The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast

The first trillion-dollar healthcare company, a $298M longevity round, and a telehealth CEO headed for federal sentencing. Last month had range.Today on the show, Halle and Michael sort through the biggest December stories shaping the year ahead, from runaway longevity funding to a telehealth scandal headed for federal sentencing.We cover:🧬 Two hot funding rounds in longevity, including Function Health’s $298M B-round and Blueprint’s all-angel, no-VC $60M raise💊 How Eli Lilly became the first trillion-dollar healthcare company🏥 CVS’s $5.7B Oak Street Health write-down (and why most acquisitions fail)🎓 Nursing, OT, PT, and PA being removed from the list of “professional” degrees by the Department of Education🤖 OpenAI’s growing interest in consumer health tools⚖️ The telehealth company whose founders were just convicted in one of the largest stimulant-fraud cases to date—Show notes:Eli Lilly becomes first trillion-dollar healthcare company (Reuters)CVS takes $5.7B goodwill impairment on Oak Street Health (Forbes)Department of Education’s revised “professional degree” list (Newsweek)NYT: Patients turning to AI for support (Dagens.com)DOJ conviction of Done Global executives (DOJ)—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramYoutubeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As millions of Americans hit the road to visit family for Thanksgiving, many will pass through, or return to, rural communities. Nearly 60 million Americans live in these areas, yet many struggle to access even basic healthcare as rural hospitals close at record rates.Dr. Jennifer Schneider, co-founder and CEO of Homeward Health, is tackling this crisis head-on by reimagining how care is delivered to Medicare Advantage members in rural America. Drawing on her experiences as a physician, a patient with Type 1 diabetes, and the former president of Livongo, Jenny shares why rural healthcare is both a massive challenge and an untapped opportunity.We cover:🏥 Why rural Americans face dramatically higher mortality rates💡 How Homeward is combining technology and on-the-ground care to serve overlooked communities📉 What value-based care looks like outside major metro areas🤝 Lessons from Castlight, Livongo, and building bilingual (tech + healthcare) teams🔥 How Jenny’s personal experience with chronic illness shapes her leadership and vision—About our guest: Dr. Jennifer Schneider is the co-founder and CEO of Homeward, where she is leading the transformation of rural healthcare through AI-enabled, value-based care delivery. A physician and technologist, Jennifer’s work is shaped by her experience growing up in a small town with type 1 diabetes—fueling her belief that geography should never determine access to care.Previously, Jennifer was President and Chief Medical Officer at Livongo, where she helped scale the company through its IPO and led its $18.5B merger with Teladoc Health—the largest digital health transaction to date. She has also held executive roles at Castlight Health and began her career as a practicing internal medicine physician and health services researcher.Jennifer serves on the boards of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Maven Clinic, and has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.” She holds degrees from Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and the College of the Holy Cross.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramYoutubeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the heels of raising $210 million at a $6 billion valuation, OpenEvidence is the fastest-growing physician app in history, now reaching over 40% of U.S. physicians and powering 17 million monthly clinical queries.In this conversation, co-founder and CTO Zack Ziegler shares how his background in early large language models led him to build an AI that helps clinicians make better decisions at the point of care, without replacing their judgment.We cover:🧠 The strategies Open Evidence used to reach 40% of U.S. clinicians in a short time💡 The unexpected reason they chose to go direct to doctors instead of via their employers💰 How they make money⚙️ What “Deep Consult” means for the future of clinical decision-making🏥 Whether tools like this could ever—or should ever—be available to patientsAbout our guest: Zachary Ziegler is the cofounder and CTO of OpenEvidence, the leading medical information platform. Designed from the ground up for medical professionals, OpenEvidence organizes and expands the world's medical knowledge to make it more useful, open, accessible, and understandable. Launched out of the Mayo Clinic Platform Accelerate, OpenEvidence has become the most rapidly adopted tool by physicians in history, now used by over 40% of US physicians in over 15,000 care centers across the United States. Before founding OpenEvidence, Ziegler was a PhD student at Harvard University, where he worked with Professor Sasha Rush and was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, where he received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.—🙏Thank you to our show sponsor, LookDeep. LookDeep pioneers AI that can see, hear, and respond with care to help hospitals be Ever Present for Every Patient. Learn more at lookdeep.ai/aimee.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInYouTubeInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A billion-dollar startup. A promise to change healthcare forever. And behind the scenes… a massive lie.Tyler Shultz was just starting his career when he joined Theranos, only to discover that the company’s breakthrough blood tests didn’t actually work. Speaking up meant risking everything—his career, his family relationships, and his personal safety—but it also helped expose one of the biggest frauds in Silicon Valley history.In this conversation, Tyler shares what it was really like inside Theranos, how he found the courage to blow the whistle, and what leaders today can learn about building ethical cultures that last.We cover:⚖️ What it was like working inside Theranos💬 The one question he suggests job seekers ask potential employers💡 What ethical leadership looks like when the pressure is on🤨 His thoughts on Elizabeth Holmes’ new “blood testing” company💰 Why rewarding whistleblowers might actually protect investors and patients —About our guest: Tyler Shultz is a scientist at heart, a founder by nature, a whistleblower by accident, a speaker by day, a venture partner by night, and a dad 24/7. His professional life began by exposing unethical practices at Theranos, a revelation that led to the collapse of the $9 billion company and the criminal convictions of its CEO and COO. Since then, he has co-founded two diagnostics companies: a deep tech spinout from Stanford’s Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology and a direct-to-consumer diagnostics and telehealth company. Beyond building companies, Tyler advises startups and venture funds, helping them navigate the technical, commercial, and ethical challenges of scaling groundbreaking ideas. As a speaker, he shares his experiences with audiences worldwide, addressing lawyers, founders, executives, employees, students, investors, board members, regulators, and compliance experts. He explores themes of truth, courage, and integrity, demonstrating how ethical decision-making can be a competitive advantage.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramYoutube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does it feel like we packed in a decade of progress this year in digital health? We think so. Today, Halle and Steve break down the biggest digital health stories of the moment, from funding trends to AI rivalries and new rules shaping the future of care.We cover:💸 What non-AI healthcare startups should do in today’s AI-obsessed investor market🧠 Is there room for more than one winner in clinical decision support tools?⚖️ California’s new chatbot law🩺 Why UnitedHealthcare just paid $9B to AARP despite Medicare Advantage headwinds🌡️ Hims’ expansion into menopause care and what it means for vertical startups🤖 How Mass General Brigham is using AI to ease doctor shortages—Show notes:The Future of Healthtech 2025 (SVB)2025: The State of AI in Healthcare (Menlo Ventures)Q3 2025 market overview: Signals out of sync (Rock Health)OpenEvidence scores $200M, 3 months after series B, boosting valuation to $6B (Fierce Healthcare)Wolters Kluwer’s new UpToDate Expert AI (Wolters Kluwer)New California ‘Companion Chatbot’ Law Imposes Disclosure, Safety Protocol and Annual Reporting Requirements (Skadden)UnitedHealth Group, AARP Extend Medicare Partnership Beyond 2025 (Forbes)Hims & Hers to Offer Treatments for Menopause (WSJ)One Mass. health system is turning to AI to ease shortage of primary care doctors. Some don’t like it (STAT)—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteYoutubeLinkedInInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over 3 million clinicians around the world depend on UpToDate to guide patient care, and now the gold standard in clinical decision support is integrating generative AI. But in a world where AI models often hallucinate, how do you build something that doctors can actually trust?In this episode, Halle talks with Dr. Holly Urban, VP of Business Development and Strategy at Wolters Kluwer Health, about UpToDate Expert AI, a new tool trained exclusively on UpToDate’s physician-authored content — not the open internet — and what it means for the future of medicine.We cover:🤖 Why grounding AI in verified medical data matters for accuracy and trust💬 How clinicians are using AI at the point of care today, and where they’re facing fatigue📚 How medical education will evolve when memorization matters less than critical thinking💡 Why patient-facing AI tools could help close the information gap between doctors and patients🚨 The biggest risks Holly sees ahead for AI in healthcare—About our guest: Holly Urban, MD, MBA has extensive experience in healthcare technology and believes in the power of evidence-based content to transform EHRs beyond transactional systems into tools that allow clinicians to provide improved patient outcomes. After practicing as a primary care pediatrician, Dr. Urban worked for several EHR technology and evidence-based content companies, and has served in healthcare IT leadership roles for over fifteen years. Before joining Wolters Kluwer Health, she served as CMIO at Oracle Cerner, Director of Product Management at MCG Health, and VP of Product Management at McKesson Horizon Clinicals.—Show Notes:AI in UpToDate: New Generative solutions for Medical ProfessionalsAI hallucinates more frequently as it gets more advanced — is there any way to stop it from happening, and should we even try? (LiveScience)Technology and healthcare costs (Annals of Pediatric Cardiology)—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok YouTubeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most people spend over 30 hours a year dealing with customer service—on hold, repeating account numbers, and navigating endless phone trees. But what if AI could fix that without losing the human touch?Clay Bavor, co-founder of Sierra (now valued at $10B) and former VP at Google, joins us to explore how AI agents are reshaping how companies interact with customers and what that means for the most complex service industry in the world: healthcare.We cover:🧠 The difference between horizontal and. vertical AI solutions⚙️ If systems of action will take over systems of record (like Epic) in enterprise AI🫀 How empathy, tone, and even “voice sommeliers” help AI sound more human📉 The risks of AI job displacement (and the new roles emerging in its wake)🚀 Clay’s take on staying grounded as a unicorn entrepreneur when hype runs high in Silicon Valley—About our guest: Clay Bavor is a co-founder of Sierra, which helps businesses build better, more human customer experiences with AI. A visionary product leader and technologist, Clay spent 18 years at Google, where he spearheaded some of the company’s most innovative efforts. As head of Google Labs, he led teams working on forward-looking projects, including augmented and virtual reality, Project Starline, and Google Lens. Earlier, Clay oversaw the product and design teams for Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Apps for Enterprise (now Workspace), shaping tools used by billions worldwide. He also contributed to foundational Google products, including Search and advertising technologies.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteTikTok (NEW!)LinkedInInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This milestone 200th(!!!) episode of The Heart of Healthcare Podcast features none other than Dr. Tom X. Lee, the serial physician-founder behind Epocrates (acquired for $293M), One Medical (acquired by Amazon for $3.9B), and now Galileo, a tech-enabled medical group aiming to rewire care delivery from the ground up.We cover: 🧠 Why most doctors aren’t wired for management (and what traits he thinks translate to startup success)📉 How medical education is falling behind the pace of change in care delivery 💸 Why healthcare’s biggest barrier is economics, not culture🏥 What Galileo is doing differently to re-engineer care on the backend 📈 What founders need to understand about building for exit vs. impactAbout our guest: Tom is the CEO and visionary behind Galileo. Prior to Galileo, Tom helped build One Medical into the leading independent primary care system in the country, and previously helped launch Epocrates, the #1 mobile app used by clinicians at the point of care. Tom is a board-certified internist who completed training at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He received his BS from Yale University, his MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and his MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.—🥳 To celebrate this milestone of 200 episodes, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy Q4 Heart of Healthcare Listeners! We’re back with your monthly Digital Health Download, where we discuss the biggest industry headlines of the month. We cover: 💊 Pharm tariffs, D2C drug ads, and TrumpRx? 📉 The ACA tax credit standoff and how it could double premiums for millions 🛒 UnitedHealthcare’s new storefront and what it signals about point solution fatigue📈 The GLP-1 gold rush: Remedy’s $450M revenue, Virta’s $160M, and FDA’s warning shot ⚖️ The Doximity vs. Open Evidence lawsuit that could define AI IP 🤰 The acetaminophen-autism debate and why pregnant women deserve better data—Show notes:Virtual GLP-1 startups: Pill mills or the future of obesity care? (Halle Tecco)TrumpRx: A Prescription for Political Theater (Drugstore Cowboy)The future of metabolic health and weight loss drugs: Projecting mortality reductions in the US and UK populations (Swiss Re)The Latest in Maternal Health Fear Mongering? Tylenol (Vogue)—🙏 Thank you to our show sponsor, LookDeep. LookDeep pioneers AI that can see, hear, and respond with care to help hospitals be Ever Present for Every Patient. Learn more at lookdeep.ai/aimee. —📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteTikTok (NEW!)LinkedInInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cancer drugs cost more than ever, yet survival benefits are often modest—and in some cases, patients can’t even access the care that already exists. After losing his father, Steve Jobs, to pancreatic cancer, Reed Jobs committed himself to making this the last generation that loses parents to the disease.Reed now leads Yosemite, a venture fund spun out of Emerson Collective in 2023, alongside Investor Matt Bettonville. Yosemite pairs life sciences and digital health investments with a grantmaking model to accelerate cancer research and ensure breakthroughs actually reach patients.We cover:📉 The tension between drug pricing, patient access, and real-world value🩺 Digital interventions that have outperformed cancer drugs in survival outcomes🧪 Why phase 3 clinical trials are so costly, and how synthetic control arms could change that🧬 The promise and limits of early detection—from liquid biopsies to at-home pap smears🌍 The global race for healthcare innovation and why the U.S. can’t afford to fall behindAbout our guests:Reed Jobs is an Investor at Yosemite and manages Yosemite. Yosemite works exclusively in the oncology space, using flexible capital to advance science with the goal of making cancer non-lethal in our lifetime. Over the years, Reed has supported hundreds of researchers and invested in dozens of therapeutic, diagnostic and digital health companies across the U.S. and Europe. Before the launch of Yosemite, Reed served as the Managing Director of Health at Emerson Collective. He serves on the board of directors at Conservation International, Harvard Medical School, PICI, Stanford Medicine and Waverley Street Foundation. Matt Bettonville is an Investor at Yosemite where he leads the team’s investment efforts in digital health and healthcare delivery. He previously worked on Emerson Collective’s Count Me In non-profit partnership with the Broad Institute. Matt started his career working on user interface software engineering at Apple, where he was on the Mac team and a part of the AirPods product team. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction. Matt serves on the board of directors at Atropos, Maia Oncology, Turquoise Health, Count Me In and Getlabs. He serves as a board observer at Proximie. —🙏Thank you to our show sponsor, LookDeep. LookDeep pioneers AI that can see, hear, and respond with care to help hospitals be Ever Present for Every Patient. Learn more at lookdeep.ai/aimee.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok If you're enjoying the show, would you please leave us a review? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some founders win support because of their product, others because of their story. In healthcare, where trust is everything, the ability to tell a compelling and authentic narrative can make or break a company.On this episode, Halle talks with longtime friend and colleague Christina Farr—reporter turned investor and now author of The Storyteller’s Advantage. Chrissy has spent thousands of hours hearing startup pitches, advising founders, and studying what makes certain stories resonate while others fall flat. She shares insights from her years as a journalist and investor, and lessons from her new book on how narrative power shapes companies and industries.We cover:📝 The three types of founder stories and why “personal experience” dominates in healthcare📉 Why failure stories are scarce in healthcare—and how that holds founders back🏆 The psychology of the underdog and how startups can use it to their advantage📰 The double-edged sword of media attention, especially for women leaders🎤 Why founder-led communications matter more than ever in an era of spammy PR pitchesAbout our guest:Christina Farr is an editor-in-chief of the health-tech newsletter Second Opinion, which has 40,000 subscribers. She advises startups as a national advisor with Manatt, and she's a GP with the fund Scrub Capital. Prior to that, she worked as an investor at OMERS Ventures and a journalist with CNBC, Fast Company, and Reuters News. Her debut book "The Storyteller's Advantage" is now available. She was born and raised in London, U.K., and resides in New York with her husband and two children. —If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thanks to improved accuracy and new form factors, wearables have evolved from novelty step counters to tools that can predict illness, nudge healthier behaviors, and even influence alcohol consumption. But can they really bridge the gap between consumer wellness and enterprise healthcare?In this episode, ŌURA CEO Tom Hale discusses the lessons his team has learned from developing one of the most widely used health-tracking devices. We explore what draws people to wearables, what sustains their engagement, and how these tools may be shaping behavior and healthcare itself. We cover:🕰️ The past, present, and future of wearables🩺 What it takes to build trust with users, clinicians, and payers🍷 The number one thing people do differently after wearing an Oura ring🔑 Unlocking behavior change, and which habits are most malleable🏥 Why payers and health systems are beginning to integrate wearables into care models—About our guest:Tom Hale is the Chief Executive Officer at ŌURA and a member of its board. As the CEO he sets the company’s business strategy and vision to make health a daily practice for members all over the world. He has over 30 years of experience across the technology and consumer product industry.Before joining ŌURA, Hale was president of Momentive where he drove B2B strategy and led product growth. During his time there he was instrumental in taking the company public in 2018, leading the team in key acquisitions, and driving the evolution and rebranding of the company into a multiple SAAS business. Previously, he held leadership roles at HomeAway and Linden Lab as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer, respectively, and held executive roles at Macromedia and Adobe.Hale has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University and sits on the boards of Cars.com, RocketReach, and NoiseAware.—If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI companies are hitting growth milestones in record time—some reaching $100 million in revenue in just two years. But while this pace feels familiar in tech, healthcare has always been slower to adopt new tools. That may finally be changing.Kent Bennett and Sofia Guerra of Bessemer Venture Partners join Steve Kraus to unpack findings from Bessemer’s State of AI 2025 report and what they mean for healthcare. From “supernovas” and “shooting stars” to the rise of systems of action, they explore how AI is reshaping not only software businesses but also the way doctors, health systems, and patients interact with technology.We cover:🚀 Why some AI companies are growing faster than the best SaaS businesses of the past decade🏥 How healthcare AI adoption is starting to catch up with other industries📊 The difference between systems of record and systems of action—and why it matters for doctors and patients🔎 Whether general-purpose models like ChatGPT will dominate healthcare search, or if specialized tools will win out⚖️ Why evals and data lineage may become make-or-break for safe AI deployment in healthcare—About our guests:Sofia Guerra is a vice president at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invests in seed to growth healthcare and life sciences companies. She is the co-author of State of Health Tech report, Benchmarks for Growing Health Tech Business, and how to scale health tech businesses to $100M and beyond, a study of 100+ best-in-class companies to understand key metrics relevant for scalability in healthcare software and tech-enabled services.Sofia began her career as a consultant at Bain and Company, where she worked on strategy, operations, and due diligence projects across healthcare and technology.Prior to joining Bessemer, she was an investor at BoxGroup Ventures and the co-founder and co-president of Nucleate, a national life sciences entrepreneurship program helping PhDs, Post-docs, and students commercialize scientific projects.Sofia earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA with high honors in Chemistry from Harvard University. While in school, she conducted research alongside Bob Langer, a serial entrepreneur and one of 12 Institute professors at MIT widely recognized for his contributions to drug delivery and tissue engineering fields.She was born and raised in Guatemala, went to boarding school in Singapore for the last few years of high school, and has traveled to over 35 countries. In her free time, she enjoys listening and dancing to reguetón and traveling to new places with her fiancé Alex.Kent Bennett is a partner in Bessemer’s Cambridge office focusing on B2B application software and consumer “earthquakes.”Before his career in venture capital, Kent was a creative executive for an entertainment production company, where he developed and sold original material including a network television pilot and a feature film. He began his career with Bain & Co., where he worked on projects in industries spanning IT, retail, consumer products, healthcare, and biotech.Kent earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and graduated summa cum laude in systems engineering from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar.—🙏Thank you to our show sponsor, LookDeep. LookDeep pioneers AI that can see, hear, and respond with care to help hospitals be Ever Present for Every Patient. Learn more at lookdeep.ai/aimee.—If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Healthcare’s “back-to-school” season delivered no shortage of big headlines! From Epic’s big leap into AI to a looming insurance “blood bath,” Steve and Michael break down the stories that shaped digital health this month.We cover:🖥 Epic’s 200 new AI “colleagues” and what it means for the battle between systems of record vs. systems of action💼 Why healthcare CEOs are cashing record paychecks despite shaky stock performance📉 The warning signs of soaring insurance premiums and their political fallout heading into 2026🤖 Hospitals turning to robots to fill critical workforce gaps⚖ The wild policy divide on how AI should (or shouldn’t) be allowed to practice medicine🎧 How an AI-powered stethoscope could change the way GPs catch heart disease—🙏Thank you to our show sponsor, LookDeep. LookDeep pioneers AI that can see, hear, and respond with care to help hospitals be Ever Present for Every Patient. Learn more at lookdeep.ai/aimee. —📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok SubstackSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Healthcare costs keep climbing, and yet patients and employers often feel powerless to change the system. What if outsiders—those not steeped in the traditions of healthcare—are actually the ones best positioned to fix it?This special episode is a reshare from The Benefits Playbook podcast, where Halle joins Collective Health CEO Ali Diab. Together, they unpack what it takes to make health benefits simpler, more transparent, and more consumer-focused.We cover:🏥 The growing “consumer awakening” in healthcare and what it means for employers🧾 How Ali’s personal fight with insurance denials led to building a new kind of health company💡 Why outsiders can sometimes see solutions insiders overlook🤖 Where AI can actually improve care—and where human advocates are still indispensable💊 The GLP-1 dilemma for employers balancing access, equity, and costAbout our guest:Ali Diab is the CEO and Co-Founder of Collective Health, the World’s leading independent third-party health benefit plan administrator (TPA), integrating AI-powered health plan administration, health benefit plan member navigation and advocacy, and digital benefits hub.Ali has more than 25 years of experience leading high-growth technology organizations, and prior to co-founding Collective Health, was Vice President of Product Management and Business Operations at AdMob by Google. Previously, Ali held executive and management positions at Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Yahoo!. Ali is a graduate of Stanford and Oxford Universities and is a Member of the Board of Advisors of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hospitals are under immense pressure: burned-out clinicians, outdated systems, and rising costs have made delivering care harder than ever. Tanay Tandon, founder and CEO of Commure, shares how his team is rethinking hospital infrastructure by combining AI, forward-deployed engineering, and a provider-first mindset. Backed by over $750M in funding, Commure is using strategic M&A and next-gen tools like ambient AI to reduce administrative burden, improve revenue cycle operations, and protect clinical staff.We cover:📉 How Commure grew claims volume 5x without hiring more staff🧠 Why the “copilot” era of AI may give way to true automation in back-office tasks🏥 Tanay’s prediction for a simpler, decentralized hospital system—powered by software💰 What it means to take capital from General Catalyst’s Health Assurance Fund and build for its customer network📰 How Commure navigated negative press around its business model and acquisitions—About our guest:Tanay Tandon is CEO at Commure, a $6B healthcare software company. The business uses LLMs to help supercharge the productivity of clinicians, healthcare administrators, and finance teams. Commure has raised over $500 million, is backed by Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, Initialized, YCombinator, and NVIDIA. The company’s technology powers daily workflows for 250,000 providers at over 100 major health systems.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One in four Americans is enrolled in Medicaid, yet the system designed to support them is constantly at risk—underfunded, politically vulnerable, and often overlooked.Dr. Alastair Bell, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System, shares how his organization is reimagining what it means to care for underserved populations, while managing nearly 40% of Massachusetts’ Medicaid enrollees. In this conversation, we explore the financial realities of running an “essential” hospital system, the opportunities and pitfalls of Medicaid ACOs, and why AI might deepen inequity if essential providers are left behind.We cover: 🏥 What makes an “essential” hospital system (and why the term matters) 📊 How BMC manages risk across one of the largest Medicaid plans in New ⚖️ Why risk adjustment in Medicaid populations is still falling short 💊 What the 340B drug pricing program really means for safety-net hospitals 🧠 The promise (and peril) of AI in essential care settings—About our guest:Dr. Alastair Bell oversees the comprehensive system strategy and operations of BMCHS' entities, including BMC, Boston Accountable Care Organization, Clearway Health, and the WellSense Health Plan.Prior to joining in 2012, Dr. Bell was a leader in the North American payor and provider practice at McKinsey and Company, advising a range of national and international healthcare organizations and leading large-scale transformation programs. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oxford, his Master of Arts in physiology from the University of Cambridge, and his Master of Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School. Dr. Bell currently serves as co-chair of the board for the Boston Children’s Chorus.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Three simple questions plague every American seeking healthcare: Where should I go? When can I be seen? And how much will it cost me? Despite seeming basic, these questions have remained largely unanswerable—until now.In this episode, we explore how Heather Fernandez, co-founder and CEO of Solv, is building the infrastructure behind same-day care for 210 million Americans. We discuss how AI is finally cracking the code on price transparency and why workflow complexity can be a competitive moat in healthcare.We cover: 💰 Why price transparency has been so elusive and how AI tools are positioned to finally solve it 🤖 How AI is eliminating "garbage work" and turning front desk staff into healthcare superheroes ⚡ Why workflow expertise is a durable advantage for healthcare startups🚀 How to build a culture of AI at your startup💡 Why "intractable" problems may now be solvable—About our guest: Heather Fernandez is the CEO and co-founder of Solv Health, a leading platform redefining access to everyday healthcare. Solv connects consumers with a national network of providers, enabling same-day appointment availability and price transparency for patients across the country. For providers, the Solv platform acts as a growth copilot, leveraging AI to eliminate unnecessary administrative work, optimize existing capacity, and modernize the patient experience through our voice agent Maya and ClearPay price transparency. Solv integrates with EHR systems to streamline scheduling, intake, messaging, patient payments, and insights. To date, Solv has powered over 100 million visits nationwide with providers like Yale New Haven Health, GoHealth and ZoomCare.Heather has built her career around intuitive, transparent consumer experiences, previously helping scale Trulia through its acquisition by Zillow. She serves on Atlassian’s Board of Directors and is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Stanford GSB.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new federal law is reshaping how healthcare is paid for and delivered in America.In this episode, Steve sits down with health policy expert Joe Mercer to unpack the details of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It’s the most significant healthcare legislation since the ACA, with ripple effects across Medicaid, rural hospitals, and the ACA exchange.We cover: 🧾 What Medicaid work requirements could mean for coverage and churn 🏥 Why safety-net and rural hospitals are bracing for impact 💸 How changes to provider taxes and state-directed payments shift funding dynamics 📉 What happens when ACA subsidies start to expire 🧰 Where there may be operational opportunities for coverage tech and patient engagement solutions—About our guest:Joseph Mercer -  Managing Director, Marwood Group is a senior healthcare policy subject matter expert with Marwood and is the firm leader for healthcare services coverage out of Marwood's Washington DC Office. Additionally, Mr. Mercer operates as a firm leader across Marwood's DC-focused research coverage, policy diligence support and retainer practice offerings. Prior to joining Marwood in 2015, Mr. Mercer worked at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) serving as a Program Analyst at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO). From his tenure at CMS, Mr. Mercer brings with him substantial expertise covering government health insurance programs with a focus on ACA exchange, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid policy issues and catalysts. Mr. Mercer holds a JD from Washington & Lee University School of Law and a BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off a $243 million fundraise from Oak HC/FT and A16Z, Ambience Healthcare is on a mission to kill medical billing — and build “Iron Man suits for doctors.”Today we sit down with co-founder and CEO Mike Ng to talk about how Ambience is tackling one of healthcare’s most painful problems: the administrative burden that eats up 73% of a clinician’s day. We cover: 🏥 How Ambience tackles both clinical documentation and medical coding simultaneously (and why this dual approach was initially controversial with investors) 📊 The metrics he obsesses over to know if they’re succeeding🎯 Why specialty-specific AI models outperform general-purpose solutions in complex medical subspecialties 📈 Real-world results from Cleveland Clinic's five-way ambient listening comparison study—About our guest: Mike Ng is the co-founder and CEO of Ambience Healthcare, developing AI-powered clinical documentation platforms for healthcare providers. Before starting Ambience, Mike ran a care delivery organization, giving him firsthand insights into the challenges of healthcare operations, physician management, and the gap between software demos and real-world implementation. His experience spans both the operational and technological sides of healthcare, informing Ambience's approach to building AI solutions that work seamlessly within existing clinical workflows.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dexcom generates more than $4 billion in annual revenue and has a market cap north of $30 billion, making it one of the biggest digital health companies in the world. And it all started with a better way to measure blood sugar.In this episode, Halle is joined by Kevin Sayer, CEO of Dexcom, the company that pioneered continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Under Kevin’s leadership, Dexcom scaled from $40 million to $4 billion in revenue, became the standard of care for people with diabetes, and is now expanding into consumer wellness with its direct-to-consumer product, Stelo.We cover:📈 How Dexcom scaled 100x without relying on acquisitions📱 Why real-time glucose data is so powerful—and who needs it beyond diabetes🤝 Building trust with both doctors and patients⚖️ What GLP-1s mean for Dexcom’s business📦 The shift from regulated med device to consumer tech📊 The future of metabolic health (and what else their sensors might measure next)—About our guest:Kevin Sayer is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Dexcom.Kevin assumed the role of CEO in January 2015 and became Chairman of the Board in July 2018. Kevin has also served as our President since 2011. He held the role of Chief Operating Officer from January 2013 until January 2015. Kevin has served as a member of Dexcom’s Board of Directors beginning in November 2007, prior to his role as Chairman and CEO.Prior to leading Dexcom, Kevin held various management positions in his prior roles. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Biosensors International Group, Ltd., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Specialty Laboratories, Inc., Chief Financial Officer of MiniMed, Inc., and Vice President and General Manager of Medtronic MiniMed after the acquisition of MiniMed by Medtronic.Kevin is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and received a Bachelor’s degree and a Master's degree in Accounting and Information Systems from Brigham Young University.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than a thousand AI medical devices have FDA clearance, yet fewer than two percent of radiologists actually use them.In this episode, Steve sits down with Dr. Brian Anderson—CEO and co‑founder of the Coalition for Health AI—to unpack why trust, transparency, and regulation could make or break the next wave of AI‑powered medicine.We cover:🤖 Why only 2% of radiologists use AI tools despite 1,000+ FDA‑cleared devices🔍 What transparency really means and how model cards act like AI “nutrition labels”🏛️ How federal vs. state regulators could speed up—or stall—AI‑driven care💊 The imminent arrival of autonomous AI doctors that prescribe meds—and who’s liable when things go wrong🚑 Brian’s bullish vs. bearish scenarios for health AI over the next three yearsAbout our guest: Dr. Brian Anderson is President and CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), leading the development of technical standards and best practices for MLOps in healthcare, including governance, evaluation, and monitoring in Health AI Assurance Labs. Previously, he was Chief Digital Health Physician at MITRE, where he led initiatives like Advancing Clinical Trials at the Point of Care (ACT@POC) and co-led MITRE’s largest oncology R&D effort supporting the Cancer Moonshot.A recognized expert in digital health and Health AI, Dr. Anderson has led work in clinical decision support, interoperability, and health IT standards. He formerly led the Informatics and Network Medicine Division at Athenahealth and has served on national health IT committees with the ONC. He earned his MD with honors from Harvard Medical School, a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard College, trained at Massachusetts General Hospital, and practiced at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. He lives in the Boston area with his wife and three children.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Andrew Lacy launched Prenuvo, the medical establishment largely dismissed it as fringe. Now, some of those same skeptics are collaborating with him on research.In this episode, Halle and Michael sit down with Andrew, founder and CEO of Prenuvo, to unpack what it takes to build trust in an unconventional idea. He opens up about how a moment of personal reckoning led him to pivot from tech to healthcare—and why he believes early detection should be a fundamental right.We cover:📊 How they’ve built the world’s largest dataset of whole-body MRI imaging, and what they’re doing with that data✨ What happens when Kim Kardashian shares about your company on social media, unprompted💡 Going from being dismissed by the medical establishment to forming major research partnerships🧠 What Prenuvo’s dataset is revealing about early disease markers, brain perfusion, and aging📈 The economics of prevention vs. treatment—and why large employers are on their minds—About our guest:Andrew Lacy is the CEO and founder of Prenuvo, the leading proactive whole-body MRI. With a mission to redefine healthcare through proactive screening, Prenuvo has become the forefront of preventive medicine. Since its inception, the company has conducted over 100,000 scans, alerting 2.5-5% of patients to life-threatening conditions, from aneurysms to lesions to tumors. This achievement solidifies Prenuvo as the largest private provider of whole-body MRI, pioneering a new standard in proactive healthcare.A seasoned entrepreneur, Lacy has a proven track record of transforming bold ideas into industry-defining ventures. He played a pivotal role in developing the iPhone apps ecosystem as co-founder of Tapulous, a mobile app company later acquired by the Walt Disney Company. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Lacy’s career spans high-impact roles in strategy, finance, and product development at global institutions, including McKinsey & Company and Disney.In addition to leading Prenuvo, Lacy is an active advisor and investor in a diverse range of startups, applying his entrepreneurial expertise to help the next generation of innovators. With a passion for leveraging technology to improve lives, Lacy is shaping a healthcare future that prioritizes early detection, prevention, and patient empowerment.Show Notes: This is not a sponsored show, but our guest has generously provided a discount code for listeners. Take $300 off your Prenuvo scan with our listener code: Prenuvo.com/HOH —🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In their first podcast since going public, Omada Health CEO Sean Duffy joins us to reflect on the journey to bend the curve of chronic disease.From walking away from the traditional PMPM model to staying grounded in clinical outcomes, Sean shares hard-earned lessons from over a decade of building Omada—from a startup in Rock Health’s Chinatown office to IPO. We cover:🔧 Killing PMPM before it killed them (and the business model shift that made Omada viable)🎯 Designing digital experiences around actual outcomes and not just engagement💡 What sets Digital Health 2.0 apart, and why the next wave of companies needs to focus on care delivery, not just navigation or access 📈 What going public taught Sean about readiness, discipline, and running a mission-driven business at scale—About our guest:Sean co-founded Omada in 2011 with the aim of merging medical trends and cutting edge technology to revolutionize health care of chronic disease as we know it. Today, he proudly serves as CEO and has been instrumental in steering Omada toward global recognition, such as being hailed a potential “medical triumph” by The New York Times, and one of Fast Company’s 50 most innovative companies in the world.  A longtime devotee of healthcare and technology, Sean also founded a largely automated lifestyle business around Excel Everest, the interactive Microsoft Excel training tool he created. He formerly covered healthcare innovation as writer and editor for Medgadget, a popular medical technology blog.As CEO of Omada, Sean cares deeply about honing the organization’s exceptional products, values-driven approach to healthcare, and the innovative ways in which primary care can continue to better humanity.More recently, Sean has been spending more and more of his free time learning how to build and fly first-person view drones.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dare we say digital health is back? The IPOs are IPOing, and startups (at least the AI ones) are back raising mega rounds. In this month’s Digital Health Download, Halle and Steve break down the recent headlines, including a blockbuster funding cycle for AI tools, a dramatic breakup between Novo Nordisk and Hims, and why Oregon’s new law could shake up how startups structure clinical care.We cover:📈 What the return of IPOs signals for the second half of 2025🦄 New ways of building and funding healthcare unicorns💔 The fallout from Novo Nordisk's split with Hims over compounded GLP-1s⚖️ Are we trading faster innovation for a lower standard of evidence in cancer treatment?⚠️ Why Oregon’s new anti-private-equity law could be a warning sign for startups📚 Rethinking med school as AI reshapes the future of the profession—Show Notes:Rock Health Unicorn AnalysisBloomberg’s cancer drug pricing investigationNEJM on changes to medical educationOregon Senate Bill 951 SummaryNovo Nordisk terminates partnership with Hims over compounding concerns—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does one do after selling their company to Amazon for $1 billion? Start a new one, of course.In this episode, Halle sits down with TJ Parker, pharmacist, entrepreneur, and advocate for consumer-centric digital health. After co-founding PillPack and selling it to Amazon, TJ stayed on for four years helping build Amazon Pharmacy. Now, he’s back at it with General Medicine, a new company focused on making care as seamless as any other online transaction.We cover:🧾 Why pricing opacity and short-term incentives make care so frustrating📦 What TJ learned from building PillPack—and how the Amazon acquisition actually played out🏥 His vision for General Medicine, and why his second time around feels more like sport than survival📉 The wild ride of taking on PBMs (and winning) 🪄 The one change he’d make to fix healthcare’s misaligned incentives—About our guest:TJ Parker is a general partner with Matrix and is the co-founder and former CEO of PillPack. As CEO of PillPack, in just five years, TJ raised over $100M in financing, grew the company to more than a thousand employees, and successfully sold the business to Amazon for $1 billion in 2018. Today, TJ is focused on starting, investing in, and advising other healthcare and consumer focused businesses. Most recently, he founded and is the lead investor in General Medicine.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most medical care is backed by varying types of evidence, yet we apply higher standards to digital health tools before they’re trusted, adopted, or reimbursed.In this special episode, guest host Lucia Savage is joined by Dr. Vindell Washington of Verily and Dr. Aaron Carroll of AcademyHealth for a candid conversation about the uneven standards we apply to digital versus traditional care. Together, they explore how we define evidence, whose voices shape that definition, and what it takes to build trust in an AI-powered healthcare future.We cover:🧪 Why much of traditional care isn’t based on randomized controlled trials🔍 What types of validation make digital tools trustworthy to patients, payers, and regulators👩‍⚕️ Whether generative AI should be evaluated like other medical devices📣 How to integrate patient perspectives into evaluating health tech📉 The risks of requiring more proof from digital tools than from “standard” care📊 Why transparency—not perfection—is key to building trust in innovation—About our guests:Lucia Savage is a nationally recognized expert in healthcare regulation, digital health, privacy, and AI. She is the Chief Privacy and Regulatory Officer at Omada Health, a virtual-first care provider that has served over one million people with evidence-based cardio-metabolic and physical therapy programs. Lucia also serves on the boards of AcademyHealth and Tidepool, and advises ClaimsHero, which uses AI to simplify healthcare claims appeals. She was previously Chief Privacy Officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT under the Obama Administration, and has testified before Congress on health data and digital care. Lucia was named one of Rock Health’s Top 50 in Digital Health in 2021 and is a contributing author to two bestselling books on digital medicine and health technology.Vindell Washington, MD, MS, is the Chief Clinical Officer and Head of Health Equity at Verily. Dr. Washington provides clinical leadership across Verily’s research and care solutions and currently leads the company’s Center of Excellence for Health Equity. Dr. Washington previously served as the CEO of Onduo, Verily’s care solution for chronic condition management. Prior to Verily, he was Chief Medical Officer and EVP at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana where he oversaw network operations and contracting, medical policy and quality, disease management, and pharmacy benefits. Dr. Washington also served as National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), where he provided high-level executive direction and leadership for ONC programs, operations, and policies. Dr. Washington also served in several capacities at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System including, President of the Health System Medical Group, Chief Medical Information Officer, and as the leader of health system quality and information technology. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and his MS in healthcare management from the Harvard University School of Public Health.Dr. Aaron E. Carroll is President and CEO of AcademyHealth and a nationally recognized pediatrician, health services researcher, and science communicator. Formerly Chief Health Officer and Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University, his work has focused on pediatric health IT, decision analysis, and healthcare policy. He is the author of The Bad Food Bible, co-author of three books on medical myths, and a former contributor to The New York Times and The Atlantic. He also co-edits the health policy blog The Incidental Economist and hosts the YouTube channel and podcast Healthcare Triage, where he explains health research and policy to broad audiences. —🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most AI in healthcare promises superintelligence—but what if that’s the wrong goal entirely?In this episode, Michael and Halle speak with Othman Laraki, co-founder and CEO of Color Health, to talk about why real-world care doesn’t need a perfect model—it needs a better system. Othman breaks down how Color evolved from a consumer genetics startup into a nationwide virtual cancer clinic, why most diagnostics businesses fail, and how AI can actually support clinicians without trying to replace them.We cover:🤖 Why chasing “healthcare superintelligence” misses the point🧠 How Color uses AI to speed up care and not take over decision-making🏥 Their pivot from genetic testing to full-scale clinical delivery📉 How they cut time to treatment in half and boosted screening by 70%🤝 Partnering with OpenAI, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and major employers—About our guest:Othman Laraki is CEO and co-founder of Color Health, a platform for healthcare delivery, providing the technology, infrastructure, and logistics required to distribute large-scale health initiatives to diverse populations. Color is changing the way patients access cancer care through a first-of-its-kind, vertically integrated, and fully owned Virtual Cancer Clinic. Powered by a 50-state oncologist-led team of cancer-focused clinical experts, Color provides proactive, evidence-based care that is accessible to anyone, anytime, and at every step of the cancer journey. Prior to Color, Othman was an early Product leader at Google, where he worked on performance infrastructure and client-side software, including the Google Chrome browser. After leaving Google, he co-founded MixerLabs, which was one of Twitter's first acquisitions. Othman holds degrees in computer science and management from Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a long-time investor and advisor to leading companies such as Pinterest, AngelList, Coinbase, Slack, Instacart, Gitlab, and others.—🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over half of Americans now live with at least one chronic condition, yet our healthcare system still revolves around episodic, reactionary care instead of continuous, coordinated support.We talk with Dr. Jaewon Ryu—former CEO of Geisinger and now CEO of Risant Health—about how integrated delivery systems are reshaping the way care is paid for and delivered. With decades of experience spanning medicine, law, government, and leadership at some of the most respected healthcare institutions, Dr. Ryu offers a rare inside look at what it takes to scale value-based care in a fragmented system.We cover:🏥 What an integrated delivery system actually looks like—from both the patient and provider perspective📉 Why two patients with the same condition often face very different outcomes based on their insurance💡 How value-based care can ease workforce shortages and improve access without cutting corners📈 What Risant Health is doing to help more systems scale value-based care without sacrificing local autonomy—About our guests:Dr. Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, is the CEO of Risant Health, a nonprofit created by Kaiser Permanente to expand and scale value-based care across diverse, multi-payer, multi-provider health systems. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Geisinger, Risant Health’s inaugural member. With a mission to improve community health outcomes and healthcare affordability, Risant Health aims to bring the benefits of coordinated, value-based care to a broader national landscape.Dr. Ryu brings deep cross-sector experience, having held leadership roles at Humana, University of Illinois Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, and in federal government at CMS and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He began his career as a practicing corporate healthcare attorney. From 2018 to 2024, he served two terms on MedPAC, advising Congress on Medicare policy, and currently sits on the boards of NCQA, The Commonwealth Fund, and the KP Medical Foundation. Dr. Ryu earned his B.A. from Yale, and both his M.D. and J.D. from the University of Chicago, completing his emergency medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is the digital health IPO drought over? Halle and Michael dig into the Hinge Health IPO and what it signals for the return of digital health companies to the public markets. They explore how much equity founders typically hold at IPO, the growing role of private equity, and why down rounds aren’t the deal-breaker they once were.Plus: Elizabeth Holmes’ husband launches a head-scratching startup, a former McKinsey healthcare partner faces prison time, and OpenAI teams up with the FDA.We cover:📈 What Hinge Health’s IPO means for digital health exits📊 A new analysis of founder equity and CEO pay at IPO🤖 OpenAI’s behind-the-scenes work with the FDA⚖️ Why a startup is suing Epic for alleged anti-competitive behavior🧪 The eyebrow-raising new diagnostics startup from Elizabeth Holmes’ husband🚨 The McKinsey partner sentenced in the opioid crisis investigation—Show NotesHow Much Equity Do Founders Own at IPO? Read the full analysis on SubstackEpic Faces Another Antitrust Lawsuit More on the Epic lawsuit via Fierce HealthcareOpenAI and the FDA Are Talking Drug Reviews Wired’s coverage of OpenAI-FDA discussionsMcKinsey Partner Sentenced in Opioid Probe NYT on McKinsey's legal fallout—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

US healthcare has more unproductive labor and more unstructured data than any other industry, making it both vulnerable to disruption from generative AI and especially unprepared for it.That’s the provocative thesis of Eric Larsen, president of TowerBrook Advisors. In this episode, he joins host Steve Kraus to explain why generative AI is unlike any other technology we've seen—and why the $4.9 trillion healthcare sector is uniquely exposed.We cover:🧠 What makes GenAI a true “general purpose technology”—and how it compares to past innovations like the microprocessor or the internet🏥 Why healthcare has failed to adopt past tech shifts, and why this time could be different🔐 The role of the “F-150”—the 150 leaders who effectively control the US healthcare system🤝 Whether incumbents or insurgents will win the AI race in healthcare📉 Why GenAI will reduce labor costs and what that means for health systems that spend over half their budgets on people🌐 How China is sprinting ahead in deploying medical superintelligence🧬 What a compressed century of biomedical discovery could look like—and why Larsen believes we’re approaching longevity escape velocity—About our guests:Eric Jon Larsen is President of TowerBrook Advisors and a member of the healthcare leadership team at TowerBrook Capital Partners, a $30 billion AUM investment firm based in New York and London. TowerBrook invests across private equity, structured minority, and growth opportunities, with a strong focus on healthcare, partnering with health systems, payers, and other strategics. Notably, TowerBrook is the first mainstream private equity firm to achieve B Corp certification, reflecting its commitment to responsible business practices.Eric is a nationally recognized healthcare strategist with a global advisory portfolio spanning CEOs and boards of leading healthcare organizations. He spent 25 years at The Advisory Board Company—five of those as President—advancing best practices in healthcare delivery worldwide. Following the firm's 2017 acquisition by Optum (UnitedHealth Group), Eric co-led strategic partnerships and market development efforts at UnitedHealth. He is also a Venture Partner at Thrive Capital and SignalFire, and serves on several digital health boards, including Somatus and Contessa Health. Beyond healthcare, Eric is active in the arts as Chairman of The Washington National Opera and trustee of The Washington Ballet. A Georgetown University graduate, he lives in Washington, D.C., and Miami with his wife and three children.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over 160 million Americans are served by Optum, yet many still don’t fully understand what it actually does—or why it matters.Dr. Patrick Conway, newly appointed CEO of Optum and former head of CMS Innovation Center and Blue Cross NC, joins Steve for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of healthcare delivery, affordability, and the potential of value-based care at a national scale. With experience spanning the frontlines of medicine to top government and corporate leadership, Conway breaks down how Optum aims to improve care while controlling costs—and why he continues to practice as a pediatric hospitalist on weekends.We cover:💡 What Optum actually does—and how it operates across care delivery, pharmacy, and data📉 How value-based care is being scaled, and why two-sided risk models matter🧠 Using AI to reduce cycle times, drive affordability, and improve clinical decision-making💊 What’s broken—and what’s working—in the U.S. pharmacy system🧑‍⚕️ What leaders, policymakers, and physicians need to know to truly fix healthcare🧵 How personal tragedy, frontline stories, and government service continue to shape Conway’s leadership today—About our guests:Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, was named chief executive officer of Optum Rx in August 2023. In this role he leads an integrated pharmacy care services organization that is making drugs more affordable and creating a better experience for consumers, filling more than 1.5 billion adjusted retail, mail and specialty drug prescriptions annually. He joined Optum in February 2020 andpreviously served as the chief executive officer of Care Solutions, where he led a portfolio of care continuum businesses serving over 70 million people across acute and post-acute care, care in the home in-person and virtually, mental and behavioral care benefits and delivery, broad population and complex disease health management, specialty care and government health services.Dr. Conway was president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina from 2017-19. From 2011 to 2017, he served as Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and as director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and the agency’s Chief Medical Officer. Before joining CMS, he oversaw clinical operations and quality improvement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.Dr. Conway is a practicing pediatric hospitalist. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2014, received the President’s Senior Executive Distinguished Service Award, and was a White House Fellow from 2007 to 2008. He earned his MD with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine, residency training at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Master of Science in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.—🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTok See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Women make 80% of healthcare decisions and outspend men two to one on care—yet when it comes to designing, funding, and scaling health tech, they’re still treated like a niche.In this episode, we break down the broken flywheel holding women’s health innovation back including fewer growth-stage investments, limited exits, and a system not built to serve women as the primary users of care. I’m joined by Carolyn Witte, co-founder of Tia, and Katie Drasser, CEO of Rock Health, to talk about what needs to change—and how we get there.We cover:📱 What Rock Health’s latest report says about women as digital health consumers🚫 Why men shouldn’t be the benchmark for women’s health💸 How women’s health companies struggle to raise beyond Series A (and what to do about it)👩‍⚕️ Why every company should be a women’s health company💡 What founders and investors need to do differently to unlock women’s health at scale—About our guests:Katie Drasser is CEO of RockHealth.org, leading a team of experts in health equity, social enterprise, and design to encourage more equitable innovation in digital health. Drasser has launched programs that address complex global issues with a focus on public health innovation and the role of innovative financing and leadership in systems change. Previously, she curated health content for the Aspen Ideas Festival and was managing director of the Aspen Global Innovators Group, steering global leadership programs to address poverty alleviation and human rights. Drasser has worked internationally on HIV/AIDS treatment strategies in Romania, private health services delivery in Myanmar, and the scale up of Kenya’s national emergency medical system. She designed a network of charter schools and developed Good Capital, a venture fund that invests in social enterprises like the Hub Bay Area and the Social Capital Markets Conference.Carolyn Witte is a visionary healthcare entrepreneur dedicated to creating a personalized, preventive, and human-centered healthcare system. As the founding CEO of Tia — the leading tech-enabled primary care provider for women — she pioneered a new model of “whole-women’s” healthcare, integrating virtual and retail-style clinics, technology, and a multidisciplinary care teams to transform the business and experience of going to the doctor. A former strategist at Google’s Creative Lab, Carolyn brings an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare innovation through design, technology, and brand. Her latest passion project is The XX Factor — a newsletter and community advancing the women’s health category through hard won lessons, shared learnings and collective action. She’s been recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine as a trailblazer for women in business.—Show notes:Women in focus: understanding women as digital health consumers (Rock Health)There’s a Growth-Stage Cliff Plaguing Women’s Health Startups—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteTikTok (NEW!)LinkedInInstagramSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this month's Digital Health Download, Steve and Halle unpack the headlines shaping healthcare, policy, and technology—with an eye toward where things may be heading next. From shifting political support for Medicaid and the ACA to state-level action on PBMs, they explore the unexpected ways the system is evolving.We cover:🩺 Why more Republicans are backing Medicaid and ACA expansion—and what the data tells us🧠 Autism in the spotlight (and Halle's favorite show)⚖ How a new Arkansas law could disrupt the PBM status quo📊 Bessemer’s new Health AI Adoption Index, including what separates pilots from true deployments📚 A lawsuit against academic publishers that’s raising questions about access and transparency in research—📍 Show notes:Enrollment Growth in the ACA Marketplaces (KFF)Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)Arkansas adopts first-in-the-nation law forcing companies to choose between running a PBM or pharmacies (STAT News)Scientists’ suit against top academic publishers lays bare deep frustration over unpaid peer review (STAT News)Another Call for Open Access (Halle’s blog)The Healthcare AI Adoption Index (BVP)—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The average American family spends over $24,000 a year on healthcare, and costs continue to rise faster than inflation. Why can't we create a healthcare system that delivers more value for less money?In this conversation with Ann Somers Hogg, Director of Healthcare Research at the Clayton Christensen Institute, we explore the concept of "Zero Inflation Healthcare" and uncover why traditional health insurance models continue to drive costs up. Ann breaks down why many InsureTech startups initially struggled to disrupt incumbents and how a new approach to business model innovation could finally tame runaway healthcare costs.We cover:🌟 The "optimal care business model" that could help transform healthcare📊 Why InsureTechs like Oscar and Clover struggled initially against incumbents🧰 If and how insurance companies can fix their reputations💰 Why health insurance companies' "spend more to make more" profit formula fails to incentivize the desired outcome🔄 How regulations create barriers to disruptive innovation in health insurance🛑 Why Haven (the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan venture) failed despite its resources💡 How the "Jobs to Be Done" theory applies to healthcare choices—About our guest:Ann Somers is the director of health care research at the Clayton Christensen Institute where her research focuses on the structural pathways to improve health. This includes business model design, leadership approaches, customer orientation, and innovation strategy. Prior to joining the Institute, Ann Somers worked for Atrium Health (now Advocate Health), where she served as the AVP of Strategy and Transformation. She started her career in consulting at Oliver Wyman, working to develop value-based care strategies for large payers. Ann Somers holds an MSPH in Health Policy and Management from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and two children.—🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—Show notes:Read the full paper here: christenseninstitute.org/publication/health-insurance-innovationIf you’d like to learn more about the Institute’s broader work, feel free to explore: www.christenseninstitute.org—If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Each year, 2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and face a fragmented, overwhelming healthcare system with minimal guidance between doctor visits, even as they make life-altering decisions.In this episode, we talk with Robin Shah, Founder & CEO of Thyme Care, who has devoted his 17-year career to improving oncology care and is now building a virtual support system that has already helped over 50,000 cancer patients nationwide.We cover:🏥 Robin's origin story saving his father's oncology practice during the 2008 financial crisis💊 How community oncology has consolidated from independent doctors to large corporations🚀 Key insights from scaling Flatiron Health as employee #3 and co-founding One Oncology📈 How value-based care is creating new opportunities in specialty care🔮 The future of cancer care coordination beyond active treatment—About our guestRobin Shah is the Founder & CEO of Thyme Care, an oncology population management company providing virtual clinical support for cancer patients. His career in oncology began by helping his father's community practice survive both the Great Recession and aggressive competition from hospital systems. Robin was an early employee at Flatiron Health and a founding team member of One Oncology before launching Thyme Care, which now supports over 270,000 people across the country with a team of 400 employees.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteYouTube (NEW!)LinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Health insurance has a Net Promoter Score of around 0-10 industry-wide, one of the lowest ratings of any industry. This is exactly why the founders of Oscar Health, with no background in healthcare and a distaste for the industry, started the company in 2012. Since then, Oscar has grown to 1.7 million members, gone public, and achieved profitability—all while receiving an NPS significantly higher than the industry average.In this episode, we talk with Mario Schlosser, co-founder and CTO of Oscar Health, about building a tech-first health insurance company in an industry notorious for poor customer experiences.We cover: 🏥 Why outsiders without healthcare backgrounds decided to tackle the insurance industry💰 How Oscar grew to 1.7 million members while maintaining a 60+ NPS score in a hard-to-please industry📊 The balance between denying unnecessary care and empathetically supporting members⚙️ How ICHRAs (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements) are disrupting traditional employer-sponsored healthcare🧶 The beginning of the unraveling of the employer markets💼 The changing employer healthcare market and why small businesses are seeking alternatives—About our guest:Mario Schlosser is the Co-Founder & CTO at Oscar Health. In this role, Mario leads product and engineering, with a focus on building Oscar’s technology platform for the future and continuing to set the strategy for the +Oscar strategy.Previously, Mario served as CEO of Oscar, leading the company from inception to serving over 1M members across Individual & Family, Medicare Advantage, and Small Group health plans.Before co-founding Oscar, Mario also co-founded the largest social gaming company in Latin America, where he led the company's analytics and game design practices. Prior to that, Mario was a Senior Investment Associate at Bridgewater Associates and worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company in Europe, the U.S. and Brazil.Mario also spent time as a visiting scholar at Stanford University, where he wrote and co-authored 10 computer science publications, including one of the most-cited computer science papers published in the past decade, in which he developed the EigenTrust Algorithm to securely compute trust in randomized networks. In May 2019, Mario and his co-authors, Sepandar D. Kamvar (Mosaic Building Group Inc) and Héctor Garcia-Molina (Celo), received the prestigious Seoul Test of Time Award from the International World Wide Web Conference Committee (IW3C2) for this work.Mario holds a degree in computer science with highest distinction from the University of Hannover in Germany and an MBA from Harvard Business School.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this month's Digital Health Download, Steve, Halle, and Michael take a deliberately optimistic look at key headlines in healthcare technology. From the impressive impact of AI scribing tools on physician satisfaction to encouraging survival rates among digital health unicorns from the ZIRP-era, the hosts highlights bright spots in an often challenging industry.We cover:🏆 Rock Health's 10th annual Consumer Adoption Survey revealing how each generation uniquely engages with digital health🤖 How AI-powered ambient scribing is transforming physician documentation and reducing burnout👩‍⚕️ The concerning trust gap between younger generations and healthcare providers💊 The effectiveness but not yet cost-effectiveness of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic💼 New analysis showing 89% of digital health unicorns from the pandemic era are still operating🏛️ Potential opportunities for innovation within the current administration's healthcare policies—Show notes:Rock Health's Consumer Adoption ReportJAMA article: Lifetime Health Effects and Cost-Effectiveness of Tirzepatide and Semaglutide in US AdultsHalle's article: What Happened to the Digital Health Unicorns of 2020-2022?JAMA article: Clinician Experiences With Ambient Scribe Technology to Assist With Documentation Burden and Efficiency—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramTikTokSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Venture capital in healthcare has evolved from "the trailer park of venture investing" to a fundamental core tenant of the ecosystem, reflecting a quarter-century transformation of the entire industry.In this episode, we sit down with Mohamad Makhzoumi, co-CEO of NEA, who shares his 25-year journey from unpaid intern to leader of one of the largest healthcare investment funds, offering his insights into the evolution of healthcare startups and VC.We cover: 💼 His trajectory from carrying a partner's briefcase to co-CEO, and what it takes to break into venture capital today 🎭 Healthcare's distinct "eras" - from HMO revolution to digital health booms and regulatory cycles 🏥 Why healthcare venture capital follows different rules and timelines than traditional tech investing 💰 The challenges of timing exits in healthcare, and the regrets that come with leaving promising companies too early 🚀 How NEA has moved beyond traditional investing to incubating healthcare companies 🔄 The cyclical nature of healthcare regulation and its impact on investment strategies 🔮 Where digital health stands today – "transitioning from one party to another"--About our guest:Mohamad Makhzoumi first joined NEA in 2000 and now serves as co-CEO of the firm. He was previously NEA’s co-president, prior to which Mohamad served as managing general partner, healthcare, where he led and oversaw NEA’s global healthcare investing practice across digital health and life sciences. Mohamad’s investment practice is focused on healthcare services and technology from early venture to late-stage growth, and he has helped many entrepreneurs build and scale transformative companies. Outside of NEA, he is a board member of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health at Stanford.---🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One in four Americans relies on Medicaid, yet the program faces billions in federal funding cuts.In this episode, we speak with Dr. Rajaie Batniji, co-founder and CEO of Waymark, about delivering tech-enabled community care to Medicaid patients.We discuss what cuts to Medicaid could mean, the impact of "value veneers", and how predictive algorithms can overcome bias in healthcare delivery. Dr. Batniji also shares his personal connection to healthcare equity and his motivation for serving vulnerable populations despite investor skepticism about Medicaid-focused businesses.We cover:🏥 How to address the unique needs of Medicaid patients💰 The potential impact of proposed $880 billion Medicaid cuts and why they may not generate real savings🔄 The failures of Medicaid work requirements and why eligibility cuts won't reduce actual healthcare 📊 What "value veneers" are, and how they are harmful to healthcare innovation🌍 Advice for founders looking to serve the Medicaid population—About our guest:Dr. Rajaie Batniji is a physician, entrepreneur, and advocate for improving healthcare delivery. He is the co-founder and CEO of Waymark, a company providing tech-enabled community care for people on Medicaid. Previously, he co-founded Collective Health where he served as Chief Health Officer for eight years. He was also a clinical assistant professor at Stanford University in Medicine where he trained in internal medicine.—Show notes:Supporting Rising-Risk Medicaid Patients Through Early Intervention (NEJM Catalyst)Geographic Variations and Facility Determinants of Acute Care Utilization and Spending for ACSCs (AJMC)Procedural Prescription Denials and Risk of Acute Care Utilization and Spending Among Medicaid Patients (JAMA Open)Value Veneers And How To Enable Value In Medicaid Care Delivery (Health Affairs)A Social ACO For Medicaid Managed Care (Health Affairs)The Public's View on Potential Changes to Medicaid (KFF)—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteTikTok (NEW!)LinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2020, telemedicine company Teladoc acquired remote patient monitoring company Livongo for a record $18.5 billion, creating a $38 billion entity. Today, the combined company is worth less than a tenth of that.Rebecca Mitchell, who spent years as a product leader at both companies, reveals how this landmark healthcare deal fell short of expectations despite strong underlying products, and what we can learn from it.We also get her insights on the need for physician innovators, and how she came to co-found Scrub Capital.We cover:💻 The rise of physicians in product management roles at digital health companies💰 The untold "body and internal organs" story of the Livongo-Teladoc merger🩺 How incorporating clinician expertise leads to better healthcare products💼 Scrub Capital's approach to leveraging 700+ clinicians for smarter healthcare investing🤝 Why healthcare innovators should support rather than criticize each other🏆 Critical lessons for future healthcare M&AAbout our guest:Rebecca Mitchell began her career in global health as an academic researcher and Fulbright Fellow in maternal health. After receiving her medical degree from UCSF, she served as the medical officer for innovation at HHS before spending a decade in product roles at startups, including Livongo and Teladoc. Rebecca now leads Scrub Capital, an early-stage fund that incorporates the expertise of over 700 clinicians, founders, and operators to invest in healthcare companies.—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteTikTok (NEW!)LinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Startup capital accelerator and venture capital firm Y Combinator has a long history of backing healthcare startups, with a particular focus on technical founders tackling difficult problems. In this episode, YC partners Jared Friedman and Ankit Gupta share their insights on healthcare investment, the transformative potential of AI, and why they believe young, tactical founders will continue to disrupt the healthcare industry despite its challenges.We cover:🏥 YC's approach to healthcare investing over the years⚕️ How AI has a 10x faster adoption curve than anything else we've seen💻 The potential for AI to automate healthcare's administrative burdens and provide universal access to medical knowledge🌍 The opportunity to bring primary care to billions who currently lack access🔄 Why an outsider's perspective can be valuable when rebuilding healthcare systems🚫 How patient privacy regulations might be hindering healthcare innovation—About our guests:Jared Friedman is Managing Director, Software and Group Partner at YC. He was co-founder of Scribd, which was funded by Y Combinator in 2006 and grew to be one of the top 100 sites on the web. Jared previously worked at a pioneering AI company and studied computer science at Harvard.Ankit Gupta is a Visiting Partner at Y Combinator and former Co-Founder and CTO of Reverie Labs, a small molecule therapeutics company that leverages machine learning to develop oncology treatments. Ankit led the team through its acquisition by Ginkgo Bioworks in February 2024. Ankit studied computer science at Harvard.—🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this monthly healthcare news roundup, Halle and Steve break down the biggest healthcare headlines this month.We cover:🏥 How a $5/month medication subscription service is improving adherence and saving patients money🧠 How microplastic levels in our brains have increased 50% in just eight years⚕️ The viral beef between a surgeon and UnitedHealthcare💉 Louisiana's decision to stop promoting vaccination and the politicization of public health messaging🏛️ The impact of DOGE cuts on key health agencies📈 Hims & Hers' Super Bowl ad criticizing the healthcare system💊 Updates on GLP-1 medication access and pricing as compounding ends—Show notes:PlasticList.org—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From law school to leading one of healthcare's most successful value-based care companies, Oak Street Health co-founder Mike Pykos shares the story of building, scaling, and ultimately selling his company to CVS for $11 billion.He reveals the challenges of scaling a new care model, the importance of focusing on outcomes over financials, and what it takes to transform American healthcare.We cover:🏥 Why Oak Street intentionally designed an "unprofitable" care model👥 The critical role of co-founders and finding the right cultural fit📈 Taking the company public during COVID and navigating the markets💰 The decision to sell to CVS and letting go of control⚕️ The state of value-based care and why innovation has slowed🔄 Lessons learned from scaling from startup to Fortune 500--About our guest:Mike is the co-founder of Oak Street Health ®, a leading network of more than 200 primary care centers across 25 states that delivers value-based care to older adults. He served as its chief executive officer from its founding in 2012 through the company's acquisition by CVS Health in 2023.Prior to founding Oak Street Health he was a Principal for Boston Consulting Group. Mike has a JD from Harvard Law School and a a BS in Biochemistry from University of Notre Dame.---🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Full-body MRIs are a controversial and expensive screening tool that some believe could revolutionize early cancer detection, while others worry they create unnecessary anxiety and waste medical resources.In this episode, we dive deep into this debate with Emi Gal, founder & CEO of Ezra, who is using AI to make full-body MRI screening faster, more accessible, and more accurate.We cover:🏥 What are full-body MRI scans, and how they're being used today💰 The current costs and insurance coverage challenges of preventative MRI screening🔬 Why medical societies don't currently endorse full-body MRI scans (and if they ever will)🧬 How full-body MRIs compare to other cancer diagnostics like liquid biopsy🤖 The role of AI in enhancing image quality and translating medical reports🔄 The importance of longitudinal monitoring for certain medical findings—About our guest:Emi Gal is a software engineer and entrepreneur working at the intersection of AI and healthcare. He's currently the Founder & CEO of Ezra, an AI healthcare company that has created a new way to screen for cancer using a full body MRI powered by AI.Prior to Ezra, Emi was the Founder & CEO of Brainient, an advertising technology company he started at age 19. Brainient became the largest video ad server in Europe and was acquired by Teads in 2016, where Emi spent two years as CEO of Teads Studio helping grow the company to nearly $1 billion in revenue.—Show notes:Emi's Longevity ProtocolInterested in trying the full-body scan? Listeners can use the promo code HOH250 for $250 off your scan. Note: Heart of Healthcare is not affiliated with Ezra and receives no compensation for this code.—🙏 Thanks to Flexpa for sponsoring this episode. Flexpa is refactoring healthcare. Connect to 300+ health plans through a single, secure integration to access patient-consented, identified claims data instantly.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From fast food drive-throughs to Netflix autoplay, many of America's favorite products are designed to maximize profits at the expense of our health. But Thomas Goetz, co-founder of Building H, believes there's a better way. In this episode about corporate responsibility and public health, the former WIRED editor explains why changing company behavior may be easier than changing consumer habits – and how a new health accountability index could help transform America.We cover:🏗️ Why the structure of modern society makes healthy choices nearly impossible for most Americans📊 How Building H's new corporate health index is measuring companies' impact on consumer wellbeing🎮 The surprising companies getting health right, from Pokemon Go to sustainable housing developers📈 Why health metrics should be included in ESG frameworks and corporate KPIs🏃‍♀️ The challenge of aligning corporate profits with positive health outcomes🔄 How small product changes can drive meaningful population health improvements💡 Why traditional public health approaches need reinvention for today's challenges🏢 The role of public benefit corporations in building health-first businesses—About our guest:Thomas Goetz is a journalist, entrepreneur, and author. He uses data and design and stories to help people understand and navigate complicated issues in their world.Thomas is the co-founder of Iodine, an award-winning website that has helped millions of people make sense of their health and medicines. In 2016, Iodine was acquired by GoodRx, America’s leading source for prescription drug savings, where he presently serves as chief of research. Thomas was previously the executive editor at WIRED, which he led to a dozen National Magazine Awards in as many years. He began his career as a reporter at the Village Voice and the Wall Street Journal. He also wrote the LaunchPad column for Inc. magazine.Thomas is co-founder of Building H, a nonprofit with a mission to build health into everyday life. He has written two books, most recently the 2014 bestseller The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis. He served as the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Curator-in-Residence for Adobe Systems. His TED talk on visualizing medical data has been viewed half a million times.Goetz holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's in American literature from the University of Virginia. He graduated from Bates College, and lives in San Francisco.—Show notes:Building H Index—🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitter—See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2025 has started with sobering reminders of healthcare's challenges, while also showcasing technology's potential to save lives. Join us for this week's episode as we analyze recent headlines:🏥 UnitedHealth's first earnings report since CEO's murder 🔥 How the Watch Duty app is helping Californians navigate devastating wildfires 🏛️ FDA's flurry of new health protection rules 📊 A concerning new report on healthcare consolidation 💰 The compelling economic case for investing in women's health --Show notes:📈 UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Earnings Call Transcript📕 HHS Consolidation in Health Care Markets Report💃 The WHAM Report on Women's Health---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From selling deceased patients' body parts to denying cancer treatment over upfront payments, the Lown Institute's annual Shkreli Awards spotlight the most egregious examples of profiteering and dysfunction in American healthcare. Dr. Vikas Saini, President of the Lown Institute, walks us through 2024's (dis)honorees and what they reveal about the state of our healthcare system.We cover:🏆 The origin and impact of the Shkreli Awards🏥 How a Texas medical school sold body parts without family consent💉 The booming business of unnecessary infant tongue-tie procedures💊 A Montana oncologist's shocking pattern of patient harm🏦 UnitedHealth's growing control over American healthcare💰 How private equity firm Steward Health Care bankrupted community hospitals🔍 What these cases tell us about healthcare's future--Show notes:➡️ Nominate someone for the $25k Bernard Lown Award for Social Responsibility--About our guest:Vikas Saini, MD is president of the Lown Institute. He is a clinical cardiologist trained by Dr. Bernard Lown at Harvard, where he has taught and done research. Dr. Saini leads the Institute’s signature project, the Lown Institute Hospitals Index, the first ranking to measure hospital social responsibility. The Index, first launched in July 2020, evaluates hospitals on equity, value, and outcomes, and includes never-before-used metrics such as avoiding overuse, pay equity, and racial inclusivity. In his role at the Lown Institute since 2012, Dr. Saini led the development of the Right Care series of papers published by The Lancet in 2017; convened six national conferences featuring world-renowned leaders in health care; and guided other Lown Institute projects such as the “Shkreli Awards.” Dr. Saini also serves as co-chair of the Right Care Alliance, a grassroots network of clinicians, patient activists, and community leaders organizing to put patients, not profits, at the heart of health care.Prior to the Lown Institute, Dr. Saini was in private practice in cardiology for over 15 years on Cape Cod, where he also founded a primary care physician network participating in global payment contracts. He also co-founded Aspect Medical Systems, the pioneer in noninvasive consciousness monitoring in the operating room with the BIS device.Dr. Saini is an expert on the optimal medical management of cardiologic conditions, medical overuse, hospital performance and evaluation, and health equity. He has spoken and presented research at professional meetings around the world, and has been quoted in numerous print media, radio, and television.---🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode, Bessemer Venture Partners’ Healthcare and Life Sciences team shares the top industry developments they anticipate in the year to come.We cover:⚖️ The future of Obamacare under Trump💊 Novel drug modalities📊 Improved GLP-1 payment models🏥 Caregiver workforce shifts🤖 Multimodal clinical AI in practice🔮 And more!Join Bessemer Partners Steve Kraus and Andrew Hedin, and Vice Presidents Sofia Guerra and Morgan Cheatham, for this bonus episode on the state of the healthcare business in 2025.---🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitter---See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Healthcare attracts a lot of good people, but it also attracts a lot of morally unscrupulous people who consistently demonstrate their willingness to do horribly unethical stuff to make a lot of money."Join us for many mic-drop moments with recording artist-turned-healthcare-investor D.A. Wallach, who tells it like it is—but in a nice way only someone who grew up in the Midwest can.From questioning the "doctor" honorific to calling large health systems "the root of evil," D.A. challenges healthcare's sacred cows and offers a provocative vision for the future.We cover: 🏥 Why the "doctor" title might be outdated and how to reframe medical authority🤖 The future of AI in medicine and why software can and should handle more💊 How to preserve humanity while automating healthcare delivery💰 Starting a healthcare VC fund as an outsider 🎵 Parallels between the music industry and healthcare🔄 The need for a universal, evidence-based standard of care--About our guest:D.A. Wallach is a venture capital investor at Time BioVentures and an acclaimed recording artist who Fast Company named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. While an undergraduate at Harvard, D.A. studied with professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and received the Andrew Ramroop and Alain Locke prizes as the top graduate in his department. Prior to leaving school, Pharrell Williams discovered D.A.’s band Chester French and signed the group to Interscope Records, where they released two full-length albums. He has toured with Lady Gaga, Weezer, and Blink 182, performed on TV Shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and appeared in Rolling Stone and Vogue.In 2011, D.A. stopped touring in order to focus on his other passion, investing. He has since built a parallel career as a venture capitalist, backing a series of industry-defining technology companies including Spotify, SpaceX, Ripple, The Boring Company, and Memphis Meats. Since 2015, D.A. has focused on biotechnology and healthcare, seeking to reinvent medicine through breakthrough start-ups like Beam, Glympse, Doctor on Demand, Devoted Health, and Neuralink. As co-founder and General Partner of Time BioVentures, he brings this experience to a new generation of talented entrepreneurs in the life sciences.Outside of work, D.A. appeared as an actor in the film La La Land, which received 14 Academy Award nominations. He publishes essays on a range of topics on his website www.dawallach.com, and is the co-founder of the non-profit Franca Fund for preventive genomics, an advisory board member of No Patient Left Behind, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Fe Institute.---🙏 If you're enjoying the show, we would so appreciate it if you left us a review!---📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.