Podnosis

A growing number of clinicians are looking to work in healthcare as independent contractors, giving them more flexibility over when and how they work.

While this can sound straightforward in theory, a lack of clarity around worker classification can complicate opportunities for these professionals.

The Department of Labor has proposed a new rule, currently undergoing final review, that could change how businesses engage with independent contractors. One expert argues the change would be for the better.

To explain what the rule could mean for healthcare workers and employers, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Regan Parker, chief legal and public affairs officer at ShiftKey, a platform that connects independent healthcare workers with open shifts at healthcare facilities.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

Department of Labor's proposed foreign worker wage increases are more tough news for healthcare staf… 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, health systems have been working to address their environmental impact. These efforts are largely voluntary and require systemwide buy-in to be effective. Some organizations are more sophisticated in setting sustainability goals and further along in putting them into practice.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with Beth Schenk, Ph.D., chief environmental stewardship officer at Providence, about the climate impacts she has witnessed as a nurse and her health system’s sustainability journey.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• New procurement guide for hospitals, payers takes aim at AI's environmental impact
• In next phase of sustainability, UCI Health, Kaiser Permanente, and others turn to electric hospital… 
• How policy, reimbursement incentives, could help healthcare address its climate footprint
• 'We can't do this alone': Hospitals share lessons from Hurricane Helene to prepare for extreme weath… 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Racial disparities in breast cancer have persisted for years. Though Black women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer, they face a mortality rate that is 38% higher than that of white women. One researcher in Georgia is focused on addressing those inequities in her community.

Lauren McCullough, Ph.D., an epidemiology researcher, is running several studies investigating disparities across breast and gynecologic cancers. She also founded a peer support community to elevate the voices of marginalized patients going through cancer treatment. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with McCullough about these efforts and what they could mean at scale.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Women's oncology market will reach $110B by 2030 across therapeutics, diagnostics and care delivery 
• The cold cap coverage gap and a cancer survivor’s push for change 
• Breast cancer tops list of most-studied diseases for 5th year in a row: report 
• Not all patient care access is equal when it comes to mammograms, CDC report finds

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Payers and providers agree on many of healthcare's most pressing challenges. Yet despite broad consensus around rising costs, workforce shortages and administrative complexity, operational friction continues to slow progress. Why? According to Yusuf Qasim, president of payments optimization at Zelis, alignment on the problem does not automatically create alignment on the solution.

In this episode of Podnosis, Qasim discusses findings from Zelis' State of the Healthcare Financial Experience Report and examines where collaboration opportunities remain untapped. He explains why the industry has no shortage of data or analytical capabilities, but often struggles to connect insights across organizations. The conversation explores persistent pain points, including payment reconciliation, claims processing, denials, appeals and administrative burden, while highlighting practical steps healthcare stakeholders can take to improve transparency and strengthen collaboration.

The discussion also looks at how organizations should evaluate new technology investments, why reducing manual work may be one of the most important success metrics, and where payers and providers can make meaningful progress over the next several months. For healthcare leaders focused on operational efficiency, stakeholder trust and financial experience, this episode offers a timely perspective on turning shared priorities into measurable results.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a lot of disparate systems in healthcare that don’t always talk to each other. That can make navigating specialties like behavioral health particularly challenging for patients.

One company believes both payers and providers share responsibility for helping patients navigate to services. Bamboo Health offers a platform that ingests data from traditionally siloed sources to give stakeholders real-time visibility into how patients are moving through the healthcare system so they can act at the appropriate time.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Vatsala Kapur, Bamboo’s SVP of market access, policy and partnerships, about the outcomes the company is seeing and why the future of value-based care has to involve data and AI.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Delaware sees results following recent launch of behavioral health coordination platform 
• Watershed Health rolls out large-scale data sharing platform across Austin, Texas region

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video games are a massive industry, and they’re successful because they have mastered the art of player engagement. What if you could apply those same tactics to engage doctors?

Sam Glassenberg, EVP at Relevate Health Games, formerly Level Ex, helps design video games for medical professionals and, more recently, patients. The goal is to equip them with new knowledge and skills to improve care delivery or build healthier habits.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Glassenberg to discuss the company’s latest innovations, engagement data and the future of video games in healthcare.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Level Ex study shows efficacy of game-based training for experienced dermatologists 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2026 Fierce 50 brings together scientists, physicians, public health leaders, patient advocates and organizations working in very different ways to move healthcare and the life sciences forward. This year’s honorees are developing new medicines, closing gaps in access and representation, tackling health literacy and misinformation, rethinking disease prevention and finding new ways to bring public health information into the communities that need it.

In this episode of "Podnosis," Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences Editor-in-Chief Ayla Ellison looks at some of the stories that stood out from this year’s honorees, from Revolution Medicines’ bet on the once “undruggable” RAS cancer target and the protein-design work of David Baker, Ph.D., to Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., and his decision to delay stepping back from public health. The episode also explores how honorees including Lisa Fitzpatrick, M.D., Hip Hop Public Health, Eric Topol, M.D., and Mary Owen, M.D., are rethinking trust, communication, prevention and health equity.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Fierce 50 of 2026

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. is facing a rapidly aging population alongside a dearth of primary care physicians, who play a crucial role in catching health issues early and keeping costs low. Everyone agrees technology should play a role in filling care gaps, but where its value truly lies is up for debate.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to David Carmouche, M.D., chief medical and commercial officer of Lumeris, a health tech company that supports providers. Carmouche shares creative ways providers can use technology more effectively and the payment models needed to support those efforts long term. He also discusses lessons learned from leading Walmart Health centers, which shuttered in 2024, and his current work on a federal healthcare advisory committee to the Department of Health and Human Services.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Walmart Health's shutdown underscores major challenges for retail health 'disruptors'
• Weekly Rundown: Lumeris adds symptom-checking tool to AI platform; DeepIntent rolls out agentic AI t… 
• Primary care is in trouble. So doctors band together to boost their market power 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This podcast episode is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech. Dr. Paresh Patel and multiple myeloma patient Julia P. have been compensated by Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech for their time to participate in this podcast.

In this episode of Podnosis: The Pulse of the Healthcare Industry, listeners hear a candid conversation about multiple myeloma from the patient and physician perspectives. A patient who underwent CAR-T therapy and her community oncologist, Dr. Paresh Patel, share how early education, trust and collaboration shaped her treatment journey.

The patient walks through her experience from diagnosis to CAR-T, describing how informed decision-making and self-advocacy helped her navigate an evolving treatment landscape. She reflects on the emotional and practical challenges of multiple myeloma therapies, the importance of caregiver support and what the possibility of a treatment-free interval meant to her.

Dr. Patel discusses the role of community oncologists in managing complex diseases like multiple myeloma, emphasizing why CAR-T should remain part of the treatment conversation early on. He explores timing, referral considerations and the value of clear communication as patients move between local care and specialized centers. At its core, this episode is about partnership and what is possible when patients and care teams navigate complexity together.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer wearables are popular for a reason. People like to have their health data on demand. These insights can encourage healthy habits and may flag early signals of an underlying illness.

The problem is interpretability. Without a doctor’s input, many people are left to puzzle over their results and what they imply. Timely medical advice is important, yet often missing.

Reperio Health aims to address that gap. It combines at-home health screenings, an app and virtual clinical visits to help patients make sense of it all. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Reperio’s co-founder and CEO, Travis Rush, to explain.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• At-home testing company Reperio teams up with Amazon One Medical on preventive care
• Doctronic, Simple HealthKit partner to connect at-home screening with AI-powered clinical care
• Noom launches at-home biomarker test kit for metabolic health monitoring 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.