The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast

A Brave New Medicaid World | Waymark Co-founder & CEO Dr. Rajaie Batniji

Mar 24, 2025

Dr. Rajaie Batniji, a physician and entrepreneur, dives into the challenges facing Medicaid, a program crucial for one in four Americans. He discusses the dire implications of proposed funding cuts and critiques the misguided 'value veneers' in healthcare. With personal stories from his background, he advocates for a robust integration of health and social services to better serve vulnerable populations. Batniji also shares valuable insights for entrepreneurs aiming to make a positive impact in the Medicaid space.

31:50

Episode guests

Rajaie Batniji

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Dr. Batniji highlights the critical need for tech-enabled community care to address the unique social determinants affecting Medicaid patients' health outcomes.

The discussion underscores how proposed Medicaid funding cuts could worsen health disparities rather than create savings, stressing the need for effective care systems instead.

Deep dives

The Journey of a Healthcare Innovator

The speaker discusses their journey from being a physician to founding healthcare startups, emphasizing the importance of addressing systemic issues in the healthcare industry. They highlight their original interest in financing healthcare in low-income settings, which led them to pursue a PhD and subsequently transition to entrepreneurship. The motivation to make a substantial impact in healthcare is driven by the pervasive issues faced by underserved populations, particularly those on Medicaid. By moving beyond traditional methods and focusing on scalable solutions, the speaker aims to create effective healthcare delivery systems that can improve outcomes for vulnerable groups.

Intro

4min

Navigating Healthcare and Social Needs

16min

Rethinking Value in Medicaid Care

8min

Empowering Founders to Serve Vulnerable Populations

2min

Influence of Personal Background on Healthcare Perspectives

3min

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

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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.

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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)

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