The Podcast by KevinMD

What happens when you ask clinicians to hit dozens of quality metrics but never explain why those metrics matter or how to manage them? Kenneth Botelho, founding program director of the Doctor of Medical Science program at the College of St. Scholastica, joins to discuss his KevinMD article, "Value-based care workforce: Bridging the gap in clinical education," and why medical education still trains you to treat one patient at a time in a world that demands population health thinking. He breaks down the disconnect between fee-for-service training and value-based care realities, from dashboard management and HCC coding to compensation tied to screening rates you were never taught to influence. You will hear why this knowledge gap fuels burnout and early career attrition, what PA and NP programs are starting to do about it, and how postgraduate training could give clinicians the framework they need to regain control over their day-to-day work. If you have ever felt graded on a system no one explained to you, this episode will change how you see your role in it.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.
PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer
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RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

What happens when your deepest religious convictions collide with a patient suffering from metastatic cancer and no miracle in sight? Medical student Jonah Rocheeld shares the raw tension between his Orthodox Jewish upbringing and the medical ethics he is learning in clinical training, based on his KevinMD article, "End-of-life care and religion: Reconciling Jewish law and medicine." He unpacks the distinction Jewish law draws between withholding and withdrawing care, why that boundary feels certain in a classroom but fractures at the bedside, and how a heated debate with a fellow Jewish medical student forced him to confront where faith ends and patient suffering begins. You will hear why he believes any mature faith must evolve from rules-based absolutism toward nuanced moral reasoning, and what advice he offers religious medical students struggling to separate personal identity from clinical duty in end-of-life care. If you have ever wrestled with where your own ethics stop and your obligations as a health care professional start, this conversation will stay with you.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.
PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

What happens when a patient can't afford the treatment you prescribe but is too embarrassed to say so? Health care executive Adam Cunningham joins the show to unpack the devastating ripple effects of medical debt, drawing on his KevinMD article, "The hidden toll of medical debt on patient health and survival," and sharing how one friend lost her job, her insurance, and nearly her ability to function before finding affordable biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis overseas. You'll hear why 16 percent of U.S. suicides have a contributing factor of medical debt, how patients weigh financial ruin against ending their lives, and what makes China's tier one hospitals a surprisingly viable option for Americans priced out of care at home. Cunningham explains the accreditation systems that ensure quality abroad, the role patient advocates play in navigating costs, and the one question every physician should ask before assuming a patient will follow through on a treatment plan. If you've ever wondered whether medical tourism is legitimate or just risky, this episode offers a grounded, practical perspective you need to hear.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.
PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

What happens when medical students witness dehumanization during clinical rotations but feel too powerless to speak up? Kathleen Muldoon, a certified coach and professor in medical education, joins the show to unpack why moral courage is a skill you can practice right now, not something to defer until you hold a title. Based on her KevinMD article "Moral courage in medical training: the power of the powerless," this conversation reveals how the hidden curriculum in medical training quietly normalizes harm through small, unreported moments. You will hear practical strategies for reclaiming power in clinical hierarchies, from stating your own name to recentering a patient in grand rounds with a single clarifying question. Muldoon explains why kicking moral concerns down the line fuels burnout and erodes professional identity formation, and how attendings can foster psychological safety by modeling vulnerability. If you are a medical student, resident, or physician who has ever felt the gap between what health care should be and what it is, this episode will remind you that middle power is still power.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.
PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

Is the new oral Wegovy pill a breakthrough or a risk most patients never hear about? Shiv K. Goel, an internal medicine and functional medicine physician, joins the show to unpack his KevinMD article, "Oral Wegovy: the miracle and the mess of the new GLP-1 pill," and why treating this drug casually could hurt you. He breaks down emerging data linking high-dose semaglutide to ischemic optic neuropathy, with reporting odds nearly five times higher for Wegovy than Ozempic, and explains why the obesity population faces unique hemodynamic risks. You will learn why he never prescribes a GLP-1 without prescribing a plan, including slow titration, protein and resistance training to protect lean mass, hormone optimization, and red flag education. Goel also addresses the rebound weight gain most patients face after stopping, the dangers of buying compounded GLP-1 medications from medical spas, and why losing just 10 pounds may not warrant these drugs at all. If you are considering oral Wegovy or already on a GLP-1, this episode could change how you approach weight loss medication.

Partner with me on the KevinMD platform. With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Whether you need a sponsored article, email campaign, video interview, or a spot right here on the podcast, I offer the trusted space your brand deserves to be heard. Let's work together to tell your story.
PARTNER WITH KEVINMD → https://kevinmd.com/influencer
SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST → https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD → https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended