Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast

Rex Wallace is Founder and CEO of Rex Wallace Consulting, a firm that helps health plans improve quality. A key way they accomplish this is by helping organizations improve the experiences of their members. Jennifer Nguyen is a Quality Improvement Consultant with Rex Wallace Consulting. Building on her background in public health and health education, Jennifer approaches quality as a genuine lever for health equity and health outcomes. Rex, Jennifer, and Helen talk about how quality improvement and health literacy intersect in many important ways. Highlights include: Quality Improvement and Star Ratings. What these terms mean, how and why they are used as measurement tools. Examples of how quality measurements can benefit insurance companies, regulatory agencies, healthcare facilities, and patients. Ways to make a compelling case that quality and health literacy together are essential to all we do when it comes to health outcomes and equity. More ways to learn: Rex Wallace Consulting Beyond Quality S1E4: Health Literacy As A Quality Strategy. Listen and watch as Rex Wallace, Jennifer Nguyen, and Helen Osborne make clear that health literacy is not a soft skill but rather a quality infrastructure issue. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Health Equity in the Context of Health Literacy” is especially relevant to this podcast episode. Read a transcript of this podcast. The post Intersection of Quality Improvement and Health Literacy (HLOL #275) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Dr. Linda Ciavarelli is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) and board-certified specialist in Primary Podiatric Care. With over 20 years of clinical experience, Linda honed her expertise in preventative, orthopedic, and dermatologic podiatric medicine. In addition to her clinical background, Linda is the co-founder of HouseCall VR, an innovative startup dedicated to creating virtual reality patient education. This company aims to improve health literacy and outcomes using immersive technology. Linda has presented at numerous state, national, and global conferences, scientific meetings, and symposia on topics such as Patient Education Using Immersive Technology, Immersive Technology in Healthcare, and Developing Impact-Driven Innovation in XR. She also is active in her community and professional organizations. Listen as Linda Ciavarelli and Helen Osborne talk about: Immersive technology. What this technology is and its many formats including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. Virtual reality as a tool for patient education. How this differs from, yet in many ways is similar to, other forms of patient education. Innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit to try something new when it comes to health communication. More ways to learn: HouseCallVR: VR Patient Education HouseCall VR Product Demo Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapters “Technology: E-Health,” “Technology: Online Teaching and Video Games,” and X-tras” are especially relevant to this podcast episode. Read a transcript of this podcast. The post Immersive Technology and Virtual Reality for Patient Education (HLOL #274) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Matthew Davenport MD MBA is Professor of Radiology and Urology, Service Chief, and Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Radiology at Michigan Medicine. He also is Co-Director of the Weiser Center for Prostate Cancer. Dr. Davenport is a co-author on national policy statements and has published over 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is frequently interviewed regarding important issues in radiology including in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NBC and ABC news, and prominent national magazines. Listen as Matthew Davenport and Helen Osborne discuss: Incidental findings and uncertain conditions. What these terms mean, why they occur, how often they happen. Benefits, harms, and examples of how incidental findings may lead to a cascade of care. Patient-centered communication. Helping patients better understand the implications of such findings and work to take control of their health. More Ways to Learn: “Incidental Findings and Low-Value Care,” by Matthew S. Davenport, American Journal of Roentgenology, January 11, 2023. “Potential Frameworks for Communicating Diagnostic Certainty in Radiology Reports: From the ACR Commission on Quality and Safety,” by multiple authors, JACR, November 2025. “Elective MRI Screening of the General Public—Buyer Beware”, by Matthew S. Davenport and Scott B. Reeder, JAMA, May 6, 2026. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Decisions About Treatment, End-of-Life Choices, and Whether to Participate in Clinical Trials” is especially relevant to this podcast episode. Read a transcript of this podcast. The post Communicating About Incidental Findings and Other Uncertain Conditions (HLOL #273) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Jason Kirchick MPH, MSN, RN, CNL, MEDSURG-BC is an inpatient Hematology and Oncology nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center where he cares for patients with blood cancers and solid tumors at every stage of illness. Before nursing, Jason worked as a firefighter and EMT, a background that gave him an intimate understanding of life-threatening emergencies. Jason holds a Master of Public Health, a Master of Science in Nursing, and is completing training as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. As a trained death doula, Jason is deeply committed to patient and family-centered care. This commitment is shaped by his own experience surviving septic shock and multi-organ failure which left him in a medically induced coma for two months and ultimately drew him into nursing. Listen as Jason Kirchick and Helen Osborne discuss: Code Status. A patient’s preferences for emergency medical care if their heart or breathing stops. Nuances of code status options and why it is important to “lift the veil” about what these options really are like. Factors that can affect understanding of these options including health literacy, emotions, and expectations as portrayed in popular media. Strategies and recommendations to help patients and their families more clearly understand their code status options. More ways to Learn: VitalTalk. Trains clinicians in evidence-based communication skills for serious illness conversations, including goals of care and code status. Their free mobile Tips App provides quick reference guides that clinicians can pull up in real time before entering a difficult conversation. Their one-page Quick Guides cover specific scenarios and are ideal for printing and sharing on a unit. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 3rd Edition This free, publicly available toolkit from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality contains 23 practical tools designed for busy healthcare settings. It covers strategies like teach-back, simplifying written materials, and making care transitions easier to understand. The toolkit is built on the principle that clear communication should be the default for every patient, not just those identified as having low literacy. AMA Journal of Ethics: Discussing Code Status with Patients and Their Families This case-based article from the American Medical Association walks through a realistic scenario in which a code status conversation goes poorly and explores what could be done differently. It remains one of the most accessible introductions to the complexity of these conversations and is a worthwhile read for clinicians at any level of experience. ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium) National and international education initiative developed by City of Hope and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The curriculum covers communication, pain and symptom management, ethical issues, and care at the end of life. ELNEC Academy online modules are available and are appropriate for both practicing nurses and students looking to build confidence in palliative and end-of-life care. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (Metropolitan Books, 2014) Gawande, a surgeon, examines how medicine often fails patients at the end of life by prioritizing treatment over quality of life. The book challenges clinicians and families alike to ask better questions about what matters most. It remains one of the most widely read and influential books on aging, dying, and the limits of modern medicine. When a Loved One Is Dying: Conversations About Care, Connection, and Coping by Maureen Groden, RN (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026) Written by a hospice nurse and educator with over 30 years of experience, this book uses real patient and family stories to walk readers through the emotional and practical realities of end-of-life care. Groden clarifies the differences between palliative and hospice care, addresses common fears and misconceptions, and offers concrete guidance for families facing serious illness. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Decisions About Treatment, End-of-Life Choices, or Whether to Participate in Clinical Trials”” is especially relevant to this podcast episode. Read a transcript of this podcast. The post Code Status: Clearly Communicating the Nuances of Emergency Care Options (HLOL #272) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Christopher R. Trudeau is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Chris builds upon his extensive background in health literacy, plain-language communication, and healthcare regulation to now explore how generative AI tools like ChatGPT Health are reshaping how people understand and act on health information. While well-aware of potential risks and benefits of this technology, Chris is looking for ways that AI can support human decision-making rather than replace it. Chris shares that work publicly at Trudeau.ai. Listen as Chris Trudeau and Helen Osborne discuss: AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AI Health. What these technologies are, how they have evolved in recent years. Benefits (actual, and potential) of such technology. Risks (actual, and potential) of such technology. What those of us who care about health literacy can do now when it comes to AI and AI Health. More Ways to Learn: Trudeau.ai “AI Literacy Is Becoming a Health Equity Issue: What Economist Impact’s New Roadmap Reveals,” by Christopher Trudeau, posted on January 17, 2026 “ChatGPT Health: Why Health Literacy Now Requires AI Literacy,” by Christopher Trudeau posted on January 8, 2026 Lawyers Can Help with Health Literacy, Too. HLOL podcast interview with Christopher Trudeau Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Technology E-health” is especially relevant to this podcast episode. The post Health Literacy and AI (HLOL #271) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.