The Beat

People talk about cost savings or about longevity but if you frame it with how many doctor visits you’re going to have per year, you want that to be the lowest number not the highest number. So, how do we prevent people from getting into an ICU? How do we do this when on the other side with capitalism you have people saying, “how do we get more people in here?” There’s this real tension in the health care system.Vin Gupta, MD, MSt, MPA, is a Critical Care Pulmonologist, Senior Principal Scientist and Chief Medical Officer of COVID-19 Response at Amazon, and Affiliate Faculty at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, part of the University of Washington. Vin previously served as Principal Scientist at Amazon Care and, prior to that, was part of the Apple Clinical team in a part-time capacity working on its pulmonary roadmap for the Series 6 Apple Watch. Additionally, he served as health advisor on the Biden-Harris Transition’s COVID-19 Response team, and currently serves as a senior medical advisor to several organizations, including T-Mobile, Inc, Thermo Fisher Scientific, the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners. Though, his background doesn’t stop there.On this episode of The Beat, Vin joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati and Dr. Jordan Shlain to discuss the future of public health and the pandemic response within Amazon care and how they are working through tension found in the healthcare system. Vin describes the steps being taken to make the majority of primary care virtual for patients with prevention in mind rather than sickness alone. Listen in for insight on telemedicine and telehealth and how Amazon’s virtual health care compares to other providers.Topics CoveredVin’s background that’s led him to where he is now with AmazonVin’s insight on the healthcare system working with doctors that want to prevent transactions from a system that wants transactionsVin’s insight on how the increase of savvy patients is affecting the health care systemThe innovations that have developed because of the pandemic and why they should become permanentWhat Telemedicine is and why it needs to be talked about moreWhy it’s so important to have a user friendly telemedicine platform and how Amazon does that wellNavigating how to best scale telehealth servicesVin’s insight on Amazon’s virtual healthcare system compared to all the other virtual plays availableHow Vin defines health as living a long life filled with wellnessHow Vin defines healthcare to him as focusing on prevention, not sickness Connect with Vin GuptaVin Gupta on LinkedIn Connect with Dr. Jordan ShlainHLTHDr. Shlain on LinkedInDr. Shlain on Twitter ResourcesAmazon Care Introductory Quote[3:19–3:30]“The goal here is how do we actually virtualize most of primary care and do so in a way that’s clinically meaningful - that makes people feel reassured that they’re getting high quality care, they’re not making any sacrifices?”

The biggest opportunity in healthcare is to extend health equity and provide total wellness solutions through virtual and technology platforms.But what challenges does that present? And how can you simplify the human experience across the spectrum?Rajeev Ronanki is the President of Digital Platforms at Anthem®, where he is harnessing the power of AI to offer personalized healthcare for patients, providers, and caregivers. He is also the author of You and AI: A Citizens Guide to AI, Blockchain, and Puzzling Together the Future of Healthcare.On this episode, Rajeev joins host Dr. Jessica Shepherd to discuss the current gap and biggest obstacles to extending the reach of virtual healthcare to provide options for wellness, prevention, and breakthroughs in health equity.Listen as Rajeev shares the details of how Anthem® is navigating the challenges of delivering virtual healthcare to more populations through partnerships with cellphone companies and their Concierge Care programs.Topics CoveredWhat Rajeev thinks is the biggest issue today for physicians, patients, and caregivers and the opportunity for improved outcomesHow to create a win-win in virtual vs. in-person careHow to use data as a predictor of a person’s health journey to decrease preventable disease and lower healthcare costsHow Anthem® is working to attract consumers through rewards-based incentivesWhat Rajeev believes is the future of the national standard of careRajeev’s take on the biggest change needed to improve health equity and access to care for allConnect with Rajeev RonankiRajeev Ronanki on LinkedInRajeev Ronanki on TwitterConnect with Dr. Gautam Gulati, Dr. Jordan Shlain, & Dr. Jessica ShepherdDr. Shepherd on LinkedInDr. Shepherd on TwitterDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on TwitterDr. Shlain on LinkedInResourcesYou and AIAnthem®ViVE

Virtual care solutions have come to be just as important, if not, more important than physical care options. How can we work to meet that need with many challenges including, affordability, accessibility, etc? How can we pioneer a new approach to health care that meets every aspect of one’s total health?CVS Health and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark, Sree Chaguturu and his team are working diligently to enhance the quality, affordability, and accessibility of health services provided to millions of patients virtually and physically.Prior to CVS Health, Sree was a Chief Population Health Officer at Mass General Brigham and previously was a healthcare consultant at McKinsey and Company.On this episode, Sree joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati, Dr. Jordan Shlain and Patricia Bradley to explain exactly how CVS Health is providing a new approach to total health for people in all communities. Sree describes how the team is providing new and improved resources, improving health equity, and taking every step possible to improve the total health of members and patients. Listen in for Sree’s insight on the future of retail and consumer health and how CVS Health is leading people to better health as the leading health solutions company.Topics CoveredWhat CVS Health is doing to reduce costs of pharmaceuticalsHow CVS Health prioritizes trust over cost with their customersHow CVS Health is leveraging their ecosystem for the future with Health AdvisorWhat Health Advisor is, the areas that it targets and the data behind itHow CVS Health works to provide accessible and affordable healthcare in marginalized communitiesThe surprising data shown in low income communities compared to high income communitiesHow Sree defines health as staying true to living out your own definition of “living” and how that is the goal for CVS customers and patientsHow Sree defines health care as the delivery of services in achievement of health Connect with Sree ChaguturuSree Chaguturu of CVS Health Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jordan ShlainHLTHDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on TwitterDr. Shlain on LinkedIn ResourcesVirtual Care Solutions for CVS Health Introductory Quote[29:25–30:15]“We are the largest in home infusion provider. We have a home kidney care business. We have those capabilities across the country to be in patients’ homes and then as we continue to grow, our clinical delivery services as an organization. We believe that it is going to be a combination of home, hub and hand. What I mean by that is, care at home, care in our health hubs, and in our retail stores and clinics, and care in hand, which is that virtual on the go. I’m really excited for our ability to bring virtual, physical care and that physical care can either be in our stores or at home. That is what’s going to be exciting to talk about in upcoming conversations.”

Millennials are acquiring chronic diseases at a younger age than any prior generation. But the way they access healthcare is fundamentally different from other demographics. Millennials prefer virtual visits with providers and prescription delivery to visiting a clinic or pharmacy—and that’s why the consumer retail health company hims & hers is on an upward trajectory.Dr. Patrick Carroll is the Chief Medical Officer at hims & hers, a telehealth platform that offers a modern approach to health and wellness, providing customers with easy-to-access virtual primary care. In his role as CMO, Dr. Carroll oversees clinical programs, quality assurance and healthcare collaborations. Prior to joining hims & hers in 2019, Dr. Carroll served as CMO at Walgreens, and he is Board Certified in both family practice and adolescent medicine.On this episode, Dr.  Carroll joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati and Dr. Jordan Shlain to discuss his transition from primary care physician to consumer-facing health and explain what inspired him to join the team at hims & hers. Dr. Carroll describes how millennials access care in a fundamentally different way from their parents, offering insight into how hims & hers’ customers benefit from the company’s subscription model and commitment to virtual primary care. Listen in to understand the regulatory and medical licensing challenges they face at hims & hers and get Dr. Carroll’s take on the future of consumer retail and virtual health.Topics CoveredHow Dr. Carroll’s work on a Navajo reservation informed the rest of his careerDr. Carroll’s transition from traditional primary care to retail and consumer-facing healthWhat inspired Dr. Carroll to take on the role of CMO at hims & hersHow customers benefit from the hims & hers’ subscription business modelThe trend toward virtual primary care and why hims & hers has no plans for brick-and-mortar locationsWhy Dr. Carroll sees millennials as an underserved demographicWhat constraints hims & hers faces in terms of regulatory and medical licensing challengesHow the hims & hers team works with states to advocate for asynchronous communicationHow Dr. Carroll defines healthcare as any entity, technology or individual that helps a customer optimize their wellbeingHow millennials access healthcare in a fundamentally different way from their parents (and how that contributes to the success of hims & hers) Connect with Dr. Patrick CarrollhimshersDr. Carroll on LinkedIn Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jordan ShlainHLTHDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on TwitterDr. Shlain on LinkedIn ResourcesIndian Health ServiceVillageMDForward HealthAmerican Telemedicine AssociationRo Introductory Quote[6:05] “Really what fascinated me about what hims & hers was doing—they reach a millennial and younger demographic that none of the health systems, the medical groups or even Walgreens ever reached, so I saw the opportunity as working in a space that was actually the front door to healthcare for millennials and younger.”

How do you optimize patient touchpoints to make the delivery of complex care easier and more meaningful?Manav Sevak is the Co-Founder & CEO of Memora Health, a company using artificial intelligence to digitize and automate complex workflows to modernize the care delivery experience for both patients and care teams.On this episode, Manav joins host Dr. Jessica Shepherd to discuss the first-hand experience that led him to start Memora Health and explain why it’s so important for him to be on the front line of helping patients navigate their care more effectively.Listen in as Manav shares how Memora Health is using low-touch channels to eliminate the administrative backlog that dilutes the doctor-patient connection to create more meaningful interactions for both the patient and the care team.Topics CoveredA behind-the-scenes look at the experience that led Manav to start Memora HealthThe 2 big care delivery problems Memora Health is modernizingHow Memora Health is eliminating administrative backlog through text messagesHow Manav’s team is helping ensure patients adhere to their care plan through patient community involvementHow Memora Health is investing in resources to collect data on patient experiencesHow Memora Health is helping physicians spend their time practicing at the top of their licenseConnect with Manav SevakManav Savak on LinkedInManav Savak on TwitterConnect with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Dr. Gautam Gulati, & Dr. Jordan ShlainDr. Shepherd on LinkedInDr. Shepherd on TwitterDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on TwitterDr. Shlain on LinkedInResourcesMemora HealthViVE

There are 19,000 independent drug stores nationwide, the majority of which serve rural, underserved or socially vulnerable areas of the country. How can these small community pharmacies compete with large corporate entities entering the healthcare space? And what is the advantage of using a small, independent drug store versus Walmart or Amazon?Nimesh Jhaveri is the President of Community Pharmacy at McKesson, an impact-driven organization on a mission to advance health outcomes for all. Nimesh’s team supports 7,000 small, independent drug stores and small and medium pharmacy chains, providing core distribution as well as value-add services and advocating for them at the local, state and federal level. Prior to joining McKesson in 2018, Nimesh spent nearly 30 years at Walgreens, working his way up from Pharmacy Technician to Vice President of Healthcare Services.On this episode, Nimesh joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati and Patricia Bradley to explain how McKennon is helping its partner pharmacies become healthcare destinations. Nimesh shares his frustration with the fact that pharmacists are not recognized as providers and describes how his team is adjusting to changes in healthcare reimbursement. Listen in for Nimesh’s insight on using technology to enable practitioners, not replace them, and learn about the impact a pharmacist can have when they develop a personal relationship with the customers under their care.Topics CoveredNimesh’s background as a pharmacist and senior executive in the healthcare spaceHow Nimesh’s team at McKesson supports small independent drug stores and small- and medium-sized pharmacy chainsHow small, independent pharmacies serve rural and socially vulnerable communitiesThe advantage independent pharmacies have over large corporations like Amazon and WalmartHow McKennon is adjusting to changes in healthcare reimbursementHow McKennon is helping its partner pharmacies become healthcare destinationsHow Nimesh thinks about using technology to enable practitioners (not replace them)Nimesh’s frustration with the fact that pharmacists are not recognized as providers by the Social Security ActWhat it looks like when a pharmacist develops a personal relationship with a patient Connect with Nimesh JhaveriMcKessonNimesh on LinkedIn Connect with Dr. Gautam GulatiHLTHDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedIn ResourcesMcKesson’s Health Mart Atlas PSAOHealth Mart Post on How to Advocate for Pharmacists to Receive Provider Status‘The Heroism of Incremental Care’ in The New Yorker Introductory Quote[13:10] “90% of the US population live within 5 miles of a pharmacy. That’s access. How do we take advantage of that access?”

About Theresa Demeter:Theresa Demeter is an entrepreneurial executive administrator with 30 years of healthcare performance and operational experience. As a Managing Director at Tegria, she brings her passion for conceptualizing and implementing innovative solutions that drive quality and performance improvement to optimize patient outcomes. Theresa developed Tegria’s offering that helps healthcare organizations prioritize and operationalize their health equity strategy and mitigate the harmful effects of implicit bias through macro-simulation. Prior to joining Tegria, Theresa drove the formation and expansion of InSytu, a national leader in clinical process improvement consulting powered by macro-simulation.Things You’ll Learn:Big Data collection and collaboration from different healthcare organizations can accelerate patient care.Tegria offers services to help organizations optimize their EHR workflows and proficiency.Regarding home health, Tegria helps healthcare organizations develop the right-sized customized technologies, tools, and strategies to create their programs.Virtual technologies and tools can upskill providers in remote locations to keep their community better, longer, and safer with more efficient care at a lower cost.AI and ML tools in healthcare seek to improve automation and intelligent decision-making, standardizing patient care and predicting patients that might be coming in.Resources:Connect and follow Theresa Demeter on LinkedInFollow Tegria on LinkedIn Discover the Tegria Website.

The pandemic called attention to disparities in the American healthcare system. So, what can we do to build a better, more equitable system? How do we design healthcare policy that works in the real world?Natalie Davis is the Cofounder and CEO of United States of Care, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that every American has access to quality, affordable healthcare. Natalie’s career in healthcare began in 2005, and she worked in the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama Administration before building USOC in 2018. On this episode, Natalie joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati, Dr. Jordan Shlain and Patricia Bradley to discuss the four goals for the healthcare system USOC identified by talking to people across the country. She describes the concerns Americans have around continuity of health coverage and the cost of care, offering insight on how to build policy solutions that work in the real world. Listen in to understand what Natalie has learned about using language that resonates with people and find out how you can help USOC build a healthcare system that is understandable and easy to navigate.Topics CoveredHow Natalie’s unique background in art and sociology informs her work in healthcareUnited States of Care’s mission to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcareThe 4 goals for the healthcare system identified through USOC’s interviews with people across the countryThe concerns Americans have around continuity of health coverage through life changesHow USOC is working to make legislative changes and start a new conversation around what it means to have a healthcare system that works for peopleUSOC’s research methodology of asking open-ended questions to identify themes before looking to qualitative and quantitative researchWhy people see it as a unique failure of their own when they can’t navigate the healthcare systemWhat USOC has learned about people’s concerns re: prescription drug costsHow Natalie thinks about using language that resonates with people (e.g.: caregiver)Natalie’s insight on building policy and private sector solutions that work in the real world Connect with Natalie DavisUnited States of Care Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati and Dr. Jordan ShlainHLTHDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on LinkedInDr. Shlain on Twitter ResourcesAffordable Care ActHealthCare.govAndy SlavittCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services‘Pain and the Paintbrush: The Life and Art of Frida Kahlo’ in the AMA Journal of EthicsUnited States of Care Voices of Real Life CouncilAlex DraneUSOC Entrepreneurs CouncilUSOC Health System Leadership CouncilLiz Fowler at CMMIThe Birth of the Clinic: An Archeology of Medical Perception by Michel FoucaultLiz Gilbert on Your Elusive Creative Genius Introductory Quote[7:12] “We are a young organization—nonpartisan, nonprofit—with a mission to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare. We believe that policy change is one of the ways that we need to ensure that everybody does have that access to quality care, and so, a lot of our work is at the state and federal level to change policy and legislation to ensure that people can have the access to care that they need.”

Anything that affects the practice workflow affects patient care. But how can you deliver personal, informed patient care that’s centered around both doctors and patients?Kyna Fong, Ph.D., is CEO and Cofounder of Elation Health, a platform created for independent primary care that strengthens the relationship between patients and physicians. Dr. Fong graduated from Harvard University at age 19 with a bachelor’s degree in applied math and a master’s in computer science.She then received her Economics Ph.D. from Stanford University, where she focused on healthcare. She spent four years as a tenure-track professor in Stanford’s economics department before starting Elation to support primary care medical practices like her father's in Northern California.On this episode, Dr. Fong joins hosts Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Dr. Guatam Gulati, and Dr. Jordan Shlain to discuss her career trajectory, what led her to start Elation Health and the key insight that helped propel them to where they are today.Listen in to hear about Elation Health’s quest to build technology that helps practices evolve to meet the needs of their patients now and what they are aiming toward for the future.Topics CoveredHow Dr. Fong’s work in her father’s practice led to the creation of Elation HealthWhy Dr. Fong is excited about the future of primary careElation’s move to more outcome-based healthcareHow Elation Health is pursuing innovation by allowing APIs for practice model customizationWhat Dr. Fong and her team are doing to offer more value to patients in between healthcare visitsHow Elation Health is ensuring its technology evolves to meet the pace of innovationDr. Fong’s sneak peek at the Elation Health product roadmap and priorities for the futureConnect with Dr. Kyna FongDr. Fong on LinkedInDr. Fong on TwitterConnect with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Dr. Gautam Gulati, & Dr. Jordan ShlainDr. Shepherd on LinkedInDr. Shepherd on TwitterDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on TwitterDr. Shlain on LinkedInResourcesElation HealthViVE

A patient engaged in their own care enjoys better outcomes. But when someone is first diagnosed with cancer, they’re in shock and simply can’t process the information provided by their provider team. And once they’re ready to explore their treatment options, ‘Dr. Google’ overwhelms them with irrelevant and often inaccurate information.Maya Said is the Founder and CEO of Outcomes4Me, an app designed to empower cancer patients with personalized treatment options, helping them take back control of their care. Outcomes4Me’s AI-powered platform harnesses regulatory-grade, real-world data to generate deeper insights that improve health outcomes. An engineer and scientist by training, Maya spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry before building Outcomes4Me in 2017.On this episode of The Beat, Maya joins hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati, Dr. Jordan Shlain and Patricia Bradley to explain how becoming a patient herself inspired Maya to build the app. She explains how Outcomes4Me builds trust by giving users control of their own data, describing how the app learns about and adapts to user preferences. Listen in to understand how Outcomes4Me cuts through the noise, meets people where they are and delivers scientific, timely information about a user’s treatment options. Topics CoveredHow becoming a patient herself inspired Maya to create Outcomes4MeHow the Outcomes4Me app gives cancer patients personalized treatment options based on NCCN guidelinesWho answers user questions on the Outcomes4Me platformHow Outcomes4Me serves as a partner with the cancer patient’s existing physicianHow Outcomes4Me builds trust by giving users control of their own dataOutcomes4Me’s collaborations with other organizations, academic institutions and providersHow Outcomes4Me learns about and adapts to user preferencesWhat it means to ‘meet people where they are’ and how Outcomes4Me is working to do thatHow Outcomes4Me accelerates the process of getting medical literature to clinical systemsHow Outcomes4Me offers users clinical trials as a treatment option Connect with Maya SaidOutcomes4Me Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati and Dr. Jordan ShlainHLTHDr. Gulati on TwitterDr. Gulati on LinkedInDr. Shlain on LinkedInDr. Shlain on Twitter ResourcesNational Comprehensive Cancer NetworkInvitaeWolters Kluwer HealthNational Cancer InstituteOutcomes4Me’s Partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer CenterPiqrayFoundation Medicine’s Study on Genomic TestingSan Antonio Breast Cancer SymposiumClinicalTrials.gov Introductory Quote[0:53] “What Outcomes4Me is about is really to help empower cancer patients with personalized treatment options to take back control of their care.”