The Doctor's Lounge
Where scalpels meet systems — and physicians say what they really think.
Co-hosted by Dutch Rojas & Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, with Anish Koka, MD, Dan Choi, MD, & Sanat Dixit, MD — candid talks on healthcare policy, reform, physician autonomy & patient care.
The Doctor's Lounge
ACIP Bloodbath, AMA Meltdown: Who Really Speaks for Doctors
Original Substack Release Date: Jun 18th, 2025
🎯 Why Listen
This week’s episode takes you inside the chaos rocking organized medicine: ACIP’s sudden purge, the AMA’s meltdown, and the war over who really speaks for America’s doctors. If you’ve ever wondered how medical “consensus” is manufactured—and who benefits—this is the episode to hear.
đź‘Ą Co-Hosts
- Dutch Rojas – Founder, Bliksem Health
- Anthony DiGiorgio, DO, MHA – Neurosurgeon, UCSF; health policy researcher
- Anish Koka, MD – Cardiologist, Philadelphia; healthcare policy commentator
- Dan Choi, MD, FAAOS – Orthopedic spine surgeon, Long Island; healthcare advocate and social media voice
- Sanat Dixit, MD, FACS – Neurosurgeon, Huntsville, AL; Faculty, Vanderbilt University; healthcare entrepreneur
đź“Ś Episode Overview
RFK Jr. just dismissed the entire vaccine advisory committee (ACIP). The AMA immediately demanded a Senate investigation. Physicians across the country are furious, divided, and asking: who speaks for medicine now?
The hosts dissect:
- The politics and economics hidden inside “independent” vaccine committees
- The AMA’s emergency session and whether medical trainees really control policy
- Why doctors keep fighting each other while insurers and hospitals grow stronger
- Whether this is the turning point for physicians to stop tweeting—and start reclaiming their profession
đź’¬ Notable Quotes
- “Primary care doctors are getting paid less than plumbers—and somehow they’re the ones being blamed.”
- “If Medicaid were truly a safety net, why are insurers profiting like it’s Wall Street?”
- “The moment patients control the money, the system collapses—and that’s what terrifies them.”
📚 What You’ll Learn
- Why the ACIP purge matters far beyond COVID
- How the AMA House of Delegates really works (and why residents and students may wield outsized power)
- The difference between public health paternalism and authoritarianism
- Why private practice viability might be medicine’s most important battlefield
⏱ The Episode (Timestamps)
- 00:00 – Setting the stage: RFK Jr. fires ACIP
- 02:00 – What ACIP is and why it lost credibility
- 07:00 – Economics, conflicts of interest, and vaccine committees
- 12:00 – Groupthink, ideology, and dissent in medicine
- 20:00 – From COVID mandates to authoritarian overreach
- 25:00 – Inside the AMA House of Delegates emergency resolution
- 35:00 – Who really controls the AMA (students, residents, administrators?)
- 42:00 – Why physicians keep fighting themselves instead of uniting
- 48:00 – The case for saving—and reforming—the AMA
- 50:00 – A call to arms: private practice and physician-led advocacy
đź”— Connect with the Hosts: