172 - AI Is Quietly Taking Over Healthcare and Most People Have No Idea

Vic and Marcus open the year by unpacking how shifting political power, market dynamics, and AI acceleration are reshaping healthcare and the broader economy. They discuss Wall Street’s continued dominance, job market signals, venture capital strategies, and how AI is redefining everything from drug discovery to prescription renewals. The episode covers policy changes around vaccines, women’s health screening, federal funding freezes, hospital consolidation, payer pressure on providers, and the growing role of consumer wearables. They also examine OpenAI’s deepening move into healthcare, the risks and limits of clinical AI, Nvidia’s expanding dominance, and what these forces mean for entrepreneurs, healthcare operators, and patients navigating a rapidly fragmenting system.

Links
6:54 - Dow Extends Rally, Closing Above 49000 for First Time WSJ

11:22 - The number of available jobs in the US just hit its lowest level in more than a year CNN

16:18 - Venture Firm Antler Made Over 400 Investments Last Year—and Just Reloaded With $160 Million WSJ 

20:29 - HRSA endorses at-home screening recommendations for cervical cancer Fierce Healthcare

24:15 - CDC Pares List of Recommended Childhood Vaccines WSJ

Doctronic receives approval to use AI to renew medical prescriptions with no doctor involved. X

28:39 - Utah has become the first state to allow AI to renew medical prescriptions with no doctor involved

34:09 - (Wrong Link) Health Dept. to Freeze $10 Billion in Funding to 5 Democratic States

40:31 - FDA paves way for more consumer wearables, AI-enabled devices to hit the market Fierce Healthcare

43:44 - 340B rebate pilot put on hold in temporary win for hospitals Healthcare Dive

45:52 - UnitedHealthcare raises bar for doctors to get paid for radiology services Healthcare Dive

51:32 - 21,000 New York nurses to launch strike Jan. 12 Fierce Healthcare

52:27 -New Jersey healthcare giant poised to acquire another hospital Healthcare Dive

53:29 - Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Pill Now Broadly Available Across U.S. WSJ

54:21 - AbbVie Near Deal for Revolution Medicines WSJ

55:28 - Eli Lilly Nears Deal for Biotech Ventyx WSJ

56:19 - Eli Lilly, AI Drug-Discovery Company Nimbus Partner on Oral Obesity Treatment WSJ

57:22 - Introducing ChatGPT Health OpenAI

59:34 - 40M users turn to ChatGPT daily for health questions: OpenAI Fierce Healthcare

1:04:38 - Hospitals Are a Proving Ground for What AI Can Do, and What It Can’t WSJ

1:11:06 - Nvidia Unveils Faster AI Chips Sooner Than Expected WSJ

1:14:29 - Lego Smart Play hands-on: Using Smart Brick technology to get kids to play together