The Pursuit of Health Podcast Dr. Eric Fethke

It’s time to get to grips with sepsis.
The statistics are stark: sepsis is killing 250,000 people in our country every year - and yet we’re still only getting to grips with why it happens, how we can identify it, and how we ensure effective treatment.
On a mission to better our understanding is Dr. Robert Scoggins, a leading figure in pulmonary and critical care medicine who serves as Chief Medical Officer of Cytovale, a private company building cutting-edge technology to identify sepsis.
He takes us through its medical definition, the huge importance of catching it early, the SEP-1 protocol, and how Cytovale’s tech holds promise for the future.
Screening systems are in place for heart attack and stroke - it’s time we have the same for sepsis.
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

“In the United States we don’t ration medicine, we ration people.”
We are honored this week to welcome an esteemed author, pediatrician, educator and co-founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Dr. Don Berwick.
Dr. Berwick has dedicated his career to reigniting our healthcare system, to ensure it can meet the needs of disadvantaged people, and limit the excess profits being hoarded as wealth by the powers that be.
Formerly serving as the former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Barack Obama, he knows the details of our system inside out - challenging misinformation and calling out partisan refusals to collaborate for the good of everyone, not just the stakeholders.
In our discussion, he shares his story, his experiences in government, common misconceptions about his philosophies, his worry at the corporatization of our system, and some seeds of hope amidst a climate of greed.
“Anybody that says we can't meet the needs of the American public isn't reading the information. What they mean is, we can't meet the needs of the American public and satisfy all the greed that we've unleashed in the current system.”



Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

We need to transition our industry from being about sickness, to being about wellness.


Imagine a system that rewarded providers for keeping patients well; that reimbursed practices for patients with better metrics.


That’s the type of system dreamt of by this week’s guest, Dr. Andrea J. Boudreaux, Executive Director of Children’s School Services team in Washington, D.C.


Having come face to face with the structural issues plaguing healthcare, she chooses action: making fundamental differences for children and families in low-income neighborhoods by bringing healthcare to schools, shelters and in virtual checkups.


From throwing community health fairs, to holding policy makers and stakeholders to account in finance-focused meetings, Dr. Boudreaux is creating tangible change, upholding a focus on diversity and inclusion, and incentivizing equitable access for everyone!


Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

It’s time to talk about rural healthcare.
Enter this week’s guest, Dr. David Schreiner, PhD, who is fresh off the press with his new book Be The Best Part of Their Day.
As President and CEO of Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon, Illinois, David knows the intricacies of delivering healthcare in rural communities with compassion and efficacy.
And it shows, with his hospital boasting some of the best stats for quality in the country - priding themselves on a system that forefronts the doctor-patient relationship, values each member of staff that makes the hospital tick and emphasizes gratitude every step of the way.
A passionate community advocate, David shares openly on the daily administrative challenges, the wider reform needed to our system and the vulnerability of the rural population in our country.
Join us!

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4



Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

Use your voice.
This is the key take-home message for physicians, medical students and residents, from Keshia Bradford.
As Project Manager of Doctors for America, Keshia is on the frontline, witnessing the current state of our healthcare system in unflinching detail.
In giving us a history of our healthcare and health insurance system in the U.S., Dr. Bradford reveals the urgent need to depoliticize healthcare policy, bring the patient's voice to the table, and ensure equitable access for all.
A proactive, passionate, tireless educator, today’s conversation is a call for advocacy.
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

Knowledge is power.
So how can we ensure our healthcare system is empowering patients?
This episode is a brilliant chat with ‘e-Patient Dave’ deBronkart, a legendary advocate of participatory medicine who came into the spotlight during a battle with cancer in 2007.
Dave is the living embodiment of participatory medicine, and reflects passionately on numerous inspiring examples of patient-led change: Long Covid, Parkinson’s Disease, Marfan Syndrome… the list goes on.
Sharing candidly on his own health battle and the preventable death of his mother due to staff shortages at a care home, it’s clear Dave has always been dedicated to giving as much to life as he can. 
Our healthcare system is broken, the establishment is stubborn to change, but patient power will never let up - we can always take matters into our own hands!


Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4