On/Offcall: The Pitt Season 2 Review: "Are We All As Miserable As the Doctors on The Pitt?"

Welcome back to On/Offcall!

He excelled as a chief resident at one of the nation’s top hospitals, witnessed firsthand how dysfunctional our healthcare system is as an ER doctor, and now he’s running for Congress! This week we were excited to welcome Dr. Timothy Peck to the How I Doctor podcast.

Dr. Peck decided that it’s time to channel his clinical experience and systems knowledge into public service. He’s bringing clear ideas for fixing healthcare to his campaign for Indiana’s 9th congressional district – from reforming nursing homes to upending reimbursement structures. In the episode, he joins Offcall’s co-founder Dr. Graham Walker to discuss:

– Why ER docs are uniquely positioned for alternative careers in public service
– What big ideas he feels would fix the healthcare system most right now
– How physicians can think more broadly about their careers to drive more systemic change

If you’re a clinician who has ever wondered how to get more involved in politics, or you’re actively thinking about how your skills as a physician can shape systems in ways outside the clinic, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here

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Most Important Things to Read This Week

State of Clinical AI Report 2026 (Stanford)
Produced by ARISE, a Stanford–Harvard research network, this inaugural report synthesizes the most meaningful advances in clinical AI this year, across model performance, evaluation, workflows, and patient-facing tools, while clearly naming the gaps that remain.

Medicaid cuts trigger layoffs at East Bay hospitals serving Alameda County's most vulnerable (CBS News)
Several East Bay hospitals that serve Alameda County's most vulnerable residents have issued layoff notices to staff, citing major federal cuts to Medicaid.

Physician-Led Orthopaedic Hospitals Score Higher on Quality Rankings (AAOS Now)
Old but more relevant today than ever: An analysis of the top 200 orthopaedic hospitals in the United States found that physician-led orthopaedic hospitals performed better than hospitals without physician leadership. Also worth reading this from Physician-Led Healthcare for America showing physician-led and owned hospitals also outperform in terms of patient recommendations.

Highlights From Our Community

Each week, we celebrate career milestones, launches, & other goings-on in the physician community. Have something to promote? Reply and we’ll feature you.

👏 Well said, Mansi Kotwal
Pediatrician Dr. Mansi Kotwal published an op-ed on KevinMD about why patient trust in physicians is declining and how we can build a movement towards re-establishing that trust. Read it here.

👍 Thanks for sharing, Mary Meyer
Excerpt from Dr. Mary Meyer’s op-ed for MedPage today entitled, “Are We All as Miserable as the Doctors on 'The Pitt'?” “Ultimately, what "The Pitt" demonstrates so well isn't so much the misery of doctors, but the complexity of medicine. Medicine is beautiful, unpredictable, heartbreaking, challenging, and marvelous. It's one of the best jobs in the world and one of the hardest. I can't imagine having done anything else.” Read more here.

❗Important read, Tarang Patel
Dr. Tarang Patel shared an article posted by Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio about the shrinking of independent practice, and why working for a large health system for a large salary can be a trap, stripping physicians of their autonomy. Read it here.

😂 Hilarious, Kamran Tate
Dr. Kamran Tate shared an IG video about “when a doctor goes to the doctor” 😂Watch it here. Also watch this instant classic from Dr. David Shamouelian.

⭐ Great podcast, Will Bulsiewicz
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz appeared on the Rich Roll podcast to discuss his surprising learnings for how to heal your gut, reduce inflammation and optimize your microbiome. Watch it here.

👉 Give it a watch, Shah Ahmed
Dr. Shah Ahmed spoke out about the realities of building a career as a practicing anesthesiologist and why so many are burning out. Watch it here.

✨ Great video, Matthew Igbinigie
Dr. Matthew Igbinigie shared a powerful video about his personal finance lessons learned as a doctor and why making more money doesn’t fix bad financial habits. Watch it here.

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