Break The Bubble - an Incisive Health podcast

Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare faster than many imagined. From detecting disease earlier and personalising treatment to easing pressure on overstretched health systems, AI is already changing the way care is delivered. But technology alone isn't enough. Real progress depends on trust, responsible governance, and ensuring that innovation puts patients, not algorithms, at the heart of healthcare.    In this episode, Hans Martens, Senior Counsel at Incisive Health, speaks with Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, former Member of the Portuguese Parliament and Chief Executive Officer of Health AI – The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health. Drawing on his experience at the intersection of policymaking, global health, and responsible AI, Dr. Leite explains how governments and health systems can harness AI safely, ethically, and effectively.   Together, they explore how AI could transform everything from prevention and early diagnosis to healthcare delivery and health system resilience. They also discuss the governance, regulation, and public trust needed to ensure AI empowers healthcare professionals, improves patient outcomes, and makes care more, not less, human.    This is Break the Bubble. In this episode:"The AI Doctor Will See You Now".

Across Europe, a new chapter in Health Technology Assessment is taking shape.Member States are now working together to assess the clinical value of new medicines through Joint Clinical Assessments under the EU HTA Regulation.One year into its application, the conversation is moving from theory to reality. What does implementation actually look like? How are the first Joint Clinical Assessments being carried out? And why does this matter for patients, health systems and Europe’s innovation environment?In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health Senior Counsel Hans Martens sits down with Maya Matthews, Head of the HTA Unit at DG SANTE.Together, they explore how the first phase of the Regulation is taking shape, starting with oncology medicines and gene therapies. They discuss how Joint Clinical Assessments are aligned with EMA marketing authorizations, how patients and clinicians are now involved in shaping the assessment process, and how cooperation at EU level aims to reduce duplication while increasing transparency and quality.What could this mean for innovation, for trust in decision-making and for access to new medicines across Europe?

Across Europe, health systems are at a critical turning point. Ageing populations, workforce shortagesand rising care needs are testing the sustainability of our model and deepening inequalities acrossEurope. The question is no longer whether change is needed, but how quickly and how efficiently weact.In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health Senior Counsel, Hans Martins sits down with, Jan DeMaeseneer, a leading voice in primary health care, former chair of the DG SANTE Expert Panel oneffective ways of investing in health, he now heads the WHO Collaborating Centre for Family Medicineand Primary Health Care at Ghent University.Together they explore what it will take to move from reactive sick care towards more resilient, person-centred health systems.They discuss why strengthening primary and community care matters, how prevention and population-based approaches can ease pressure on health systems, and what can be done to reduce wideninghealth inequalities. What happens if we fail to act, and what opportunities open up if we get thistransformation right?

The future of Europe’s health systems is at a crossroads. Ageing populations, workforce shortages, rising costs, and the lessons of COVID-19 are putting resilience at the top of the agenda. But how can governments adapt rigid systems, embrace digital transformation, and ensure patients truly benefit from innovation?In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health’s Senior Counsel Hans Martens sits down with Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the OECD. Together they explore what it will take to make Europe’s health systems more resilient, more innovative, and ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

With Denmark taking over the EU Council Presidency on 1st July 2025, a new chapter in European health policy is about to begin.In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health’s Senior Counsel Hans Martens is joined by Edward James Smith, Head of the EU Office at the Danish Ministry of the Interior and Health. They talk about Denmark’s priorities for the months ahead — from strengthening Europe’s preparedness to boosting competitiveness — and why these themes matter now more than ever.What role will Denmark play in driving progress on key health files such as the Critical Medicines Act and the Pharmaceutical Package? And how can this presidency help set the tone for Europe’s health agenda in the years to come?

The European Health Data Space, or simply the EHDS, was officially launched in April 2025, marking a major milestone in the EU’s vision for a more connected and data-driven health system. But turning that vision into reality prompts a long list of practical questions about data, trust, innovation, and the roles of Member States, industry, and patients alike. In this episode of Break the Bubble, Incisive Health’s Senior Counsel Hans Martens sits down with Fulvia Raffaeli, Head of DG SANTE’s Digital Health unit at the European Commission. The two discuss where implementation stands today, what it will take to make the EHDS work across 27 countries, and why now is the time for stakeholders to get involved.

• What will the roll-out of the EHDS look like in practice, and who’s responsible for making it happen?

• How can we ensure trust and interoperability across national systems, while leveraging the full potential of AI?

• And how can the EHDS drive innovation, empower patients, while also creating real value for health systems, researchers, and industry?

In about two-thirds of EU countries, the responsibility for delivering healthcare services lies not with the central government, but with the regions.In this episode of Break the Bubble, our Senior Director Valentina Polylas speaks with Michele Calabrò, Director of EUREGHA, the network of European Regional and Local Health Authorities to discuss why regional actors are central to health policy implementation, how EU initiatives can better support and influence what's happening on the ground, and what it really takes to bridge the gap between policy and practice.How much influence do regional authorities really have when it comes to policy implementation? What can be done at EU level to support what’s happening on the ground? And why should regional voices be at the table when we talk about the future of Europe’s health systems?

Break the Bubble welcomes COCIR’s Secretary General, Annabel Seebohm. Together with our Senior Counsel Hans Martens she outlines COCIR’s vision for the future of health policy in the EU as well as the contribution of its highly innovative members to the improvement and modernization of European health systems. With almost all the pieces of this new European mandate now in place, here is a vision for European Health policy, for patients and for the industry. This is Break the Bubble.

This episode features a great conversation between our Senior Counsel Hans Martens and Anca Toma, Executive Director of the European Patients' Forum. With the uncertainty surrounding a seemingly fragmented health policy portfolio, Hans and Anca look at EPF’s vision for the years to come in the EU, at what the European Health Data Space will change for European patients, and, among other things, how we can ensure that health inequalities don’t become entrenched. This is Break the Bubble.

How can the EU keep the pace of rapid technological change and evolving healthcare challenges? In this episode of The Break the Bubble podcast, we are joined by Pernille Weiss, former Danish Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for the EU pharmaceutical legislation directive. Together with our Senior Counsel, Hans Martens, she explores the journey of the General Pharmaceutical Legislation and its future implications. What does it mean to work on such a watershed file? As the new mandate of the European Parliament begins, what is in store for health policy? Is the EU equipped to secure innovation, boost investment in R&D, and be a strong independent player? This is Break the Bubble!