Tonight, Zubin Damania, MD, otherwise known to his legions of fans as ZDoggMD, took his popularity, passion, and activism to another level, with the launch of a weekly Facebook Live show called "Against Medical Advice," which is scheduled to air Sunday nights at 7pm Eastern time on his Facebook page.
"This is the show for the rest of us," he begins Episode 001, "The show for front line healthcare providers who, for too long, haven't had a voice." "This is your show," he continues, "We need to transform healthcare. If we don't do it, someone else will do it for us."
This initial 32 minute program is part pep rally, part Saturday Night Live skit, and part ZDogg travelogue. In this first episode, ZDogg visits HIMSS, the largest healthcare IT conference of the year. There's also a skit with "Doc Vader" ranting about current events. The last segment of the program is ZDogg at his best, connecting with his audience by responding to the flurry of FB comments happening during the live show.
If you don't have 32 minutes, the best stuff is in the first 6 minutes where he makes the case of why this show is needed. "This show is about the tribe of healthcare - trying to transform healthcare," his opening monologue starts. ZDogg then outlines the failed Healthcare 1.0 paternalistic and expensive model. "The world of Healthcare 2.0 includes the electronic health record which is a glorified cash register with a little patient stuff tacked on." "For Health 3.0, the frontline healthcare provider needs a voice, and that's what the show is about."
According to ZDogg, Health 3.0 is the return to personalized medicine which including the voice of the frontline healthcare worker, team based care, evidenced based medicine. Sound familiar? How about the ideas being talked about by Family Medicine For America's Health and the Health Is Primary campaign? (see videos below)
At its height, there were over 1,200 live viewers during the program. Right after the show ended, there were 38,000 views with over 1,200 FB 'reactions,' and 488 shares. At the time of this posting, which is about 2 hours after the show, there are over 60,000 views, 1,700 FB 'reactions,' 700 shares, and more than 1,200 FB comments.
This show has huge potential. I'm no expert, but here's what I'd like to see in the show (and maybe there are already plans for this). If the show is about the frontline healthcare worker, I'd love to see interviews with those people, like when ZDogg is on the road. I also hope that he does something similar with his shows, to what he does with his songs - have theme based shows. Would love to see a show, for example, on the opioid epidemic, and a content expert be interviewed on this. Finally, what ZDogg does best is connect with his audience. If/When FB Live allows people to "call in" like skype, would love to see him chat with a front like healthcare worker live during the show, and respond to FB live comments.
I don't care if you're a physician, a patient, a nurse, a social worker, a physical therapist, a pharmacist, or anyone else in the healthcare community. I believe we have to come together to have our voices be heard. And, I think that "Against Medical Advice" by ZDoggMD is a great way to do that.