EPISODE · Jun 14, 2026 · 18 MIN
The Bill
from BEDSIDE · host Robin Blackstone, MD, FACS
Wendell “Wen” Hartfield has lived with back pain for twenty-two years. A former coal miner, a husband, a father, and a man marked by the opioid crisis, Wen has not taken anything stronger than ibuprofen since 2014. When his pain becomes unbearable, his doctor refers him for a non-opioid pain procedure. But the system flags him for high-risk opioid history and demands a substance-use review before care can proceed. A community health nurse named Emma Whitley tries to help. Hermes finds a faster pathway — but the shortcut quietly writes cancer into Wen’s permanent medical record. Mara, Emma, Chiron, and Theo Castellanos race to correct the record before the architecture’s “solution” becomes another lifelong burden. Themes: Chronic pain, opioid stigma, algorithmic flags, Medicare Advantage, coding distortion, record correction, human dignity Tags: chronic pain, opioid crisis, rural health, Eastern Kentucky, medical records, healthcare AI, algorithmic bias, patient advocacy, Health 4.0, BEDSIDE, The Pulse BEDSIDE: The Pulse is a work of speculative health-system fiction written and narrated by Robin Blackstone, MD. It is not medical advice.
What this episode covers
In Eastern Kentucky, Wendell Hartfield’s pain is real — but the system has already decided who he is.
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The Bill
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