How to Cure the U.S. Health Care System with Brad Spellberg, MD

  Dr. Brad Spellberg is a  polymath. He's simultaneously a Chief Medical Officer, of a major medical center, Professor of Medicine, medical researcher, practicing clinician, founder-entrepreneur, and  author of multiple books. He brings a uniquely holistic perspective to his public policy recommendations on the future of the US healthcare system Chief Medical Officer at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center. He is also Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. He received his BA in Molecular Cell Biology-Immunology from UC Berkeley, and MD at UCLA, where he served as the UCLA AOA Chapter Co-President and won the prestigious Stafford Warren award for the topic academic performance in his graduating class. Dr. Spellberg completed his Residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Harbor-UCLA Med Center. As CMO, Dr. Spellberg has transformed the quality and efficiency of care delivered at LAC+USC Medical Center, the largest public hospital in the US west of the Mississippi. As CMO, he has 18 non-clinical direct reports and another 18 Chiefs of Clinical Services reporting to him. He has improved many aspects of hospital operations, from HR, to patient flow, to personnel, to UR, Social Services, medical documentation and billing, clinical care, etc. He has markedly increased inpatient billing, helped increase primary care empanelment and managed care revenue, successfully recruited multiple physician leaders, and has established new clinical programs (e.g., LGBTQ clinic, bariatrics surgery). Dr. Spellberg may be the only CMO in the US who not only continues to be actively clinically, staffing both Internal Medicine ward teams and Infectious Diseases consulting service, but also maintains an active NIH-funded basic science laboratory. Dr. Spellberg has also co-founded 3 biotechnology start up companies, which have resulted in 3 molecules that are in active clinical development (phase I-III clinical trials). He is also a national policy expert with respect to antibiotic resistance, having testified before Congress, been interviewed on multiple television programs, in the documentary movie Resistance, and written an award winning book, Rising Plague.  In this episode, we explore the fascinating insights and key recommendations in Dr. Spellberg's latest book," Broken, Bankrupt and Dying"  where he discusses the  precarious state of the US Health care system, the underlying reasons that have led to this dysfunction and key recommendations to improve the system to deliver a level of healthcare that American citizens deserve.