On this episode of the ACO Show, Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) spoke to Melissa Dunford (@MelissaDunford6) and Kristy McGlothin (@kristymcglothin), two of Aledade's Practice Transformation Specialists (PTS). As the Aledade team members who spend the most time out in the field with our partner primary care practices, they each share their unique experiences helping practices understand and adapt to a new model of health care.

Brady Richards started out as a junior engineer working on electronic health records 18 years ago, and today he serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Aledade, leading a growing team of engineers across the U.S. He joined the ACO Show to share what he has learned from a career of developing technologies that help physicians manage multiple aspects of their practices and why he continues to find health care data so engaging.

Dr. Juan Duran and Lucia Zegarra joined the ACO Show this week during Hispanic Heritage Month to share their experiences working in the U.S. health care system. Juan is a third-year resident in pediatric neurology at Columbia University, and Lucia is the Director of Community Health Programs at Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER). They discussed the unique barriers to care that many Hispanic and Latinx individuals face as they navigate our complex health system. They also share some ways physicians can better serve the Hispanic community, and, as Lucia put it, “to not only care for them but to care about them."

Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean), former Governor of Vermont, joins Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) for this week’s episode. As a physician, governor, presidential candidate, and Chair of the Democratic National Committee, he has been at the forefront of many of the health care debates of the past 30 years. On this episode, he shares his thoughts on universal health care coverage, medical marijuana, and the future of American health care.

Elisabeth Rosenthal (@RosenthalHealth) kicks off Season 2 of The ACO Show with Josh Israel (@DrJIsrael) and Joe Shonkwiler (@JoeShonkwiler). She points out some of the bigger flaws in our health care system and discusses what physicians and private companies can do to bring more humanity back to the practice of medicine.

Dr. Rosenthal is the Editor-in-Chief of Kaiser Health News and the author of the bestselling book “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back.” She covered health care and environmental issues for the New York Times for 22 years. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School and practiced emergency medicine in New York City before transitioning to journalism. Kaiser Health News is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente Health Plans.

Dan Bowles (@DBowles1607), SVP of Growth & Network Operations at Aledade, joins Josh (@DrIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) on the The ACO Show Season 1 Finale to discuss network expansion of Accountable Care Organizations through partnerships with independent physician practices. Aledade sets the framework to help these practices participate in value-based care and sustain independence in the long run.

Two weeks ago, several primary care physicians traveled from their communities to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. They spent an entire day meeting with policymakers and helping them understand what it's like to be in a physician-led ACO. On this episode, Farzad Mostashari (@Farzad_MD), CEO of Aledade, and Travis Broome (@Travis_Broome), Vice President of Policy at Aledade, sit down with Dr. Karl Schwabe from Pennsylvania and Dr. Richard Card from Virginia to learn more about their first experience on Capitol Hill and to discuss how policy decisions get made — decisions that affect every healthcare provider in the US.

Josh (@DrIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) had the opportunity to speak with Erica Ashe, a Resident Assistant at the University of Michigan in hematology and oncology, and Dr. Phil Rogers (@PhilRodgersMD), a Family Physician at the University of Michigan, working in their Comprehensive Gender Services program. Erica is one of Dr. Rogers' patients and has been through the transgender process herself. As a transgender male-to-female patient of color, she brings an incredible story to share with Aledade. 

Dr. Karen L. Smith (@KLSmithMD) is a national leader in primary care and was named the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Family Physician of the Year in 2017.  She is also an independent primary care physician and the medical director of Aledade’s North Carolina ACO. Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) speaks with Dr. Smith about what the Declaration of Independence can teach us about the current state of American healthcare and why she is optimistic about the future of primary care.

Allison Brennan is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOs), a nonprofit organization focused on fostering the growth of the ACO model. On this week’s podcast, she sits down with Josh (@DrJIsrael) and Joe (@JoeShonkwiler) to discuss how to improve ACO policy in order to ensure the sustainability of the model and advance population health.