Curbside Consult from the MaineHealth ACO

Episode 12: Addiction Medicine with Leah Bauer, MD and Kristen Silvia, MD

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0300

Together, Leah and Kristen lead the MaineHealth Medical Group’s Addiction Specialty Council. They join us to discuss the role primary care can play in treating substance use disorder (SUD) and to introduce the Stop SUD Stigma campaign, an effort to reduce the stigma that patients with substance use disorder can feel in healthcare settings.

Curbside Consult is a podcast from the MaineHealth ACO that brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist to share their unique insights.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 11: Lifestyle Medicine with Katie Sharp, MD

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

In our March episode, Dr. Katie Sharp discusses the advantages that both lifestyle medicine and group visits hold for patients with chronic disease. Lifestyle medicine incorporates nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change to improve patient outcomes. Group visits foster social connections and support among patients, enhancing their engagement and motivation. Dr. Sharp shares insights on how primary care providers can implement both in their practices. The conversation highlights the rewarding nature of these approaches for both patients and providers, ultimately aiming for better health outcomes and satisfaction.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 10: Child Psychiatry with Melissa Bowker-Kinley, MD

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:14:51 -0400

MaineHealth Behavioral Health child psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Bowker-Kinley joins Heather and Mike with tips on supporting pediatric patients with common conditions including anxiety and ADHD. They also discuss current therapeutic approaches, navigating behavioral health referrals and the importance of family involvement in treatment.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 9: Cardiology with Katie Manning, MD

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0400

In the January episode, Dr. Katie Manning focuses on heart failure management and the collaboration between primary care and cardiology. The conversation covers the early signs of heart failure, the importance of primary care in managing these patients, and the challenges of medication access. Dr. Manning emphasizes the need for effective communication and collaboration between healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes, as well as the significance of incorporating goals of care conversations into treatment plans.

Listen to Curbside Consult on your favorite podcast app, on the MaineHealth intranet home page or at the Curbside Consult website. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 8: Telehealth and Virtual Care with Lizzy Mulcahy, FNP

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:13:04 -0400

Lizzy Mulcahy, FNP, vice president for Telehealth and Virtual Care at MaineHealth, discusses how virtual care continues to transform access, especially for rural communities across Maine. The conversation also explores new models for bringing specialty care closer to home and the role AI may play in improving the patient experience.

Curbside Consult is a podcast from the MaineHealth ACO that brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist to share their unique insights.

Listen to Curbside Consult here, on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 7: Adult Psychiatry with Dylan McKenney, MD

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:25:07 -0300

In the November episode, hosts Heather Ward and Mike Clark engage with Dr. Dylan McKenney, the medical director of MHACO’s Behavioral Healthcare Program. They discuss the evolving landscape of behavioral health, the integration of mental health services into primary care, and the innovations in treatment delivery, including telehealth and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration between primary care and behavioral health providers, emerging therapies, and the potential impact of AI on mental health diagnosis and treatment

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 6: Antimicrobial Stewardship with Christina Yen, MD

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:08:37 -0300

In this episode, infectious disease physician Dr. Christina Yen discusses the importance of antimicrobial stewardship where antibiotics are prescribed the most: the outpatient setting. She shares insights on the current state of antibiotic resistance, disusses the current thinking on duration of antibiotic treatments and offers practical tips on managing infectious disease. Other topics include “watchful waiting,” rapid diagnostics, collaboration between primary care and specialists and new guidelines and technologies coming to stewardship in the near future.

Curbside Consult is the podcast that brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist physician to share their unique insights.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app or on the MaineHealth Intranet page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 5: Obesity Medicine with Peter Amann, MD

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 21:00:00 -0300

In the latest podcast episode from the MaineHealth ACO, Dr. Peter Amann shares the latest from obesity medicine, including the GLP-1 revolution, the importance of treating obesity as a chronic disease and the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 4: Oncology with Gary Hochheiser, MD

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 09:22:06 -0300

This month, Mike and Heather sit down with thoracic surgeon and oncologist Dr. Gary Hochheiser to discuss lung cancer screening, early detection and the crucial role primary care can play in reducing lung cancer mortality.

Curbside Consult brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist physician to share their unique insights.

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app, or on the MaineHealth intranet home page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 3: Neurology with Dr. Megan Selvitelli

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:41:43 -0300

In this month’s Curbside Consult podcast from the MaineHealth ACO, neurologist Megan Selvitelli discusses newer migraine treatments that primary care providers can initiate themselves, CMS’s new GUIDE model for dementia care and a common condition that can lead to superfluous neurology referrals.

Listen to Curbside Consult here on Podbean or on your favorite podcast app. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 2: Pediatric Endocrinology with Dr. Mike Dedekian

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0300

Curbside Consult is a podcast produced by the MaineHealth ACO. In this month's episode, pediatric endocrinologist Mike Dedekian discusses exciting hot-off-the-press innovations in type 1 diabetes treatment, including the use of monoclonal antibodies to delay onset. The conversation also covers the importance of recognizing symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and the ongoing challenges of childhood obesity and hyperlipidemia.

Listen to Curbside Consult here on Podbean or on your favorite podcast app. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn.

Episode 1: Pediatric Gastroenterology with Anna Furr, DO

Thu, 01 May 2025 14:42:19 -0300

Welcome to Curbside Consult!

The MaineHealth ACO has launched Curbside Consult, a new podcast series that connects primary care providers with their specialist colleagues. The first monthly episode, available now, features pediatric gastroenterologist Anna Furr, DO, on improving access to pediatric specialty care and the urgent need for deeper collaboration between primary care providers and specialists.

You will hear strategies to streamline specialty access, including the use of e-consults, accessible referral guidelines, and innovative patient education efforts through social media. Dr. Furr stresses that by working together differently, primary and specialty care teams can help reduce family frustrations, strengthen referral confidence, and better serve their communities.

Curbside Consult is hosted by practicing family physicians Mike Clark, MD, and Heather Ward, MD. Mike owns and operates his own practice, Lifespan Family Healthcare, in Newcastle, ME and Heather is a physician leader in MaineHealth’s Coastal Region.

Tune in to hear how we can build a better, more connected future for pediatric care. Listen here or through your favorite podcast app.

Join the conversation by submitting questions, suggesting topics, and following the MHACO LinkedIn page for updates and discussions!