Health tech experts and leaders descended on Nashville last week to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the digital health sector. 

Senior Editor Heather Landi, Senior Writer Paige Minemyer and Staff Writer Emma Beavins were on-site for several days of panels, meetings and deep dives. This week, they sit down to take a look back at the trendiest topics from the show floor. (Hint: It’s AI, of course). 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• ViVE 2025 roundup: Lumeris unveils AI tech for primary care; DoseSpot's latest Rx transparency tool
• ViVE 2025: Where Humana's CenterWell team is exploring the promise of AI
• ViVE 2025: Cleveland Clinic rolls out Ambience's AI for doctors after testing scribe technologies
• ViVE 2025: Abridge scores $250M, adds new AI tool to streamline 'billable notes'
• ViVE 2025: Highmark taps Sword Health for pelvic health program
• ViVE 2025: MultiPlan unveils rebrand as it shifts focus to data assets, tech for providers, payers and employers
• ViVE 2025: UPMC Enterprises has AI on its radar as it launches new testing environment for developers

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Over the past decade, emergency room visits for mental health-related needs have soared. But the ER is often not the only option for treatment. Certified community behavioral health clinics, or CCBHCs, provide evidence-based care for mental illness and substance use disorder. There are hundreds of these centers around the U.S. today. 

Fierce Healthcare’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks to Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, about the CCBHC model, how it works and what it takes for states to participate.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Survey: Opportunities for tech investments in behavioral health
• Learnings from Indiana's behavioral health system overhaul
• Avel eCare to offer virtual behavioral health services to people in crisis in North Dakota
• AI in action: Enhancing suicide risk detection in behavioral health
• HLTH24: A look at outcomes in Highmark's new behavioral health program

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Women make up half the U.S. population and make most healthcare decisions. Yet only 2% of VC dollars go toward women’s health. A recent report, released at this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, lays out the high-growth potential of the women’s health market and its promised return on investment.

The report was published by nonprofit Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) and KPMG. Fierce Healthcare’s Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks to two leaders involved: Carolee Lee, founder of WHAM, and KPMG U.S. healthcare sector leader Ash Shehata. They walk through the details of the report’s findings and explain how the investment community is increasingly rallying around women’s health.

Read the full report here.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• JPM25: First Lady Jill Biden committed to improving women's health as White House tenure winds down

• New collective of women's health companies aims to scale access to specialty care

• True change 'requires investment': Healthcare leaders react to new $250M Gates fund for women's health

• HHS announces $27.5M in funding to address women's behavioral health needs 

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With the election over and President Donald Trump officially inaugurated, all eyes in healthcare are turning toward how the sector might change. But as the first two weeks of his second term showed, keeping up with Trump’s actions—and their ramifications—requires full-time focus.

In this episode, Fierce Healthcare’s Noah Tong speaks with health policy expert Andrew Schwab to help us break through the noise on Capitol Hill and better understand Republicans’ upcoming legislative priorities. Schwab is founder and CEO of health policy and advocacy firm Platform Government Strategies. Schwab gives his thoughts on the likelihood of Medicaid cuts in a reconciliation bill, his views on the Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) and potential areas of bipartisan agreement. 

 To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• How Trump's DEI executive orders could impact healthcare
• How the DOGE agenda could impact Medicaid, veterans' healthcare
• States, nonprofits secure sweeping temporary restraining orders against Trump's federal assistance 'pause'
• What Trump's busy first week means for healthcare: AI policy shifts, HHS comms blackout, patient protections and more
• As Trump puts federal spending in crosshairs, KFF survey finds Medicare, Medicaid remain popular with voters

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Another year at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference is in the books. Fierce Healthcare’s Executive Editor Heather Landi and Senior Writer Paige Minemyer made the trek to San Francisco and after the event, sat down to discuss the biggest themes coming out of the conference. While major payers skipped out on attending this year, health tech companies, health systems and insurtechs all made appearances to share their latest updates with investors.

In this episode, we’ll also share more about Heather’s fireside chat with former First Lady Jill Biden at Fierce JPM Week, where they dived into her efforts around women’s health. If you missed the event, check out the sessions on demand here. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• JPM25, Day 1: CHAI launches working group on use of AI for prior auth; IU Health's focus on team culture

• JPM25, Day 2: News from Nvidia, Tempus AI and Health Catalyst; A look at Children's Health Dallas' expansion plans

• JPM25 Day 3: Why 2025 will be a hot year for M&A; Talkspace rolls out new AI-powered tool for therapists

• JPM25: A look inside Advocate Health's Rewire 2030 strategy
• JPM25: CommonSpirit Health says focus on 'systemness' is driving financial, quality gains
• JPM25: Teladoc sees virtual chronic condition management as a key growth driver, joins Amazon's health benefits program
• JPM25: Checking in with Morgan Health
• JPM25: First Lady Jill Biden committed to improving women's health as White House tenure winds down
• 'Own JP Morgan, don't let JP Morgan own you': Biopharma—and Jill Biden—show up for JPM25

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The U.S. is in the throes of a mental health crisis. Deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide more than doubled between 2000 and 2017 and continue to rise. As the largest payer of behavioral health services in the country, Medicaid is crucial to serving society’s most vulnerable. But the infrastructure and funding for these services varies by state.  

Indiana, which had ranked low in national mental health rankings, established a behavioral health commission in 2020. The group was charged with improving the state’s infrastructure and outcomes in mental health. Jay Chaudhary, then the director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, led that effort. In today’s episode, he takes senior writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya through the overhaul, lessons learned and potential future policy threats to care access. 

Chaudhary is currently a senior fellow for mental health and community wellness at the Sagamore Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. He also writes a Substack newsletter, Favorable Thriving Conditions. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• One year of 988: The crisis hotline's successes and challenges
• Cityblock Health teams with MDwise to open health hubs in Indiana

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Price transparency has been a regulatory priority over the past several years. While providers have had time to adapt and adjust, there remain common challenges that many run into as they look to comply with regulatory requirements. 

Senior writer Paige Minemyer sat down with Turquoise Health’s AVP of Channel Sales Joe Wisniewski to outline these challenges, how hospitals can get ahead of the curve and lessons that payers can take away as regulations tighten for them, too.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Transparency has led to uniformity in healthcare costs—but not necessarily lower prices: white paper
• Price transparency startup Turquoise Health picks up $30M series B funding
• Hospital, payer price transparency compliance improves, but new requirements are kicking in this year
• GAO wants CMS to check whether hospitals' price transparency data are actually usable
• 'It isn't normal to operate the way they do': Senators condemn healthcare's resistance to price transparency

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Fierce Healthcare hosted the second annual Fierce Health Payer Summit in November. Top leaders and decision-makers in the healthcare and payer industry convened in Austin, Texas, for two days of discussions.  

During the event, Fierce’s Emma Beavins interviewed several panelists on the show floor about what they think the ideal payer of the future looks like. In this episode, you’ll hear about improving the member experience, reforming prior authorization and leveraging AI. 

The speakers featured in this episode are:  

• Alex Azar, former Health & Human Services secretary

• Tanvi Patel, general manager and director of Amazon Pharmacy

• Michael Anne Kyle, associate professor of health policy at the University of Pennsylvania

• Ed DeVaney, president of employer & health plans at CVS Caremark

• Brian Kim, CEO of HighRoads 

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Heather Cox, president of insights and empowerment at Zelis, discussed the challenges of achieving interoperability in healthcare during a recent podcast. She highlighted technical issues, diverse stakeholder needs and data silos as key obstacles. Cox emphasized the importance of real-time, secure data for payer-member engagement and suggested APIs as a promising solution. She also advised health plans on choosing technology partners and advocated for a data-centric approach to improve patient care. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

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Our early experiences as kids have a lasting impact on our health and wellbeing. From facing adverse childhood experiences to various social needs, kids are especially vulnerable to their environment, as their brains are still developing.

Schools play a crucial role in helping to support kids. However, our education system today does not do enough to equip children to understand their mental wellbeing and emotions. So argues Jessica Gomez, Psy.D., a bilingual psychologist in Texas. Gomez is executive director of Momentous Institute, a nonprofit offering mental health services and operating an elementary school in Dallas. 

In this week's episode of "Podnosis," Gomez walks Fierce Healthcare's Anastassia Gliadkovskaya through the importance of integrating social-emotional learning into education and how doing so early on can have lifelong benefits.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• California is funding managed care plans to bring mental healthcare to schools. Here's how it's going
• Experts weigh in on how to tackle growing teen mental health crisis
• Evernorth: How employers can take the lead on addressing youth mental health
• Cigna taps first 22 awardees in grant program targeted for youth mental health

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