Podnosis

A growing number of clinicians are looking to work in healthcare as independent contractors, giving them more flexibility over when and how they work. While this can sound straightforward in theory, a lack of clarity around worker classification can complicate opportunities for these professionals. The Department of Labor has proposed a new rule, currently undergoing final review, that could change how businesses engage with independent contractors. One expert argues the change would be for the better. To explain what the rule could mean for healthcare workers and employers, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Regan Parker, chief legal and public affairs officer at ShiftKey, a platform that connects independent healthcare workers with open shifts at healthcare facilities. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Department of Labor's proposed foreign worker wage increases are more tough news for healthcare staf… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, health systems have been working to address their environmental impact. These efforts are largely voluntary and require systemwide buy-in to be effective. Some organizations are more sophisticated in setting sustainability goals and further along in putting them into practice. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with Beth Schenk, Ph.D., chief environmental stewardship officer at Providence, about the climate impacts she has witnessed as a nurse and her health system’s sustainability journey. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  New procurement guide for hospitals, payers takes aim at AI's environmental impact In next phase of sustainability, UCI Health, Kaiser Permanente, and others turn to electric hospital…  How policy, reimbursement incentives, could help healthcare address its climate footprint 'We can't do this alone': Hospitals share lessons from Hurricane Helene to prepare for extreme weath…  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Racial disparities in breast cancer have persisted for years. Though Black women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer, they face a mortality rate that is 38% higher than that of white women. One researcher in Georgia is focused on addressing those inequities in her community. Lauren McCullough, Ph.D., an epidemiology researcher, is running several studies investigating disparities across breast and gynecologic cancers. She also founded a peer support community to elevate the voices of marginalized patients going through cancer treatment. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks with McCullough about these efforts and what they could mean at scale. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Women's oncology market will reach $110B by 2030 across therapeutics, diagnostics and care delivery  The cold cap coverage gap and a cancer survivor’s push for change  Breast cancer tops list of most-studied diseases for 5th year in a row: report  Not all patient care access is equal when it comes to mammograms, CDC report finds See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Payers and providers agree on many of healthcare's most pressing challenges. Yet despite broad consensus around rising costs, workforce shortages and administrative complexity, operational friction continues to slow progress. Why? According to Yusuf Qasim, president of payments optimization at Zelis, alignment on the problem does not automatically create alignment on the solution. In this episode of Podnosis, Qasim discusses findings from Zelis' State of the Healthcare Financial Experience Report and examines where collaboration opportunities remain untapped. He explains why the industry has no shortage of data or analytical capabilities, but often struggles to connect insights across organizations. The conversation explores persistent pain points, including payment reconciliation, claims processing, denials, appeals and administrative burden, while highlighting practical steps healthcare stakeholders can take to improve transparency and strengthen collaboration. The discussion also looks at how organizations should evaluate new technology investments, why reducing manual work may be one of the most important success metrics, and where payers and providers can make meaningful progress over the next several months. For healthcare leaders focused on operational efficiency, stakeholder trust and financial experience, this episode offers a timely perspective on turning shared priorities into measurable results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a lot of disparate systems in healthcare that don’t always talk to each other. That can make navigating specialties like behavioral health particularly challenging for patients. One company believes both payers and providers share responsibility for helping patients navigate to services. Bamboo Health offers a platform that ingests data from traditionally siloed sources to give stakeholders real-time visibility into how patients are moving through the healthcare system so they can act at the appropriate time. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Vatsala Kapur, Bamboo’s SVP of market access, policy and partnerships, about the outcomes the company is seeing and why the future of value-based care has to involve data and AI. To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Delaware sees results following recent launch of behavioral health coordination platform  Watershed Health rolls out large-scale data sharing platform across Austin, Texas region See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.