HITshow Daily: October 2, 2025 (Thursday)

Today on HITshow: Today’s top story: the federal shutdown is more than politics — Teresa Vaughn walks providers through a detailed checklist on compliance, telehealth, hospital-at-home, finance, and research. Also: UnitedHealth hires Duke’s AI leader as Chief Scientist, Hackensack pairs dogs with AI for cancer detection, Omada launches a nutrition AI for chronic care, and the federal government calls on Eli Lilly and Pfizer to boost production of key drugs. HOST: Steve Daily 📍 Providers / Government — Teresa VaughnThe shutdown fallout is hitting operations: CMS survey triage, telehealth flex expirations, Hospital-at-Home pause, and looming safety-net cuts. Vaughn shares the following checklist for health system leaders: Quality & Compliance: Focus on IJ, EMTALA, dialysis. Access & Scheduling: Update telehealth workflows for therapy and mental health. Capacity: Reallocate staff and beds with Hospital-at-Home paused. Finance: Model DSH and rural add-on reductions through Q4. Community: Coordinate with FQHCs to smooth referrals. Innovation & Research: Expect device and grant delays; adjust timelines. 📍 AI & Payers — Jade RomeroUnitedHealth names Duke’s Michael Pencina as Chief AI Scientist, signaling a credibility-first push to scale responsible AI. 📍 Providers / Research — Logan StokesHackensack Meridian partners with Israel-based startup SpotitEarly to validate canine scent + AI for early cancer detection — a message to providers that bold research can be a differentiator. 📍 Digital Health — Nate CollierOmada Health debuts “Meal Map,” an AI nutrition tool for cardiometabolic patients — early pilots show engagement gains. 📍 Pharma & Policy — Peter BetterworthThe administration asks Eli Lilly to ramp production of insulin, and Pfizer to increase productoin of Ibrance, and Lipitor — raising supply and formulary planning questions for hospitals. 🎧 Subscribe here or wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you like our show, please follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hit.show. HITshow is made possible by HLTH 2025.