In this episode of Medical Matters Podcast, Dr. Peter Brier and Nurse Practitioner Kelly McCormick discuss some of President-Elect Trump's cabinet and agency head choices. Among these: the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Director of the Department of Health & Human Services, TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz is slated to oversee Medicare and Medicaid services. Details of some of Trump's picks can be found here.

The doctors will consider some of the selections, and what these mean for you, and your healthcare.

In this episode, Dr. Peter Brier and Nurse Practitioner Kelly McCormack discuss how patient, hospital, and healthcare data can be at risk from cyberattacks.

The recent Change Healthcare data breach is examined. UnitedHealth Group's (UHG) subsidiary was victimized by a ransomware attack that impacted more than 100 million individuals. The doctors discuss this HIPAA report and consider what patients might do to protect themselves.

The subject is also considered here.

In this episode of Medical Matters Podcast, Dr. Peter Brier and Nurse Practitioner Kelly McCormack remind listeners it is time to think about getting your flu shot and updating with the new COVID vaccine.

The main focus of the podcast is the annual Commonwealth Fund report for 2024, which compared the US healthcare system to nine other highly developed nations to determine not only where we stand, but in an effort to find areas of improvement.

The report is divided into nine sections that include overall performance, access to care, health outcomes and especially, what the US can do to improve. The full report can be read here.