Definitively Speaking

Medical professionals are leaving the industry in droves, and those who remain are burning out over untenable workloads and business pressures. Our doctors are responsible for caring for us. But who’s responsible for caring for them? And why do so many doctors not take the time to take care of themselves? Dr. Gail Gazelle, a physician coach, author, and Harvard assistant professor, joins Justin to explain why healthcare professionals are so prone to burnout and how they can – and must – preserve their mental well-being. Dr. Gazelle discusses the four signs of burnout, the systemic factors that contribute to it, and how mindfulness can help physicians avoid handing over their happiness.

What’s it like being an investor in the healthcare space? It’s a little like dating for a living, if all your dates only want to talk about work and money. Sam Hendler, managing director of business development at Thomas H. Lee Partners, joins Justin to discuss what’s hot—and what’s not—in the world of healthcare investment, from major M&A activity to the growing challenges of interoperability. Learn what investors really look for in their prospects, why healthcare can’t seem to master revenue cycle management, and how working with the government as a private equity firm is kind of like keeping a pet tiger.

Whether you place the blame on wonky demand curves or misaligned incentive structures, there’s no getting around it: the massive U.S. healthcare system just isn’t delivering on its $4.3 trillion investment. Is it time for a medical Manhattan Project? In this special episode, Justin is joined by Jonathan Bush, founder and CEO of Zus Health, and Robert Musslewhite, Definitive Healthcare CEO, to debate the future of the US healthcare system – what’s broken and who has what responsibility to fix it. Justin, Jonathan, and Robert discuss who’s really at-fault – is it the government, the payors, or the healthcare systems themselves? One thing’s for sure: it’s not the patient’s fault – or is it? They debate ideas for aligning payors, providers, employers, and patients. And they discuss the industry’s long, winding, and never-ending road to IT interoperability, and why that interoperability might not be the panacea that so many people think it could be.

It’s tough being an executive at a healthcare delivery network these days. Competition for patients is brutal, doctors are leaving in droves, and insurance companies are squeezing your margins. And by the way, your board wants you to grow your revenues and your profits at the same time. So what’s the magic answer? Well, there isn’t really one, but Bill Moschella has some ideas on what you can do. Bill leverages his experience of building seven successful start-ups for the provider market to expert insights on how to deliver operational excellence amid unprecedented financial and competitive pressures, why it’s more important than ever to lean into innovation, and his no-nonsense formula for succeeding in the dynamic and complex healthcare market.

The American healthcare system is far from perfect—which makes it a pretty perfect environment for entrepreneurs and innovators. But it takes more than an unmet need and some startup capital to find success in a crowded market. Lesley Solomon, venture chair at Redesign Health, joins Justin to talk about the joys and challenges of creating news businesses in the healthcare space. She walks through her successes and failures with startups across the care continuum, defends the value of innovating as an insider, and explains what a venture chair really is—and why it’s a little like herding sheep.

More than 131 million people in the U.S. take a prescription drug every day, but nearly half don’t take their medications as directed. Charles Gellman, CEO and co-founder of HiDO Health, joins Justin to discuss how technologies like AI, RFID, and robotics can help patients and caregivers adhere to complex drug regimens without direct support from a doctor or pharmacist. Charles explains how his company leverages this tech to eliminate barriers to health equity and reduce the 125,000 preventable deaths and $300 billion in preventable care costs associated with medication non-adherence each year.

In the U.S., payors and providers need each other to deliver the highest-quality care at the lowest cost—but they don’t always get along. Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity, joins Justin to discuss the systemic factors driving the misalignment between payors and providers. Russ and Justin discuss how technology and a new perspective might be able to simplify two of biggest points of friction: utilization management and authorization workflow.

On a snowy January day in 2022, Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of cardiac xenotransplantation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, oversaw the first transplantation of a pig heart into a human body. Dr. Mohiuddin joins Justin to discuss this landmark procedure—from the selection of patient David Bennett to the complications that ultimately led to the transplanted heart’s failure 60 days after the successful surgery—and what comes next for this rapidly advancing field.