The Gist Healthcare Podcast

The Food and Drug Administration will review Moderna’s new flu vaccine after reversing course. Medicare Advantage growth in 2026 is trailing prior years. And Amazon is expanding same-day prescription delivery to nearly 5,000 cities nationwide. Those stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

A federal judge vacates the FTC’s expanded premerger notification rules. Humana makes a significant primary care acquisition. And new data show primary care telehealth use has stabilized after its pandemic peak.These stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

Rural America has lost more than 10% of its family physicians since 2017, according to a report published late last year. What does that mean for patients and communities? On today's episode, host J. Carlisle Larsen speaks with Colleen Fogarty, M.D., the William Rocktaschel Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and lead author of the national study, about what the data reveals — and what happens when even one doctor leaves town.   Next week, we listen to the second part of their conversation where they look at the forces driving this decline.  

Healthcare accounted for more than half of all new jobs added in January. Nurses at four New York City hospitals have ratified new contracts. A new report also finds that investing in Poison Control can reduce costs for health systems. Those stories and more, coming up on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

Physicians face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk than the general population — yet fewer than one in three with a mental health condition ever receives care.   In this episode, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Global Chief Medical Officer for AIDOC, discusses what happens when physicians consider getting help. The conversation looks at how concerns about licensing, confidentiality, and other structural barriers can make seeking care feel risky, and why progress has been uneven.  You can listen to the first half of the conversation here.  

Today on The Gist Healthcare Podcast, negotiations to reinstate the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits stall in the Senate. Express Scripts reaches a landmark settlement with the FTC in the agency’s lawsuit against PBMs. Plus, a new report shows healthcare bankruptcies declined last year, even as financial pressure across the industry remains high. These stories and more, coming up.

Nearly 53 million prior authorization requests were submitted to Medicare Advantage plans in 2024. Enrollment on the Affordable Care Act marketplace slipped this year. Two major hospital deals also closed this week. Those stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

Physicians face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide risk than the general population, yet most never seek mental health care. In this episode, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Global Chief Medical Officer for AIDOC, discusses new JAMA research examining why. The conversation looks at how medical culture, stigma, time constraints and concerns about confidentiality or professional consequences can keep physicians from getting help, even when effective treatment exists. 

Healthcare costs top Americans’ financial worries, Medicare drug price negotiations expand, and a measles outbreak grows in South Carolina. Those stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.