Podnosis

The digital health and health tech sectors had a tough year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating through a turbulent hype cycle. Startups witnessed a significant slump in funding, and public markets didn't quite live up to expectations. However, amid these market trials, 2023 revealed some silver linings for the sector. 

This week on "Podnosis," Sofia Guerra and Steve Kraus from Bessemer Venture Partners sit down with Fierce Healthcare's Heather Landi to discuss the health tech sector's performance, unraveling the factors that contributed to its current state. They share what it will take to get health tech out of its current market lull and explore whether we’ll see a rebound in IPOs this year.

They also share their big predictions for health tech in 2024, like who is making it to the other side and who will be left in the digital health graveyard. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• JPM24: Digital health funding hit $10.7B in 2023, the lowest in four years. How will the market shake out?
• Digital health investments shift to disease treatment, workflow solutions and VBC in Q3: Rock Health
• Digital health funding settles down in 2023 with fewer deals, lower check sizes

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A growing number of companies are introducing diverse voices to their virtual assistants or speech synthesis systems: Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Polly, Meta’s Voicebox. But what about diversity of voices in healthcare, where the stakes are higher?  

Wolters Kluwer Health, maker of clinical decision-making support tools, decided to re-examine its voice technology after 15 years. The goal is to help providers better reach and engage diverse patients. What goes into designing and implementing thoughtful voice interactions with patients when using AI? To answer that, Fierce’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sat down with Freddie Feldman, the director of voice and conversational interfaces at Wolters Kluwer Health. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Alexa is finding a voice in healthcare. Cedars-Sinai, Boston Children's sign on for new Amazon smart hospital service
• Oracle Health integrates generative AI, voice tech into EHR system to automate medical note-taking
• HIMSS23: Amazon launches new features for hospitals using Alexa devices
• Automation platform Luma Health launches digital call deflection to save providers, patients time

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This week on "Podnosis," Dr. Nigam Shah, Chief Data Scientist at Stanford Health Care, shares insights into the direction of the industry and anticipated developments as AI adoption gains momentum. In an interview with Heather Landi from Fierce Healthcare, Dr. Shah explores the implications of the Biden administration’s executive order on AI, strategies for addressing ethical concerns related to AI use and ways to pave the path for the responsible use of AI.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• 'Devil is in the details' for Biden's AI strategy, but some experts are skeptical about efforts to regulate the technology
• Biden to sign sweeping executive order pursuing 'safe, secure and trustworthy' AI development
• US patients believe generative AI can improve healthcare access, affordability, survey finds
• 'It can be life or death': Microsoft's Peter Lee on the power, dangers of GPT-4 in medicine
• Many open questions remain on AI risks, liability that will likely play out in court, experts say

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About a fifth of kids under 18 in New Jersey have special healthcare needs, ranging from learning disabilities to ADHD to anxiety. They, along with their families, encounter numerous challenges when seeking care, such as a shortage of providers, long wait times and limited insurance coverage.

Community-based therapeutic recreation and adaptive sport programs have the potential to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Unfortunately, these offerings are often distant and expensive.

Children’s Specialized Hospital, part of RWJBarnabas, has taken matters into its own hands by providing recreation, sports and social programs for kids with special needs. In this episode of "Podnosis," Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sat down with Matthew McDonald, M.D., the hospital’s president and CEO, to discuss what it takes to offer these services in-house and the future of pediatric care.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Marker Learning scores $15M to continue bringing down the cost of learning disability assessments

• People with disabilities much more likely to delay care during COVID-19, study finds

• Labor shortages impacting care for patients with disabilities. Here's how some organizations are tackling the problem

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Earlier this year, Fierce Healthcare, Fierce Pharma and Fierce Biotech recognized 50 individuals and companies that are pushing the industry forward. The Fierce 50 winners range from tech innovators to researchers developing novel therapies to providers on the frontlines of changing care. This week on Podnosis, senior editor Paige Minemyer sat down with staff writers Dave Muoio and Anastassia Gliadkovskaya as well as senior editor Heather Landi to discuss a few of the honorees in more detail. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

The Fierce 50 of 2023 

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Chronic kidney disease is a significant public health issue. Nationwide, roughly 37 million Americans live with chronic kidney disease. Each year, more than 130,000 Americans receive a diagnosis of kidney failure or end-stage renal disease, an irreversible condition that can be fatal.

DaVita is one of the largest providers of kidney care, and its services range from slowing the progression of kidney disease to supporting transplantation. This week on "Podnosis," Senior Editor Heather Landi sits down with Misha Palecek, who leads DaVita’s strategic value-based care partnerships and care delivery innovations, to discuss why the shift to value-based care is critical in raising the bar on kidney care and addressing widespread healthcare disparities.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• More than half of Americans are unfamiliar with chronic kidney disease, survey finds

• DaVita, Medtronic raise the curtain on tech company, Mozarc Medical, aiming to bring innovation to kidney care

• Program promises to take a team approach to tackling severe kidney disease

• DaVita CEO Javier Rodriguez talks integrated kidney care, competitive threats and regulation

• Home care industry touts bipartisan bill to expand Medicare in-home benefits, reimbursement

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In this week’s episode of "Podnosis," you'll hear from two journalists from the Fierce Healthcare team: Paige Minemyer, senior editor of Fierce Health Payer, and Dave Muoio, a staff writer for Fierce Healthcare. Together, they guide you through their key insights from the inaugural Fierce Health Payer Summit in Austin and dive into the latest earnings updates from the largest health plans and health systems.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• UnitedHealth sees a 'mixed bag' of responses to GLP-1 demand
• CVS Health beats the Street with $2.3B in Q3 profit
• Sutter Health slips to 0.1% operating margin, $98M net loss in Q3
• Kaiser Permanente logs $239M net income, 0.6% operating margin in Q3 2023
• Cigna boosts guidance as it posts $1.4B in profit for Q3
• Humana raises MA enrollment projections again, beats EPS market estimates
• Community Health Systems brings more physicians in-house to combat high labor costs, staffing fees
• UHS beats with $167M Q3 profit, but has more work securing payments, reducing physician expenses on its plate
• HCA Healthcare's newly consolidated physician staffing venture is bleeding $50M per quarter, execs tell investors
• Centene still expects to lose more than 2M members as Medicaid redeterminations reach midway point
• Elevance Health braces for $500M hit to bonus revenue amid MA star ratings drop

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Hello Heart, a digital platform designed to help people manage their heart health, is a U.S.-based company with offices in California and New York, and it also has a significant presence in Israel, with the majority of its roughly 80 employees there working from the Tel Aviv office.  

In this week’s episode of “Podnosis,” Hello Heart CEO Maayan Cohen, who resides in Tel Aviv, shares her personal experience during a challenging moment when she was on her way to the annual HLTH conference in Las Vegas and heard about the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel. At that moment, Cohen was unable to help get her employees, some of whom were in the strike zone, to safety. She sat down with Fierce’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya to talk about what she did next and her strategy for leading Hello Heart through the crisis. 

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In this week's episode of “Podnosis,” we explore Blue Shield of California's plan to transform its pharmacy model. This includes a shift away from the traditional PBM relationship in favor of forming partnerships with five companies: Amazon Pharmacy, Abarca, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company, CVS Caremark and Prime Therapeutics. 

Fierce's Paige Minemyer sat down with Blue Shield of California's Chief Operating Officer, Sandra Clarke, to discuss the new approach to pharmacy benefits. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• PBMs under fire again as Senate introduces new bill
• Blue Shield of California ditches CVS Caremark as PBM, unveils new pharmacy care model
• Blue Shield of California bringing Wellvolution program to Medi-Cal plans

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In this week's episode of “Podnosis,” we look at the major health disparities facing Native Americans and explore what can be done to make meaningful improvements. 

Misty Wilkie, Ph.D., RN, a clinical associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, has a deep understanding of the challenges in obtaining high-quality care, drawing from her own experiences as an American Indian. In a conversation with Anastassia Gliadkovskaya from Fierce, she shares her efforts to enhance diversity and cultural competency within the healthcare system. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• 2 in 5 Native Americans visit ER due to diabetes complications, survey finds

• Systemic racism, nonstandard data collection hamper hospital equity officers' efforts, survey shows

• Maternal death rates nearly doubled in 2 decades, study finds. Inconsistent data collection also hampers improvement efforts

• Commonwealth Fund gives healthcare in southeastern states failing grades across the board

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