The Healthcare Theory Podcast

In this episode, we're speaking with Dr. Maria Polyakova, Professor of Health Policy and Economics at Stanford, about how insurance design influences far more than access to healthcare.  Simply put, what if health insurance isn’t just about paying for care, but it's one of the biggest levers shaping the economy itself? From Germany’s expansion of long-term care insurance that unexpectedly red...

Today's guest is Cedric Kovacs-Johnson, the founder and CEO of Flume Health - a software platform that orchestrates data through a universal translation layer for payers. We discuss the administration problem in healthcare, Flume's product Relay, and why over 80% of enterprise data in healthcare is locked inside disconnected systems. Cedric shares how his sister’s healthcare journey revealed the t...

In this episode, we sit down with Ashok Subramanian, founder and CEO of Centivo, a company rebuilding employer-based healthcare to make it radically more affordable. Before founding Centivo, Ashok launched Liazon, a benefits marketplace acquired by Willis Towers Watson, and began his career at McKinsey. Ashok shares how Centivo is tackling the root causes of rising healthcare costs by centering pl...

Dr. Katherine Baicker is the Provost of the University of Chicago and one of the most respected voices in health economics. Dr. Baicker explains that we shouldn't just be asking if healthcare is a right. It's time to set a coverage floor based on "how much of a right it is." As a former member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and Principal Investigator for the Oregon Health Insuranc...

Syam Palakurthy is the CEO of SamaCare, a platform simplifying the prior authorization process for healthcare providers, payers, and patients. Last year, his team raised a $17M Series B with the goal of making paying for healthcare as simple as a credit card swipe. In this episode, we explore how Syam went from Bain & Company and ClearCost Health to tackling one of healthcare’s most hated admi...

Today's guest, Dr. Joseph Newhouse, is a longtime Harvard professor whose research has shaped U.S. health policy for decades. He is best known for leading the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, the largest study ever conducted on health insurance and cost-sharing. In this episode, we explore the story behind the RAND experiment - how it came to be, the challenges it faced, and what its findings rev...

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Dr. Carol Heimer, a sociologist whose pioneering book Reactive Risk and Rational Action reshaped how scholars think about insurance, trust, and moral hazard. We chat about how concepts like moral hazard can affect consumers and physicians, and why insurance rules often lead to both overuse and underuse of care. Dr. Heimer offers a rare lens on the U.S. h...

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Dr. Ricardo Nuila, the best-selling author of The People's Hospital , which discusses Dr. Nuila’s experience as a physician at Houston’s Ben Taub Hospital, the difficulties of accessing healthcare in the US, and his vision for a more equitable health insurance model. Dr. Nuila shares his journey from a three-generation medical family to working at Housto...

Health insurance in America seems broken because it was never really designed. Instead, it grew out of accidents, compromises, and changing American values. That’s why we’re kicking off a new series on The Healthcare Theory that dives deep into the politics, economics, and innovation behind health insurance in America. In this first episode, Nikhil traces the roots of insurance back to ancient gui...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Arpit Rao, oncologist and co-founder of Ankr Health, a Y Combinator-backed startup using AI to transform cancer care. We explore his path from running FDA clinical trials to launching a platform that predicts treatment-limiting side effects before they happen. He also discusses the startup’s go-to-market journey, including their first major deal with AstraZenec...

Today’s guest is Dr. Amar Setty, an anesthesiologist who trained in medicine and worked on Capitol Hill before co-founding Patient Premier, a startup reimagining how we measure and manage pain. Patient Premier provides anesthesiologists with standardized, data-driven assessments to track pain, activity, and mood In this episode, we explore his path from medical school and health policy to launchin...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Maitreyee Joshi, founder and CEO of Avon Health, an AI-powered EMR platform built to be fully customizable for modern healthcare teams.  Maitreyee shares her journey from working at Microsoft and PathAI to launching Avon, where she's rethinking what an EMR should do—from a rigid system to a flexible, low-code platform that adapts to ea...

This episode, we sit down with Albert Katz, founder and CEO of Flagler Health, a startup revolutionizing musculoskeletal (MSK) care.  With an operating system designed specifically for MSK providers, Flagler uses AI-powered triage tools to reduce readmissions, optimize patient care, and boost clinic efficiency—all while navigating the complexities of the healthcare ecosystem. Albert shares hi...

We sit down with Aasim Saeed, CEO & Founder of Amenities Health, to explore how his company is transforming patient-provider relationships and hospital economics.  With experience in medicine, policy, McKinsey, and digital health at Baylor Scott & White, Aasim shares how health systems undervalue patient loyalty, why primary care is a loss leader, and how technology can drive both eng...

We sit down with Abhishek Mohanty, the founder of CareFlick, a startup leveraging AI to combat loneliness and isolation among seniors. Abhishek shares his unconventional journey into healthcare, from running a design firm and a D2C brand to leading a senior care startup before launching CareFlick. We dive into how Yana (aka You Are Not Alone), CareFlick’s AI-powered digital companion, is redefinin...

How does our brain turn limited sensory data into a rich visual experience? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. David Brainard, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, to dive deep into the world of visual perception, inference, and computational modeling. Dr. Brainard shares his journey from physics to psychology and explains how his research explores how the brain processe...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory , we're speaking with Erica Jain, the co-founder and CEO of Healthie, a New York-based software platform enabling telehealth and virtual care.  Erica shares her journey from studying international health disparities to working in healthcare consulting at BCG and launching Healthie to improve patient-provider interactions. She discusses the challenges o...

We're joined by Professor Allison Bauer of Northeastern's College of Health Sciences to explore how social determinants impact health delivery. Professor Bauer shares her journey from law to healthcare policy and philanthropy, highlighting how community health centers are revolutionizing care through innovative, community-centered approaches that tackle food insecurity, housing instability, and he...

We’re joined by Julius Bruch, co-founder of Isaac Health, to discuss their pioneering role in brain health care by providing virtual and in-home solutions that address the critical gaps in dementia care. Isaac Health is revolutionizing dementia care through innovative, patient-centered approaches that tackle specialist shortages, accessibility challenges, and care fragmentation. Julius shares his...

We’re joined by RJ Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda Solutions, to discuss his role in offering custom software solutions that innovate healthcare delivery. Estenda Solutions is transforming healthcare software development by addressing challenges like data fragmentation, biases, and interoperability. RJ shares his journey from aspiring AI researcher to healthcare-focused entrepreneur, highlighting...

We’re joined by Joshua, CEO of TMA Precision Health, to explore their innovative approach to tackling the diagnostic odyssey for rare disease patients through tech-enabled solutions and AI-driven insights. TMA Precision Health is revolutionizing rare disease care by reducing the diagnostic timeline from seven years to just a few months, addressing gaps in accessibility and healthcare equity. Joshu...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Jasdeep Singh, CEO of STMP Patch, to explore their innovative approach to vaccine delivery through microneedle technology. STMP Patch is addressing critical challenges in healthcare, such as reducing reliance on cold chain logistics and improving accessibility in human and now animal health markets. Jasdeep shares the journey of pivoting fr...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory , we’re joined by Iain MacLeod, co-founder of Aldatu Biosciences, to explore their groundbreaking work in diagnostics for HIV and emerging diseases.  Aldatu addresses the global challenge of affordable and accessible drug-resistance testing, focusing on resource-limited settings. Iain shares insights on the innovative Panda technology, which enables ra...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory , we’re joined by Jason Sager, founder of Sagely Health, and Ariana Paness to discuss their groundbreaking work in transforming cancer care.  Sagely Health addresses a critical gap in the healthcare system: the lack of visibility into drugs and clinical trials that target new genetic mutations. Even when a perfect treatment exists, many patients and pr...

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory , host Nikhil Reddy dives into the cutting-edge world of neurotechnology with Chad Bouton, a pioneer in brain-body interface (BBI) systems and the founder of Neuvotion.  Chad shares his groundbreaking journey from advanced robotics to healthcare innovation, detailing his pivotal work on neural bypass technology that enables paralyzed individuals to reg...