Dr. Death – “Spineless” & “Free Fall”

Two dead patients and four others maimed, Christopher Duntsch’s actions as an amateur neurosurgeon depict the fatal flaw behind our United States healthcare system, and the influence of greed. Episodes four and five of Dr. Death continue to follow narrator Laura Beil, as she directs listeners through the aftermath of Duntsch’s crimes. The episode “Spineless,” and “Free Fall,” have further opened my eyes to the greater issue at hand – the misconduct and secrecy behind hospital organizations, and their desires to hide the truth. When the nation’s healthcare system continues to act upon injustice, it leaves room for multiple Dr. Death’s to roam the country – Christopher Duntsch was merely a single pawn.

            “Spineless” begins with an interview between Beil, and BJ Ellison, a previous office manager for Duntsch. Ellison was an adversary of Duntsch’s, being well-aware of his corrupt, unethical behaviors. Pleading other hospitals to “not let him near any patient,” her reaction to his continued privileges are the same as the listeners – how? To me, I felt as though this episode was one of the first times in which listeners are able to remain on the same page as the characters – all physicians and former associates of Duntsch are as shocked as we are to hear that his medical privileges lasted beyond his crimes. Baylor Plano Medical Center plays a critical role in listener’s frustrations, being one of the primary hospitals in which Duntsch had hurt others. Frustration in her voice, Beil describes the hospital’s wrongdoings with great angst, failing to report Duntsch to both the Texas Medial Board and National Practitioner Databank. If Baylor had reported Duntsch’s actions to these powers, suspension would’ve occurred within days. Attempting to further dive into the mistakes of Baylor, Beil emphasizes various questions she had for Baylor in the form of attempted phone calls – none of which were ever connected. Action was only ever taken when another hospital, one that hadn’t even hired Duntsch yet, had contacted the Texas Medical Board. This notification resulted in a long, slow process, estimated to have taken months to conduct. “Spineless” greatly identified the greed and corruption behind hospitals around the country – most don’t report bad doctors out of the fear of financial repercussions.

            “Free Fall” – an episode that highlights Duntsch’s downward spiral to madness. This episode mostly follows Dr. Henderson and Kirby from previous episodes, as they furthered their attempts at reporting Duntsch. Taking matters into his own hands, Kirby contacts the Texas Medical Board himself, writing an email in which Duntsch is described as a sociopath, “the most careless, clueless, and dangerous spine surgeon he has ever seen.” Listeners finally heard triumph – Duntsch’s medical license was finally suspended in the year 2014. This success, however, didn’t prove to be an ultimate solution. Professionals, former patients, everyone wanted to ensure that there was no possibility of Duntsch to ever obtain a license ever again. Not even the police were able to recognize that this man was a murderer, believing that a suspended license would be the solution to all problems. Having become a spectacle in the public eye – news outlets, social media platforms, the Texas Medical Board had permanently stripped Duntsch of a medical license. This removal, however, was only the beginning for Duntsch’s descent into madness – he became involved in different crimes and accidents, was caught shoplifting, and even began replying to comments on social media pages, attempting to redeem himself. Concluding this episode with an interrogation, listeners hear Duntsch’s voice for the first time; there’s a sense of grief listening to his claims of perfect procedure – the sounds of a defeated man.

            In my opinion, these two episodes were some of the most interesting to hear; the aftermath of Duntsch’s actions coming into full view, I recognized a sense of justice hearing of the various reprimands. Beil provided great detail into the mechanisms and logistics behind the powers of the Texas Medical board, and gave insight into the means in which such dangerous surgeons are to actually be reported. Not only that, but these episodes broadened my perspective on the world of healthcare, the fears and corruption that lie beyond it. Continuing to utilize an interview format, in addition to various television clips and sound bites, the audience is able to interact with these episodes as well. A specific example that comes to mind are the interviews performed between Beil and BJ – listeners are asking the same questions as Beil regarding Duntsch’s actions, and BJ’s responses purely resemble what people are thinking. Additionally, Beil’s use of sound and music continue to portray various moods and tones throughout the podcast. A quick phone call, or even an interrogation, sound quality adapts to various scenarios in order to make these situations appear realistic.

            Lastly, despite this podcast being something of great interest to me, I feel as though there is one subject in which Beil could have bettered. Dr. Death introduces a multitude of characters, bringing new ones into each episode whilst returning to various characters as well. With this many characters surrounding the pivotal Christopher Duntsch, it’s become increasingly difficult to remember who each character is. There are often times in which Beil merely throws various names out, and I must stop and recollect in order to remember one single name. The podcast may revolve around Duntsch, however these additional characters deserve greater recognition in the roles they play in his story.

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