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New Podcast Review!!

Podcast Review: Get the Gist of Healthcare in <10 Min/Day 

Heather Z. Sankey, MD, MEd, FACOG, CPE | President AIAMC Board of Directors 

If you are looking for something short and summative that can keep you up to date on major issues of importance in healthcare and healthcare policy, I highly recommend Gist Healthcare Daily.

My husband is the podcast aficionado in our household, not me. He listens to literally thousands of hours of podcasts per year while I listen to an average of 1-2 hours per week (for those of you not in the mood to do math, that’s less than 100 hours per year for comparison). He may be willing to put up with long episodes and occasional sub-par content, but I don’t have time for that.

What matters to me is that the podcast is interesting, uses the time well and is informative or entertaining – preferably both.

I’m not sure how I came across the Gist Healthcare Daily podcast. I often try new things based on reviews, but most don’t catch my long-term interest. This one did. It is primarily focused on healthcare policy and business rather than specific aspects of clinical care making it broadly applicable independent of specialty or even those not working in a clinical role.

Each podcast meets my criteria:

o EFFICIENCY: Averages 7 minutes in length (their description promises less than 10 minutes and they stick to it). It’s a quick listen on my way to or from work.

o INFORMATIVE: It starts with a brief content overview followed by about a minute on each of 3-4 topics that have an impact on the daily lives of patients and people who work in healthcare. I like the curated material, and they do a great job of distilling a complex topic into a brief but informative summary. 

o ENTERTAINING:  On occasion. It keeps me listening! 

Some examples of recent topics that have been covered include a new recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics for early intervention with childhood obesity, a discussion about the rising number of Americans putting off healthcare due to cost and a fascinating update on the cost of insulin and what is being done about it. [It turns out that not only is California suing a good number of pharmaceutical companies for unfair pricing but is also seeking to get into the business of insulin manufacturing which they will distribute at cost (unclear yet as to what that cost will be)].

For those of you who prefer reading to a podcast, their website, https://gisthealthcare.com/ offers “The Weekly Gist” which is a short email that comes to your inbox every Friday. This typically covers 2-4 topic areas with a one paragraph summary and then a brief commentary on the topic. Finally, they add a “graphic of the week” which recently was on the rising cost of deductibles and inflation causing people to delay care (as covered in the podcast earlier in the week). 

We are living in an age of information overload at the same time there are rapid and important changes happening in healthcare. The Gist Healthcare Daily podcast (or weekly gist) provides a quick overview of the hottest topics. Give it a try and see if you feel just a little more prepared to face your workweek.

Brief Bio: Dr. Sankey is the Ronald T. Burkman Endowed Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor, Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology at UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate.  She is a long-time east coaster/new englander graduating from Vassar with a degree in Math/Computer Science, her MD from Hahnemann University Medical School, completing her internship and residency at Baystate in Ob/Gyn and an MEd in Medical Education and Leadership at the University of New England (in Maine).