07/30/2016 #586: Dr. Honesty
Honest to goodness…so much to talk about today! Dr. Souryal is joined by Dr. Brad Bellard and Dr. Scott Blumenthal for a wide-ranging conversation on sports, medicine, and current events. Our first caller has worker’s compensation struggles, then Dr. Scott Blumenthal explains the treatment and recovery process for a herniated disc, and the relation between business and medicine weaves through the whole show. Another caller asks if artificial disc replacement might be a good option for him, a biker’s neck pain travels to his right hand, a 15 year old soccer player had an ACL repair and later a patellar dislocation and her father asks what to do next for this rare injury combination. An avid weightlifter has stingers on his right arm in his sleep and on his bike, but not at the gym and wonders what kind of doctor he should see first. Then we finally get to The Business of Medicine as the doctors discuss some situations where doctors can be reimbursed more for an inferior procedure or equipment from insurance than the option that works well for patients, ending with observations on the efficacy of stem cell procedures.
Keeping it real, Folks!