A new medical school in Arkansas has welcomed its first-ever class. The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM), founded by Walmart heir Alice Walton in 2021, is built on the principles of whole health.

The curriculum values the arts and business as much as clinical work and research, with a goal of bringing empathy back to medicine.

In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with AWSOM CEO and founding dean Sharmila Makhija, M.D., about what makes the school unique, the partnerships already underway and the long-term vision for strengthening the clinical workforce in Arkansas.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Walmart heir's nonprofit to start new integrative medical school in Arkansas
• Mercy, Alice Walton philanthropies unveil $700M specialty care affiliation

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Employers are facing rising healthcare costs, and specialty care remains among the most expensive. For self-funded employers, even a few employees with chronic conditions can significantly drive up spending. That makes access to high-quality care especially important.

Carrum Health partners with employers through a value-based network of specialty care providers. In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with Christoph Dankert, Carrum’s chief network officer, about trends in the market, employer bargaining power and why value-based payment models are key to improving care.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Carrum Health marks major expansion of Centers of Excellence network, specialty care service lines
• Carrum Health offers value-based treatment model for substance use disorders
• Industry Voices—Healthcare disruption is here and employers are driving it
• UnitedHealth, HAC study examines how obesity is impacting employer health costs

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In a sponsored episode of Podnosis, Fierce Healthcare’s Chris Hayden speaks with Chris Johnson, co-CEO of TeleTracking, and Jeremy David, co-head of healthcare at Palantir, about a new partnership aimed at modernizing hospital operations. The collaboration combines TeleTracking’s patient flow and capacity management expertise with Palantir’s artificial intelligence and data analytics tools. The goal: help health systems make faster, smarter decisions, reduce inefficiencies, and improve access to care—all while reducing costs.

The conversation highlights how the joint platform is designed to address mounting operational pressures, from staff shortages to extended wait times. Unlike traditional tech solutions, the companies say their approach centers on real-time, AI-driven workflows that adapt to evolving hospital needs. Instead of long-term roadmaps, they’re focused on delivering measurable results within months. To hear more about how the two companies plan to transform healthcare operations, listen to the full episode of Podnosis, available now.

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A growing number of healthcare stakeholders are recognizing the importance of whole-person care, which addresses both physical and mental health. Affordability is often the first hurdle. But beyond that, what does it really take to improve mental healthcare?

In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Jennifer Meyer, president of commercial and consumer business at SonderMind, a national mental health provider offering both virtual and in-person therapy and psychiatry, to discuss where the field is headed and how providers can help move it forward.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• SonderMind expands telemental health to New York, Michigan, now in all 50 states
• Intermountain to use NeuroFlow tech to support integrated behavioral health in primary care
• Survey: Opportunities for tech investments in behavioral health
• Grow Therapy launches care coordination program to streamline referrals to higher levels of care

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As artificial intelligence continues to reshape healthcare, rural providers face a tough reality: limited infrastructure, staffing shortages, tight budgets, and often, a lack of in-house tech expertise. These constraints make it harder to adopt cutting-edge tools, and many worry rural systems will be left behind in the AI boom.

But some industry leaders see it differently.

In this episode of "Podnosis," we explore how AI could actually become a great equalizer for rural healthcare. Fierce Healthcare's Heather Landi speaks with Amar Kendale, president and co-founder of Homeward Health, who shares why rural systems might be uniquely positioned to leapfrog outdated technology altogether and how AI can help address long-standing gaps in access and care delivery.

Then, she sits down with Punit Soni, CEO of Suki, to talk about the practical side of AI adoption in small and under-resourced settings. From infrastructure workarounds to flexible pricing models, Soni explains how rural clinics and hospitals are making AI work and what it will take to scale those efforts.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• ‘I wish we could be more optimistic’: A look at AI implementation at an Arizona FQHC
• Provider organizations face major misalignment in AI investment and business strategy: Accenture
• Suki adds 12 partners as rural hospitals increasingly adopt AI
• Rural areas rapidly losing independent docs, practices: PAI report

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If you work in healthcare, chances are you have limited visibility into your patients. A primary care provider might not know when a patient visits the hospital, and vice versa. But what if all relevant data could be surfaced and shared in real time with everyone involved in a patient's care?

Watershed Health is working to make that possible. The platform enables real-time data sharing by connecting electronic health records, paper-based documentation and nontraditional systems. The goal: to help organizations better coordinate care across the continuum.

In this episode, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya spotlights a new large-scale data-sharing initiative Watershed launched in Austin, Texas. She speaks with Watershed CEO Effie Carlson and Jeff Richardson, CEO of Integral Care, a behavioral health provider partnering with Watershed, about what the collaboration means for care coordination.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Watershed Health rolls out large-scale data sharing platform across Austin, Texas region
• Protecting sensitive patient data from interstate exchange
• Holon Solutions, Nevada HIE team up to help providers access data at the point of care
• Indigenous tribe becomes first in Michigan to tap state HIE for data sharing between tribal, non-tribal providers

This episode is sponsored by Optum Rx. 

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Employers are doubling down on efforts to improve employee wellbeing, but the approach is becoming more nuanced. Mental health, physical health and financial wellness remain key priorities, but integration and targeted engagement are taking center stage. 

In this episode of "Podnosis," Fierce Healthcare Senior Writer Paige Minemyer speaks with Jim Winkler, chief strategy officer at the Business Group on Health, about the findings from the organization’s survey on employer wellbeing strategies and how companies are adapting their programs for greater impact.

To learn more about this topic: 

• Employers set to put more pressure on well-being vendors to improve outcomes, survey finds
• 2025 outlook: Employers face yet another year of healthcare cost increases
• Employers are bracing for healthcare costs to spike in 2025. Here's why
• Employers' enthusiasm for virtual care is on the decline: Business Group

This episode is sponsored by Optum Rx. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a recent sponsored episode of Podnosis, CorroHealth Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey joined host Chris Hayden to discuss the growing impact of payer denials on hospitals and the critical role of clinical documentation. Morrissey said documentation affects everything from patient safety to revenue and is scrutinized at every stage of the care process. Despite advancements in AI and workflow software, she said providers still struggle with the volume and complexity of documentation requirements, often forced to choose between speed and quality.

CorroHealth aims to ease that burden by combining advanced technology with clinical insight to support health systems’ efforts in utilization management, clinical documentation improvement and denial prevention. Morrissey emphasized the need for targeted, data-informed interventions over one-size-fits-all approaches. She said hospitals should focus on the highest-impact areas and coordinate efforts across departments to see meaningful results. To hear the full conversation, listen to the latest episode of Podnosis.

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At-home care is gaining momentum as patients seek more convenient options and hospitals face mounting capacity challenges. 

This week on "Podnosis," Krista Drobac, founder of the Alliance for Connected Care, joins us to outline the policy changes her organization is advocating for in Washington. She discusses efforts to boost reimbursement for remote monitoring, advance SNF-at-home programs, generate stronger evidence for emerging care models and secure an extension of hospital-at-home policies.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Senators introduce RPM Access Act to increase rural payment rate for remote monitoring
• Senate sends CR extending telehealth, hospital priorities to Trump's desk
• Winners and losers in healthcare after averted shutdown
• Bipartisan Policy Center urges Congress to extend Medicare hospital at home, telehealth policies by end of year

This episode is sponsored by Optum Rx. 

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When providers work together, patients are more likely to get their needs met at the right place and the right time. This leads to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. 

In outpatient behavioral health, a certain subset of patients need intensive or specialized care. But referrals to higher levels of care are often inefficient and risk patients dropping out of treatment altogether.

Grow Therapy, a hybrid mental health provider, has launched a coordinated care program to help oversee such referrals. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya chats with Cynthia Grant, PhD, LCSW, head of clinical excellence at Grow, about how the program works and what Grow hopes to get out of it.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Mental health tech startup Grow Therapy snags $88M, builds out measurement-based care tech
• Thriveworks launches free provider booking platform to streamline mental health referrals
• HCA Healthcare rolls out in-EHR referrals to Talkiatry's telepsychiatrists

This episode is sponsored by Optum Rx. 

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