FHC #118: 2023 in review plus 2024 preview and predictions  

What a year it was for American healthcare. Generative AI exploded onto the scene and scored in the top echelon of test takers on the U.S. medical licensing exam. America’s largest retailers made several multibillion-dollar acquisitions in the primary care, telemedicine and home-health arenas. Diabetes drugs stunned researchers with their ability to help patients lose weight.

These are just a few of the biggest stories from 2023 that cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss on today’s episode of Fixing Healthcare, which also takes a bold look ahead at 2024. Which healthcare issues will matter most in this election year? Which technologies are set to make on impact on America’s health? Will the physician burnout crisis get better or worse in the year to come?

Here’s a snapshot of the topics covered on today’s show:   

  • The explosion of generative AI (ChatGPT)
  • The rise of the ‘retail giants’ in healthcare
  • Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs
  • Medicare Advantage saw enrollment surge in 2023
  • The tech breakthrough to fight sickle cell disease
  • Overdoses, suicides and other healthcare failures of the last year
  • The threat of rationing in 2024
  • The Roe v. Wade fallout
  • Addressing physician burnout in the U.S.
  • The most promising medical technologies coming in 2024
  • Which healthcare issues will matter most at the polls?
  • How to contain drug and care-delivery costs going forward
  • Healthcare staffing shortages: causes and solutions
  • A telehealth comeback in 2024?
  • America needs a mental health check
  • Who was Dr. Pearl’s greatest career influence?

Click play to learn more or check out the various links below for additional information.

MUST-READ ARTICLES FROM 2023

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.