Podnosis

In five to 10 years, a hospital room could look very different. Advocate Health is beginning to build that room of the future today. The concept integrates advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, virtual nursing and audio, video and sensor data for intelligent patient monitoring, creating an extra set of eyes and ears for care teams. Nurses and clinicians can respond more quickly and proactively, while patients receive real-time assistance. Virtual technology also allows family members to participate in care from outside the room.

Advocate Health is piloting the room of the future at two hospitals in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Fierce Healthcare got a firsthand look at the initiative. On site, Executive Editor Heather Landi spoke with Molly McColl, Advocate Health’s vice president of virtual health and clinical transformation, about how the tech-enabled hospital room supports care teams, improves the patient experience and expands access to care, particularly in rural communities.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• A conversation with Eugene Woods, the architect of 'Applied Hope'

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Measurement-based care is increasingly referenced in conversations across the behavioral health industry. Providers recognize the value of patient-reported outcomes as a way to track progress.

Yet there are important considerations in doing measurement-based care well.

To understand what those are, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with Two Chairs’ Chief Clinical Officer Colleen Marshall about the company’s approach to clinician training, its internal culture of measurement and the outcomes it has seen.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Employers can do more to track the efficacy of mental health benefits, study says

• How tech, incentives could push measurement-based care in behavioral health
• A closer look at the impact of measurement-based care in behavioral health

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Dermatology may not be a specialty traditionally associated with high costs, but that is changing, in part because of the rise of new biologic drugs. Specialty medications are rapidly driving up dermatology spending, with some estimates showing utilization growing more than 30% year over year, a pace that rivals other high-cost therapeutic areas.

Could strong health outcomes be achieved with a less expensive approach? Zest Health is a value-based dermatology startup that treats skin conditions as chronic diseases and aims to align care with long-term patient needs. The company emphasizes education, lifestyle changes and over-the-counter interventions, while using high-cost biologics more selectively when clinically appropriate.

To explore how dermatology arrived at this moment, and what a different model could look like, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Olivia Deitcher, founder and CEO of Zest Health.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Fueled by new launches, US drug prices poised to continue trending upward: Cowen report
• Championing equity in skin of color dermatology

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Dual-eligible members are often described as the most complex population in health care, and many health plans continue to struggle with how best to support them. In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, Darin Buxbaum, co-founder and CEO of Wider Circle, joins host Chris Hayden to discuss why traditional engagement and enrollment models frequently miss the mark.

Buxbaum explains how a lack of trust, fragmented Medicare and Medicaid alignment, and broker-driven approaches contribute to high churn and poor member experiences. He also outlines why community-based, peer-led engagement can be more effective, citing published research and real-world results that show stronger retention and lower inpatient utilization.

The conversation explores the growing urgency created by CMS rules requiring exclusively aligned enrollment and what those changes mean for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care organizations. Health plan leaders will gain insight into how to stabilize members, prepare them for alignment and build trust-based relationships that support better care and stronger performance. Listen to the full interview to learn how community can become a strategic advantage.

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The buzz around artificial intelligence in healthcare hasn’t waned, and for major companies to keep up, they must invest in key applications. For the biggest firms, that translates to hundreds of use cases in practice and testing.

At Elevance Health, that work is grounded in a key mantra: keep the member at the center. 

In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sat down with Ratnakar Lavu, chief digital information officer at Elevance Health, to discuss where the insurer is seeing success and how it’s building ethical guardrails for AI development.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• A look inside Elevance Health's artificial intelligence strategy
• Elevance Health offers employees AI skills training in collaboration with OpenAI
• ECRI flags misuse of AI chatbots as a top health tech hazard in 2026
• CMS wants to speed up tech innovation and AI for patients, setting major goalposts in 2026
• 2026 Outlook: Setting the standard for health AI programs

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Colorectal cancer rates are rising rapidly among young people worldwide. Experts expect it to become the leading cause of cancer death among people ages 20 to 49 by 2030. Younger patients are also more likely to be diagnosed at later stages.

In 2019, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute launched its Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center. The center is pioneering a specialized model of care to address and study the unique needs of younger cancer patients.

To break down the clinical and research offerings at the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center, senior writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Kimmie Ng, M.D., the center’s founding director. Ng is also associate chief of GI Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• More patients are surviving cancer, but incident rates rising among women and younger adults: ACS report

• As colorectal cancer patients get younger, governments need to boost awareness, screening: report

• Cancer death rate continues to decline but new cases expected to top 2 million this year, study finds

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With all the talk about generative AI over the past few years, the conversation in healthcare has largely shifted away from less flashy use cases, such as automating administrative tasks. But doing the basics well remains key to minimizing missed appointments, delayed treatments and lost revenue. 

PocketHealth automates nonclinical workflows for providers, from image release and scheduling to patient communication. Co-founder and CEO Rishi Nayyar argues that providers still have a long way to go before mastering this type of automation. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with Nayyar about the different types of AI, how advances in the technology have enabled faster integrations and what the future of automation could look like.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Physicians and administrators view AI as key to reduce professional burdens: Innovaccer
• Economic pressure, consumer behavior will push providers to speed up AI adoption in 2026
• Adoption of AI for hospital RCM surges, but cost, operational constraints slow progress

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On January 1, CMS launched its latest alternative payment model: TEAM, the Transforming Episode Accountability Model. The mandatory program requires hundreds of acute care hospitals to participate in episode-based payments for five common, high-cost surgeries.

TEAM's goal is central to value-based care: improve quality while reducing Medicare spending. But the model has faced industry resistance. Critics argue it puts smaller, less-resourced hospitals at risk and should be voluntary. CMS maintains that the model builds on past voluntary programs and aligns with recommendations from federal partners.

To understand TEAM and what it demands of hospitals, senior writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with Jeff Gleason, M.D., the new chief medical officer of Navvis, a value-based care enablement company. He argues that hospitals that don't prepare now will struggle later.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Hospitals rail against 'inadequate' pay bump, mandatory TEAM participation in IPPS comments
• Hospitals, health systems expect to ramp up value-based care in 2026, 2027
• CMMI to cut participation in payment models, estimates $750M in savings

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Employers are in a tough spot. Healthcare costs are rising, while insurance plan options may seem overwhelming or inadequate. The need for real value has never been more apparent. What if there were a way to optimize an existing provider network for quality?

Garner Health helps employers address these pain points. By finding the best-performing doctors in a given network and incentivizing members to see them, Garner claims to help clients save costs and achieve better health outcomes.

To break it down, Fierce Healthcare's Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Garner Health founder and CEO Nick Reber.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Employers brace for 6.7% increase in health benefits costs
• Report: Payers need to do more to demonstrate value to plan sponsors
• Industry Voices—Maximizing your benefits investment: Why health insurance literacy is the missing link

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Since the Trump administration took office in January, healthcare policy has been moving quickly, with changes touching Medicaid funding, ACA subsidies, hospital finances and the federal government’s approach to health technology.

This week on "Podnosis," we’re bringing you a recording from a live roundtable at the Fierce Health Payer Summit on Dec. 4, where members of the Fierce Healthcare editorial team unpacked the policy and funding shifts already underway. The discussion covers Medicaid cuts and coverage losses, how hospitals are preparing for reduced government funding, CMS’ new health tech ecosystem and where PBM reform stands after years of scrutiny.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Crapo, Cassidy introduce ACA subsidy plan that leans on HSAs
• AHIP presses for ACA subsidy extension, further program integrity measures
• Medicaid work rules exempt the 'medically frail.' Deciding who qualifies is tricky
• When the hospital leaves town
• Many urban safety-net hospitals threatened by OBBBA's Medicaid cuts: analysis
• Industry Voices—3 major changes to Medicare Part B payment policies coming for 2026
• 'Come fight with me'—Oz courts physicians skeptical of Medicaid cuts, MAHA's criticisms
• KFF: States brace for increasing Medicaid costs even as enrollment stays flat
• All 50 states submit applications for $50B Rural Health Transformation Program
• The policies top of mind for healthcare stakeholders right now
• Hospital M&A continues to rebound as policy uncertainty clears

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