Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Harpreet Pall, CMO and pediatrics professor focused on clinical quality and care coordination. He discusses reducing unnecessary clinical variation to improve length of stay and outcomes. He explains redesigning multidisciplinary rounds to center the attending and set discharge expectations. He outlines engaging frontline teams for change, expanding virtual and hospital-at-home care, and priorities for 2026.

Scott Hurst, CEO of PPNHCo, leads a 600-provider IPA and is launching a multiple employer welfare arrangement to lower costs. He explains how MIWAs work and why employers should consider contracting directly with independent networks. He talks about preserving independent medicine through operational alignment and scaling, and urges careful, accountable adoption of AI in healthcare.

JohnRich Levine, Chief Nursing Officer at Reeves Regional Health, leads rural nursing efforts in West Texas. He discusses shifting from reactive to structural staffing, visible leadership and tighter onboarding. He also covers cross-training, operational efficiency, and flexible staffing to sustain small-hospital care and culture.

T.Y. Alvin Liu, MD, retina surgeon and director of Johns Hopkins’ AI Innovation Center. He explores voice-enabled patient access and AI-centric clinical workflows. He discusses oculomics and retinal biomarkers as a new data source. He previews artificial medical general intelligence and calls for rethinking physician training and implementation strategy.

Dr. Laura Catena, emergency physician and fourth-generation vintner, mixes medicine and winemaking. She talks about decades of research on moderate drinking and heart health. She outlines a major randomized trial in Spain testing wine within a Mediterranean diet. She also discusses cancer risk trade-offs and how clinicians should handle nuanced lifestyle conversations.

Coverage of a $900 million hospital approval in Tennessee and what it means for regional health systems. Discussion of rising complexity in the COO role and major leadership transitions at a large health system. A ratings upgrade for a major health system and a court ruling forcing removal of hospital grades. A personal career story tracing medicine from segregation to pediatric leadership.

Molly Brady, oncology nurse and Director of Customer Success at Ontada, brings clinical EHR expertise. David Ward, VP of Business Development at CoverMyMeds, brings 20+ years in medication access and commercialization. They discuss embedding access workflows into EHRs to speed therapy starts. Conversation covers oncology integrations, automation vs AI, real patient workflow challenges, pilot wins, and using the EHR as the single source of truth.

Kate FitzPatrick, Chief Nurse Executive at Jefferson Health and seasoned nursing leader, discusses integrating nursing teams across a 33-hospital system. She talks about strengthening community partnerships and educating nurses on insurance. She explains the Nursing SEAL team approach, supporting early-career nurses, closing care transition gaps, and redesigning workforce with tech-enabled, flexible roles.

Dr. Jay L. Robinson III, Senior VP and Area Manager at Kaiser Permanente, is a clinician-leader focused on workforce culture and AI-driven innovation. He discusses strengthening culture through rounding and coaching. He highlights AI adoption, patient experience as an operating model, and new care pathways that reduce hospitalizations and expand community-based care.

Krista Nelson, CEO of Optum Health and longtime UnitedHealth leader, discusses a shift to focused, integrated value-based care anchored in primary care. She highlights clinician support, tech like AI to cut admin work, Medicare Advantage funding concerns, and the need for cross-sector partnerships to scale better care.