The Gist Healthcare Podcast

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.

LA area cancer organization City of Hope announces plans to buy Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Cigna invests in insurtech startup BrightHealth. And the House passes legislation to avert Medicare cuts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new study in Health Affairs shows nonprofit Wisconsin hospital lawsuits against patients increased 37 percent between 2001 and 2018. There's more mandate mania, as New York City announces a COVID vaccine requirement for private companies. And Uber is bringing healthcare to consumers on demand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicare beneficiaries used 6000% more telehealth in 2020 than pre-pandemic. While the attention is on Omicron, Delta is what hospitals are still worried about right now. And Physicians Assistants’ recent title change to Physician Associates isn’t sitting well with doctors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden will require private insurers to pay for at-home covid tests. CVS and Microsoft expand their partnership to digitize and personalize care. And a tale of two states that expanded Medicaid with dramatically different outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As omicron cases are identified across the globe, countries are scrambling to prevent a surge in cases. Germany, Greece, and Austria are imposing restrictions on the unvaccinated. The US and UK are turning to booster shots. Earlier this week British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he plans to make boosters available to all adults by the end of January. In this episode, Maya Kroth reports from London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new ruling extends the pause on healthcare worker vaccine mandates nationwide. The first case of the omicron variant is found in California. And we recap the Supreme Court arguments in the case challenging whether Medicare can cut drug payments to some hospitals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Las Vegas jury finds UnitedHealthcare has been underpaying TeamHealth physicians in Nevada. The CDC is searching for cases of the omicron variant in the US. And HCA Healthcare expands its Florida footprint. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden says the omicron variant is a cause for concern but not panic. A judge temporarily blocks the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. And an experimental treatment appears to have cured a man of Type 1 diabetes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A jury rules finds CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed opioids. The Biden administration releases $7.5 billion in relief funding for rural providers. And consumers are dealing with a patchwork of telehealth coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the single-use PPE is creating a huge medical waste problem. Two private equity firms buy AthenaHealth. And there’s a small window for patients to get the benefits from the new coronavirus antiviral pills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The CDC clears booster shots for all adults. The House passes the $1.75 trillion spending plan which includes several healthcare reforms. And physicians accuse a large Lasik eye surgery chain of pressure to boost volumes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As CVS Health repositions itself to provide more primary care, the company announces plans to close 900 stores. About a third of healthcare workers aren’t vaccinated. And doctors have had enough with their peers spreading covid disinformation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former Sanford Health CEO left the system with a $49 million golden parachute. Lawmakers say the new surprise billing dispute resolution rule isn’t what they intended. And the partisan divide about vaccines seems to go beyond the coronavirus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austria introduces a lockdown for the unvaccinated. Dealing with hostile patients and feeling unsupported by employers are just a few of the factors driving doctors and nurses to leave healthcare. And a STAT News investigation looks into Ascension private equity operation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaiser Permanente reached a deal with unions to avoid massive strikes. Medicare hasn’t even decided to cover an expensive new Alzheimer's drug yet, and it’s already driving premium increases. And finally, President Biden has chosen a nominee to lead the FDA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This fall payers like UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and Aetna all launched virtual first primary care plans this fall. In this March 2021 conversation, Gist Healthcare co-founders, Chas Roades and Lisa Bielamowicz discuss how insurers are integrating their new care offerings to capture more of consumers' healthcare spend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Farzad Mostashari, CEO and co-founder of Aledade, discusses how quality reporting for physicians has become time-intensive and no longer commensurate with incentives. He tells us the whole system is in need of “radical surgery”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of our series exploring investor acquisitions of physician practices, we’ll look at the hospital-based physician market, including emergency physicians, hospitalists, and anesthesiologists, which private equity firms started rolling up in the early 2000s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some have warned that the rapid growth of PE-backed practices is reminiscent of the rise and fall of physician practice management companies of the 1990s. In the second part of our series about the impact of private equity investment in physician practice on the healthcare market, we’ll hear from Peter Kindrachuk, a former PhyCor executive, on how today’s trend compares to what happened back then. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Private equity firms are fueling a physician practice buying frenzy that’s heated up over the last year, with just about half of practices now owned by hospitals or other corporate entities. In the first part of a series about private equity's impact on the market, Anthony D’Eredita, founder and CEO of TrustWorks Collective, discusses how younger physicians and health systems are being outbid by deep-pocketed investors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British digital-first value-based care company Babylon went from being virtually unknown in the US, to managing the cost of care for more than 100,000 lives in a year. Babylon's Chief Business Officer Paul-Henri Ferrand discusses how the company is partnering with health plans, medical groups, and health systems to expand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 million healthcare workers need to be fully vaccinated by early January. Coverage expansion plans for 12 Medicaid holdout states could be a big boost to hospital bottom lines. And add CVS Health to the list of non-traditional physician employers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tennessee lawmakers try to limit the power of the state’s medical board to discipline physicians. CMS boosts outpatient and home health payments, but some physicians will see a pay cut in 2022. And more COVID vaccine mandates go into effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democrats say they have reached a deal to address drug prices. A California judge sides with pharmaceutical companies in opioid litigation. And more women than men are using telehealth services. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.