An often-overlooked but transformative part of the pharmaceutical world is compounding — custom medications tailored to individual patient needs.

In this episode of Florida Health Care Insider, presented by Cleveland Clinic in partnership with the South Florida Business Journal, three Cleveland Clinic experts join to discuss the benefits, science and patient success stories of compounded pharmaceuticals.

The episode features:

· Charles Gowans, regional director for outpatient pharmacy

· Dr. Brian Leo, section head for surgical sports medicine

· Dr. Michael Dakkak, primary care sports medicine staff

One such benefit of compounded pharmaceuticals is the ability to target pain with a topical formula rather than an oral medication.

“When you apply (topical medication) to the knee, you're getting therapeutic levels at that application point, and that's where you want it,” Gowans says.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

· What makes Cleveland Clinic’s compounded formulations superior for pain management (1:41)

· How knowledge about mixing has evolved and improved (7:52)

· What types of patients benefit from compounded medications (14:30)

· How compound medications can address challenges for orthopedic injuries (22:43)

Kidney cancer is the eighth most common cancer diagnosed in the U.S., and the number of new cases appears to be increasing each year.

In this episode of Florida Health Care Insider, presented by Cleveland Clinic in partnership with the South Florida Business Journal, Dr. Khaled Refaai, a urologist and kidney transplant specialist at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, shares the innovative ways to treat kidney cancer – such as using robot-assisted surgery for more precision.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

· Early indicators of kidney cancer (1:05)

· Risk factors that might make someone more susceptible to kidney cancer (4:52)

· The benefits of robot-assisted kidney surgery (6:13)

· How treatment is determined for each patient (10:02)

· Advancements in surgery for kidney cancer (12:33)

The world of heart transplants is changing, and a Cleveland Clinic physician is leading the way.

In this episode of Florida Health Care Insider, presented by Cleveland Clinic in partnership with The South Florida Business Journal, Dr. Antonio Polanco, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Cleveland Clinic, discusses emerging technologies that make donation-after-circulatory-death (DCD) transplants possible and how this type of transplant can benefit patients.

“My hope is that we can make heart transplants a reality for more patients who have been waiting a really long time,” Polanco said.

Listen to hear more about:

- What DCD heart transplantation entails (1:32)

- How new technologies make these transplants possible (5:16)

- Differences for patients receiving DCD heart transplants (13:00)

- The impact of pushing new procedures forward (19:45)