The Gist Healthcare Podcast

The FTC challenges its first vertical healthcare merger in years. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan includes large investments in home health. And some small businesses hard hit by the pandemic are struggling to afford health coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health officials warn of a fourth COVID surge. Tensions between therapists and a virtual mental health app play out in Reno, NV. And more expensive outpatient care is driving spending growth in Massachusetts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Deborah Birx tells CNN a more aggressive COVID response could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Regulators are looking into UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Change Healthcare. And the JAMA’s editor-in-chief is on leave after a controversial podcast episode about racism in medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen McGovern, a partner at healthcare consulting firm Sirona Strategies, discusses the next evolution of value-based payment: Medicare’s Direct Contracting model. The first group of participating organizations starts the demonstration this week.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Price transparency in New Hampshire didn’t lead consumers to get cheaper care, according to a Health Affairs study. Uber is expanding its pharmacy delivery business. And hospitals are struggling to balance patient care, staffing shortages, and higher expenses amid the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pandemic is accelerating medical schools' shift to virtual dissections. Epidemiologists say scaling up testing is the key to controlling the pandemic in the long term. And lawmakers agree on a plan to delay Medicare payment cuts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal officials say AstraZeneca released outdated information about its COVID vaccine trial. The Biden Administration is extending the special enrollment period through August. And some covid patients are doing smell therapy to recover the sense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With so many seniors vaccinated the CDC reports, the percentage of Americans 65 and older going to hospitals for COVID-19 is lower than 26 to 45-year-old adults. The American Hospital Association is pushing for antitrust scrutiny of UnitedHealth Group's acquisition of Change Healthcare. And in Maryland, there’s legislation to prevent hospitals from taking some patients to court over unpaid bills. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gist Healthcare co-founders Lisa Bielamowicz and Chas Roades discuss how strategies around scale in healthcare have evolved over the course of the pandemic—and how payers and disruptors are doubling down on virtual and home-based care as they shift toward vertical integration.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As more contagious coronavirus variants spread, cases inch up in some states. The FDA is trying to figure out how to regulate software as a medical device. And according to a new study in Health Affairs, the majority of hospitals are not being transparent about their prices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.