Once upon a time, physicians were in charge of their profession and how they cared for their patients. Our dedication to medicine hasn't changed, so why do so many of us feel we're no longer holding the reins? If doctors aren't in charge, who is?

Physician orgs are splintering into ever narrower specialty groups. Is there one voice that can unite us and advocate for change? The American Medical Association, once the preeminent physicians organization in the US, has faced declining membership and increased criticism for years. Dr. Michael Suk, the new Chair of the AMA Board of Trustees, joins us to share the new 5 point plan for how AMA will support and advocate for physicians in 2024 and beyond (and he takes a little heat from Matt and Wendy in the process).

"The Next Round", a new, bonus addition to 43cc, offers short, follow-up news and commentary on stories we've reported on in the past. In this episode, Wendy and Matt give an update on Steward Health Care.

What do we lose, as physicians and as patients, when society no longer treats medicine as a profession? What are the moral, ethical, and practical consequences of treating healthcare practitioners as shift workers? Matt and Wendy dive into a deep, and at times emotional, conversation about what it means to be a medical professional.

Why is private equity trying to take over healthcare? And what does the law have to say about it? Erin C. Fuse Brown, an expert on private-equity investment in healthcare and Professor of Health Services, Policy & Management at Brown University, joins us to talk about the official - and unofficial - corporate practice of medicine from a legal perspective.

Have a rant of your own on this topic? The FTC wants to hear it! Send in your comments at: Request for Information on Consolidation in Health Care Markets

For more information, go to the FTC's RFI on Impact of Corporate Greed in Healthcare.

Thirty million Americans are bound by noncompetes... or are they? A new FTC ruling signals a seismic shift in favor of physicians and patients, and we're all for it. Matt and Wendy break down all 500 pages of what banning noncompetes could mean for healthcare, and the contractual language doctors still need to look out for buried in the fine print.

A massive health system in the Northeast on the brink of collapse, private equity waiting (hiding?) in the wings, and hundreds of thousands of patients at risk of losing care? We need to talk about Steward Health.

To put it bluntly, private equity is laundering their greed through the good will of healthcare. Brendan Ballou, a federal prosecutor who served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and author of "Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America", joins us to talk about how PE has taken over healthcare, and what we can do about it.

Have a story to share? Tell the FTC.

The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services launced a cross-government inquiry on the impact of corporate greed in health care.

They want to hear from you.

Share you story here: FTC.gov