What happens when a physician knows a patient still has a chance — but the hospital, the insurance company, and the nursing staff have all decided it’s time to let go?

Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and host of Skin Deep, welcomes a truly singular guest — her father, Dr. Arsenio Chacon. A retired critical care pediatrician with more than thirty years of practice in Miami, Dr. Arsenio trained at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and spent the bulk of his career leading the pediatric critical care unit at Baptist Hospital. What drove three decades in one of medicine’s most demanding specialties? A conviction that took root in rural Cuba and never left: that a physician’s most important quality, beyond clinical skill, is the courage to act on instinct when every force in the room is telling you to stand down.

From a childhood of coffee trees and cane fields in rural Cuba to the political persecution that forced his family’s escape, Dr. Arsenio traces the origins of a resilience that would define his entire career. What does it mean to fight for a patient’s life when the insurance company, the hospital administration, and even the nursing staff have already moved on? He’s direct about it. He also offers candid views on why physicians must educate themselves in business — or risk being exploited by those who did. “The patient is the one with the disease,” he says. That one principle, he explains, protected his family life as much as it shaped his clinical practice. A rare and personal conversation.

Dr. Arsenio Chacon is a retired physician who practiced critical care pediatrics in Miami, Florida for over thirty years. Born in rural Cuba and raised amid political upheaval, he immigrated to the United States as a teenager with his family, overcoming language barriers and cultural displacement to pursue medicine. He completed a pediatrics residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and a fellowship in critical care, ultimately leading the intensive care unit at Baptist Hospital in Miami. Known for his clinical perseverance, ethical integrity, and outspoken advocacy for physician business literacy, Dr. Chacon retired from practice and is the proud father of host Dr. Anna Chacon. 

In This Episode:

• (00:00) Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes her most personal guest yet to Skin Deep
• (03:30) A father jailed for his politics, a mother who sold coffee on the black market, and the family’s escape from Cuba
• (09:36) The one rule Dr. Arsenio never broke — and the advice he gives every doctor who wants a sane life
• (16:47) From Cook County’s busiest wards to Miami’s ICUs — how a critical care career was built
• (24:31) Why a physician must hold the line when the hospital, the insurance company, and the nurses have all moved on
• (33:40) What living with Opus Dei priests taught a future doctor about discipline, methodology, and never improvising
• (45:55) When administrators outearn the physicians — and why every doctor needs to understand business
• Share with a dermatology pro you know, like and subscribe to hear all of our future episodes!

About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field.

About the host: Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Indigenous Dermatology, specializes in treating patients in remote and rural communities. As the first dermatologist serving Alaska’s Bush region, she travels by bush plane to reach isolated communities. Dr. Chacon holds medical licenses in all 50 states, DC, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing both in-person and teledermatology services.

Resources:

Dr. Arsenio Chacon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-arcenio-chacon-b0a28686/

Opus Dei (Catholic organization that housed and supported Dr. Arsenio during medical school): https://www.opusdei.org 

Website: www.drannachacon.com
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