The Gist Healthcare Podcast

Hackensack Meridian Health recently became the first health system to earn The Joint Commission's Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare Certification. In the second part of his conversation on The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Joel Klein, MD, executive vice president and chief digital and information officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, discusses how the system measures AI's benefits, approaches patient safety and considers the technology's potential to expand access to care.

You can listen to the first half of the conversation here.

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Hackensack Meridian Health recently became the first health system to earn The Joint Commission's Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare Certification. On The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Joel Klein, MD, executive vice president and chief digital and information officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, discusses the organization's approach to AI governance, building clinician trust and evaluating new technologies before deployment.

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Healthcare accounts for a significant share of recent U.S. job growth, even as employment trends vary across other sectors. On The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Emma Wager, senior policy analyst at KFF, discusses the factors driving healthcare hiring, the broader economic context and the financial and policy pressures that could shape future employment.

Read more: Is This A Healthcare Economy? (Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker)

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Utah is expanding its AI regulatory sandbox program to test new clinical applications while strengthening oversight. On The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Fierce Healthcare executive editor Heather Landi discusses the state's latest healthcare AI pilots and lessons learned from its inaugural clinical AI pilot from earlier this year.

Read more: Utah expands healthcare AI sandbox with August AI, Nolla Health pilots, adds third-party evaluators (Fierce Healthcare)

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Rural communities across the United States are facing a sustained decline in access to primary care. Since 2017, the number of family physicians practicing in rural areas has dropped by more than 10%, according to a report published late last year. In many regions, that reduction has implications for care capacity, hospital stability and long-term workforce planning.

In the second part of the conversations, host J. Carlisle Larsen speaks with Colleen Fogarty, M.D. of the University of Rochester about the structural factors shaping the rural physician workforce and what it will take to strengthen it, examining rural residency programs, medical training pipelines, immigration pathways and loan repayment incentives as policy levers aimed at stabilizing rural access to care.

You can listen to the first half of the conversation here.

This conversation originally aired on February 23, 2026

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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 Dr. Colleen Fogarty, 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.

This episode originally aired on February 16, 2026

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will remove hundreds of thousands of people from Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollment. A reintroduced bill in Congress would establish stricter cybersecurity standards for healthcare organizations. And Mayo Clinic and Thermo Fisher Scientific launch a biomedical data company. Those stories on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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A Washington Post investigation found that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk paid more than $270 million to physicians and other prescribers between 2018 and 2025. On The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Washington Post data reporter Lydia Sidhom discusses how the companies’ outreach has expanded across the medical community and what the federal data can and cannot tell us about those payments.

Further reading: The largely hidden force helping drive America’s craze for weight-loss drugs (Washington Post)

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A federal judge blocks a four-year limit on stays for international students and trainees. Arkansas independent pharmacies sue Express Scripts alleging underpayment. And a not-for-profit Medicare Advantage carrier expands its offerings through a retail partnership. Those stories on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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The federal government issues guidance on medical frailty exemptions to Medicaid community engagement requirements. Pennsylvania reports a fourth measles-related death. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares the summer’s cyclospora outbreak over. Those stories on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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Rural healthcare providers face significant opportunities and difficult choices about the future. On The Gist Healthcare Podcast, Kenny O’Neill, managing director at Kaufman Hall, discusses how leaders can approach transformation amid mounting pressure.

Further reading: Rural health needs big, transformative bets, not small pilots

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A prominent House Democrat is probing the behavior of No Surprises Act arbiters. A federal audit finds Medicare Part D plans spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ineligible drugs. And smart ring maker Oura files to go public. Those stories and more on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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President Trump taps a White House health policy aide to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Health insurers denied at least 12% of prior authorization requests across all insurance markets last year. And a breakthrough vaccine could change how cancer is treated. Those stories on today’s episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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Fewer kindergartners were vaccinated during the last school year. A group of senators is calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to restore canceled patient safety grants. And Universal Health Services finalizes its acquisition of Talkspace. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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The Food and Drug Administration approves the first mRNA influenza vaccine. More than 20 Democratic attorneys general sue the federal government over Affordable Care Act marketplace changes. And HCA Healthcare expands its Texas footprint with a major urgent care acquisition. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalizes Medicare hospital inpatient payment rates for fiscal year 2027. Two deaths in Michigan have been linked to the nationwide cyclospora outbreak. And a major pharmaceutical merger could be on the horizon. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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Improving patient access requires more than new processes. It also requires clinicians, administrators, and healthcare leaders to work toward a shared goal. In Part 2 of our conversation, Victor Hassid, MD, Associate Vice President of Access Strategic Operations at MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses how organizations can align teams, overcome operational challenges and begin putting a patient safety approach to access into practice.

You can listen to the first half of the conversation here.

You can find Dr. Hassid's article in JAMA here. (paywall)

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Humana will reduce its Medicare Advantage footprint again in 2027. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will end a Medicare Part D premium stabilization program. And the American Red Cross has declared a national blood supply crisis. Listen to the latest episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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No Surprises Act payment disputes continue to rise. Centene raises its full-year financial outlook after a strong second quarter. And the FDA selects the first participant in its digital health pilot program. Listen to these stories and more on today's episode of The Gist Healthcare Podcast.

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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)

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