A retired nurse recounts a medical emergency that cascaded into years of conflicting opinions, repeated specialist visits and mounting medical debt. Her story exposes the human cost of America’s fragmented health care system, the frustration of not being listened to and the determination it takes for patients to advocate for their own well-being.
Guest: Mary Marcus, retired nurse
Then, what is wrong with the modern health care system? A longtime health policy expert says the problem isn’t due to individual failures or a lack of medical innovation. He discusses how the industry has become increasingly transactional, emphasizing systems, metrics and bureaucracy over a human-centered approach and offers actionable solutions.
Guest: Gil Bashe, author of Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter
And, is a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — or ALS — on the horizon? ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor functions that causes paralysis and death. As of now, few treatments are able to slow its progression. An ALS researcher explains how tiny biological signals known as biomarkers are helping scientists detect and track the disease in new ways, opening the door to faster clinical trials and more targeted therapies.
Guest: Dr. Timothy Miller, professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine