'The Doctors' talk show adds depth to medical drama

"The Doctors," CBS, premiering Sept. 8.

Health information has exploded in the media and on the Internet, much of it lacking context and not vetted for accuracy. Millions of Americans learn about medicine from fictional TV shows such as "House," "ER" and "Grey's Anatomy," but these shows sometimes sacrifice reality for dramatic appeal.

"The Doctors," a new TV talk show that premieres this week with practicing physicians as hosts, hopes to bridge that gap -- delivering accurate health information without sacrificing entertainment value. The hosts are Travis Stork, an emergency room physician; Lisa Masterson, an obstetrician; Jim Sears, a pediatrician; and Andrew Ordon, a plastic surgeon. Topics outside the hosts' areas of expertise, such as the rare Rasputin encephalitis (a condition in which the two sides of the brain don't interact) warrant visits from outside experts -- in this case, the chief of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

"I hope this show will raise the bar in terms of patient expectation and help to inform real-life doctor-patient interactions," executive producer Jay McGraw says. In that respect, "very real doctors responding with real answers to real situations is an improvement over shows like 'House.' "

Primary host Stork, seen before on "The Bachelor," has more star appeal than your usual E.R. physician, but Stork says he's trying "to educate viewers to make them feel more interested in their health so that maybe one day I won't have to see them in the E.R."

Of course, a televised show on healthcare cannot easily preserve anonymity and patient privacy and thus is naturally tilted toward voyeurism and exhibitionism.

So how well can the lofty goals be accomplished?

The show clearly emphasizes real health information (calcium decreases menstrual cramps; eating small, frequent meals instead of a few larger ones and increasing lean body mass revs metabolism; bags under your eyes are often due to tiny pockets of fat; 44% of Americans have trouble sleeping and one-fifth are using sleep aids).

The first episode includes fairly mainstream segments on a face lift with an apparently rapid healing time, a birth simulator that teaches a pregnant woman and her partner what to expect during delivery, and age-progression software that allows a 38-year-old obese smoker to see what he might eventually look like if he doesn't change his habits.