Out of Patients with Matthew Zachary
Out of Patients with Matthew Zachary
Matthew Zachary is the healthcare policy love child of Jon Stewart, Howard Stern, Thomas Paine, Ralph Nader, and Jerry Seinfeld. He has 19 years of receipts to prove it. Editorially independent. Answerable to no one. What started as The Stupid Cancer Show in 2007 became Out of Patients. The first online health podcast in America, predating the medium itself. Zachary survived brain cancer at 21, built the young adult cancer movement from scratch, and spent two decades channeling patient rage into something the system never saw coming. Now he is marching into Washington. Out of Patients goes where the comfortable shows will not. Politics. Healthcare policy. Economics. Institutional accountability. Consumer protection. The forces shaping what 330 million Americans can access, afford, and survive. Battle-scarred patients. Exhausted caregivers. Rare insiders brave enough to name what is killing us. And the occasional elected official about to find out what an organized patient constituency actually looks like. This is the show that started the conversation America is still not ready to finish.
April 15, 2025

Patient No More, Bullsh*t No More: Helene M Epstein

Patient No More, Bullsh*t No More: Helene M Epstein

Helene M. Epstein is not here to make friends with the healthcare system. She's here to dismantle the bullshit, one catastrophic medical error at a time. An ad agency veteran turned patient safety firebrand, Helene’s journey from business development to writer to “badass queen of patient safety,” is one hell of a ride.

We talk about how her son was misdiagnosed over 15 times (yes, really), why some doctors should come with warning labels, and how American healthcare gaslights patients like it's a competitive sport. She also explains why she’s giving away her new book for free, one chapter at a time, and how AI might actually be useful—if it stops hallucinating citations.

This is not a light listen. It’s the real deal. You’ll walk away angry, inspired, and a lot more dangerous as a patient.




RELATED LINKS

Helene's Substack: https://helenemepstein.substack.com

Patient Safety Resources: https://www.pfps.us

Helene's Website: https://www.hmepstein.com/meet-helene

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmepstein




FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform.

For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helene M. Epstein is not here to make friends with the healthcare system. She's here to dismantle the bullshit, one catastrophic medical error at a time. An ad agency veteran turned patient safety firebrand, Helene’s journey from business development to writer to “badass queen of patient safety,” is one hell of a ride.

We talk about how her son was misdiagnosed over 15 times (yes, really), why some doctors should come with warning labels, and how American healthcare gaslights patients like it's a competitive sport. She also explains why she’s giving away her new book for free, one chapter at a time, and how AI might actually be useful—if it stops hallucinating citations.

This is not a light listen. It’s the real deal. You’ll walk away angry, inspired, and a lot more dangerous as a patient.


RELATED LINKS

Helene's Substack: https://helenemepstein.substack.com

Patient Safety Resources: https://www.pfps.us

Helene's Website: https://www.hmepstein.com/meet-helene

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmepstein


FEEDBACK

Like this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform.

For guest suggestions or sponsorship inquiries, email podcast@matthewzachary.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Helene M. Epstein is the kind of guest who makes you sit up, get angry, and pay attention. She’s been misdiagnosed, gaslit, ignored, and dismissed by the healthcare system more times than you want to count—and she turned all of that into firepower f…