a Certified Physician Executive and is currently Physician Executive at O’Connor Hospital in the Health System of the County of Santa Clara, where he oversees patient safety, hospital quality programs, COVID strategy and response, as well as physician performance and professionalism.  https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003348603/advanced-health-technology-sherri-douvillehttps://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Health-Technology-Managing-Acceleration/dp/1032391480Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.7218337198

Award-winning journalist, public speaker, and bestselling author Katy Butler has written two groundbreaking books about the end of life and is a thought leader in the national movement for medical reform.Her first book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death, a national bestseller, was named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2013 by the New York Times.  The book was based on her groundbreaking 2010 New York Times Magazine article about her family’s difficult end-of-life experiences. (“What Broke My Father’s Heart”) SoundPractice host Mike Sacopulos interviewed Katy Butler about her new book, The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life.A popular speaker on doctor-patient communication and the choices families face near the end of life, Katy has given keynotes and Grand Rounds at Harvard Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, UCSF, and elsewhere.Her interests include Slow Medicine, aging parents, bioethics, parental caregiving, spirituality, dementia, family caregiving, Alzheimer’s Disease, end of life decisions, compassionate care, comfort care, palliative care, hospice, meditation, Zen practice, Buddhism, and how people transform themselves and their lives, especially at the boundary of the psychological and the spiritual.To order Katy Butler’s books:  Books (katybutler.com)Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.9922127730

Marriages and domestic partnerships between physicians are not unusual. Unfortunately, the practice of medicine can be stressful.  Managing a successful relationship between physicians takes some effort and planning. The shared experience of healthcare and having a partner who shares a perspective and passion for medicine is a positive. But some conventional strategies for domestic bliss simply doesn’t work when it comes to busy physicians.Today, this practical episode focuses on a pair of physicians, Yolanda T. Becker, MD, FACS and Bryan N. Becker, MD, MMM, CPE, FACP, who have given great thought on how to make a relationship between physicians thrive.  Innumerable factors affect the lives and careers of two physicians who are married or are partners — especially when the physicians hold leadership positions.Dr. Bryan Becker and Dr. Yolanda Becker wrote on this topic for the AAPL Physician Leadership Journal.https://www.physicianleaders.org/articles/making-two-career-two-physician-marriage-partnership-workLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1307659369

As value-based care gains traction across the healthcare landscape, clinical documentation will continue to be subject to intense scrutiny from internal and external stakeholders. Yet, healthcare organizations must take care not to exacerbate the cognitive overload and administrative burdens that plague clinicians today. Join Robert Budman, MD, MBA as he discusses the role of AI-based computer-assisted physician documentation (CAPD) technology in enhancing the accuracy of documentation and easing the burden on clinicians.On today’s SoundPractice episode, Mike Sacopulos interviews Dr. Robert Budman, Chief Medical Information Officer at Nuance Communications. Board Certified in Family Medicine & Informatics, Dr. Budman focuses on efficiency, safety, and quality initiatives, with global experience in multi-EHR and service line care delivery. In his role at Nuance, he primarily supports the CAPD product line, and speaks extensively on healthcare IT.Delivered in a streamlined workflow, Nuance’s proven, evidence-based guidance enables clinicians to capture complete and accurate documentation at the point of care. Discover how to drive better outcomes across the continuum of care with Nuance’s portfolio of CAPD solutions, backed by sophisticated artificial intelligence.To learn more, www.nuance.com/capd Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1737953574

Host Mike Sacopulos interviews Ron Paprocki, JD, CFP®,  the  President and CEO of Mediqus Asset Advisors, Inc about the basics of wealth management. Ron is also the co-author of the 2nd Edition of The Prescription for Financial Health: An Authoritative Guide for Physicians.In this practical conversation, Ron covers topics such as these:The age (or how many years post training) should physicians start thinking about asset protection and saving for retirement?The most important asset a physician can have.The “must have” insurance products a physician need to research.Why physicians are particularly vulnerable to investments that may be unwise.Lastly, many physicians are in the midst of caring for parents or family members and so the discussion covers options for long term care.https://mediqus.com/https://shop.physicianleaders.org/collections/all/products/the-prescription-for-financial-health-an-authoritative-guide-for-physicians-2nd-edition Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.9503233146

SoundPractice host Mike Sacopulos interviewed AAPL author, Stanley Harris, MD, MA, on his new book, The People Value Proposition: See one, Do one, Teach one … LEADFrom topics like The Journey to Leadership and Defining the Leader You Want to Become, to Inspiration and Innovation, The People Value Proposition acknowledges that leadership begins with the individual but emphasizes that by recognizing and nurturing the value of others, everyone succeeds. Harris discusses the importance of empathy, engagement, and motivation to sustain connectivity, inspire innovation, and enable new leaders to emerge.Written as a semi-autobiographical account of leadership development that covers key principles of leadership, The People Value Proposition is conveyed from the unique perspective of the author’s life and experience. It challenges both leaders and potential leaders to acknowledge and promote the value of every individual, enabling optimal utilization of resources and continued team success.www.physicianleaders.org/people-value-propositionLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.1184635531

Studies have shown that Federal Law applying to healthcare is approximately 8X the volume of the entire Federal Tax Code. Laws are heaped upon statutes which are lacquered with countless regulations.All of this creates a complex if not Byzantine system for healthcare professionals to navigate. The penalties for a misstep can be severe.  Fear not. This episode of SoundPractice will provide practical advice from a physician who is also an attorney, Timothy Paterick, MD, JD, MBA, MS.Be prepared to receive legal guidance to keep you out of trouble, while practicing quality medicine.Dr. Tim Paterick’s book, Physicians and the Law: The Intersection of Medicine, Business, and Medical Malpractice is available here:https://shop.physicianleaders.org/collections/all/products/physicians-and-the-law-the-intersection-of-medicine-business-and-medical-malpracticeLearn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.5172765492

Mike Sacopulos interviews Gary Josephson, MD, CPE, MBA, chief medical officer at Nemours Children’s Health, in Jacksonville, Florida, about his new book, Ordinary to Extraordinary: Seven Principles for Life Success.  This book is a useful tool to improve one’s life. Dr. Josephson provides wise counsel on the “7” principles that guide his life, and suggestions for all individuals on how to view life from ordinary to extraordinary. Dr. Josephson describes adversity, his physician leadership journey, and his work as a Certified Physician Executive (CPE).https://www.o2e4life.com/Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.3075935692

Dr. Rob Lamberts is an innovator in the world of DPC – Direct Primary Care. Opening his DPC practice in 2013, he continues to believe that the model of care he uses has the real potential to change healthcare. Direct Primary Care (where patients pay a flat fee for their care) combined with the smart use of technology empowers patients, creates the true “medical home,” and redefines the way doctors think about patient care.  In this conversation with host, Mike Sacopulos, Dr. Lambers describes the basics of the model:It is simple.  Patients pay the doctor for their care and the doctor does not have to code to submit to insurance companies. The doctor only has one person to please: the patient.It aligns motivations of both doctors and patients. In DPC, the physician is paid the same if the patients are healthy or sick. This means the physician and patient are aligned; they both want the patient to be healthy and avoid going to the doctor.The payment system is simple and the reliance on technology breaks down complex tasks to greatly reduce cost.Although this model has many features that stand in stark contrast to “business of usual” in healthcare, the model is not for every physician. Tune in for this engaging talk on the pros, the cons, and the pitfalls to avoid in a disruptive model in healthcare.https://doctorlamberts.org/Learn more about the American Association for Physician Leadership at www.physicianleaders.orghttps://doi.org/10.55834/sp.7054322872