The Gist Healthcare Podcast

Healthcare organizations have spent decades working to improve patient safety, but those efforts have traditionally focused on what happens after a patient enters the healthcare system. Dr. Victor Hassid, Associate Vice President of Access Strategic Operations at MD Anderson Cancer Center, joins the podcast to discuss why he believes patient safety begins much earlier and why delays and breakdowns in access should be viewed through the lens of patient safety.  You can find Dr. Hassid's article here. (paywall) 

The Trump administration limits most student visa stays to four years, potentially affecting foreign medical students. New data show clinics and physician practices drove healthcare bankruptcies in the first half of the year. And confirmed U.S. measles cases have reached a new milestone. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

The Trump administration freezes $1 billion in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota. The Senate blocks an effort to halt Medicare's AI prior authorization pilot. And Eli Lilly expands into the psychedelic drug market. Listen to these stories and more on today's episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

As healthcare affordability remains a top concern for voters, political messaging is taking shape ahead of the 2026 midterms. Michael McAuliff, politics and policy reporter for Modern Healthcare, joins host J. Carlisle Larsen to discuss how candidates are talking about Medicaid, Medicare for All, and other healthcare issues—and what to watch as the campaign season continues.

A bipartisan bill would tie Medicare physician reimbursement to inflation. A key Senate panel questions President Trump’s nominee to lead the CDC. And more adults are turning to AI for medical advice. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

On today's episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Michigan officials narrow the search for the source of a large Cyclospora outbreak, new CMS data show ACO REACH generated nearly $1 billion in net savings to Medicare in 2024, and a new survey finds clinicians continue to face barriers to using data from consumer wearable devices.

Ascension completes its multibillion-dollar acquisition of ambulatory surgery center operator AmSurg, physician associates sue the Trump administration over federal student loan changes, and nearly one in five privately insured adults faced a coverage denial last year on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

The Trump administration advances Medicaid work requirement rules, a new report warns hundreds of rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and CVS Health adds Eli Lilly’s weight loss drugs back to its formulary. Those stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

The American Hospital Association and West Health Institute have launched a national accelerator focused on helping hospitals scale technology-enabled care solutions.    The initiative will focus on electronic health record optimization, virtual care, and AI integration as health systems work to reduce administrative burden and improve care delivery.   On today’s episode, the AHA’s Chief Physician Executive and Senior Vice President Chris DeRienzo, M.D., returns to the show. We examine what the accelerator could mean for health systems navigating clinician burnout, administrative burden, and growing pressure to modernize care delivery. You can find more information about the program at nationalaccelerator.org.