A limited, but growing, number of healthcare providers are announcing policies to charge patients for electronic messages sent to clinicians. The organizations say it's necessary in light of the time commitment doctors and others spend on each message. Patient advocacy groups say otherwise. This week on 'Podnosis,' Fierce's Dave Muoio talks with John Hargraves, the director of data strategy for the Health Care Cost Institute. They discuss the background of these policies, their pushback, and whether they're likely to spread.

Also on the show: Jake Prigoff, the genera partner at Gaingels, an LGBTQ-ally collective with more than 2,000 members interested in investing in diverse and inclusive companies. Prigoff talks with Fierce's Anastassia Gliadkovskaya about the importance of diverse investors and founders.

To learn more about topics in this episode: 

• Reflecting on Pride Month, industry leaders see progress—and persistent challenges—for better LGBTQIA+ healthcare
• LGBTQ+ care providers calling for advocacy, education to push back against anti-transgender efforts
• Fierce Healthcare's most influential minority executives in healthcare for 2022
• As major hospitals now bill for some patient-provider messaging, the move could usher wider adoption
• UCSF Health received fewer patient portal messages after letting clinicians choose when to charge

"Podnosis" and "The Top Line" are produced by senior producer Teresa Carey. The stories are by all our “Fierce” journalists. Like and subscribe wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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