Addressing the Issue of Maternity Care Deserts

Dr. Susan Sgambati, a colorectal surgeon and medical director with COPIC, is our guest on this episode that looks at the increased use of semaglutide medications driven by the popularity of Ozempic being used for weight loss. The discussion focuses on liability and risk issues, including recently issued FDA warning letters surrounding the use of compounded forms of the medication. Dr. Sgambati talks about how the medication works, side effects, how to assess patients who are interested in these medications, and other considerations as part of your evaluation.     

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

Pamela Johnson—a nurse and Senior Manager of Practice Quality and Facilities Risk Management at COPIC—joins us for a discussion about data around patient falls in health care facilities. Pamela highlights the top three areas where falls occur in these settings and talks about top risk factors that contribute to these incidents. She also points to adjustments that can make an immediate preventative impact, such as proper lighting and pathways, the importance of environmental rounds, and dispels major myths about falls and healthcare.

CDC STEADI- Older Adult Fall Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/index.html

John Hopkins- Fall Prevention- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/preventing-falls

John Hopkins- Fall Risk Assessment- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/institute_nursing/_docs/JHFRAT/JHFRAT%20Tools/JHFRAT_acute%20care%20original_6_22_17.pdf

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

Anna Barr, a nurse risk manager with COPIC, joins us for this episode to talk about the benefits of using informed consent in your medical practice. Anna highlights how informed consent is a process (not just a form), the goals of shared decision making that guide this, and how it can be a tool to foster trust and understanding with patients. In addition, we look at what situations require informed consent and key considerations in how you approach the process. Anna also explains what informed refusal is, how this differs from “against medical advice,” and provides examples of when you may want to utilize it.

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

This episode is part of a special series that focuses on organizations that received grant funding from the COPIC Medical Foundation for initiatives that address the issue of reducing fragmentation across care settings. Dr. Zacharias welcomes back Jennifer Disabato, DNP, and William Anderson, MD, who are co-directors for the ImPACT Program and Navigation Hub, which focuses on care coordination for complex pediatric patients as they transition to adult care. Jennifer and Dr. Anderson talk about the progress made in building skilled teams to support patients going through these transitions. In addition, they discuss the other key focus of the program—coaching medical clinics on these transitions through trainings, evidenced-based templates, and resources to address EHR communication challenges and other related issues.  

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

This episode is part of a special series that focuses on organizations that received grant funding from the COPIC Medical Foundation for initiatives that address the issue of reducing fragmentation across care settings. Dr. Zacharias welcomes two staff members from West Mountain Regional Health Alliance—Christina Gair, Executive Director, and Namrata Shrestha, Assistant Director. Grant funding went toward a care coordination effort to support individuals experiencing homelessness with coordination by hospitals, health and behavioral health providers, community organizations and government agencies. The discussion looks at the challenges of coordination across multiple organizations and different workflows, consideration of factors such as social needs (e.g., food, housing, transportation) and behavioral health, and the importance of creating a useful tool that helps “connect the dots” for care teams.   

Guest Website: https://westmountainhealthalliance.org/

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

This episode is part of a special series that focuses on organizations that received grant funding from the COPIC Medical Foundation for initiatives that address the issue of reducing fragmentation across care settings. Dr. Zacharias welcomes Dr. Matthew Gonzales and Dr. Deborah Unger who are affiliated with a grant provided to the Providence Portland Medical Foundation. Grant funding supported Providence and the Oregon Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Registry for a partnership to build a bi-directional interface which integrates Providence's Epic electronic health record with the Registry. Dr. Gonzales and Dr. Unger discuss about how POLST is designed to respect people’s wishes around care/treatment inside and outside of health care settings. They also talk about how POLST is utilizing digital technology to inform others across different systems, the challenge of state-by-state legislation, and the insight gained through the project so far.

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

This episode is part of a special series that focuses on organizations that received grant funding from the COPIC Medical Foundation for initiatives that address the issue of reducing fragmentation across care settings. Dr. Zacharias welcomes Tori Bahr, MD and Katie Stangl who are affiliated with a grant provided to the Minnesota Medical Association Foundation. Grant funding supported Project ECHO, which focuses on the challenge of transitioning youth with medical complexity to adult care in Minnesota. The discussion explains the different conditions that fall under “childhood onset medical complexity” and how the ECHO hub-and-spoke model leverages virtual collaboration to expand expertise and knowledge, and connects providers across different settings to address patient care issues.

Show Email- WNLpodcast@COPIC.com

Gillette Children's Hospital Transitions - https://www.gillettechildrens.org/get-involved/attend-an-event#medical-professionals

Legal Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition. 

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

Documentation in medicine is no one’s favorite topic. In this episode, host Dr. Eric Zacharias aims to simplify guidance surrounding “what” and “how much” is needed for patient safety and risk management purposes. What follows is not “hard” science, but rather a discussion of basic criteria—and what's realistic and reasonable outside of policy rules and guidelines.

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

In this episode, we are joined by David Weill, MD, a transplant doctor and author of Exhale: Hope, Healing, and a Life in Transplant. Dr. Weill shares openly about losing and saving patients, dysfunctional teams and systems, and burnout in transplant medicine. Through the lens of his own emotional and physical exhaustion, he explores the underbelly of hospital systems and the clinical, administrative, and financial issues plaguing the specialty. He is an advocate of shifting the blame of burnout away from the individual and placing it on the macro problems that contribute to physician dissatisfaction. 

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.

We continue the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) in this second episode of a two-part series. Our guest is Dr. Michael Victoroff, a family medicine physician, patient safety and risk management specialist, and clinical informatics expert. Dr. Victoroff uses image interpretation in radiology as an example of AI because it sees things humans miss and humans see things AI misses. We look at other AI applications—support for diagnosing and creating a treatment plan, concerns with visit notes (e.g., inaccuracies, information designed for billing purposes versus information for patient care, bias that can emerge, etc.), and the knowledge medical providers will need to acquire about AI’s role in medicine. In addition, Dr. Victoroff highlights key risk considerations such as cyber risks, AI impersonation of other medical professionals and facilities, and how this technology may extend into our personal lives.

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.  

Feedback or episode ideas email the show at wnlpodcast@copic.com

Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast should not be relied upon for personal, medical, legal, or financial decisions and you should consult an appropriate professional for specific advice that pertains to your situation. Health care providers should exercise their professional judgment in connection with the provision of healthcare services. The information contained in this podcast is not intended to be, nor is it, a substitute for medical diagnosis, treatment, advice, or judgment relative to a patient’s specific condition.