Driving Factors for Change in Healthcare

What is The Heart of Innovation? This first episode, Co-Hosts Emmy Award-winning Journalist/Patient Navigator Kym McNicholas and Interventional Cardiologist Dr. John Phillips talks about the catalysts for creating change in healthcare through this radio show/podcast.

We specifically address vascular diseases with Heart Disease remaining the #1 killer and the many associated ailments contributing to vascular complications, whether diabetes, autoimmune disorders, COVID-19, Peripheral Artery Disease, stroke, aneurysm, or others.

Dr. Phillips and Kym explain their passion for specifically addressing Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), which is restricted blood flow mainly in the leg arteries because of plaque build-up, which affects three-in-five heart attack sufferers and one in five over age 60.

Dr. Phillips started out his career focusing on unblocking arteries in the heart but has since expanded his practice to include using the same type of tools and techniques to unblock arteries in the legs and prevent amputations. He found patients would come to him for second opinions after a physician would say they have no option but amputation, and his advanced skill set could save their legs.

To encourage all patients to get that very important second opinion from a physician with an advanced skill set, he started the Save My Piggies podcast, featuring patients telling their stories to inspire other patients to fight for their legs and not settle for amputation.

Kym shifted her career from journalist to P.A.D. Navigator started The Way To My Heart (501(c)(3) non-profit) after covering a story on a new device designed to unblock arteries.

For the story, she traveled to nearly a dozen countries and more than thirty states, watching hundreds of doctors perform thousands of hours of procedures to unblock arteries using advanced minimally invasive tools and techniques as well as traditional approaches such as bypass and amputation. It was during her global journey that she learned that different doctors have different tools and techniques that dictate different patient outcomes.

For example, one patient may get their leg saved by one doctor, while another patient with the same presentation of the disease is getting their leg amputated by another.

Listen to the show at this link to hear the details of their journeys and more about what you can expect each week on this show, which encourages doctors, patients, researchers, innovators, decision-makers, and all healthcare professionals to have a candid discussion about how to shape the future of care and improve outcomes for patients with vascular diseases.

One patient called in during this episode and an advanced skilled Interventional Cardiologist, Dr. Fadi Saab, both shared the same message that it’s important for patients and physicians alike to understand what’s new and next in the treatment of vascular disease in order to improve outcomes.