I’m one of those reporters who cringes at the sound of her voice when transcribing audio of interviews. But I didn’t let that stop me from accepting the chance to be interviewed on the radio about my e-book, Curing Camden: How One City Became a Model for Smarter, More Affordable Healthcare.

You can listen to the full (30-minute!) segment from the Philadelphia Agenda program here. If you’d rather read the highlights, here are a few takeaways:

• Of Camden’s 77,000 residents, about half use a hospital every year. That’s twice the national average. And the top 10 reasons for these hospital visits were all primary care issues (eg. headache, cold, etc.).
• Redundant medical testing costs the U.S. healthcare system about $8 billion a year. A health information exchange between the three hospitals in Camden, one of the first of its kind, aims to reduce that expense.
• Camden is known nationally as one of the most violent cities in the country. But in a city where assaults make headlines, falls are sending more residents to the hospital than any other injury.

You can learn much more about Camden’s healthcare challenges — and innovations — in my e-book.