Physicians Taking Back Medicine is a new podcast from Medical Economics. Hosted by Dr. Rebekah Bernard, each episode dives into the real-world challenges facing today’s doctors: MOC, scope of practice, direct primary care, and much more. Physicians Taking Back Medicine explores how doctors can reclaim their autonomy and shape the future of health care with candid interviews and actionable insights. Join Dr. Bernard and her guests each month as she guides you toward an empowered and sustainable medical career.
14: Bringing back physician-owned hospitals: A rural success story
A dermatologist and a group of physician investors reopened a shuttered 25-bed hospital in the Florida Panhandle, and now they want Congress to let other doctors do the same.
29 Jul 2026
13: Five surprising findings about the state of direct primary care
A new national survey challenges longstanding assumptions about DPC pricing, panel size, staffing and practice design.
1 Jul 2026
12: A hospital tried to replace them. These Oregon physicians fought back — and won
An Oregon emergency physician group beat back a hospital's attempt to replace it with a national staffing firm, offering independent practices a playbook built on physician unity, advocacy and corporate practice of medicine law.
20 May 2026
11: Standing up for kids: When one physician's voice changes everything
What if the most important thing you do as a physician happens outside the exam room?
Free N. Hess, D.O., a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric emergency physician, reached this epiphany early in her career when she realized that many of the children she was treating didn't need to be there at all.
"Moving from an inner-city hospital to a rural area opened my eyes to how many injuries and illnesses could be prevented by more community resources and better education," Hess said.
That insight didn't just change how she practiced. It changed her sense of responsibility.
"I wanted to do more than educate one-on-one in the emergency room. I wanted a larger platform."
Hess took action, starting the website Pedi-Mom, launching a podcast, and branching into social media. Now a national expert on child safety, Hess speaks at medical conferences, regularly consults with families, schools, and manufacturing companies, and was even interviewed for the BBC documentary "Childhood 2.0." And her work is making a difference.
Read more at MedicalEconomics.com (http://medicaleconomics.com/).
Music Credits
Medical Education by Art Media - stock.adobe.com
(http://stock.adobe.com/)
Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.
0:17 — Dr. Free Hess introduces herself and her background in pediatric emergency medicine
1:18 — From the Bronx to rural Florida: How the move changed her perspective on preventable injuries
4:33 — Frustration with one-on-one education in the ER and the decision to build a larger platform
4:49 — Launching Pedi-Mom, the podcast, and expanding to social media including TikTok
6:09 — Safe sleep: Explaining the difference between bed sharing and room sharing, and why "co-sleeping" is a problematic term
8:18 — Why safe sleep generates so much backlash, and working with parent advocates who have lost children
11:15 — Expanding into speaking, documentaries, and consulting on child safety and online predators
12:03 — Why physicians need to be on social media and how to get started
13:25 — Practical advice for overcoming the fear of criticism and imperfection online
16:16 — Discussion of a viral post on teenage pregnancy and the broader threat of child sexual exploitation
20:11 — How advocacy opens doors: BBC's "Childhood 2.0" documentary and collaborating with outside influencers
21:22 — The scope of child sexual abuse and how social media and AI have expanded predators' reach
23:15 — Explaining sextortion: How it works, why teen boys are the primary target, and the link to suicide
25:01 — Advice for parents and physicians on protecting kids online
25:44 — The sextortion story that changed everything: A mother's message and a Department of Homeland Security arrest
28:18 — Saving parent thank-you messages as motivation, and the impact of getting just one physician online
30:19 — Advice for physicians on reaching out to peers when things go wrong on social media
33:22 — Closing thoughts on why the benefits outweigh the risks of speaking out
8 Apr 2026
10: Physicians fight for malpractice reform — and win
After years of physician departures and "nuclear verdicts," New Mexico physicians describe how cross-specialty advocacy and patient engagement drove landmark malpractice reform.
25 Feb 2026
9: When facts become ‘arrogance’: Physicians push back against political theater
Physicians don’t show up to legislative hearings expecting applause. In fact, most arrive knowing the vote may already be decided. They come anyway — on their own time, at their own expense, often canceling clinics or trading call shifts — because patient safety is worth two or three minutes at a microphone.
What they don’t expect is to be personally attacked for telling the truth.
Yet that is exactly what happened during a recent Florida legislative hearing on a bill that would allow psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners to practice independently, without oversight by a psychiatrist. After calm, evidence-based testimony from multiple physicians outlining differences in training, patient safety risks and noncompliance with existing law, the bill sponsor closed not by rebutting the data — but by attacking the physicians themselves.
They were described as “arrogant,” “obnoxious” and “greedy.” The sponsor claimed doctors were profiting off nurse practitioners, earning thousands of dollars per month per clinician, joking that physicians could use the money to “buy a plane and go to The Bahamas.”
It was not a debate over policy. It was political theater — and physicians were cast as villains for refusing to play along.
Read more at MedicalEconomics.com (http://medicaleconomics.com/).
Music Credits
Medical Education by Art Media - stock.adobe.com
(http://stock.adobe.com/)
Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.
0:00 – Florida legislator’s closing remarks attacking physician testimony
0:24 – Episode introduction: Physicians speak out against unsupervised psychiatric nurse practitioner legislation
1:38 – Dr. Vicki Norton’s committee testimony on training differences and patient safety
4:23 – Interview with Dr. Norton: Reaction to lawmaker’s comments
7:22 – Introduction of Dr. Ankush Bansal
7:57 – Dr. Bansal’s testimony on physician education, ethics, and access to care
9:58 – Dr. Bansal reacts to sponsor’s personal attacks
13:32 – Introduction of Dr. Mays DeBose (South Carolina advocacy effort)
13:57 – Dr. DeBose on physician image, humility, and legislative communication
15:11 – South Carolina “turf war” characterization
15:43 – Dr. DeBose describes committee hearing experience
16:02 – Dr. Phil Schaefer testifies on lack of data
16:18 – Legislator comments about AI replacing radiologists
16:42 – Dr. Schaefer responds to AI comment
18:27 – Florida bill sponsor closing remarks (“It’s going to be cool”)
19:06 – Dr. Schaefer on legislators’ understanding of medicine
19:46 – Call to physician advocacy
20:34 – Dr. Norton on overcoming personal attacks and getting involved
22:48 – Dr. Bansal’s advice for physicians interested in advocacy
23:43 – Dr. Schaefer on why physicians struggle to engage politically
24:33 – Dr. DeBose on supporting organized medicine
26:05 – Dr. DeBose on collective voice and combating learned helplessness
28:20 – Final encouragement to join local and state medical societies
29:02 – Closing remarks from host Dr. Rebecca Bernard
7 Jan 2026
8: Avoiding the ‘P-word’: Why these physicians are taking the ‘no provider pledge’
Rheumatologist Dr. Robert McLean discusses his mission to eliminate the term "provider" when referring to physicians, believing it reflects erosion of professional identity and clarity in American medicine in this interview.
3 Dec 2025
7: The rising toll of private equity in health care
Anesthesiologist Marco Fernandez MD and emergency physician Robert McNamara MD discuss the rising influence of private equity in healthcare, including decreased staffing, increased patient mortality, and the need for physician-led advocacy in this interview.
21 Oct 2025
6: Dr. Keith Smith and the free market revolution in surgery
Anesthesiologist Dr. Keith Smith discusses how the Surgery Center of Oklahoma offers transparent, patient-centered surgical experiences outside the traditional third-party payer system, demonstrating affordable, high-quality healthcare in this interview.
24 Sept 2025
5: Can DPC save the rural health crisis?
Family physician Lee Gross, MD, explores how Direct Primary Care can address the rural health crisis, highlighting its potential to improve access, sustainability, and trust in underserved communities through interviews with rural DPC physicians Lee Gillum, Nehemiah Weimar, and Katie Worden Greer.
12 Aug 2025
4: ‘Suck it Up, Buttercup’: Why these doctors left medicine — and what they’re doing to fix it
Host Dr. Todd Otton interviews Dr. Danielle Wilbur about physicians leaving medicine due to systemic issues and their efforts to fix the healthcare system.
26 Jun 2025
3: Is MOC contributing to the physician shortage?
Host Dr. Rebekah Bernard investigates if maintenance-of-certification contributes to the physician shortage as Dr. Mark Lopatin and Dr. Paul Mathew share their experiences in this interview episode.
28 May 2025
2: Physician wellness beyond ‘The Pitt’
Psychiatrists Mona Masood, DO, and Nicole Washington, MD, discuss resources they developed, such as the Physician Support Line and Physician Mental Health, to address and improve physician mental health in this interview.
3 Apr 2025
1: Is there an emergency physician in the house?
Consider this scenario: You are having a medical emergency. An ambulance takes you to the nearest emergency department, where you are met by a nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA), who may or may not have extra training in emergency care. You ask for a physician, but there are none in the department, or even in the hospital. In fact, there isn’t even a physician available by telephone to guide the NP or PA in your care.
In the first episode of Physicians Taking Back Medicine, host Rebekah Bernard, MD, discusses this important topic, with insights from fellow physicians Deborah Fletcher, MD, and Mercy Hylton, MD.
Studies referenced/discussed in this episode
Lack of 24/7 Attending Physician Coverage in US Emergency Departments, 2022 (https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/uZAECOYR2Rtoz4ZYtEfgUGcK1q?domain=jacepopen.com)
Analysis of Nurse Practitioners’ Educational Preparation, Credentialing, and Scope of Practice in U.S. Emergency Departments - Journal of Nursing Regulation (https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/TBayCR6707i8jB0YFOsNU11d7q?domain=journalofnursingregulation.com)
Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare: (https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/hAvSCXDR0Rf3V0DAi7CmUWOY6i?domain=amazon.com/)
Music Credits
Medical Education by Art Media - stock.adobe.com (http://stock.adobe.com)
Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.
Introduction to the Podcast (00:00:07)
Dr. Rebecca Bernard introduces the podcast and its focus on inspiring stories from physicians.
Meet the Guests (00:00:37)
Dr. Debbie Fletcher and Dr. Mercy Hilton share their backgrounds in emergency medicine.
Replacement of Physicians (00:00:53)
Discussion on the alarming trend of replacing physicians with non-physician practitioners in emergency departments.
Impact of Management Changes (00:01:15)
Dr. Fletcher recounts her experience of being replaced by a nurse practitioner due to management decisions.
Concerns During the Pandemic (00:02:28)
Dr. Hilton discusses the replacement of pediatricians with nurse practitioners during fluctuating emergency department volumes.
Patient Care and Supervision Issues (00:03:01)
Concerns about inadequate supervision and care for patients by non-physician practitioners.
Observations of Mismanagement (00:03:51)
Dr. Hilton shares experiences of patient mismanagement and safety concerns in emergency care.
Mismanagement in Emergency Departments (00:05:28)
Dr. Fletcher agrees on the mismanagement issues observed, including overconfidence among non-physician practitioners.
Study on Nurse Practitioners (00:06:36)
Dr. Hilton discusses a concerning study on the educational preparation of nurse practitioners in emergency departments.
Alarm on Educational Standards (00:08:34)
Discussion on the alarming findings regarding nurse practitioners' training and its implications for patient safety.
Workforce Study Initiative (00:08:43)
Dr. Fletcher initiates a workforce study to assess physician staffing in emergency departments.
Survey Findings on Physician Staffing (00:09:30)
Dr. Fletcher reveals alarming statistics about emergency departments lacking 24/7 physician staffing.
Access to Physician Communication (00:11:51)
Findings on the lack of two-way communication between non-physician staff and physicians in emergency departments.
Legislative Changes in Indiana (00:14:06)
Dr. Hilton shares her advocacy efforts leading to Indiana's law requiring physician presence in emergency departments.
Impact of the Alexis Ochoa Case (00:15:14)
Discussion of the tragic case that motivated Dr. Hilton's advocacy for patient safety in emergency care.
Legislation Journey (00:16:13)
Dr. Hilton details the process of getting legislation passed to ensure physician presence in emergency departments.
Legislative Advocacy (00:17:22)
Dr. Hilton discusses gathering data to support the need for physician staffing legislation.
Truth in Advertising for Emergency Departments (00:18:48)
Discussion on the importance of transparency in advertising emergency departments' staffing levels to patients.
Closing Remarks (00:20:09)
Dr. Rebecca Bernard thanks the guests for their advocacy work and concludes the episode.
Who has been a guest on Physicians Taking Back Medicine
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Robert McLean
Marco Fernandez MD
Robert McNamara MD
Dr Keith Smith
Lee Gillum
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 8 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
2
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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