The Surgical Journey Podcast

What really happens after a patient leaves the hospital—and why does so much still break down in the first 10 days? In this episode, Dr. Robert Cunningham, a fellowship-trained bariatric and metabolic surgeon, shares what it takes to build a surgical program from the ground up in one of the most underserved regions in the Midwest. From launching a de novo bariatric program at Methodist Jennie Edmu...

Dr. Robert Cerfolio, Chief of Clinical Thoracic Surgery at NYU Langone and former COO of an $11 billion academic health system, joins The Surgical Journey to discuss what nearly 20,000 operations have taught him about the difference between technical excellence and true episode management. Drawing on decades of surgical and executive leadership experience, he explains why better outcomes depend no...

Dr. Nizar Wehbi , physician, health policy expert , and former North Dakota State Health Officer, joins the NovaNav Surgical Journey to examine why perioperative outcomes are decided far more by what happens outside the hospital than inside it. He breaks down fragmented episode-of-care ownership, misaligned post-acute incentives, and how tiered alert systems can function as a genuine workforce cap...

In Episode 11 of The Surgical Journey , Fred Neis — best-selling author of The Disciplined Leader , registered nurse, and healthcare executive — joins the show to discuss what makes the surgical experience feel coordinated, reliable, and well designed. Patients may not use those exact words, but they know when care feels predictable and when it does not. Neis explains why stronger follow-up, bette...

Most cancer patients experience their worst anxiety not during surgery, but in the days between diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Lisa Atterbury, a board-certified breast surgical oncologist with 18 years of experience, and Dr. Dupree, a breast radiologist , walk through the specific operational breakdowns that turn clinical delays into worse outcomes. They explain why the standard discharge instructio...

Dr. Vamsi Ithapu has spent his career studying how people process information and building technology that reduces cognitive overload. His work is grounded in a deceptively simple question: how much information can people actually process in critical moments? During his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he built predictive models for Alzheimer's disease. Later, at Meta Reality Labs, he l...

Dr. Thomas Tsai, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of Health Policy Research at the American College of Surgeons , joins The Surgical Journey to discuss what it actually takes to redesign surgical care around where patients recover today. Drawing on his work leading the first randomized controlled trial of home hospital for surgical patients at Brigham a...

What happens when bundled payments stop being optional? In this episode of The Surgical Journey , host Lisa Miller sits down with Dr. David Shulkin , the 9th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and former health system CEO, to examine the implications of CMS's new mandatory bundled payment program: TEAM (Transforming Episode Accountability Model). Beginning in 2026, 780 hospitals...

In this episode of The Surgical Journey , NovaNav Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Miller sits down with  Dr. Albert Hakaim , pioneering vascular and endovascular surgeon and one of the foundational surgical leaders at Mayo Clinic Florida , to discuss what truly drives outcomes after a patient leaves the hospital. Drawing from decades of surgical leadership, Dr. Hakaim shares practical insights on post...

In this episode of The Surgical Journey , NovaNav Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Miller interviews Dr. Hans Van Lancker , Chair of Orthopedics (and Bone & Joint services) at Cambridge Health Alliance and an orthopedic trauma surgeon, for a practical conversation on what CMS's TEAM model is changing in orthopedics and post-acute care. Dr. Van Lancker explains why success under CMS TEAM must be measure...

In this episode of The Surgical Journey, NovaNav Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Miller speaks with Dr. Robert Hymes, Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at Inova Fairfax Medical Center and a fellowship-trained orthopedic trauma surgeon, about the impact of CMS's TEAM model on orthopedic departments in 2026. Dr. Hymes shares how the shift from "excellent surgery" to total episode accountability is reshapin...

In this episode of The Surgical Journey , NovaNav Chief Strategy Officer Lisa Miller sits down with Dr. Mohammed Quadri , VP of Strategy for Academics, Research, and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health, for a practical conversation on where AI is truly delivering value in health systems today. Dr. Quadri introduces a clear framework for evaluating AI solutions through a continuity of care mod...

In this episode of The Surgical Journey , host Lisa T. Miller speaks with Dr. Alexander Itskovitch , a hepatobiliary surgeon and Medical Director of the Statesford Cancer Center at Atlantic Health in New Jersey. Dr. Itskovitch shares a clinician's perspective on why digital health solutions succeed or fail in real-world healthcare settings. The conversation explores the importance of physician inv...

The Surgical Journey is a podcast about making surgical care work better—for patients and for the teams who care for them. Hosted by Amit Kirpalani , Founder and CEO of NovaNav , the podcast explores what truly shapes surgical outcomes, from preoperative readiness to recovery at home. Each mini-series focuses on a specific part of the perioperative journey, highlighting the role of clearer communi...

In this launch episode of The Surgical Journey , host Lisa T. Miller sits down with Amrit Kirpalani , Founder and CEO of NovaNav , to explore what truly shapes the surgical care experience for patients and care teams. Amrit shares the personal story that led to the creation of NovaNav, inspired by his mother's knee replacement surgery and the fragmented, paper-heavy perioperative process many pati...