Health Care Rounds Podcast

This week on Health Care Rounds, we welcome John Sory, President of Vohra Wound Physicians. John shares his professional experience in the evolution of wound care and shines a light on its rising rate within our aging population. He touches on the ways Vohra has coped with Covid-19 and explains how the pandemic has changed the dynamic of health care forever.

Today, John speaks with David Contorno, Founder of E Powered Benefits and well known thought leader on insurance and benefits design. In this episode, David breaks down the framework of health care benefits and pinpoints the recognizable issues within our health care system. John and David discuss the details around pricing and the structure of health care itself, while sharing their outlook on what demands future change within our system.

Today, John speaks with Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success, one of the nation’s leading healthcare digital marketing agencies. In this episode, Stewart analyzes the ongoing changes in the health care industry from a business perspective as we all adapt to a Covid-19 lifestyle. John and Stewart discuss the necessary strategies to benefit from a digital transformation in health care and dive into some of the internal challenges companies are facing today.

This week on Health Care Rounds, John speaks with Karthik Ganesh, CEO of EmpiRx Health and well known thought leader. In this episode, Karthik unpacks the true meaning of value in health care followed by a deep analysis of the PBM model and why it works. They also discuss Karthik’s book, The Happiness Model: A Roadmap to Inner Peace, and what gave him his underlying motivation to share his perspective.

Stefan Behrens, Founder and CEO of GYANT, is back for another episode of Health Care Rounds! Today, John and Stefan discuss some of the recent changes in health care delivery, as well as what GYANT is doing to better assist patients amid this pandemic. Stefan recognizes the prominence of virtual care becoming our new reality, along with the ongoing, rising demand for the adaptation of newer digital solutions in health systems.

On this episode of Health Care Rounds we welcome Twila Brase, President and Co-Founder of the Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF), and author of Big Brother in the Exam Room: The Dangerous Truth About Electronic Health Records. In her experience, Twila offers an interesting perspective on HIPAA and the modern-day use of electronic health records. John and Twila share some of their professional differences on the understanding of evidence-based medicine and population health management. Twila expresses her motivated interest for freedom within health care decision-making and the patient privacy movement.

This week on Health Care Rounds, John sits down with Ameet Wattamwar, Director of Pharmacy, Specialty Pharmacy Program at NYU Langone Health System. Ameet identifies the key differences between specialty and retail pharmacy, emphasizing the significance of proactive and time-efficient patient engagement deployed by NYU. John and Ameet discuss the meaning and progression of specialty pharmacy within a health system while shining a light on its relevance in a COVID-19 world.

Health Care Rounds is back with Season 4! Brian Paradis, senior partner with CSuite Solutions, talks with John about his experience in transforming Florida Hospital with clinical leadership and creative strategy. Paradis shares details from his most recent book, Lead with Imagination, emphasizing the importance of identifying growth opportunities,  executing change effectively, and designing a better future for health care.

Today on Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Neil Meltzer, President and CEO of LifeBridge Health. Meltzer shares details on how LifeBridge thrives in an intensely competitive Baltimore market and explains their visions for the future.

This episode was originally uploaded on October 4th, 2018.

This week on Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Dr. David Hong, Associate Vice President of Clinical Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Hong reveals the breakthroughs within the Golden Age of cancer treatment, and discusses how physicians can successfully balance research with providing clinical care.

This episode was originally uploaded on April 11th, 2019.

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting another previous conversation. Today, Bob Roth, Managing Partner of Cypress HomeCare Solutions, discusses the importance of providing home care for our aging population, defines the home health and home care market, and what we can do moving forward.

This episode was originally uploaded on June 8th, 2018.

Today, Health Care Rounds is rebroadcasting a conversation with Dr. David Radley, Senior Study Director at Westat, and Dr. Trafford Crump, Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. In this fun episode, we talk about the politicization of health care, health system performance, and patient-reported outcomes.

This episode was originally uploaded on May 30th, 2019.

Today on Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Dr. Allen Weiss, President and CEO of NCH Healthcare System. In this episode, Dr. Weiss breaks down the changed mindset of community health at a health system level, recognizes health system trends, and offers advice to new physician residents.

This episode was originally uploaded on May 17th 2018.

In this widely downloaded episode of Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting John’s conversation with Scott Hylla, Director of Health Systems – Market Access for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. Scott touches on the state of pharma-IDN partnerships, pharma attitudes toward ACOs, and the future of industry-provider relations.

This episode originally aired on March 14, 2019.

Today on Health Care Rounds we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Dr. Curtis Page, President and CEO of Commonwealth Primary Care ACO. Dr. Page discusses the evolution of Commonwealth and highlights some strategic approaches to delivering high-quality patient care in an ACO model. Dr. Page also talks about how Pharma can partner with ACOs in a collaborative model to improve patient outcomes.

This episode was originally aired on May 3rd, 2018

This week on Health Care Rounds we are rebroadcasting John’s conversation with Sean Sullivan, JD, president and CEO of the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. Sean emphasizes the need for organizations to address not only physical wellness in the workforce, but also workforce wellbeing — and the importance of viewing wellbeing as an investment, rather than a cost. Sean and John also discuss applications of value-based care outside the United States.

This episode first aired on August 8, 2018.

This week on Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Dr. Joshua Lenchus, Regional Chief Medical Officer at Broward Health. This conversation shines light on some of the challenges that come with running a safety net hospital, as well as identifying the role of social determinants of health in managing population health initiatives.

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, we are rebroadcasting a conversation with Mr. Ramon Soto, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Northwell Health. Mr. Soto came to what was formerly known as the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System after seven years of unsuccessful deliberations on how to rebrand the system. In the interview, he touches upon how marketing is much more than “what looks good” and how to use market analytics to create a more consumer-centric health system. This episode originally aired on October 18th, 2018.

This week on Health Care Rounds, as we wrap up our third season, we are celebrating our 100th episode! Tune in as John and podcast producer Kim Ascuitto share highlights from some of our best episodes, covering topics like Big Pharma, our aging population, care management, value-based care, and the changing health care delivery environment. We hope that you enjoy sharing this milestone episode with us.

This week John speaks with Debbie Welle-Powell, Chief Population Health Officer at Essentia Health. They discuss what it means to be a value-based organization and what services bring value in terms of providing care. They also identify opportunities for bending the cost curve for future value-based contracts and recognizing the need for coordinated care. Debbie shares some of her experiences in managing provider value to patients as well as maintaining patient engagement. She also touches on the positive impacts of Telehealth during a time of a global pandemic.

Today on Health Care Rounds, John speaks with Kyle Swarts and Dr. Matt Lambert. They discuss their journey to simplify value-based care with Curation Health, an advanced clinical decision support platform serving the health care community in improving overall performance. In this episode, Swarts and Dr. Lambert emphasize their aim to navigate a strategy to close care gaps between providers and patients while maintaining overall satisfaction. They also discuss the high demand of value-based care in the industry as well as some major shifts happening in health care in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today on Health Care Rounds, John sits down with Rosemarie Day, founder and CEO of Day Health Strategies. Rosemarie talks about her passion for health care reform and introduces her new book, Marching Toward Coverage: How Women Can Lead the Fight for Universal Healthcare. Rosemarie emphasizes the power that women bring to the health care reform movement and why women need to be at the forefront of change. 

This week, Health Care Rounds welcomes Suzanne Delbanco, executive director of Catalyst for Payment Reform. Suzanne shares her experiences in improving the health care system and gives an outlook on payment reform and thought leadership. In this episode, Suzanne notes that employers and other health  care purchasers focus on the importance of integrated care, overall value, and the main cost drivers in health care. Suzanne reveals the relevance in addressing social determinants of health and seeks a solution on how to make drugs both available and affordable for patients.

This week, John speaks with Gail Zahtz about the intersection of system’s design and value in healthcare. They discuss what health systems can learn from Covid-19, the true meaning of value, and what it takes to achieve better patient outcomes. At Center’s Healthcare — one of the largest post-acute providers in New York — Zahtz leads their efforts to improve care by executing better designed solutions. Zahtz shares her positive outlook on how our health care professionals are responding to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and recognizes their dedicated, hard work during this time. Zahtz also talks about her personal experiences in health care, which has uncovered her true passion for the industry. 

This week, John sits down with Stefan Behrens, PhD, co-founder and CEO of GYANT, an artificial intelligence (AI) driven chat tool to help steer patients to the appropriate site of care. Stefan talks about how AI can improve clinical outcomes, and can help health systems and payers lower costs. Most recently, the GYANT architecture is helping triage patients suspected of contracting COVID-19 at some of the nation’s prominent health systems, including Intermountain.

Today on Health Care Rounds, we welcome Christopher Robertson, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Professor of Law at the University of Arizona. With his diverse background in law and economics, Chris offers a unique and thoughtful perspective on the American health care system. In this episode, he offers unique insights about the unwarranted effects of co-pays and co-insurance on health care utilization and quality of care. John and Chris also discuss COVID-19 and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic here and abroad. Chris is the author of Exposed: Why Our Health Insurance is Incomplete and What can be Done About It, recently published by Harvard University Press.

This week, John speaks with Assaf Shalvi, CEO and co-founder of Swift Shift. In the creation of his business, Shalvi focuses on the demand for efficiency in home health care. He strives to improve the management and quality of the industry through partnerships of home care providers and health plans. This episode recognizes the common barriers of low caregiver presence in home health care while uncovering the arising opportunities in recreating a more reliable model. Shalvi talks about the efforts Swift Shift makes toward enhancing the employee experience and driving success with data and analytics.     

In this week’s Health Care Rounds, John sits down with Dr. Peter Cram, Director of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Sinai Health System in Toronto. John and Peter discuss the similarities and differences between the U.S and Canada in health care delivery. Having trained and practiced in both the U.S. and Canada — and as a leading health care services researcher — Dr. Cram offers key insights and lessons about health care delivery and payment reform that health care leaders on both sides of the border will appreciate.

Today on Health Care Rounds, John speaks with Dr. Scott Weingarten, CEO of Stanson Health and former Chief Clinical Transformation Officer for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He discusses the future of improving patient satisfaction and the prevention of physician burnout with new technology in electronic health records. Dr. Weingarten also touches on the development of next generation clinical decision support with an emphasis on creating valuable patient-provider relationships in order to improve overall patient quality. 

Today, John speaks with Dr. Arshad Rahim, a practicing physician and expert in population health and quality improvement at Mount Sinai Health System. He shares with us critical success factors in population health and value based care, and demonstrates his passion for driving patient quality. Dr. Rahim also speaks on the topics of physician engagement and the relationship between centralizing costs and utilization.

We sat down with the CEO and Co-Founder of DocCom, a digital platform teaching online communication skills for health care providers, to discuss the barriers faced in health care communication. Brian Peet and Dr. Christian Annese explain the motivation behind DocCom and discuss the born inspiration behind StatChat, a new application which enables health care providers to instantly and securely communicate information through mobile and desktop devices. Peet and Annese both express their passions for the future of health care while bringing overall value into the field. To track the launch of StatChat, visit StatChat.com or any of their social media platforms.

This week’s guest is Dr. Mark Briesacher, Senior Vice President and Chief Physician Executive for Intermountain Healthcare. Dr. Briesacher touches on the values of Intermountain Healthcare and explains the secret behind becoming a leading integrated health system in the United States. Briesacher holds a heavy experience in the podcast community and explains his inspiration behind his creation of Intermountain’s podcast. He also discusses the estimated future affordability of healthcare and reveals Intermountain’s aspiration to become one of those providers

John hosts an intriguing discussion with special guest Chris Cullmann, an expert strategist in digital marketing for healthcare and pharmaceutical brands. Cullmann speaks on the unrecognized opportunities of EHR systems as well as the wide variety of value concepts in healthcare. His expression for innovation in healthcare communication is unmatched and he shares with us his advice for implementing a successful communication strategy from a pharma marketers’ perspective. 

This week John speaks with Dr. David Shulkin, former US Secretary for Veterans Affairs and Chief Innovation Officer for Sanford Health. Dr. Shulkin shares with us his passion for the advocacy of veterans and the importance of public transparency. He speaks on the impact of behavioral health in veterans and shares what he worked on to address this problem. He also discusses his new book, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Country; Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans.

If you're like most people, you probably don't know the first thing about perioperative medicine. We didn't either, until John sat down with Dr. Zeev Kain, the founder and president of the American College of Perioperative Medicine. We learned that this emerging field of medicine holds a lot of promise for improving surgical outcomes, lowering costs, and increasing patient satisfaction.

It’s the question on everyone’s mind — at least those in health care — what’s wrong with our health care system and how do we fix it? This week, John sits down with Dr. Robert Pearl, host of the popular health care podcast, Fixing Healthcare, for a fascinating discussion. Dr. Pearl was formerly CEO of Permanente Medical Group, one of the largest physician practices in the U.S. and which consistently ranks in the top 10 programs for clinical quality by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

This week, we close out Season 2 of Health Care Rounds with Dr. Andy Lazris. A board-certified internist, Dr. Lazris’ private practice, Columbia, Md.-based Personal Physician Care, is dedicated to providing individualized and comprehensive care for its patients. We found Dr. Lazris on YouTube where he’s better known as the Running Doc Unhinged. Listen today and learn about common sense medical practice reforms and why aging patients need to be cared for differently — and better — than they are today.

Haven, the joint venture between Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway, is making its first move as a disrupter in the health care space by offering health plans to 30,000 JPMorgan employees in Ohio and Arizona. In this week’s Our Take read-in, John discusses the move, along with what’s happening with Google. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In this week’s Our Take read-in, we’re covering the latest changes happening at Walgreens, including reducing their footprint and reimagining how they engage with consumers. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

This week on Health Care Rounds, Darwin Research Group CEO John Marchica sits down with Naomi Fried, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Health Innovation Strategies. Dr. Fried brings a wealth of experience in understanding how companies affect change, from her tenure as vice president of innovation and external partnerships at Biogen to heading up innovation and technology efforts at Kaiser Permanente.

In this week’s Our Take, we’re covering the latest events in Biogen, involving their second life for aducanumab. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In this week’s Our Take, we’re covering the latest events in the Sutter Health antitrust trial. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

Everyone says that they are a high-performing organization, but which ones really are? Which health care organizations have proven to deliver better outcomes at lower costs? This week, John sits down with the dynamic Brian Klepper, Ph.D., executive vice president of The Valuation Institute. Brian offers examples of unusually high-performing health care organizations and the secrets to their success.

In this week’s Our Take, we’re covering the proposed rules to ease restrictions imposed by Stark Law, anti-kickback statute. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In this week’s Our Take, we’re covering the latest results from the Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO data, just released last week. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In this week’s Our Take, we’re covering the antitrust trial for Sutter Health, and implications for future health system mergers. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

Several weeks ago we reported on Capital Rx, a new PBM with a “clearinghouse model” designed to eliminate spread pricing and price variability, and promote greater transparency. This week, John sits down with A.J. Loic0no, a veteran entrepreneur and CEO of Capital Rx. Listen in and learn about what’s wrong with pharmaceutical pricing and how A.J. intends to fix it.

In today’s Our Take read-in, we discuss hospital market concentrations and their association with DOJ investigations and inpatient prices. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In today’s Our Take read-in, we review value-based payment models in oncology. If this is your field, this episode is one you don’t want to miss.  To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In today’s Our Take read-in, here’s the lead: “A judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million to Oklahoma for creating a ‘public nuisance.’ The state had sought $17.5 billion in a lawsuit against J&J, contending that the company had engaged in misleading marketing and contributed to the opioid epidemic that has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 Oklahomans. J&J plans to appeal, and the company’s shares rose in after-hours trading on the day of the ruling, suggesting that investors believed the outcome could have been much worse.”  To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In today’s Our Take read-in, here’s our lead story: Good Neighbor Pharmacy tops the list of chain drugstores in customer satisfaction, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates. The network of independent pharmacies received the highest overall score among brick-and-mortar chain store pharmacies, with a score of 914 out of 1,000 possible points, followed by Health Mart (893), Rite Aid Pharmacy (865), Walgreens (840), and CVS (834). To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

This week, Bob Roth returns to Our Take to discuss America’s growing aging population and implications for ignoring what he calls the Aging Crisis. Bob’s passion for caring for the elderly stems from his personal experience with his own mother, which led to the creation of Cypress HomeCare Solutions, the Roth family business. Listen to the elder care issues Bob is calling out—and what we need to do about it.

In today’s Our Take read-in, we discuss Commercial Accountable Care Organizations, including updates on programs from UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, and Anthem. To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In today’s Our Take read-in, “The FDA announced Tuesday that Novartis submitted the drug application for Zolgensma, the company’s novel gene therapy treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, with manipulated data. The FDA said it is assessing the matter and ‘remains confident’ that the gene therapy will continue to be available to patients.” To sign up for the weekly email brief, click here.

In today’s Our Take read-in, we discuss several CMS initiatives announced last Monday. The email version of Our Take includes several important links to other final and proposed rules from CMS.

In today’s Our Take read-in, we discuss a bipartisan bill to lower drug prices that cleared a Senate committee. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee voted 19-9 to advance a bill proposed by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that includes numerous provisions to lower drug prices.
The bill, called the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) of 2019, is likely to undergo considerable changes before it reaches the Senate floor for a full vote — if it gets that far.

In this week’s episode, John sits with military psychologist Dr. Julie Kinn to talk about the latest behavioral health mobile apps and online resources developed by the Defense Health Agency (DHA). Dr. Kinn discusses how DHA’s technology combats the stigma present around behavioral health issues so that both veterans and civilians are more inclined to seek care.

In this week’s episode, we focus on Intermountain Healthcare’s announcement that it has formed a “comprehensive health platform company focused on elevating value-based care capabilities.” The new organization, named Castell, will be led by Rajesh Shrestha as president and CEO. Shrestha will continue to serve as vice president and chief operating officer of Community Based Care for Intermountain.

Last Tuesday, three judges from the federal appeals court in New Orleans heard oral arguments regarding the ruling made last December in Texas v. United States. The district judge overseeing the case ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s individual mandate is unconstitutional and, therefore, the entire ACA must be overturned. This week’s Our Take discusses what happened during oral arguments and what’s expected next.

CMS’ Innovation Center has, through federal grants, helped states address specific population health needs. But what happens when entrepreneurs take healthcare improvement seriously, and are able to find innovative ways to align partnerships to effect change? This week, John sits down with Craig Brammer, CEO of The Health Collaborative and President & CEO of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement. Craig is an inspirational leader—helping to create change at the national level driven by grassroots efforts of local healthcare leaders.

In this week’s episode, we focus on the Supreme Court’s decision to hear arguments from health insurers, who claim $12.3 billion in losses after the federal government reneged on payments owed to certain payers under provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Business leaders, including the Chamber of Commerce, had urged the court to review an appellate court ruling in June 2018 that Health and Human Services is not obligated to make risk corridor payments to insurers.

Why are integrated health systems and academic medical centers increasing their focus on international medicine? What lessons can we learn from our colleagues abroad? Find out this week as John sits down with Dr. Heitham Hassoun, vice president and medical director for Cedars-Sinai International Health and Telemedicine.

In this week’s episode, John shares some of the results from our fifth annual ACO Executive Survey.

In this week’s episode, John reviews some of the lessons learned from ExL’s 13th Partnering with ACOs & IDNs Summit, which took place in Boston, June 10-11.

This week, John sits down with Brett McClain, chief operating officer for Dignity Health’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he recently oversaw the launch of Dignity’s systemwide specialty pharmacy. Brett speaks to the development of the specialty pharmacy through a strategic partnership, how pharma engages with his health system, the Dignity-CHI merger, and more.

In this week’s episode, John reviews CVS’ move to expand its HealthHub stores to 1,500 by the end of 2021. HealthHub stores have expanded space for health-related products and larger health clinics with a lab for blood testing and screening. They also have a general wellness room used for yoga classes and educational events.

In this week’s episode, John reviews Novartis’ new gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, priced at more than $2.1 million. ICER, a nonprofit research institute that evaluates the cost effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, said Novartis’ price is within the upper bound of the organization’s value-based price benchmark range.

This week, John sits down with Dr. David Radley, senior scientist for The Commonwealth Fund, and Dr. Trafford Crump, assistant professor at the University of Calgary.

In this week’s episode, John talks about the latest bombshell lawsuit filed by 44 states accusing Teva and other generic drugmakers of price fixing.

In this week’s episode, John talks EHRs and physician burnout, prescription drug prices in TV ads, and more.

Analysts and consultants often make predictions about where markets are headed. In this week’s episode, John goes back five years and reviews what he first wrote about accountable care organizations and the value-based care movement.

In this episode, John discusses Our Take on health care news in the first half of April 2019. He covers the Times/ProPublica report on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the proposed merger between Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health, and other top stories through April 15.

In this week’s episode, John has a fascinating conversation with UT MD Anderson cancer researcher Dr. David Hong, discussing go/no-go decisions in clinical trials, interchangeability of oncology drugs and biosimilars, declining trust in pharmaceutical companies, and more.

In this episode, John discusses Our Take on health care news in the first half of April 2019. He covers the Times/ProPublica report on Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the proposed merger between Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health, and other top stories through April 15.

In this week’s episode, John has a fascinating conversation with UT MD Anderson cancer researcher Dr. David Hong, discussing industry-researcher partnerships, personalized medicine, and the rising importance of immunotherapy in cancer care.

In this week’s episode, John reviews some pharma breakthroughs—along with one major setback—and discusses the bold statement by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In today’s podcast, John Marchica sites down with the Director of Telehealth and of JeffConnect at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Mr. Frank Sites. Frank has decades of experience in this space and shares with us just what it took to get JeffConnect to become the robust telehealth program that it is today.

In this episode, John reviews what happened in the world of health care this past week, specifically the results of a study published on March 11 in the JAMA Internal Medicine on Home Health and how it can provide a significant amount of savings when compared to other discharge locations.

In this episode, John Marchica speaks with Scott Hylla, Director of Health Systems and Managed Markets with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. Scott and John discuss the state of pharma-IDN partnerships, pharma attitudes toward ACOs, and the future of industry-provider relations.

In this episode, John takes a look back on the year of 2018 and gives you his top five health care stories of the year, as well as a few honorable mentions and a few of the worst health policy ideas.

In this episode, John gives his insight on recent developments on one of this year’s trending healthcare topics, pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and pharmaceutical rebates.

In this episode, John walks us through the recent flurry of mergers and acquisitions that are coming to a close and only recently announced at the end of 2018.

In this episode, John discusses our take specifically on the news of the results from the Johns Hopkins care management program, Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership. Coming up will be our season finale, so stay around this Holiday season for John's take on Health Care Rounds.

Have a festive Thanksgiving from all of us at Health Care Rounds Podcast!

In this episode, John discusses our take on health care news surrounding the midterm elections and how this will affect health care going forward.

John is taking the helm this week to share his experience presenting at a conference last week, and the lessons he learned from two days of sessions. We will return to our regular format next week. The conference, exl’s 12th Partnering with ACOs and IDNs Summit, included about 100 people, mostly represented by pharma, ACOs and health systems.

In this episode, John discusses our take on health care news in the last week of October. He covers President Trump’s proposed change on how Medicare pays for certain drugs, based on an international pricing index of drugs.

John discusses our take on health care news in the second half of October. He covers how CVS and Aetna have made a big step towards completing their merger, as well as a new proposed rule by CMS regarding transparency of pricing in drug advertisements.

In this episode, John Marchica sits down at the table with Mr. Ramon Soto, Northwell Health’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. Mr. Soto came to what was formerly known as the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System after 7 years of unsuccessful deliberations on how to rebrand the system. In the interview, he touches upon how marketing is much more than “what looks good” and using market analytics as a driver to a more consumer-centric health system.

John discusses our take on health care news in the first half of October, specifically commenting on the recent movements of multiple significant health systems.

What’s it like competing for business as an integrated delivery system—sandwiched eight miles between the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Health System—in a global budget environment within the state of Maryland? Find out this week in John’s conversation with LifeBridge Health CEO Neil Meltzer, a dynamic and inspirational leader serving his community and the stakeholders of LifeBridge with purpose.

John discusses our take on the important health care news that occurred in the second half of September. Our main stories this episode include the creation of OneOncology, a merger of three oncology groups, and a suit on the alleged illegal kickbacks regarding the prescription of Humira.

In this podcast, John Marchica has Dr. Adeel Yang at the table to discuss his newest venture, Medumo. Medumo’s CareTours™ are digital "instructional pathways" that healthcare providers can rapidly customize to guide patients throughout treatments and procedures in the most effective, scalable way possible. Medumo was highlighted at the Connected Health Conference in 2017, looking at “Digital Health Startups Working with Large Health Systems - Lessons Learned.”

John shares a special our take on the trove of changes that occurred in the world of ACOs this past week.

John shares our take on what happened in health care at the end of August including the NYU at the frontier of offering free tuition to medical students, as well as how a few Republican senators have introduced legislation to protect Affordable Care Act’s provisions for people with pre-existing conditions.

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Health Care Rounds Podcast!

In this podcast, John Marchica discusses the intricacies of Canadian health care with his old colleagues, Trafford Crump, PhD and Paul Woods, MD, MS. Canada’s health care system is about 70% federally funded and is experiencing the same health care trends of an aging population and attempts to move towards a value-based care model.

John shares our take on what happened in health care at the beginning of August including extended coverage through the Affordable Care Act, as well as a new direct-to-employer contract between Henry Ford Health System and General Motors.

John shares our take on what happened in health care at the end of July, including how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing both a rule for site-neutral payments, as well as potentially more 340B cuts.

In this podcast, John Marchica has a conversation with Sean Sullivan, JD on the need to address not just physical wellness in the workforce, but also its wellbeing. Sean and John speak on the growing trend of value-based care, not just in the United States, but also internationally.

John shares our take on the second half of July, including how the Trump administration continues to take aim at Obamacare, and that Stark and other anti-kickback laws may be obsolete in a value-based world.

Running a safety net hospital is challenging, especially when it comes to population health initiatives. In this episode, Dr. Lenchus and John Marchica discuss the resources needed to secure a healthy population due to social determinants of health.

John shares our take on the first half of July, including CMS’s decision to green-light a Medicaid value-based drug plan, and how JJMDC added a collaboration with Mercy to its list of partnerships designed to improve patient care.

Happy 4th of July from all of us at Health Care Rounds Podcast!

John shares our take on the second half of June, including the decision of a federal appeals court regarding risk corridor payments, and the announcement of the new CEO for the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan health care venture.

Dr. Suzanne Shugg, CEO and Co-Founder of Teleplus Healthcare, teaches us how telehealth is helping battle hurdles of compliance and education, especially in the rural and senior communities.

John shares our take on the first half of June which includes how New Jersey recently mandated health insurance starting in 2019, and what the increase in payer-provider partnerships means.

Bob Roth, Managing Partner of Cypress HomeCare Solutions, discusses the importance of providing home care for our growing aging population, the home health and home care market as it is defined now, and what we can do looking forward.

In this episode, John walks us through how home health care came to be, the differences between home health care, private duty, and hospice, and the impending importance it has for the future as we live longer lives.

To all of our listeners, we hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! In this episode, John shares an abbreviated our take on the second part of May focused on FDA and CMS's take on lowering drug prices.

John shares our take on the first half of May which includes the proposal by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to scale back its quality measures for fiscal year 2019 and the current administration’s “blueprint” to tackle soaring prescription drug prices.

Dr. Allen Weiss, President and CEO of NCH Healthcare System, talks about health care system trends and imparts his advice to new physician residents. This is Part 2 of 2.

Dr. Allen Weiss, President and CEO of NCH Healthcare System, shares the importance of behavioral economics at NCH Healthcare System and Naples’ Blue Zones Project. This is Part 1 of 2.

John shares our take on the second half of April highlighting the health of Affordable Care Act (ACA) under the current administration and Humana’s statement to acquire and merge Curo Health with Kindred Healthcare.

John shares our take on the first half of April highlighting Walmart’s talks to acquire Humana, and California suing Sutter Health.

Dr. Curtis Page and Lance Donkerbrook share insights on Commonwealth Primary Care ACO and more. This is Part 3 of 3.

Lance Donkerbrook, CIO of Commonwealth Primary Care ACO, shares insights on Commonwealth in relation to recent policy changes and HIMSS 2018. This is Part 2 of 3.

Dr. Curtis Page, President and CEO of Commonwealth Primary Care ACO, shares insights on what is an ACO and about Commonwealth. This is Part 1 of 3.

From Darwin Research Group HQ, we welcome you to our table to discuss health policy and business issues, and to hear the opinions of today’s leading health care experts.

Credits for Health Care Rounds Podcast:

Produced and Edited by: Jazmyn Ledford and Erica DeStories

Theme Music by: John Marchica