Permanente Medicine Podcast

In this episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, host Chris Grant sits down with John Yang, MD, president and medical director of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group (HPMG), to explore the unique culture and community-oriented approach to health care delivery in Hawaii.

As the leader of the state's largest physician-led multi-specialty practice, Dr. Yang explores the geographic, demographic, and public health challenges of delivering care across the Hawaiian islands. The conversation digs into how HPMG has leveraged health care innovations to overcome access barriers across the islands.

Listeners will learn how deep community ties help build the trust needed to effectively support communities during natural disasters, like the devastating Lahaina wildfires. The episode highlights how cultivating deep community relationships and cultural understanding drives better patient outcomes both in the exam room and beyond.

Dr. Yang also discusses HPMG's proactive efforts to build a sustainable physician workforce, including growing their own talent through local training programs and providing robust support for clinician wellbeing.

In this episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, Chris Grant speaks with Ameya Kulkarni, MD, executive medical director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, about the future of physician-led, value-based care. The conversation explores how integrated care models can improve access, affordability, quality, and patient trust while reducing friction for both patients and physicians. Dr. Kulkarni also shares insights on physician well-being, meaningful work in medicine, and why rebuilding trust may be one of the most important investments in the future of health care.

In this episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, host Chris Grant, COO of The Permanente Federation, speaks with Letitia Bridges, MD, MBA, executive vice president and chief quality officer for The Permanente Federation and co-chair of Kaiser Permanente’s National Quality Committee.
Dr. Bridges shares a powerful and deeply human perspective on what it means to lead quality for one of the nation’s largest integrated care systems—where millions of patients rely on safe, evidence-based, empathetic, and coordinated care every day.

Together, they explore:
- Why quality is the North Star for Kaiser Permanente
- The role of prevention, evidence, and trust in delivering clinical excellence
- How systems of care improve outcomes in diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and more
- What patient-centered care looks like “from cradle to grave”
- The value-based model and why it drives nation-leading outcomes
- The challenges and opportunities facing healthcare today—from consumer expectations to regulatory disruption
- How demographic shifts (aging population, millennials) shape the future of care
- The role of AI and emerging technology in improving safety and effectiveness
- Why physician-led organizations deliver higher-quality care
- Her advice to the next generation of physicians and leaders

Dr. Bridges also shares a candid and lively glimpse into her life outside of medicine—raising three teenagers, exploring the outdoors, and finding joy, purpose, and balance amid it all.

Suicide is a deeply personal tragedy — and a pressing public health challenge. In this episode, we take a closer look at how health systems can lead meaningful change through prevention, early intervention, and compassion.

Dr. Pavan Somusetty, regional chief of mental health at Northwest Permanente and national leader for suicide prevention at Kaiser Permanente, joins Jackie Ryan, psychiatry practice director at Northwest Permanente and Zero Suicide program manager, to discuss how to change organizational culture around identifying patients, supporting them, and talking about suicide with them. They also share how to embed suicide prevention into all levels of the health system — even in non-mental health settings — using data, proactive screenings, and a comprehensive commitment to saving lives.

Together, they explore:

• What the evidence shows about what works
• How the Zero Suicide model is reducing suicide attempts
• Practical ways clinicians can better identify and support patients at risk
• The promise of AI and data analytics to strengthen prevention efforts
• The cultural shift needed to truly destigmatize mental health

It’s a conversation grounded in both expertise and empathy — because every life matters, and every encounter is an opportunity to help.

#suicideprevention #suicide #zerosuicide #firearmssafety

AI and machine learning are at the forefront of transforming health care today — and when applied as value-based health care innovations that enhance the human touch and keep the patient in the center, they’re best positioned to set clinicians up for success.

Khang Nguyen, MD, chief transformation officer of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, discusses how AI can increase clinicians’ joy in medicine and improve patient outcomes with Chris Grant, chief operating offer and executive vice president of Kaiser Permanente, The Permanente Federation, and host of the Permanente Medicine Podcast.

The backdrop of rapid innovation, consolidation, and evolving patient needs means value-based care and its impact on medicine is changing. Think AI and robotics, emerging health disparities, and new corporate competitors challenging the status quo. What does all this mean for the present and future of patient-centered, integrated care?

In the 2024 season finale of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, Sachin Jain, MD, CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, joins Chris Grant, COO and executive vice president of Kaiser Permanente, The Permanente Federation, to survey the shifting landscape of the health care industry and explore its impact on patients and communities. 

As health systems across the country are navigating clinician shortages, preparing the next generation of physician leaders is more important than ever. Innovation and transformation in medical education that trains early-career doctors for the modern workforce is essential to ensure that the practice of high-quality, integrated care remains strong.

In this episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, Chris Grant welcomes Ted O’Connell, MD, director of medical education for Kaiser Permanente Northern California and family medicine doctor for The Permanente Medical Group, and Lindia Willies-Jacobo, MD, senior associate dean for Admissions and Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, and professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Southern California.  Together, they survey the landscape of physician recruitment and retention, as well as share how Kaiser Permanente is working to address the clinician shortage. 

On this episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, we dissect the emergence of AI and how Kaiser Permanente can use this technology to augment its approach to high-quality, patient-centered care.  Brian Hoberman, MD, executive vice president and chief information officer for The Permanente Federation and chief information officer with The Permanente Medical Group and Ainsley MacLean, MD, chief medical information officer and chief AI officer for Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, join the show to share their perspectives on how AI can play a supportive role for medical practices. 

The Permanente Medicine Podcast kicks off its 2024 season with this special extended episode featuring The Permanente Federation co-CEOs Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, and Ramin Davidoff, MD. Join the conversation with host Chris Grant, the Federation's chief operating officer, as the two physician executives share their leadership insights and vision for excellence when it comes to advancing the practice of Permanente Medicine. Dr. Ansari and Dr. Davidoff offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their co-CEO partnership and delve into some of the critical work taking place throughout the Permanente Medical Groups around improving patient outcomes, maintaining a human touch while adopting new technology, and supporting physician well-being, as the medical groups care for more than 12.5 million Kaiser Permanente members. 

Through her first 100 days as co-CEO of The Permanente Federation and executive leader of 2 Permanente Medical Groups, Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, has been at the center of critical discussions focused on the present and future of health care. In this bonus episode of the Permanente Medicine Podcast,  Dr. Ansari offers a glimpse into her areas of focus while supporting the work of nearly 24,000 Permanente physicians and 80,000 staff who serve 12.6 million Kaiser Permanente members.  She also shares some of her keys to navigating this transformational period in medicine while championing Kaiser Permanente’s model for value-based integrated care.