Healthy Conversations

Yonatan Adiri is out to revolutionize kidney care – and he’s already doing it. The founder and CEO of Healthy.io explains to Daniel how he’s been able to drive 53% compliance in urine testing among those patients previously noncompliant, across age groups – “The last cohort we did in the UK was 80% of which was above the age of 50. 25% between 71 and 80 years old, where we saw 40% compliance.” Key to his success is developing technology that’s clinical grade, affordable, and computer-vision-based.

According to Dr. Bruce Culleton, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Kidney Care at CVS Health, 93% of Americans who have kidney disease don't know they have it. And he tells Daniel some of the ways physicians and nurses can address this health literacy issue. Dr. Culleton also explains some of the health equity and disparity challenges that exist in this space. For instance, African Americans are three-to-four times more likely to develop kidney failure than white Americans.

Daniel sat down with Bob Wachter to talk about the power of Twitter in public health, the continued evolution of patient-centered digital transformation, the very necessary adjustments to clinical education, his personal history as the founder of the hospitalist movement, and which technologies continue to lag in our industry.

Dr. Joanne Armstrong, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for women's health and genomics at CVS Health, talks with Daniel about the incredible impact genes can play in women’s lives, helping to shape prognosis and clinical decisions, in addition to improvements in prenatal screening. Dr. Armstrong also gives us a preview of Aetna’s new guided genetic health services — now expanding into enhanced maternity and transform oncology programs.

Daniel explores the exciting world of genetic health with Dr. Robert Nussbaum, Chief Medical Officer at Invitae. Dr. Nussbaum dispels myths about interpreting genetic data, draws important distinctions around clinical-grade testing, and describes the many important ways genetic information can be used for reproductive planning, screening, and managing disorders.

The past few years may have been challenging but they’ve also brought about transformation in the pharmacy setting. Daniel speaks with Dr. Dan Knecht, the chief clinical innovation officer at CVS Caremark, about ways he’s working to provide more integrative, individualized care for patients with conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension — as well as behavioral health.

For this year-end podcast, Daniel looks back at the most transformational moments from 2021 — whether it’s discussing the future of data supply chains for more nuanced pandemic response, recent clinical innovations in precision medicine, new insights into the definition of a healthy red blood cell, or how the industry of health care is changing in real time. Daniel also gives us a sneak peek into what we’re working towards in the year ahead — evolving from “intermittent, reactive sick care to a future that's continuous, proactive, anytime, anywhere, bringing us better outcomes at lower costs and bringing better health equity all around the planet.”

Daniel speaks with award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman, who had exclusive access in March 2020 to one of New York’s largest and hardest-hit medical centers for his powerful documentary, The First Wave — as well as Dr. Nathalie Dougé, internist & hospitalist — about the toll COVID has taken on health care workers. The film is in theaters now and available on Hulu.

Daniel sits down with Dr. Patrick Hines, the founder and CEO at Functional Fluidics and the leading Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) researcher at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he set up a transformational study on defining the health of red blood cells — membrane stability, abnormalities, stickiness, and more. Dr. Hines also introduces us to exciting new therapies — recently approved — and the importance of being proactive with SCD.