Winning Healthcare Food Fights

Sparks Start Fires and a lot more, with Julie Gunther MD. If you're a physician and thinking maybe now is the time to break free of the old system, here's your show. One of your peers felt the same way and did something about it. You can learn from her too.

For the rest of us, here's yet one more reason why Direct Primary Care is so beneficial to overall health and wellness. Besides, don't you want a doctor who is happy? 

Dr. Julie is a graduate of Boise High School, Harvard University, and the University of Washington School of Medicine. She has spoken, provided content or been featured in Forbes, NPR, Bloomberg News, Medical Economics, Physician Practice, Reason TV, KevinMD, The Idaho Statesman, The Idaho Business Review, Greenbelt Magazine among many other forums.

She enjoys motivational speaking, telling authentic stories and empowering physicians and individuals to think differently about how we care for ourselves and for each other.  

(Note: As soon as he saw she is a motivational speaker, Hunter knew she had to be on the show. His father was too. Then he found out her maiden name is Schultz. Simply cosmic.) 

Sparks Start Fires: A Guide for Dreamers Who Are Also Doctors*

Rare diseases are a passion for Candace Lerman. She doesn't let it define her either. She defines it through her social media outreach and website. It's an inspirational story too. From sitting in a hospital bed trying to spell her rare blood disorder, to successfully re-purposing a drug not FDA approved to treat Immune Thrombocytopenia or ITP. (Go ahead, try to pronounce it.)   

Her path forward evolved into becoming a rare disease warrior and helping others.   There's more to her story, of course. There always is. 

There may be another positive development here for all rare disease patients. All because she decided to make a positive difference.  

Follow Candace on Twitter at: 

What's 4th trimester care? Hunter hadn't a clue, but he knew of someone to ask. Dr. Rebecca Berens of Vida Family DPC joined him for the scoop on that time between birth and 12 weeks postpartum. 

Aside from babies popping out, and wanting to go right back in, there's a lot more to postpartum than meets the eye. There's still a lot of connecting going on. Women and their families experience substantial changes. From emotional to social to physiological. It's more complex and the old system can't handle it.

Enter Direct Primary Care (DPC) and its enabling care model. 

Dr. Berens explains how and why this is important and not just for women either. 

Visit her practice at:

Who will pay for the Coronavirus pandemic? China? Dream on, Bullwinkle. More like taxpayers. But as Hunter explains, there’s some good news within that larger picture. The money is there to pay for it, though it requires thinking different about our healthcare system. There’s a lot of cost savings on the table. 

Buyer’s Guide Summary:

A CIA Officer, a comedy writer, a New York Times Editor, and a Tonight Show Talent Coordinator walk into a bar. Actually, it’s William Katz of Urgentagenda.com who wandered into the dining room and sat down with Hunter.   

They discuss the current state of media in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. How information is reported, and what shapes our “news feeds.” There’s a lack of editors out there and we’re forced to become our own.   

Along the way, Bill recaps a bit about his careers including his time as a Tonight Show Talent Coordinator, a comedy writer for Bob Newhart, and a New York Times editor.   

His experience with the CIA is another revealing insider look on how we use information, and disinformation.  

COVID-19 -- What's good about it? While, it's tough looking beyond the sad stories, there are some bright spots emerging and ready for action once we're back to some kind of normal.  

Dr. Louis Profeta on Ebola response: 

Dr. Creighton Shute of Elite DPC in Lafayette, LA unpacks healthcare with cost savings for patients and businesses alike. How did he lower one patient's monthly medicine expense by $450.66, leaving her in tears? All in a day's work with Direct Primary Care.  

Then there's a local business lowing their healthcare costs by an almost unheard of amount.   But, they weren't done. Hunter and Dr. Shute explore how businesses can make more money with better care. Really? Yes, really.  

Visit Dr. Shute's website at:  

Episode One of the 2020 Healthcare Buyer’s Guide explores Coverage and Care. Hunter explains why one is far more important to focus on and why. He shares clips from previous show guests, Dr. Stephen Schimpff, Dr. Kenneth Fisher, and Dr. Melissa Jones. They reinforce some vital points about care and coverage.

Note: Links to books are part of Amazon’s Associate Program so we’ll make a little bit on each sale. Thanks for your support!

Fee for service American care

In this episode, Hunter previews the upcoming 4 part Healthcare Buyer's Guide including some of the most important attributes of care. Dr. Aimee Ostick's views on care coordination and continuity only reinforce their importance to better care.

November isn't far away and there's a vital decision we must make. What kind of healthcare system will we have in the future? The sad part is most people have little clue about great care's attributes and benchmarks.

Healthcare Super Users drive a large portion of our overall spending. Hunter connects the dots about why this is, and links to the research are below.

He also shares some of the upcoming improvements to the show.

Visit the show's website for more background information:

Medicine's Dark Side is deeper than one might think — But there's hope for doctors and patients to cope and overcome a secret problem with us for over 160 years. The Physician's Guardian Angel, and author of Human Rights Violations in Medicine, Dr. Pamela Wible, joins Hunter for a deeper conversation about what’s driving physician suicides and what we can do to prevent them. 

This episode is a must listen for any parent with a child thinking about becoming a physician, in medical school or residency. So too for spouses of physicians. 

Her deeply personal story about her own walk to the edge is compelling and enlightening.

She unpacks “physician burnout” and why it’s the wrong word to describe the situation.

They explore two simple things we can do to help prevent these tragic events.

There are fundamental issues in care, which must be addressed to foster prevention. More secrecy is not the answer. It’s the system, Sam.

Dr. Wible offers any medical school student or physician her support at:

HIPAA Privacy Rights aren't really about privacy. It’s more of a road map to grab your private health information. Just how much can they access? 

Settle in and pay close attention to America’s foremost health privacy expert, Twila Brase, RN, PHN, as she shares the overall landscape.

Gird your loins for a dive to ground level where a patient tells a doctor everything. What happens after that, is of deep concern for every American, regardless of a political party. It’s especially important for future generations and for people with health histories they’d not like published on the Internet.

But, there’s a little-known secret to solve the current mess we are in. One stroke of a pen is all that’s needed. Come November 2020, the question we all must ask is who will most likely do it?

Twila Brase is the President and Co-Founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom:

Driving her passion for care, Dr. Melissa Jones of Priority One PC, in Charlotte, NC, understands that practicing the art of medicine requires a relationship. Over 15 years of practicing medicine, she cares for patients using medical science, but that’s only part of the story. 

Like many of her peers, she’s fighting back against a systematic destruction of her profession by opening her new practice using the new standard of medical care excellence—Direct Primary Care.  

How does she know it’s successful? It's overlooked by many and very simple. Listen in.

Great care isn’t that complex. In fact, it’s a lot simpler than people believe. Find out why and more.

For more about Dr. Jones, visit her site at:

American healthcare isn't known for great customer service. More like inconvenience. Dr. Paul Thomas thought differently and started Plum Health DPC in Detroit, MI. He learned a secret from other physicians. Changing the business model so his practice could focus on customer service and care. Along the way, he wrote one book and now helps other physicians looking for a better way to provide great patient care.

Dr. Thomas went the never crowded extra mile too. He opened Plum Health DPC in the Corktown area of Detroit, instead of Grosse Pointe. Every day, he and his team provide proof old-fashioned American ingenuity is alive and well. They are putting the Wow back into care by giving great customer service. 

Visit Plum Health at:

Addiction recovery expert, Dr. Molly Rutherford from Bluegrass Family Wellness DPC in Crestwood, KY, joins Hunter with her front-line perspective on the Opioid Crisis and addiction. She answers the key question of what any solution must include to help 21-million Americans fighting addiction. Dr. Molly also addresses gateways to drug addiction, and what she worries about most for her children, something all families should take note of.

There’s also mention of a family secret, which helped Hunter avoid smoking cigarettes from an early age. A free copy is available by subscribing to the Winning Healthcare Food Fights newsletter. Find the link on the top of the show’s home page:

Dr. Ken Fisher picks up from last week's episode with the spotlight on the Keith Smith, co-founder of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma. He rolls right into transparency, HSAs, and hidden taxes costing all employees a lot of money. 

Employers would be wise to dive deeper into their health plans as they are indeed in the healthcare business.

HSAs are a vastly underused tool, which can totally disrupt US healthcare for the better. 

He is the author of Understanding Healthcare: a Historical Perspective available from our Resources page:

In the first of part of a two-part episode, Dr. Kenneth Fisher joined Hunter to dive deeper into Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and right away, discovered an inspirational story of overcoming significant challenges to become a physician.

They also explore a little history of HSAs and their role in our current system. Think of Roberto Duran fighting Sugar Ray Leonard with one hand tied behind his back.

HSAs are an 800-pound gorilla currently trapped in a straitjacket. Far more powerful than people realize, they are an important part of an overall solution to American healthcare's current crisis. Dr. Fisher unpacks the current situation.

Dr. Fisher is an author of three books with the latest, Understanding Healthcare: A Historical Perspective, an important resource for sorting out any new solution.

Visit the resource page for more information:

A growing movement of physicians are heading “Back to the Future” as they rediscover their purpose in life while providing far better care for their patients. Happier, less stressed, and having more time feels great. And that's just physicians. Patients are far happier too. But the story goes to the heart of what medicine is and how it's changed over the years.

Dr. Aimee Ostick of Health and Healing Direct Primary Care in Woodland Hills, CA joins Hunter to share her backstory and talk about why she and her peers are looking backwards to go forward towards better patient care. In Dr. Ostick's case, it might be part of her DNA.

She and her fellow DPC physicians are the pointy head of healthcare's spear by putting real care back in healthcare, and with profound effects.

They also explore why businesses in LA are slowly discovering how providing far better care lowers overall healthcare costs while increase productivity and employee attitudes.

More resources are available on the show's website:

Hunter's old friend, Michael J., discusses his medical journey as he navigates today's healthcare system. 

Chonic care patients are the biggest spenders of healthcare dollars. Michael is dealing with multiple health issues while rebuilding his businesses. From the ground up. He learns about some available options and why they are important. 

This is the first "Conversations with Michael J." episode. They will occasionally check in and update Michael's journey to wellness. 

More resources and information are available the show's website:

Dr. James Tinsley from Newport News, Virginia joins Hunter to explore how a civil engineer wound up opening a new medical practice where patients come first. How else would he wind up with a Megalodon Shark tooth as a thank you?

He recently opened Lighthouse Direct Primary Care. Learn more about why he said goodbye to a dysfunctional system, began a new chapter in his life, and living his purpose. Frankly, isn’t that what one wants in a physician?

Discover more about Dr. Tinsley’s practice at:

Dr. Stephen Schimpff joins Hunter for a conversation about primary care and how important it is for great overall care. In 2015, Dr. Schimpff wrote his book, Fixing the Primary Care Crisis. Hunter asks the title question -- is it now catastrophic? 

They also explore:

Why time between patient and physician is vital for great care, and why it's down to 8 to 10 minutes. 

Why your doctor doesn't do email or phone calls.

What's missing from those proposed Medicare For All plans? And why it's vital.

Is "Functional Medicine" a new concept?

Why Dr. Schimpff's latest book, Longevity Decoded, isn't just for older people.

How and why one type of primary care may be of interest to Bill Gates.

More about Dr. Schimpff: