Primary care sits at the center of American health care, yet clinicians face mounting burnout, shrinking margins, and a system that often rewards procedures over prevention. With physician shortages growing and patient needs rising, the future of primary care is at a crossroads. 

Dr. Greg Whisman, Chief Medical Officer at CareMore Health, joins Health Care Rounds to discuss the pressures driving the primary care crisis, why reimbursement and workforce models need a reset, and how team-based care, tech enablement, and value-based strategies can restore sustainability and meaning to frontline medicine.

================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT DR. GREG WHISMAN MD, MBA

Chief national clinical leader for Advance Primary Care responsible for comprehensive care delivery. Leading population health innovation over CareMore's chronic and complex patients.  Oversees the Medical Services Organization including the Case Management, Medical Management and Pharmacy.  Develops, implements, and directs the clinical activities that impact health care quality and cost outcomes across the continuum.

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

================================================

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Behind every headline about rising premiums is a deeper truth: our health care system is structurally unsustainable. 

In this episode of Health Care Rounds Podcast, former US Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Dr. David Shulkin, explains why real reform requires more than subsidies and payment tweaks. We cover everything from misaligned incentives to lessons from the VA’s population-based model and what it’ll take to actually fix U.S. health care.

================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT THE DR. DAVID SHULKIN 

The Honorable David J. Shulkin was nominated by President Trump to serve as the ninth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 13, 2017. 

Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Dr. Shulkin served as VA’s Under Secretary for Health for 18 months, leading the Nation’s largest integrated health care system, with over 1,700 sites of care serving nearly nine million Veterans. 

Before he began his service with VA, Dr. Shulkin held numerous chief executive roles at Morristown Medical Center, and the Atlantic Health System Accountable Care Organization. He also served as President and CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. 

Dr. Shulkin has held numerous physician leadership roles including Chief Medical Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Temple University Hospital, and the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital. He has also held academic positions including Chairman of Medicine and Vice Dean at Drexel University School of Medicine. 

As an entrepreneur, Dr. Shulkin founded and served as Chairman and CEO of DoctorQuality, one of the first consumer-oriented sources of information on quality and safety in healthcare. A board-certified internist, Dr. Shulkin is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and he completed his internship at Yale University School of Medicine and a residency and fellowship in General Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Presbyterian Medical Center. He also received advanced training in outcomes research and economics as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Shulkin has been named as one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives in the Country” by Modern Healthcare. He has also previously been named among the “One Hundred Most Influential People in American Healthcare.” He has been married to his wife, Dr. Merle Bari, for more than 30 years. They are the parents of two grown children. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

================================================

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Specialty pharmacy plays a critical role in patient outcomes, but health systems often struggle to manage operations effectively while maintaining continuity of care. 

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, host John Marchica talks with Jigar Thakkar, PharmD, CEO of Longitude Rx, about how his company is helping leading health systems reimagine specialty pharmacy through technology, data integration, and partnership.

================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT JIGAR THAKKAR, PHARMD
Jigar is leading Longitude Rx, the first launched solution from Longitude Health. Previously, he built a $470 million specialty pharmacy at OU Health, served as Managing Director at FTI Consulting, and led engagements with health systems and Fortune 100 companies. He holds advanced degrees from Midwestern University, Dartmouth College, and Northwestern University. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

================================================ 
 

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Across the country, health systems are chasing the promise of value-based care, but few have figured out how to make it work. 

David Carmouche, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Lumeris, joins host John Marchica to discuss what it really takes to make value-based care work at scale. 

================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT DAVID CARMOUCHE
David Carmouche, MD, is the Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Lumeris. Dr. Carmouche is a visionary leader in transformational healthcare delivery, with a unique blend of provider, payer, retail, and integrated delivery network leadership experience.

Prior to joining Lumeris, Dr. Carmouche served as Walmart’s Senior Vice President of Healthcare Delivery, where he led the fleet of Walmart Health centers, Walmart Health Virtual Care, a value-based care partnership with Optum, and Walmart’s work to address Social Determinants of Health. Dr. Carmouche has also held significant leadership roles with Ochsner Health, the largest nonprofit academic healthcare system in the Gulf South, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, where he introduced the company’s first value-based care contracts. Earlier in his career, he built and led a multidisciplinary internal medicine and preventive cardiology practice. 

Dr. Carmouche attended Tulane University and LSU Medical School in New Orleans. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, he completed his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he later served as Chief Resident. He serves as President of the Board of the Consortium for Southeastern Healthcare Quality and on the advisory board at Stellar Health. He has served on the board of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments.

 ================================================

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Burnout among health care workers remains a critical issue years after the height of COVID-19. 

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, Dr. Adele Webb, Executive Dean of Healthcare Initiatives at Strategic Education, Inc. shares insights from a national survey of health care workers, revealing what’s really driving nursing burnout and how education can help retain talent.

================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT DR. ADELE WEBB 
Adele Webb earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Akron, her Master’s in Nursing from The Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. in Nursing from Wayne State University. She began her nursing career as a NICU nurse and transitioned into the emergency room in a pediatric setting. 

In the early 1990s, Adele began focusing on HIV in underdeveloped countries. Over the last 25 years, Adele’s focus has been on international nurse capacity building as it relates to both communicable and non-communicable diseases. She has received extensive funding for her international work and has published her findings in several refereed journals. She has contributed to WHO guidelines, testified to the Institute of Medicine, and given testimony to the White House on nursing workforce issues. 

A sought-out speaker on international nursing care issues, Adele continues to collaborate with the World Health Organization as well as the World NCD Congress. This work has resulted in Adele’s contributions to nurse capacity building in 56 countries. In recognition of her body of work, Adele has received not only the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Lifetime Achievement Award she has also received the Nicholas Andrew Cummings Award for Excellence in Interprofessional Practice from the National Academies of Practice. Adele is an International Council of Nurses Global Health Fellow, a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

================================================

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

What does it take to lead 100,000 health care workers through constant disruption? 

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, host John Marchica sits down with John D’Angelo, MD, FACEP, President & CEO of Northwell Health, to discuss his journey from physician to chief executive. Dr. D'Angelo shares critical lessons learned from managing COVID-19 surges, his vision for maintaining organizational culture across 100,000 employees, and where he sees the greatest opportunities in healthcare delivery.

 ================================================ 

🎙 ABOUT JOHN D’ANGELO, MD, FACEP 
A physician first and foremost, Dr. John D’Angelo leads with compassion. With over 25 years of practical experience, he continues to transform health care operations with his recent appointment as president and CEO of Northwell Health, the Northeast’s largest nonprofit health system.

Dr. D’Angelo oversees a complex network of 28 hospitals and 104,000 employees, including over 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians with an operating budget of $22.6 billion. Northwell cares for more than 3 million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond. 

His background in emergency medicine informed his leadership in Northwell’s operational response to COVID-19, expanding his role to become the chief of integrated operations for the entire health system. He also co-led an innovative, award-winning data solution, Real-Time Actionable Data, to enhance operational visibility. Previously, he oversaw all of Northwell’s emergency departments and was instrumental in the health system’s lifesaving sepsis prevention initiatives. A Long Island native, Dr. D'Angelo received his medical degree from SUNY Stony Brook and subsequently completed a residency in emergency medicine at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA. He also served as medical director to numerous EMS agencies throughout his career and served in the United States Army Reserve from 2001-2011. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

================================================

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Insurance denials are exploding, and they’re costing lives.

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, host John Marchica sits down with Neal Shah, CEO of CareYaya and Counterforce Health, to unpack the broken insurance system and the AI-driven surge in claim rejections. Neal shares how his personal caregiving experiences shaped his mission, why most patients never appeal, and how new tools can help level the playing field for families, physicians, and hospitals.

================================================

🎙 ABOUT NEAL SHAH

America's Chief Elder Officer. CEO of CareYaya Health Technologies. Working hard to improve healthcare. Author of “Insured to Death: How Health Insurance Screws Over Americans - And How We Take It Back". Chairman of Counterforce Health.

After a successful career as a $250 million hedge fund manager, deeply personal caregiving experiences inspired a pivot to social entrepreneurship. Now, determined to transform care delivery through technology.

Building a rapidly-growing tech startup to expand access to affordable care. Pioneering cutting-edge AI applications to fundamentally elevate quality of life for those needing care. Motivated by creativity and humanitarian progress.

Leveraging experiences guiding multi-billion dollar investments to make an impact on improving care for our most vulnerable populations. Leading with both heart and analytical rigor. Wearing scrubs to elevate the important role of caregivers in our healthcare system.

Building unrivaled technical capabilities and strategic partnerships to establish CareYaya as America's leading launchpad for care innovation.

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS

Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments. 

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Why do people trust Google and TikTok more than their doctors?

Dr. Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, the author of Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare's Misinformation Illness, joins the show to break down how misinformation spreads, why patient trust continues to decline, and what health leaders must do to lead the cure. 

 ================================================ 
 

🎙 ABOUT DR. GEETA NAYYAR 
Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, is a globally recognized chief medical officer, technologist, and bestselling author who helps leaders leverage a human approach to innovation, including rapid advances in AI, to achieve better health and business outcomes. 

A widely sought-after speaker and author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller “Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare’s Misinformation Illness,” Dr. G has appeared on CNBC, CNN, FOX, and other prominent media outlets. She has served as chief medical officer for Salesforce and AT&T, among other executive roles. She currently serves on the board of the American Telemedicine Association and as an advisor to the American Medical Association. 

A rheumatologist, Dr. G earned her medical degree at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she was admitted into an accelerated program at age 17, and her MBA at The George Washington University School of Business. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments.

 ================================================ 

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play a pivotal role in drug pricing, yet their practices often remain shrouded in a black box of rebates, spread pricing, and misaligned incentives. In this installment of our Pharma Series, Alan Pannier, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at SmithRx, breaks down how legacy PBMs use opaque contracts and vertical integration to drive up costs, why employers are beginning to push back, and how transparent, cost-based models are reshaping the future of pharmacy benefits.

🎙 ABOUT ALAN PANNIER 
Alan Pannier, Pharm D,MBA has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with a background in managed care pharmacy. Alan has held various leadership positions at companies such as SmithRx, Magellan Health, and Veridicus Health. Alan completed their Doctorate of Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration at Idaho State University, following a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Westminster University. 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments.

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media

Specialty pharmacy is big business. And while PBMs and big pharma dominate the spotlight, health systems are quietly carving out their own advantage. 

In this episode of Health Care Rounds, host, John Marchica, sits down with Tim Affeldt, PharmD, Vice President, Specialty/Infusion Operations, Fairview Pharmacy Services, to unpack why health systems don’t just belong in specialty pharmacy - they may be unqiuely positioned to lead it. 

From tighter care integration and faster clinical decisions to improved outcomes and patient experience, Dr. Affeldt lays out a clear case: when pharmacists are embedded in the care team, everyone benefits, except the status quo.

🎙 ABOUT DR. TIM AFFELDT 
Tim Affeldt, PharmD serves as the Vice President of Specialty/Infusion Operations at Fairview Pharmacy Solutions. Dr. Affeldt is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy. He joined Fairview Pharmacy Services in September 2013. Prior to being a VP, he was the Director of Specialty/Infusion Operations. During his time with Fairview, he has provided overall strategic direction and leadership to the Specialty and Mail Order pharmacies, Infusion Center pharmacy, Home Infusion, Compounding pharmacy, Specialty Clinic and Discharge pharmacy, Facilities and Shipping/Receiving. He is a former Pharmacy Alumni Society board member, mentor to first year students and preceptor for APPE leadership rotations for the College of Pharmacy. 

Dr. Affeldt has chaired and served as a member on multiple committees and is a current member of the National Home Infusion Association Board (Past Chair), the National Home Infusion Association Government Affairs Committee, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation MinnDakotas Chapter Board (Board of Chancellors), the Health System Owned Specialty Pharmacy Alliance Board (Vice President) and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (GAC Committee). 

🎙 ABOUT HEALTH CARE ROUNDS 
Health Care Rounds is a weekly podcast developed for health care leaders who are at the forefront of health care delivery and payment reform. Join Darwin Research Group founder and CEO John Marchica as he discusses the latest advancements in health care business news and policy developments.

 CONNECT WITH US:

🌐 Visit us on the web

 🌐 Follow Health Care Rounds on LinkedIn

 🌐 Follow Darwin Research Group on LinkedIn

📺 Watch Health Care Rounds on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎧 Listen on Spotify

⚙️ Health Care Rounds is produced by Grippi Media