The Gist Healthcare Podcast

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Taki Michaelidis, Medical Director of the UMass Memorial Health Hospital at Home Program. The Worcester-based system has quickly scaled up its program, doubling capacity in just a few months.This episode was originally published in December 2021. hin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The White House taps Dr. Ashish Jha to replace Jeff Zients as White House COVID response coordinator. As many as 16 million people risk losing Medicaid coverage when eligibility checks resume. And a Harvard Business review article makes the case for collaboration in healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pfizer and BioNTech ask regulators to approve a fourth COVID vaccine dose for seniors. And retail and primary care disruptors want to partner with health systems. And the pandemic continues to accelerate the shift from inpatient to outpatient care. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans’ $195 billion medical debt burden is unevenly distributed. And six health systems join together to address workforce challenges. And a jury in Northern California finds that Sacramento-based Sutter Health did not use its market power to engage in anticompetitive contracting practices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nurses take their labor grievances to Washington. Delaware has success in narrowing racial disparities in cancer care with patient navigators. And why one industry is still doing business in Russia even after the invasion of Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nursing home groups push back against plans to establish minimum staffing levels. Congress reaches a spending deal but it doesn’t include any more covid response funding. And as we approach one million COVID deaths in the US, we are becoming numb to the number. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One study finds more expensive emergency care can lead to better outcomes in competitive hospital markets. Amazon and Teladoc are partners to allow consumers to get audio visits through smart speakers. And experts unveil a plan for the country to move to the “next normal”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American Medical Association criticizes Biden’s test-to-treat COVID program. Healthcare employment jumped in February, yet it’s still below pre-pandemic levels. And Civica announces plans to manufacture low-cost insulin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The justice department files suit to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare. Maternal mortality increased sharply during the first year of the pandemic. And a New Yorker piece highlights how the changing demographics of physicians are altering the American Medical Association's priorities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COVID vaccine mandates didn’t lead to an exodus of healthcare workers as feared. States look to Washington State as they consider public option plans. And ground ambulances have swelled over the last few years, according to a new report from FAIR Health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal government steps up challenges to healthcare mergers. Dr. Paul Farmer, a public health giant, dies at age 62. And health systems are anxiously awaiting to see how Medicare will pay for hospital care at home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federal Trade Commission declines to investigate PBMs. Rising labor and supply costs eat into hospitals operating margins. And provider groups push back against canceling Medicare's DIrect Contracting payment demonstration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Vaccine mandate deadlines hit for healthcare workers in half the country this week. Robert Califf is confirmed to lead the FDA. And as the demand for nurses remains high, so does investment in staffing firms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vaccine mandate deadlines hit for healthcare workers in half the country this week. Robert Califf is confirmed to lead the FDA. And as the demand for nurses remains high, so does investment in staffing firms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In yet another twist, the FDA delays its review of COVID vaccines for young kids. Republicans call for the end of the public health emergency. And Signify Health acquires Caravan Health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new study finds COVID increases the risk of heart disease. A year later and most hospitals still aren’t complying with price transparency rules. And this week there were more mixed messages about whether to rip off our masks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CVS partners with Medable to expand clinical trial services. Digital health company Thirty Madison buys Nurx. And hospital CEOs say their top concern is labor shortages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicare is simultaneously rewarding and penalizing hospitals for patient safety and quality of care. Amazon Care plans to expand into 20 cities this year. And with Biden’s Chief science advisor resigning, three scientific and medical agencies are without permanent leadership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaiser Permanente secures a no-bid California Medicaid contract. Governors in the Northeast say school mask mandates will soon end. And direct to consumer health companies are sharing data with third-party sites. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pfizer is reportedly joining 12 other pharmaceutical companies in limiting 340B discounts to hospitals contracting with pharmacies to distribute medications. This episode details the saga between pharmaceutical companies and hospitals over the 340B program which has come under scrutiny in recent years. Hospitals say the drugmakers move to limit discounts and Medicare's decision to cut reimbursement are cutting into savings used to fund charity care and specialty pharmacy programs. This episode is a rerun and was originally published in November of 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senators work on a bipartisan package to address the country’s growing mental health crisis. The travel nursing industry defends itself after accusations by hospitals of price gouging. Medicare is out with a plan to provide free COVID tests over the counter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden revives his cancer moonshot plan to cut the death rate in half over the next 25 years. Anthem is staying the course on its partner not acquire strategy. And reaching the point where covid becomes endemic - is far from the end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pfizer and BioNTech are asking the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization of their two-dose covid vaccine for kids under 5-years-old. Michigan health systems Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health are moving forward with their planned merger. Multiple states ask CMS for more flexibility in enforcing the COVID vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FDA fully approves Moderna’s covid vaccine. South Carolina is the latest state looking to scrap certificate of need laws. And there’s reported tension between the White House and the Secretary of Health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the country struggles with a shortage of inpatient behavioral health beds and mental healthcare providers, health systems are increasingly turning to telepsychiatry to meet the need. Geoffrey Boyce, CEO of Array Behavioral Care, a 23-year-old telepsychiatry group, says that health systems are seeking more comprehensive behavioral health solutions across inpatient, virtual and home-based settings, but regulatory barriers are standing in the way of more widespread adoption. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A record 14.5 million people signed up for individual market plans in 2022. Suicide attempts are up but the number of people seeking mental healthcare has remained flat. And STAT News reporting federal provider relief funds were used for covid drugs and vaccines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Massachusetts General Brigham will need to come up with a plan for how to reduce its high spending. New research sheds light on factors that may lead patients to develop long COVID. Former North Carolina Secretary of Health Dr. Mandy Cohen will join primary care enablement company Aledade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American Hospital Association is pleading for government help with staffing shortages. Many health plans still aren’t complying with mental health parity rules. And Uber hires a chief medical officer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As US hospitals recruit nurses from overseas, the countries they leave behind struggle with shortages. Traditional Medicare beneficiaries are excluded from new at-home covid test coverage. And IBM sells its Watson Health assets to a private equity firm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Wes Ely, a pulmonology and critical care physician at Vanderbilt University and co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center, says while much of the current COVID focus is on acute infection, health systems must prepare to care for the millions of chronically disabled individuals with “long COVID.” Dr. Ely's research focus is on cognitive issues that ICU patients develop during or after their stays, some of which appear similar to long covid. Ely wrote about his efforts to reform intensive care in his newly released book, "Every Deep-Drawn Breath". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Health Affairs study finds racial bias in patient notes. There are drugs being developed to treat Obesity, but a big hurdle getting providers to recognize it as a disease. And in some places, COVID appears to be receding as quickly as it surged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much progress has President Biden made on his efforts to defeat the pandemic in his first year? A few weeks into 2022, digital health company Babylon Health already announced two acquisitions. And even though the US has two highly effective COVID antiviral medications, supplies are scarce and incredibly challenging to get. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans can now get free rapid covid tests sent right to their homes. Now that the Supreme Court has allowed the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to proceed, hospitals have to reinstate requirements. And new research finds a link between the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first conversation of the year Gist Healthcare co-founders, Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz discuss the healthcare trends they're watching for 2022, including the next phase of the COVID pandemic, the challenge of rising labor costs, surging investment in digital health, and the shifting demographics of Medicare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court rules the vaccine requirement for healthcare workers can go forward in facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. This Omicron wave is particularly hard for parents of kids 5 and under who can’t get vaccinated. And primary care enablement company Aledade acquires advanced care planning company Irish Healthcare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Insurers lower Medicare Advantage projections amid a hyper-competitive market. More people are turning to at-home tests as backlogs for care grow. And it’s time to ditch the cloth masks and don an N95 or KN95. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re lucky enough to find an at-home COVID test, private insurers will soon be required to pay for it. Medicare decides to only cover Biogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug for a subset of patients in clinical trials. And Omicron is forcing millions to call out sick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Biogen halved the price of its Alzheimers drug Medicare reevaluates its Part B premium hike. Omicron’s deluge on hospitals could be even worse than what’s being reported. And six former White House COVID advisors call for a new covid strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Janelle Lee, VP of Talent Services at St. Joseph, MO-based Mosaic Life Care, discusses strategies to bolster nurse retention during the COVID crisis. In addition to financial incentives, Mosaic is allowing shift flexibility and increasing training and support for first-year nurses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on vaccine mandates today. The American Medical Association blasts the CDC’s COVID isolation guidance. With the new year, pharmaceutical companies have raised list prices on drugs an average of 5 percent, according to industry reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nursing home staff shortages are having cascading impacts on hospitals. Seattle-based Primary care company Vera Whole Health and San Francisco-based health navigation company Castlight Health announce plans to merge. And UnitedHealthcare confirms it’s not implementing a controversial ER coverage policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A jury finds the founder of Theranos guilty on four counts of fraud. Biden’s plans to increase testing and antiviral drugs will come too late for the current surge. And large for-profit hospital chains’ expansion strategies shift to outpatient sites. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we enter the third year of the COVID pandemic, hospitals are again struggling to deal with an influx of patients. Oracle announces plans to buy Cerner. And the surprise billing ban went into effect on January 1. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As COVID cases climb, companies return to remote work and schools go online. Physician practice acquisitions fuel the big surge in healthcare deals this year. And there are big regional variations in child covid vaccine uptake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A third of Americans say they’re skipping at least some healthcare because it’s too expensive. The $35 monthly cap on insulin faces a challenge in the Senate. And the US passes another grim threshold, 800,000 COVID deaths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Employer health benefits costs rose faster this year than in any year since 2010. A record 19 rural hospitals closed in 2020, but more are joining forces with larger systems. And signs from Europe and Africa spell trouble for Omicron’s spread in the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Companies are overwhelmed by all the new healthcare startups targeting specific conditions. Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO and President of the Purchaser Business Group on Health, which represents large employers buying health benefits, says companies are looking for an integrated solution and independent information about efficacy. Today's episode is a rerun and was first published in August. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As health plans look to lower the cost of care for growing Medicare Advantage populations, they’re investing in for profit primary care companies that are also addressing social needs. On this episode Dean Emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health Dr. David Nash says amid a flood of investor capital, it’s important to evaluate the social return. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American Hospital and Medical Associations challenge the arbitration provision of the surprise billing ban. And we go to France where vaccine passports, which will soon require 3 shots, are necessary to do almost anything in public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.