Relentless Health Value

In Episode 432 of 'Relentlessly Seeking Value,' host Stacey Richter discusses with behavioral epidemiologist and digital health entrepreneur Kate Wolin about the challenges and opportunities in merging clinical care with efficient business practices. They explore the pitfalls of scaling healthcare services while maintaining patient outcomes and why human-centered approaches are vital. They stress...

In Episode 431 of 'Relentlessly Seeking Value,' Stacey Richter interviews Dr. Kenny Cole from Ochsner Health System, discussing the complexities of achieving accountability for outcomes in U.S. healthcare. They explore how understanding the real-world contours is crucial for devising effective strategies, particularly in the healthcare industry.  Dr. Cole emphasizes the importance of measurable ou...

In Episode 430 of Relentless Health Value, host Stacey Richter discusses strategies for digital health vendors aiming to sell their solutions to employers with guest Barbara Waksman. The episode covers why targeting employers can be lucrative, along with Waksman's four key pieces of advice for entrepreneurs: ensuring there is a significant market need, offering truly differentiated products, under...

AWP stands for Average Wholesale Price. It's also been called Ain't What's Paid. That is not a joke — it's an acknowledgment that the list price a pharma manufacturer sets is just a number they pick. They can choose anything they want. WAC (Wholesale Acquisition Cost) is typically AWP times 0.8 — also not calculated, also just chosen. For generic drugs, even that fixed ratio disappears and the num...

In Episode 428 titled 'Do It Now Advice From the J&J and the DOL versus BCBS lawsuits,' host Stacey Richter discusses the implications of two major legal cases on plan sponsors with guest Julie Selesnick, an attorney specializing in fiduciary responsibilities. The episode covers essential actions for plan sponsors, brokers, and employee benefit consultants to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure...

In this episode of Relentless Health Value, host Stacey Richter speaks with Rik Renard from Awell about the significance of standardized care flows in digital health. The discussion covers the impact these care processes have on patient outcomes, clinician efficiency, and the healthcare system's overall performance. Highlights include an overview of a survey conducted with Health Tech Nerds, revea...

In this encore episode of 'Relentlessly Seeking Value,' Stacey Richter interviews A.J. Loiacono, CEO of CapitalRx. They delve into the hidden compensation practices of Employee Benefit Consultants (EBCs) and brokers engaging with plan sponsors. The discussion unveils the potential conflicts of interest and self-serving behaviors of these intermediaries, who sometimes prioritize their own financial...

In this episode of 'Relentless Health Value,' host Stacey Richter discusses with Nina Lathia the complex debate between cost containment and value-based drug purchasing strategies. They delve into the negative impacts of poor pharmacy benefit strategies, such as increased healthcare costs, bankruptcies, and reduced member satisfaction. They explore why employers struggle with value-based purchasin...

In this episode of Relentless Health Value, Stacey Richter speaks with Marshall Allen about how clinical practices can implement cash payment options for patients, which can often be cheaper than using insurance. They discuss the growing trend of patients struggling with high deductibles and the legal considerations for providers accepting cash, including using HIPAA to navigate insurance constrai...

In this inbetweenisode of 'Relentlessly Seeking Value,' Stacey Richter discusses the concept of the 'Narcissism of Small Differences' and its implications for the American healthcare industry. Richter explores how minor disagreements can prevent collaboration among healthcare professionals who share the same overarching goals. She emphasizes the need for unity to combat the profit-driven motives o...

In episode 424 of Relentless Health Value, host Stacey Richter speaks with Peter Hayes about five critical topics hospital system executives must address in 2024. They discuss the implications of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the necessity for hospitals to become more administratively and technologically efficient, the shift from fee-for-service to episode-based care, the need for transpare...

Episode 423 of 'Relentless Health Value' features a conversation with Joey Dizenhouse about the tactics employed by PBMs and pharmacy benefit schemes to manage drug costs, often leading to misaligned incentives. Joey outlines how maximizer programs work, differentiating between spread and transparent models, and the potential consequences for plan sponsors and patients. The discussion dives deep i...

Episode 422: The Financial Struggles and Unexpected Insights of Independent Pharmacies with Benjamin Jolley In this episode, Stacey Richter interviews Benjamin Jolley, a multi-generational pharmacy leader and consultant, who discusses the financial challenges faced by independent pharmacies. Jolley reveals that a significant portion of a pharmacy's profits comes from a mere 10% of prescriptions. T...

In this encore episode of 'Relentless Health Value,' Stacey Richter speaks with Emily Kagan Trenchard about the limitations of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in capturing comprehensive patient journeys. Emily, SVP and Chief of Consumer Digital Solutions at Northwell Health, discusses the importance of integrating other platforms such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), cloud data platforms...

Harnessing Data for Smarter Health Fund Management with Cora Opsahl from 32BJ In this encore episode of Relentlessly Seeking Value, Stacey Richter talks with Cora Opshal, Director of the 32BJ Health Fund, about the imperative for employers and unions to obtain and effectively use their health data. The conversation details the significant benefits of data analytics, such as smart decision-making,...

Improving Maternity Outcomes: The Role of Trust and Community-Based Care To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In Episode 421, 'Wildly Improving Outcomes When The Patient Is, For Reals, In The Center. For Maternity and Beyond,' host Stacey Richter interviews Jodilyn Owen, clinical director of the Rainier Valley Birth and Health Cent...

Uncovering the Economics of Paying Cash for Generic Drugs with Ge Bai To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In this episode, Stacey Richter talks with Dr. Ge Bai, a professor at Johns Hopkins, about the rationale and financial implications of paying cash for generic drugs instead of using insurance. The discussion highlights the inh...

The Financialization of Health Benefits: A Boardroom Imperative To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In episode 419 of Relentless Health Value, Stacey Richter interviews Andreas Mang from Blackstone on the financialization of healthcare benefits for corporate boards and C-suite executives. The discussion highlights the transformati...

Encore: Achieving Customer-Centric Transformation in Large Organizations with Karen Root To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In this encore episode of 'Relentless Health Value', host Stacey Richter speaks with Karen Root, Director of Experience Strategy at BI, about achieving customer-centric transformation and innovation in large...

Episode 418: Mark Cuban's Insights on Reducing Healthcare Costs for Self-Insured Employers To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In Episode 418 of Relentless Health Value, Mark Cuban, CEO and founder of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, joins host Stacey Richter, and guest Farron Williams, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Scripta, to provide cri...

5 Strategies for Self-Insured Employers to Enhance Employee Health To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In this encore episode of Relentless Health Value, host Stacey Richter revisits her discussion with Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health at JPMorgan Chase. They delve into five pivotal actions self-insured employers can take to im...

Exploring Effective Payer-Provider Collaborations: Insights and Key Strategies To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In episode 417 of Relentless Health Value, Stacey Richter engages in a detailed discussion with Josh Berlin from Rule of Three consulting firm about the dynamics and strategies behind successful provider and payer col...

Now, I'm being pretty careful here because med schools are super sensitive about their curriculums. And I am sensitive to the fact there's much to teach in four years. So, throwing no shade here, what do I know from the Krebs cycle? Choices of what to teach are tough. With that disclaimer, in this healthcare podcast I am speaking with Adam Brown MD, MBA, about an article he wrote entitled "Dear Me...

Improving Healthcare Outcomes and Reducing Costs: Insights from Rob Andrews of HTA To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In Episode 415, Stacey Richter speaks with Rob Andrews, CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), about how jumbo employers are achieving better healthcare outcomes while saving on total care costs. The dis...

Delivering Better Care and Getting Paid: A Value-Based Healthcare Guide with Justina Lehman To read the full article and show notes with links mentioned as well as a full transcript, click here . In Episode 414 of 'Relentless Health Value,' host Stacey Richter interviews Justina Lehman to explore practical strategies for healthcare practices to provide coordinated, high-value care while achieving...