Michael Huot, M.D., Anesthesiologist and Medical Director at the Pain Management Clinic in Rapid City is back for his third Doc Talk appearance, this time from a more personal angle. In February, he was Doc Talk host Mark Houston’s anesthesiologist for colorectal surgery, and that experience opens a wide-ranging conversation about what’s actually happening while you’re under anesthesia. Dr. Huot walks through the science of consciousness, the realities of trauma cases, malignant hyperthermia, the role of AI in the operating room and why anesthesiologists tend to be the chillest doctors in the building. Then, for the first time, the host gets put in the hot seat.
Podcast Episode Years: 2026
Listeners Ask About the New Rapid City Emergency Location with Brook Eide, M.D. — Episode 195
“When you have an emergency, nothing’s fast enough.” The goal of Rapid City Hospital Emergency Services is to see each patient as fast as possible. As Brook Eide, M.D., Medical Director of Emergency Services, explains in this episode of listener questions, the new Monument Health Emergency Services & Medical Campus location, open on June 10, will help Rapid City area patients by giving them another emergency room supported by Rapid City Hospital in a convenient location — particularly for patients living east of the city. Dr. Eide clarifies the main differences between the two emergency locations, when a patient should go to which location and how transfers to the hospital will work.
Listen or watch for information on this exciting new development in the Rapid City area that has been long-needed and will give the surrounding communities a new solution when immediate health care troubles arise.
Tour the New Emergency Campus on Mall Drive with Brook Eide, M.D. — Episode 194
Brook Eide, M.D., Medical Director of Emergency Services at Monument Health, takes Mark Houston on a walk-through of the brand new Monument Health Emergency Services & Medical Campus on East Mall Drive. From the Saint Barbara Chapel near the entrance to the trauma bay steps from the ambulance doors, Dr. Eide shows what the new facility can do, how it’s designed to move patients quickly and where it fits alongside the main hospital downtown. A first look inside a space built for the growing east side of Rapid City, South Dakota.
A Walking Tour of the Rapid City Hospital ER with Brook Eide, M.D. — Episode 193
Step inside the Rapid City Hospital Emergency Department for a live, walking tour with Brook Eide, M.D., Medical Director of Emergency Services, with 21 years of experience. From the ambulance bay to the rooftop helicopter pad, from vertical care chairs to the trauma resuscitation rooms, Dr. Eide pulls back the curtain on what actually happens behind those sliding doors. Learn what makes Monument Health a Level II Trauma Center, why this ER serves a five-state region, and how the team manages chaos while keeping patients calm during the worst day of their lives. Whether you’ve ever wondered what happens after a helicopter lands or what “vertical care” really means, this episode offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at emergency medicine in action.
The Cancer That’s 99% Curable with Siri Knutsen-Larson, M.D. — Episode 192
We’re replaying this one for Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Siri Knutsen-Larson, M.D., of Monument Health Dermatology joins Mark Houston to cover what every South Dakotan should know before summer hits. She walks through basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma, the ABCDEs of checking your moles, why altitude in the Black Hills ramps up UV exposure, and why redheads need to be extra careful. A good one to have on before sunscreen season.
Episode 191 BEST OF DOC TALK: Episode 92: Dermatology: Getting Under Your Skin with Christopher Gasbarre, D.O.
It’s May, which means it’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and we’re bringing back one of our most important episodes. Christopher Gasbarre, D.O., Dermatologist and Fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery, from Monument Health Dermatology in Spearfish, joins us to talk about skin cancer, how to protect yourself from sun damage and what a mole that needs checking looks like.
If you missed it the first time around, now’s a good time to catch up.
Episode 190: Merging RCMC and Monument Health with Luke J. Hushagen, M.D.
Luke J. Hushagen, M.D., Internal Medicine Physician at Mt. Rushmore Road Clinic debuts on the Doc Talk podcast to discuss the Rapid City Medical Center Merger with Monument Health. Dr. Hushagen has an established practice in Rapid City and he intends to make the transition as smooth as possible for his patients. He’s eager to continue collaborating with local colleagues while having the continuity of care that working with Monument Health can provide.
Listen in to hear Dr. Hushagen’s take on why this is a positive change for patients, who will still get the best care possible.
Episode 189: Women’s Reproductive Cancers with Keely Ulmer, M.D.
Cervical cancer often goes undetected simply because the patient had never been screened before. Keely Ulmer, M.D., Gynecologic Oncologist at Monument Health’s Cancer Care Institute is aiming to change that, especially for rural and native people. Dr. Ulmer joins Mark Houston to talk about what kinds of cancer are most common for women and how she’s working towards improving access to care. Increasing HPV vaccination rates and removing systemic barriers that prevent access reduce cancer deaths dramatically. With these goals in mind, Dr. Ulmer joined the Walking Forward program which aims to help rural get people screened for cancers, especially cervical cancer.
Episode 188: What is a Hospitalist? with Matthew Werpy, D.O.
When you are hospitalized, it’s likely that a Hospitalist will be the “quarterback” physician of your care team. Matthew Werpy, D.O., is a Hospitalist and Medical Director for Hospital Medicine at Rapid City and Spearfish Hospitals. In this episode, Dr. Werpy shares his background and training. He outlines how the relatively recent specialty of hospitalist came to be and how they function at Monument Health. As the fastest growing specialty in the United States, hospitalists must have a broad medical knowledge so they can treat any number of the illnesses they encounter. This is especially important in rural areas because of the comparative lack of specialists. Hospitalists must also be able to gain the trust of a patient quickly through individual connection, especially with those who may be unfamiliar with the recent introduction of these physicians to inpatient care.
Episode 187: Psychiatry in the Black Hills with Chaston Ellis, D.O.
In this episode of Doc Talk, Chaston Ellis, D.O., Psychiatrist at Behavioral Health in Rapid City, speaks on Monument Health’s efforts to increase access to psychiatric treatment and mental health care in the Black Hills. Dr. Ellis shares a bit about his background and motivations for pursuing psychiatry and gives perspective on how social media might be complicating anxiety disorders, while simultaneously helping to destigmatize mental health care. The most important message Dr. Ellis would like to share is that mental health care is now more accessible in the area than it has ever been before and that simply showing up and staying optimistic is one of the biggest steps you can take toward improvement.