Hope, Power, and Healthcare

Is it possible to redesign healthcare delivery, not from the top down, but from the ground up - with clinicians leading the way? In this week’s episode, Chris and Melissa host a special LIVE event with Cathryn Connolley, discussing the challenges of innovating and growing a startup in the heavily regulated and competitive healthcare industry. Cathryn, CEO of Doctivity Health, shares her journey fr...

How deep is the mental health data gap - and who's paying the price? In this episode of Hope, Power and Healthcare, Chris and Melissa break down MHA's massive dataset on mental healthcare trends, the high societal and personal cost of inequity, and the beginning of a much larger conversation, about Medicare's prior authorization. Mental Health Inequities Cost Report: https://meharryglo...

They said AI could save lives - so why is it falling behind? In this episode, Chris and Melissa dive deep into the collison of AI ethics and real-world applications. From the hard lessons behind Woebot's shutdown, to the trusted benchmark of Milliman's care guidelines. They also visit the big question: How do we create ethical guardrails for AI in sensitive domains? Ethical Guidance for AI...

In this episode, Melissa & Chris chat with Melissa Fors Shackelford, a senior marketing executive, fractional CMO, advisor, and most recently - published author. They also discuss recent announcements to reform prior authorization, and social media use in college. Melissa brings her over 25 years of experience at top healthcare organizations, such as Optum, Hazelden Betty Ford, and Cigna's...

They say food is fuel - but what if it could also be medicine? In this episode, Chris and Melissa sit down with Emily Brown, Co-Founder and CEO of Attane Health, to explore how food can power personal and community health. Emily - who draws on her own experiences as a former Medicaid beneficiary and a parent managing chronic health conditions - reimagines healthcare by empowering underserved famil...

What's scarier: dying with regrets, failing your sales pitch, or losing your research funding? In this week's episode, Chris and Melissa talk regrets, sales secrets, and grant drama. The 5 Most Common Deathbed Regrets: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/the-five-most-common-deathbed-regrets-as-told-to-instagram-star-hospice-nurses/ar-AA1GnE5y?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=4763b931e2b...

Have you ever sent something to the wrong person? This week, Melissa and Chris talk about UnitedHealth's leaked "talking points", and their own experiences with workplace communication mishaps. Leaked: UnitedHealth's 'talking points' to appease worried investors:https://healthexec.com/topics/healthcare-management/business-intelligence/leaked-unitedhealths-talking-points-a...

What’s the Next Wave of Medicare/Medicaid innovation going to look like? STAT News Report on Medicare Tech RFI: https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/30/medicare-ambitious-tech-agenda-former-palantir-main-street-executives/ Key Goal : Effective and responsible adoption of technology can empower patients to make better decisions for their health and well-being Respond with text, screenshots, OR VIDEO! L...

Why do nurses hate pizza? Hint: we’re not talking about flavor or nutrition. Are digital mental health solutions clinically effective? Do they drive ROI? Melissa & Chris deep dive into a new study by PHTI, which examines clinical impact and financial returns, and it isn’t biased by vendor funding. PLUS Dean Browell, Chief Behavioral Officer at Feedback, discusses DEEPER standards of evidence t...

Melissa reflects on her time leading innovations at UHG and what their changes mean for healthcare and health innovation. Chris discusses what we can learn from OpenAI's new "Health Bench" LLM benchmark for healthcare Q&A. Back as UnitedHealth Group CEO, Hemsley Says Issues Can Be Resolved - https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2025/05/13/back-as-unitedhealth-ceo-hemsley-says...

Main Menu: Deep talk on a new study that looks at the ROI of employee wellbeing, & a reaction to the recent Nature article on Healthcare Agentic AI. Spicy Special: Light debate on wellness surveys & timing Sources: - Gallup’s Global Flourishing Study: https://globalflourishingstudy.com/ (courtesy Michelle Moffitt) - NYT - People Want to Belong: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/briefing/b...

CFO-Ready ROI Tips - Melissa Reilly and Chris Hemphill reflect on Do's and Don'ts for innovators discussing ROI in healthcare. Melissa draws from deep experience as an executive and innovator in insurance, and Chris draws from experience as a healthcare data scientist. Handmaid's Tale IRL - Discussion on seeing powerful executives policing their language around health equity, and a ref...

Welcome to our semi-messy start on a new podcast for healthcare's innovators! As an innovator operating or building a business in healthcare, you're facing some of the hardest challenges in the world. Even when you have a breakthrough on your hands, the resistance and hurdles to something new, something right, can still feel like much. So, this podcast is a simple reminder that we can face these c...