Externalities: Janet Parker and Rural Healthcare Regulations

How does something intended for good, cause harm? That's the topic explored in this episode. The concept is Externalities, which is a cost or a benefit that affects a third party who is not directly involved in an economic activity or transaction. These impacts can be either negative or positive.

This mundane-sounding concept can play out in big impacts. We explore how research meant to end a killer virus, resulted in an unlikely final victim, Janet Parker. This story is explored with our guest Dr. Mark Pallen, a retired professor from the Quadram Institute and author of the book: The Last Days of Smallpox. 

We are also joined by Dr. Tom Dean, who served as a family physician, and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission member for Congress. He shares about externalities during his tenure on MedPAC. 

To read Dr. Pallen's book and learn the whole story, find it here: Amazon 

Read more from Dr. Tom Dean through his writings in South Dakota Searchlight here: SD Searchlight

Chapters

• 0:00 Externalities RRx
• 0:29 Janet
• 33:03 Outro