News You Can Use – December 2024

This month’s episode of “News You Can Use” on Healthcare NOW Radio features news from the month of December 2024.

The show that gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns, and debacles going on in healthcare with my friend and co-host Craig Joseph, MD (@CraigJoseph) Chief Medical Officer at Nordic Consulting Partners and myself, where every diagnosis comes with a side of humor. We hope you stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in healthcare in a world that thrives on information.

Buckle up as we dive into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom in this month’s show that features a review of:

• The murder of United Healthcare’s CEO
• Capping anesthesia time
• Getting sleep in hospitals
• Which GLP is better than another
• Pharmacy access
• 2025 predictions
• Murder, Medicine, and Mayhem

We open with a quick discussion of the murder of a United Healthcare CEO, emphasizing that murder is a crime regardless of the circumstances and highlighting Dr. Will Flannery, perspective dual truth that murder is wrong but that healthcare insurance issues are real and acknowledging widespread dissatisfaction with healthcare insurance. We talk about the irony of announcing a cap on anesthesia by Anthem BCBS at a time such as this in a “what were they thinking moment”. We were both confused over the timing and implementation of the cap, noting that anesthesiologists do not control the duration of surgeries. It was withdrawn a day later, but the idea, ever….?

We highlight the recent reports of effectiveness GLP-1 agonists in particular that of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist for obesity treatment, outperforming Eli Lilly’s drug by 47%. Meanwhile continuing from our discussion last month it seems the never-ending stream of other conditions that these “miracle” cures will treat continues and the pipeline of look-a-like drugs is massive. As we note however patients’ ability to access these drugs is shrinking, and not just because of healthcare insurance challenges and cost but because of pharmacy closures. This leads to an animated discussion on the possibilities of 3-D printed drugs which seem a long way off at best.

Is Healthcare Ready for 2025

We close our discussion by talking about the importance of sleep and the challenges patients face in getting a restful sleep in hospitals and while hospitals may be forming committees to address the problem perhaps there is plenty of low-hanging fruit here to fix. And finally, our prediction for 2025 is for chaos. We will see more AI ideas and solutions with the caution necessary. Some of that caution may be lost with the upcoming changes and we are both concerned about the potential for a negative impact of this.

“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night”

We hope you enjoy our take on the latest news and developments in healthcare and want to help you keep untangling the web of information, dodging the sensational pitfalls, and emerging victorious, albeit a little dizzy, on the other side. In the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, all shape the narrative of our shared future. We want to hear from you especially if you have topics covered or questions you’d like answered. You can reach out directly via the contact form on my website, or send a message on LinkedIn to Craig or me.

Until next week keep solving healthcare’s mysteries before they become your emergencies.

This article was originally published on the Dr. Nick – The Incrementalist blog and is republished here with permission.

News You Can Use gives you a quick insight into the latest news, twists, turns and debacles going on in healthcare with Dr. Nick and Dr. Craig and where every diagnosis comes with a side of side-splitting humor. Your hosts are Dr Nick a long-time host, innovator and healthcare wizard who can prescribe a digital dose of innovation to cure even the most ailing operational inefficiencies. And Dr. Craig Joseph is the healthcare guru who can diagnose both patient and software glitches with equal precision, making sure hospitals run smoother than a well-oiled robot doc.

So buckle up, because we’re diving into the ER of excitement, the ICU of irrationality, and the waiting room of wacky wisdom.

Stay curious, stay engaged, and keep seeking the truth in a world that thrives on information. Because in the end, the stories we uncover, and the discussions we ignite, they all shape the narrative of our shared future.

And keep laughing at the absurdity, keep rolling your eyes at the headlines, and keep spreading the news like your favorite gossip. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be the breaking news story we’re all talking about!

Weekdays at 4:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 8:00 pm ET.

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