In this week's episode of "Podnosis," we’re discussing the challenges and opportunities for telehealth, given some notable setbacks for the industry in recent months.

Fierce Healthcare's Noah Tong chats with Sanjula Jain, Ph.D., chief research officer for Trilliant Health, who shares her insights on why some telehealth companies are struggling, and how the industry can overcome the barriers to adoption.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• How the virtual care market is shaking out in 2024 as Walmart, Optum exit the telehealth business
• As Walmart shutters clinics, startup Fabric buys its MeMD telehealth business
• A look at telehealth's future and an omnichannel approach to care
• Optum layoffs: Ohio facility closing, 129 employees impacted
• Optum WARN filing: 524 workers in California laid off
• Teladoc posts $838M loss in Q2, lays out BetterHelp strategic pivot

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This week on “Podnosis” we're discussing a new payment model that could affect thousands of hospitals across the country. It's called TEAM, and it stands for Transforming Episode Accountability Model. It's a mandatory bundled payment program that covers five common procedures.

But what will it take for hospitals to prepare for the new payment model? How will they manage their clinical and financial risk and engage their patients and providers? And what can they learn from previous bundled payment models? To answer these questions, Fierce Healthcare's Anastassia Gliadkovskaya chatted with Brian Fuller, managing director of value-based care design and delivery at ATI Advisory, a consulting firm that helps healthcare organizations navigate the transition to value-based payment. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode:  

• CMS finalizes 2.9% pay bump for inpatient hospitals in FY2025
• CMMI seeks feedback for a new bundled payment model
• CMS proposes 2.6% bump to inpatient pay in fiscal 2025

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Many dermatologists are not trained to recognize skin conditions in people of color, which can lead to misdiagnoses and poor outcomes.

This week on "Podnosis," we dive into the topic of how to improve diversity and equity in dermatology. Fierce Healthcare's Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talked to Lisa O. Akintilo, M.D., a professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone Health. She is part of NYU Langone’s Skin of Color Section, a team of dermatologists that specialize in providing comprehensive treatments for skin conditions in people of color.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• VisualDx's diagnostic support tool to be available to all AMWA members 

• Eli Lilly expands ‘Get Better’ ad campaign to cover skin disease health equity 

• One year of VisualDx's Project IMPACT, a global effort to reduce skin color bias in medicine 

• Vaseline launches searchable platform of images to identify conditions affecting skin of color 

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Twenty years ago, the healthcare industry was still largely paper-based. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT was created back in April 2004 through an executive order from President George W. Bush. In the past two decades, major health IT policies pushed through by ONC and HHS have helped to move providers to a digital healthcare system that enables more effective data-sharing.    

Micky Tripathi, Ph.D., has spent most of his career in the health IT world and took the helm at ONC in January 2021. In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” he chats with Executive Editor Heather Landi about ONC’s achievements over the past 20 years, the agency’s current top priorities, the rapid adoption of AI in healthcare and more.   

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• ONC's HTI-2 proposed rule 'big step forward' for interoperability, health IT experts say, but EHR vendors concerned about timelines
• HHS releases HTI-2 proposed rule to bolster public health, payer data sharing
• HHS pushes forward with new requirements for AI transparency, interoperability
• Hospitals, medical groups push back on ONC's 'excessive' and 'overly punitive' data blocking penalties

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In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Fierce Healthcare’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya explores the topic of inequities in maternal and infant health and what one nonprofit is doing to increase transparency and accountability.

She chats with Kimberly Seals Allers, a journalist by background who is passionate about narrative storytelling. Seals Allers runs Birthright, a podcast highlighting positive Black birthing experiences, and is the founder of Irth, an app that collects and shares reviews of hospitals and doctors by Black and brown birthing people. Armed with those insights, Irth works with providers to identify areas for improvement and to close gaps in health equity. Today, the nonprofit collaborates with health departments, hospitals, and other organizations in nearly a dozen states.

To learn more about the topics in this episode:

• Providers rarely screen for maternal mental health. Are new guidelines enough to move the needle?
• Sweeping new study analyzes maternal health outcomes with SDOH, finds Black mothers at much higher risk
• BCBSA takes on racial, ethnic disparities in maternal care

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From 2020 to 2022, it was a wild ride for digital health with record-high deals and soaring valuations. But, the sector is maturing, and digital health players now have to change their game plan.  

In its first quarter funding report, Rock Health noted that it’s a new chapter for digital health funding. U.S. digital health funding closed with $2.7 billion across 133 deals in the first quarter, the lowest first quarter by sector funding since 2019.  

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Executive Editor Heather Landi chats with Rock Health’s Megan Zweig to talk about the state of the market, how startups and investors are taking a different approach to dealmaking and what to expect for the rest of the year. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode:  

• More deal volume, lower check sizes for digital health in Q1, with AI investment leading the pack: Rock Health
• Digital health funding hit $10.7B in 2023, the lowest in four years. How will the market shake out?
• Digital health funding hit $5.7B through June, on track to surpass 2019 and 2023, Rock Health reports

 

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It is estimated that up to 20% of people globally are neurodivergent. Many neurodivergent individuals, including those with autism, have unique sensory needs. To best serve them in healthcare settings, the design of such spaces should ideally engage attention without overwhelming it. 

When Jefferson Health announced it would be building a new specialty care pavilion, Wendy Ross, M.D., saw an opportunity. As director of the Center for Autism & Neurodiversity at Jefferson, Ross understood the importance of thoughtful design. 

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Fierce Healthcare’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya interviews Ross about how she collaborated with co-workers, students and patients to test and incorporate innovative features into the new building, such as chairs with privacy screens and immersive artwork.

To learn more about the topics in this episode:  

• New virtual primary care provider for neurodivergent adults, Hopper Health, launches
• How behavioral health tech can help overcome adoption hurdles among neurodiverse populations

 

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An increasing number of employers are now offering fertility benefits. This is not only a cost-saving for employees but also serves as a way to attract and retain talent. Despite this positive trend for individuals starting their families, many LGBTQ+ individuals still feel unprepared to begin this journey. 

A recent survey from fertility benefits platform Carrot Fertility found that 85% of queer individuals feel confused, anxious and overwhelmed by the thought of building a family. For Pride month, Fierce Healthcare’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sat down with Carrot’s chief product officer James Wong to hear his personal family-building story and the unique challenges that queer couples face. They also talk about the role that care navigation plays for this population, especially amid the rapidly evolving legal landscape of reproductive healthcare in the United States.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Wisp expands into fertility care with partners Proov, PherDal to offer at-home testing, insemination kits
• Maven beefs up fertility program with focus on natural conception, male fertility care
• Kindbody eyes expansion, AI investments in 2024. The question on investors' minds: Will the fertility startup go public?

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In late February, UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare unit faced a significant ransomware attack, sending shockwaves through the healthcare sector with far-reaching financial consequences.   

It has since come to light that the hackers exploited a vulnerability on a server lacking multi-factor authentication—a fundamental security measure.   

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis”, Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sits down with Clearwater CEO Steve Cagle to explore the lessons healthcare organizations can learn from the Change Healthcare cyberattack and what it reveals about the industry’s current state of security readiness.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode:  

• 'Cybersecurity is patient safety': What the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare should teach the industry

• UnitedHealth Group posts $1.4B loss in Q1 amid Change cyberattack fallout

• 'Too big to fail': Consolidation concerns loom over hearing on Change Healthcare cyberattack

• AMA weighing potential lawsuit over Change Healthcare cyberattack

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This week on "Podnosis," we explore therapeutic psychedelics. Noah Tong from Fierce Healthcare sat down with Kim Chew, Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell, to discuss the accessibility challenges in this promising but complex space. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode:  

• A look at psychedelics and the next frontier of mental healthcare
• Inside the breathtaking world of therapeutic psychedelics: Great promise and great challenges
• Benefits administrator Enthea makes ketamine-assisted therapy available nationwide
• AbbVie inks $2B-plus next-gen neuro deal with Gilgamesh
• PTSD treatment startup Stella acquires Field Trip's US assets to scale, takes over clinic operations

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