Gi Insights

Guest: Imtiaz Alam, MD Host: David T. Rubin, MD We are developing increasingly effective therapies for patients with chronic hepatitis C, yet many physicians who treat a high volume of these patients are struggling to maintain economically viable strategies for providing care. Is treatment of hepatitis C becoming a money-losing proposition? Can a few simple adjustments revitalize your clinic's financial outlook? Dr. Imtiaz Alam, founding medical director of the Austin Hepatitis Center in Austin, Tex., joins host Dr. David Rubin.

Guest: Imtiaz Alam, MD Host: David T. Rubin, MD The number of new cases of hepatitis C has declined significantly since its peak in the late 1980s. But now, two decades later, we’re seeing the manifestation of long-term complications from this chronic disease. Dr. Imtiaz Alam, founding medical director of the Austin Hepatitis Center in Austin, Tex., examines the clinical obstacles that often occur when treating a large volume of patients with complex cases of hepatitis C. Looking to the future, how can screening and other prevention mechanisms aid in fighting the pervasive impact of this disease? Find out more with host Dr. David Rubin.

Guest: Carla Ginsburg, MD, MPH Host: David T. Rubin, MD Annually, Medicare payments to physicians are modified using the sustainable growth rate formula, or “SGR”. Recently, the formula mandated cuts to physicians in recent years; and only through quick congressional fixes were these cuts avoided. With payments expected to drop more than 40 percent in the next eight years, can the SGR truly be part of an effective solution to our healthcare crisis? What is the formula, and what impact will it continually have on patient care? Gastroenterologist, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School speaks with your host, Dr. David Rubin.