While there has been a lot of hype about AI radically transforming healthcare, adoption has been slower and more measured than previously predicted. Instead of replacing doctors, clinicians are using AI as a tool to improve everything from their diagnoses to billing practices. Last year, healthcare AI startups raised $12.4 billion. That’s nearly double the previous year. But there are some concerns like with privacy around using patients' data. Fierce’s Senior Editor Heather Landi talks with Dr. John Halamka, who leads Mayo Clinic’s digital health and AI projects to find out about what is standing in the way of more widespread use and what organizations should be doing to protect patients’ data. 

Also on the podcast, we'll discuss social factors that in fact play a significant role in a person’s overall health, like poverty, racism, unequal access to healthcare or lack of education. Healthcare industry insiders are aware of this challenge. So, with that backdrop, payers have invested significantly in bringing on the expertise necessary to tackle these social needs both at scale and across a variety of communities. At UnitedHealthcare, that work is led by Dr. Alex Billioux. He chats with Fierce Healthcare's senior editor Paige Minemeyer to discuss how payers can address social needs to really make a difference in these challenges. 

To learn more about topics in this episode: 

• Executive Spotlight—John Halamka on his move to Mayo Clinic and what excites him about the future of health IT
• One year of COVID: John Halamka reflects on how the pandemic spurred collaboration—and a lot of goat grooming
• Mayo Clinic's Halamka: Telehealth boom slowing, but don't expect it to go back to pre-COVID rates
• Meet the executive leading UnitedHealthcare's social determinants strategy
• Why UnitedHealthcare wants to expand diagnostic codes to the social determinants of health 
• CMS approves first measures to track social determinants at federal level
• Fierce Health Payer Forum

Podnosis is produced by senior multimedia producer Teresa Carey with managing editor Querida Anderson and senior editors Heather Landi and Paige Minemyer. The sound engineer is Caleb Hodgson. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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