"Suck It Up, Buttercup: Trust & Betrayal – Healthcare in America" Coming to The Senator, March 19

BALTIMORE – At a time when healthcare systems nationwide are navigating workforce shortages, financial strain and evolving regulatory pressures, the documentary Suck It Up, Buttercup: Trust & Betrayal – Healthcare in America will screen in Baltimore on March 19, at 7 p.m. at the historic The Senator Theatre.

Hosted by the Irreverent Health podcast team, the event is open to healthcare professionals, executives, policymakers, students and anyone who is frustrated with the state of healthcare.

The film examines how unchecked corporate greed — driven by private equity takeovers, predatory consolidation, and profit-first reimbursement models — has gutted the U.S. healthcare system from within. Patients pay the highest price: their voices sidelined, their care decisions overridden by administrators who have never set foot in an exam room, and their trust in medicine systematically eroded.

Through interviews with frontline physicians, healthcare leaders, patient advocates and policy experts, Suck It Up, Buttercup presents perspectives from inside exam rooms and executive offices, exploring how financial priorities and compliance demands intersect with clinical decision-making.

Crucially, the film amplifies patient voices — people whose care has been denied, delayed, or degraded — ensuring those most affected by corporate greed in healthcare are finally heard.

“This film pulls back the curtain on how the prioritization of profits over people has fractured trust in healthcare,” said Executive Producer Todd R. Otten, MD. “It reveals the human cost of a system where administrators and stakeholders often protect financial interests at the expense of patient care and clinician wellbeing.” “Greed is not a business strategy — it is a destruction strategy. And American patients are paying the ultimate price.”

“Suck It Up, Buttercup examines the increasing role of bureaucracy and financial incentives in modern medicine,” said Executive Producer MaryAnn Wilbur, MD, MPH, MHS.“It addresses the learned helplessness many clinicians describe and invites a broader discussion about leadership accountability and long-term sustainability in healthcare.”

“What is too often missing from these conversations is the patient,“ she adds. “This film insists that the patient voice be heard — not as an afterthought, but as the entire point.”

Directed by the collaborative team of Amy Schrob, Scott Pressler, John Mottern, MaryAnn Wilbur and Todd Otten, the documentary features physicians, nurses, healthcare executives and policy voices discussing operational realities, including documentation burdens, productivity targets, consolidation and shifting governance structures.

Executive producers, Otten and Wilbur lead the producing team that includes Terrence Mulligan (Emergency Physician/Adjunct Professor in Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine),The American Academy of Emergency Medicine along withJohn Hunter Mottern, Director of Photography, Producer, Scott Pressler, Creative Director, Producer, and Amy Schrob, Editor, Producer.

Featured participants include Mark Cuban; Wendy Dean, MD; Ashley Chancellor, RN; Dike Drummond, MD; Don Berwick, MD; Tammy Scott, RN; Rebecca Wood; Camille Burnett, PhD; Linda Peeno, MD; Wendell Potter; Matthew Zachary; Taylor Paige Borque, RN; Tina Shah, MD; Steve Abelowitz, MD; Kemia M. Sarraf, MD, MPH; and Dr. and Lady Glaucomflecken.

For Baltimore — home to globally recognized healthcare institutions, academic medical centers and a robust life sciences ecosystem — the screening offers an opportunity to engage in dialogue around workforce stability, leadership responsibility and the business decisions shaping care delivery.

The screening is open to the public and will include a post-film discussion. Tickets and additional information are available at https://irreverenthealth.com/suck-it-up-buttercup.

About Suck It Up, Buttercup: Trust & Betrayal – Healthcare in America
The documentary explores systemic pressures within the U.S. healthcare system and their impact on patient care, clinician wellbeing, and organizational culture. The film is produced by Buttercup Productions and its executive producing team. The film makes the case that unchecked greed — through private equity, consolidation, and profit-first mandates — has devastated U.S. healthcare, and that restoring it requires centering the patient voice above all else. For more information about the film visit https://suckitupbuttercupfilm.com.