Dr. A Show 60: Medicare

Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

The Doctor Anonymous Show (see video post above) is happy to welcome Mr. Michael Carroll from UnitedHealthGroup and we will be talking about the website UHC Medicare Solutions which is designed to provide seniors and caregivers with easy-to-understand Medicare information to help beneficiaries match their health-care needs with the right Medicare plan.

Following our interview, I will make a few announcements about the Dr. A December shows. I'll also mention some items with regard to Podcamp Ohio 2. There were also a few interesting news stories this week including the reports that "primary care docs will be quitting," the anticipated naming of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Motrin Ad Controversy, and whatever else comes up.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. Hope these tips are helpful!

Obama Health Czar

This is not a political blog. However, it's kind of interesting seeing the reports of the transition team come out of Chicago. One of the many things I'm proud of this country is this - In no other country in the world will you see a transition to a new government run so smooth. You see stories around the world that sometimes involve weapons when a new government comes to power.

Anyway, just wanted to comment on who's probably going to be the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. According to the CNN report above, it will be former Senator Tom Daschle, who is currently at a law firm in Washington, DC. (Undoubtedly this is a move consistent with the president-elect's passion to bring change to Washington hehe) The reporter in the story describes the HHS Secretary position as the nation's "Health Czar." Anything health policy related goes through HHS, including things like Medicare policy.

During this election cycle, it was pretty apparent where the Democratic party would like to take American health care. The seeds are carefully being planted. In the report above, they state that the former majority leader was frustrated that he could not get a universal health care bill passed. It also states that he sees a "historic" opportunity especially since the White House and the Congress is controlled by the Democrats. If their goals are met, I see more primary care physicians (like myself) being unhappy with the bureaucracy related to the US health care system.

Show 60 Preview

This week, The Doctor Anonymous Show is going to have a little different conversation. Instead of interviewing a blogger or podcaster, we'll be talking about the issue of Medicare - which is a pretty complicated subject. If you know completely nothing about the subject and need a quick thumbnail sketch of things, I recommend this link from WebMD.

Our guest this week will be Mr. Michael Carroll whose title is Vice President - Portfolio Marketing at Ovations which is part of UnitedHealth Group. We're going to be talking about a new website called UHCMedicareSolutions.com - and this shows UnitedHealth Group Medicare products and services including Medicare Advantage, Part D prescription drug and Medicare Supplement products.

This is a key time for companies with Medicare Advantage products. Why? Because between November 15th (last Saturday) and December 31st, this is the best time to change to a Medicare Advantage plan from a different company. So, until the end of the year, those in the Medicare demographic will see a lot of media out there trying to get people to switch their Medicare product.

Now, I want to make this clear. By having this guest on, I am in no way saying that I am endorsing or not endorsing this product over other Medicare products. I want to thank Luke Armour who contacted me about having Mr. Carroll on to talk about his product. Luke was formerly with BlogTalkRadio and has known my show since its beginnings. I think this is a unique opportunity for me to have a completely different conversation that is new to the show.

So, join us for Show Number 60 on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time. Following our conversation, I have some notes about Medicare I might talk about. And, I have a HUGE announcement that I'm going to share about a Dr. A Show coming up in December. So, you have to catch that. You can also participate in the live interactive chat room, you can call into the show to ask a question, and you can even see my shining face on the live web cam. Exciting, I know. See you for the show!

NE Ohio Snow

In the above CNN video, you can see how fun it is on the shores of Lake Erie yesterday and today. Now, granted, I don't live up on the shoreline where Ashtabula is. But, all those snow squalls are only an hour drive north of me. It's going to be fun tonight in Buffalo tonight when the Browns take on the Bills. Also, shout out to Luke Armour who gives us a mid day picture from the East Side of Cleveland. Gotta love NE Ohio weather!

World Diabetes Day

Happy World Diabetes Day! Just wanted to spotlight our blog buddy Kerri from the blog Six Until Me. (Check out her video blog above) We've never met in person, but I feel that I've gotten to know her my reading her blog, by her being on the show, and listening to this week's interview with Dr. Val.

For all the diabetes bloggers out there, I just wanted to say that I appreciate what you do and I have learned so much from hearing your stories. Your stories have really helped me take better care of my patients. I'm honored to help spread the word about World Diabetes Day. Have a great weekend everybody!

Show 59 Wrap-up

Thanks so much to Øystein Horgmo from the blog The Sterile Eye for being on Show 59. (Check out the video post above - sorry that the sound is a little overmodulated) (And, you can listen to the show on the player above - or download the podcast here) He called in live from his home in Norway where it was 3am. His blog is about medical photography and he also takes photos for this Norwegian cancer site (I think he said that they were thinking about making an english translation of the site at some point).

Patient privacy issues are something that was interesting to the chat room. And, he answered questions on how patient consent was obtained before taking photos - and he does video as well. His blog is one year old now, and he gave some advice for new bloggers out there on how to possibly continue as long as a year with your blog.

Thanks so much to those who called into the show including Marq, Dr. Rob, Ramona, and Vijay (hope that I didn't forget anyone). At one point Øystein (Norway), Vijay (India), and myself were all on the call at the same time. It sounded like we were in the same room, even though we are continents apart. (Even Crzegrl, host of this week's Change of Shift, listened live from Barcelona, Spain) Very cool.

Near the end of the show, we received an update from our friend Kevin Haynes who lives in New York State. You may remember Kevin called in to Show 54 where he told the story of the family of Sgt Toland (CNN report here). Kevin shared how the community came together to further help this man and his family. (I apologize for not having the details here. I have to re-listen to the show and hopefully will post the update here).

I just haven't been feeling good this week - a little bit under the weather - and the stress of getting back to work after a week of vacation. That's why I haven't been on Twitter that much and that's why I didn't to any video posting this week (other than this post). At least, I'm not on call this weekend, so I'll be able to try to get myself a little better. Physician, heal thy self, right? Well, have a good week and weekend everybody!

Dr. A Show 59: Sterile Eye

Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time (0200 UTC)

The Doctor Anonymous Show is happy to welcome the author of the blog called "The Sterile Eye." His name is Øystein Horgmo and he is a medical photographer who lives and works in Norway. He just celebrated his one year blogiversary. And, he'll be calling in live to the show where it will be in the middle of the night there. Following the interview, I'll do a little wrap-up of my week in Dallas last week.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. Hope these tips are helpful!

Dr. A Show 59 preview

This week, The Doctor Anonymous Show is back home at world headquarters to broadcast Show 59. We're happy to welcome the author of the blog called "The Sterile Eye" whose name is Øystein Horgmo.

He's a medical photographer and he'll be calling in LIVE from Norway (where it will be 4AM Friday morning - I'm still amazed by people who would wake up in the middle of the night to call into and/or listen to the show). I want to thank our blog friend Ramona for contacting me and letting me know of this blog. Here is his first post ever from one year ago:

I’ve been working as a medical videographer for some years now. In many ways it is a lonely line of work. Not many people earn their money by making videos of medical and surgical procedures. Most can’t even stand the thought. So why bother the web with a blog about it?

First of all I want to share my experiences. The learning curve has been pretty steep, and there has been few colleagues and even fewer books to learn from. So I’m guessing there must be someone out there who desperately need some advice on videotaping a colectomy or making a good ultrasound clip. Just like I did a few years back.

But I also believe my experiences could prove to be interesting to outsiders. Being present when people are at their most vulnerable, like at the CT for detecting cancer or when in deep narcosis during surgery, is a special and strange priviliege. I’d like to share some of my stories with you. Hope you’ll find something interesting here, something to think about and maybe something to laugh at.

He also celebrated his one year blogiversary (yesterday!). And, as you can see from this post, Øystein is very excited to be on the show this week. So, join us on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time (0200 UTC) for Doctor Anonymous Show 59.

Cannot catch the show live? That's ok, because each and every Doctor Anonymous Show is available for download on my BlogTalkRadio page. And, if you have iTunes, you can click here to subscribe to my iTunes feed. So, that you, the Dr. A loyal listener can check out the show anytime! Plus, if you listen live, you can participate in the chat room, and even see my shining face on the webcam. How cool is that? I know. See you for the show!

Dr. A Show 58: Intermission

Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 9:30pm Eastern Time

For my final show from Dallas this week, I'm helping to pitch in for a great cause. Our BTR buddies, Annie and Burl, are going to be emceeing a breast cancer fundraising event for the "1 in 8 Motorsports Foundation." The event itself takes place all day in Crystal Lake, Illinois. For more details on this (including the musical acts who will be performing), I encourage you to check out this link on their website.

My show is going on at 9:30pm Eastern Time. They will broadcast two hours before my show, and then two hours after my show. I'm just hoping to continue the momentum from their first two hour broadcast and continue that into their next two hour broadcast. What will I be talking about? Well, basically, I'll be talking about their first two hour broadcast, and hopefully taking some of your phone calls about how much fun you're having during their event. And, if I can pull them away from the bar, hopefully Annie and/or Burl will call in during their intermission.

I also wanted to recognize a few other BTR hosts who are helping with the event. MarQ, who called into my Friday night show, is launching a new BTR show called Katie 80. He will be broadcasting at 6pm eastern time. And, my buddy Buzzworthy Radio, whose family has been affected by breast cancer, will be broadcasting at 5pm eastern time. Finally, Dr. Blogstein from the Radio Happy Hour contributed items to the silent auction for Sat nite's event. This is BTR coming together for a great cause. See you tonight for the show!

Update: Thanks to those of you out there who were able to join me tonight for Show 58. (You can listen to the show above on the player. And/or you can download the show by clicking here.) We had a great time just hanging out. I talked a little bit about breast cancer during the show. And, about half way through this short 30 min show, Burl called in to give us an update. The show closed with a conversation with RockDog.

I also encourage you to listen to the show by BuzzWorthy Radio. He tells the story on his show of how breast cancer hit close to home to him. Great job Buzzy. Also doing a special show tonight was Marq who premiered a new show called Katie 80. Congrats to Annie and Burl for all your work on this project. I was glad to pitch in - even just a little bit.

Finally, I'm on my way home tomorrow from Dallas. Keep track of my travels on my Twitter account. It was a great time away from home and away from work. But, it's definitely time to head home and to get back to real life. Thanks to all of you out there for supporting my shows this week from Dallas. I really appreciate it!

Dr. A Show 57: Kim

Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

For the third show in three days, I am still here in Dallas, Texas broadcasting and I'm having a great week here at the conference. Tonight, I'm happy to welcome Kim from the blog As The Pump Turns to The Doctor Anonymous Show 57. She is in her first year of nursing school up there in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. She is also currently a dialysis tech. So, I'll be asking her about her transition to nursing school. And, who knows what other topics will come up.

If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll start taking calls about halfway into the show. Hope these tips are helpful!

Update: Thanks so much to Kim for being on the show 57. (You can click on the player above to listen to the show, or download the show here) I had no idea that by the experience she had with her grandfather needing dialysis - this is part of the reason she chose to work as a dialysis tech. And, now, she is an advocate for those patients with kidney disease - especially those with dialysis. We also talked about her work specifically in the inner city of Seattle at a dialysis clinic. In addition, we talked about life as a first year nursing student.

Thanks so much to Marq and to Annie who called into the show tonight. Did you know that our guest named her pet fish after Annie? Why? Well, you'll have to listen to the show to find out. Thanks also to those of you who joined the show for the first time this evening. I really appreciate it, and I hope you're able to come back and enjoy future shows.

Thankfully, no technical glitches on the show tonight. I have to tell ya. I probably said this before, but I may have bit off more than I could chew doing four shows in four nights - plus this conference I'm at. My buddies have already "yelled" at me for not being able to at least hang out with our buddy Grunt Doc while I'm here. And, that's totally my fault. I'm an idiot for not balancing my time right on that. Ugh.

Tomorrow is my last full day here in Dallas. One more long day of lectures and one more show tomorrow night. I'll have details on tomorrow's show coming up soon. Oh yeah, I forgot to reference in the show that the opening music for tonight's show was from the TV show "Dallas." A bad inside joke thing. Yeesh.