The Gist Healthcare Podcast

Healthcare policy has taken a back seat on Capitol Hill so far in 2026, as lawmakers focus on other matters. But several issues are still unfolding, including Medicaid work requirements, a potential Surgeon General confirmation battle, and policy proposals that could advance or stall as Congress heads toward the midterms. Michael McAuliff, who covers politics and policy in Washington, D.C. for Modern Healthcare, joins host J. Carlisle Larsen to break down what to watch. 

A cyberattack tied to Iranian hackers hits a large medical device manufacturer. A new analysis links Medicare Advantage overpayments to higher premiums for seniors. And CVS Health partners with Google on a new consumer health engagement platform. That's coming up on today's episode of the Gist Healthcare Podcast.

In this episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast, we cover the FDA’s top vaccine official stepping down, a federal ruling involving Leapfrog and Tenet hospitals, and a new agreement between Novo Nordisk and Hims and Hers.

As reimbursement levels shift under site-neutral payment, health systems must move from strategy to execution. On today's episode of the Gist Healthcare Podcast, we hear the second part of host J. Carlisle Larsen’s conversation Kaufman Hall Managing Director Joyjit Choudhury about what cost restructuring looks like in practice. That includes rethinking business and operating models, integrating site-neutral planning into broader enterprise strategy and aligning finance, operations and clinical leadership around a sustainable path forward. Be sure to check out Joyjit's recent blog about this topic. You can find the first part of our conversation here.

Amazon introduces a new agentic AI tool designed for healthcare. States signal plans to invest Rural Health Transformation Fund grants in value-based care initiatives. And Eli Lilly launches a direct-to-employer platform for weight loss drugs. That's coming up on today's episode of the Gist Healthcare Podcast.

Elevance Health’s Medicare Advantage plans face federal sanctions. The University of Mississippi Medical Center clinics reopen after a ransomware attack. And the FDA warns telehealth companies about marketing compounded weight loss drugs. That's coming up on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

Site-neutral payment is shifting from policy debate to operational reality. With drug administration services now included in the Medicare 2026 final rule and additional changes potentially ahead, health systems face growing uncertainty around reimbursement, site-of-care strategy and margin impact.  In this two-part conversation, Gist Healthcare Podcast host J. Carlisle Larsen speaks with Joyjit Choudhury, Managing Director with Kaufman Hall in the firm’s Strategy and Business Transformation practice, about his recent blog piece examining site-neutral payments and how hospitals and health systems can build a plan amid uncertainty.  

President Trump highlights healthcare reforms in this year’s State of the Union. Fifteen states sue HHS over changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule. And Medicare Advantage margins outperform other lines of business in 2024. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

On this episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast, we cover the FDA’s fast track for rare disease treatments, the end of two major healthcare labor strikes and a measles outbreak in South Carolina nearing 1,000 cases.