Why Lindsay Clancy's Two Calls Never Reached Her Doctors

**Tony Brueski** (0:02)
This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke.

**Tony Brueski** (0:09)
The start of the Lindsay Clancy trial began with the prosecutor Shannon Buckingham opening with some very key words telling the jury it was not a debate about how the medical system treats women.
It's actually a debate about how incompetent the medical system is to anyone and everyone who is unfortunate enough to have to enter through its doors. And I think the testimony that we've seen from some medical professionals in the last handful of days really solidifies that fact. And this is not an indictment on these doctors, on Dr. Tufts or anyone who was on the stand. I want to be clear on that. I view a lot of these folks as operating within the confines of a system and within the restrictions that that system implements on the people working within it. What I have a problem with watching specifically Tufts and some of the others as well, and I want to get into it, is the level of acceptance of mediocrity. It feels like there is a level, and for years we have been saying this phrase, just do your best. And the thing is, a lot of people's best aren't that great. The best is up here. We are just doing their best. They are down here. And when that becomes the best for everybody, well, the bar is quite low. And then if you have a system that basically doesn't support you in ways it needs to, doesn't communicate with the other, and you know, and you see how broken these systems are, and you see the inadequacies and the way it fails the patients, the ways that it does, but your response is just, well, there's not a drop down for that.
And nothing more than that's just how it is. Some things will never change. That's just the way it is. I'm telling you, aw, but don't you believe it, in the words of Bruce Hornsby. Things need to change.
That's what I was shocked by, the level of complacency with the inadequacies of the system. That's what I'm going to say. Robin Dreeke, retired FBI Special Agency for the Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program is with us as always. Good morning, Robin. I know you've been watching this even more intently than I've been able to.

**Robin Dreeke** (2:40)
It's because you do so much content as we were talking about.

**Tony Brueski** (2:43)
I mean, I've been trying to absorb as much as I can.
But what... that's been my take on what I've seen. What's been yours?

**Robin Dreeke** (2:55)
I got to highlight my... first of all, I got to apologize. Yesterday, I misspoke a bit on Patrick's current wife. I said during our episode that she was a lawyer. I had lawyer on my mind. She's actually a medical doctor. So, I want to make sure I correct that. It's on YouTube. So, thank you all for correcting me on that one. I apologize for that mistake. But on this, I am so with you. I also have my own personal confirmation biases. As you all know, my daughter is also a labor and delivery nurse. So, I hear a lot about the nursing industry. And plus, we have our own team here with nurses and families and whatnot.
I saw such a striking difference between Tufts and everyone else. And I am completely with you, Tony. I know a lot of people have been going at Dr. Tufts online because of her really lackluster answers, incomplete answers, her lack of depth of field, her lack of experience, all these things. But to your point, let's focus on the system that set her up to completely fail.
And this is, even in my own town, there is a hospital system here that is under a lot of fire because of exactly this. When you start placing systems and profit above the patient, you can say all the nice words you want, but the system starts falling apart. And just as a quick comparison between the two, because here's what really struck me between the last couple of days and the majestic Kevin Reddington's cross-examination of everyone. So Tufts was able to spend, and she said, no, granted, psychiatrist is not a therapist as a primary. She's a medical doctor, first and foremost.

**Tony Brueski** (4:34)
Psychiatrists are the ones that can prescribe. And that's, I think, a lot of people don't understand that. It's not the same as a therapist or a psychiatrist can prescribe the medications.
A therapist is different than that.

**Robin Dreeke** (4:49)
But so can a psychiatric nurse practitioner can also prescribe. So it's kind of like nurse practitioners, but on the psychiatric side, because we've got a few of these people in here. And so when you heard her, when you looked at her and you heard the cross of her, she did not have depth of field. She had been fully licensed on her own outside of her internship, sorry.