Bill Frist and Joseph Fifer want to give you an earful

Dr. Bill Frist and Joseph Fifer want to get inside your head, as they each debut podcasts devoted to their favorite subject: healthcare.

Frist, a former Senate majority leader and transplant surgeon, says the goal of “A Second Opinion” is to improve Americans’ healthcare knowledge.

Despite having the “best and brightest physicians” and treatment innovations, Frist said the U.S. healthcare system’s outcomes lag behind other developed nations. “In ‘A Second Opinion,’ we explore why we only get part of the equation right and hear from the smartest minds on what we can do to improve our healthcare system during a period of extreme fragmentation,” Frist said.

The first three episodes, which dropped in late July, featured former Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Aneesh Chopra, former U.S. chief technology officer.

Meanwhile the Healthcare Financial Management Association on Sept. 4 is launching “Cup of Joe,” hosted by CEO Joe Fifer.

In a preview episode, Fifer talked with Gail Wilensky, an economist and senior fellow at Project HOPE. Greater access to information and transparency should always be encouraged, Wilensky said, but there’s always the risk of malicious hacking in both the private and public sector.

“It’s a real concern for all of the large players who attempt to make it easier for their membership to get online and connect and schedule with their physicians,” Wilensky said.

Future guests include Epic Systems CEO Judith Faulkner and Kenneth Kaufman, chair and a founding partner of Kaufman Hall.