News You Can Use – November 2023

This month’s episode of “News You Can Use” on Healthcare NOW Radio features news from the month of November 2023.

The show 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:

• Recent moves adds, and changes in the employees at Open AI
• Using other AI and Generative Pre-trained Transformers
• Consumers versus Patients
• Weight Loss Drugs and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

The unexpected firing of Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI was the main topic of discussion and while we were both surprised at the move had differing views on the underlying causes and potential outcomes. While Microsoft was quick to jump in and say they would be happy to hire the two individuals that may not extend to the 700 or so employees who all openly expressed support for their former CEO and why a return for Sam Altman to Open AI may not be in the best interests of the company. The AI alignment required of the board structure and the fear of FOOM (Fast Onset of Overwhelming Mastery – something we all at one time or another think we have personally ).

We discuss the use of the term consumers versus patients and what that might mean and while both of us see the value of ‘consumerization’ and acknowledge the benefits of a consumer-centric approach perhaps the term “patient” remains the preferred for many doctors at least.

Listen in to hear our take on the weight loss drugs that have been in the news a lot recently and our caution against jumping to conclusions and emphasize the need for further research to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship as we discussed when we talked about the Parachute study.

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.

For years Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick, has served as a voice on the impact of new technologies on healthcare, earning a reputation as a leading authority on where the future of medicine is going. Combining powers of observation and real world experience, Dr. Nick has seen many predictions come true and makes the case that innovations in healthcare can be accomplished incrementally, not just by moonshot events. Tune in to hear Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist and his guests discuss what the future of healthcare looks like, how we will get there, and what it will take to improve healthcare for all.

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