The hidden forces behind healthcare outcomes

Our lives are ruled by chance. That can work in our favor when it comes to a chance meeting with a romantic partner, or a spontaneous decision to buy a lotto ticket that wins. But no one likes to leave our health to chance, but chance can affect medical care says Dr Bapu Jena, a Harvard professor, economist and host of the Freakonomics, MD podcast, with observational studies and data analysis, he and his co-author discover the hidden, but predictable ways in which chance affects our health answering questions like, is there ever a good time to have a heart attack? Do you want an older doctor or younger one? Can marathons affect the health of people who don't even run in the race? His new book is called Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients and Shape our Health.