Healthcare navigation is difficult. Even for doctors who are in the thick of it, certain aspects of the system can feel messy and tumultuous. In this episode of Doctor Friends, emergency physicians Tomás, Grace and Christian highlight issues like scheduling difficulties, insurance barriers and the high administrative burden on both patients and providers, while Rosny – "the Joe Rogan of the left" – shares his personal experiences navigating the healthcare system following his diabetes diagnosis.

The conversation also touches on the time-consuming process of obtaining care, dealing with prior authorisations as well as additional layers of complexity faced by patients without insurance or with health literacy and language barriers. The doctors emphasise the need for universal healthcare, better data integration and structural changes to make healthcare more accessible and equitable.

The discussion is partly inspired by Paula Span’s article for the New York Times So Many Days Lost at the Doctor’s Office (published November 2024).

Doctor Friends should not be used in place of professional medical advice. The opinions of the participants are their own and do not represent the institutions that they work for.

This episode was recorded remotely in September 2025. Presented by Rosny, Tomás, Grace and Christian.

Music by Nylonia. Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind.” – Lord Kelvin

In this episode, Christian, Rana, Carl and Michelle delve into quality measures and metrics within emergency medicine. They explore the origins and historical context of these measures, touching on key figures like John Snow and Florence Nightingale, and contemporary frameworks such as the Donabedian model.

The physicians talk about the evolution of metrics from voluntary reporting to mandatory quality measurement tied to payments, highlighting significant legislation like the Affordable Care Act and MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act). The conversation also addresses the nuances of implementing and updating quality measures as well as reaching a balance between process and outcome metrics.

Michelle shares insights from her research and experiences in developing and applying quality measures – emphasising the tension between the benefits and challenges of using metrics in emergency medicine – and explores potential improvements for quality measures for the future.

Doctor Friends should not be used in place of professional medical advice. The opinions of the participants are their own and do not represent the institutions that they work for.

Presented by Christian, Rana, Carl and Michelle. Music by Nylonia. Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski.

Liked the episode? Tell your friends! Follow us on Instagram or write to us at doctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, emergency physicians Christian, Rosny and Grace discuss the pervasive issue of burnout in the medical profession. They address the history and roots of burnout, starting from its first mention in the 1970s to its institutional acknowledgment in the 2010s.

The conversation highlights the factors contributing to burnout, such as work-life imbalance, moral injury, structural inefficiencies and the unrealistic expectations placed on healthcare providers. They discuss the complexity of finding solutions, emphasising that individual resilience strategies alone are insufficient and that structural changes are necessary. Grace notes that reducing work hours significantly improved her well-being, while Rosny and Christian touch on the systemic changes necessary for improving patient care, such as better financial support and fair workload distribution.

Doctor Friends should not be used in place of professional medical advice. The opinions of the participants are their own and do not represent the institutions that they work for.

Presented by Christian, Rosny and Grace. Music by Nylonia. Produced by Ilia Rogatchevski.

Liked the episode? Follow us on Instagram or write to us at doctorfriendspodcast@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.