



ACCESS Model: behavioral health edition
A new value-based care program for chronic condition management begins July 5. The Advancing Chronic Care with Effective Scalable Solutions Model, or ACCESS, offers vendors outcome-aligned payments for managing qualifying chronic conditions. In total, 150 digital health companies are participatin…

Badges, bots and blind spots
Cybersecurity has long been a priority for hospitals, but the risks are shifting as AI, biometrics and digital identity tools become more deeply embedded in care delivery. For health systems, the challenge is not just keeping hackers out. It is making sure clinicians can quickly access the tools th…

Why one life insurer is going big on health incentives
Life insurance may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about healthcare. But some life insurers are increasingly interested in incentivizing healthy habits. John Hancock has invested in its health and wellness program for more than a decade. The program’s goal is to reward poli…

UnitedHealthcare exec talks AI, affordability and member engagement
As healthcare costs rise and access challenges persist, health plans face growing pressure to engage members more effectively. Employers and plan sponsors expect their plans to play a critical role in that effort. In this episode of “Podnosis,” Senior Writer Paige Minemyer talks with Dan Kueter, C…

The watchdog overseeing the integrity of HHS programs
What does the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General do? Today, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Assistant Regional Inspector General Scott Perry to find out. They dive into the agency’s work, the findings of a few recent audits and what providers c…

An insider’s look at LillyDirect
It’s been more than two years since Eli Lilly announced LillyDirect, a platform that combines telehealth and pharmacy services to provide access to Lilly’s portfolio of diabetes, migraine and obesity medications. The goal is to offer a more transparent and affordable way to access certain drugs. Th…

AI in health care: From hype to enterprise value (Sponsored)
Is AI in health care overhyped — or underutilized? In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, host Irena speaks with Sanjay Subramanian, SVP & Head of Healthcare Payer Business at Cognizant at Cognizant, about where artificial intelligence is delivering measurable ROI today and why many organizations s…

The broken pipeline of mental healthcare for LGBTQ teenagers
As almost 1 in 4 American teens identify as LGBTQ, affirming therapy can be life-saving. Yet availability is shrinking. Access to mental healthcare for LGBTQ youth dropped from 80% to 60% from late 2023 to late 2024, according to The Trevor Project. In 2025, though 84% of LGBTQ youth wanted mental …

ACA exchanges take spotlight in Q1
Payers and providers felt the upheaval and instability on the Affordable Care Act exchanges in the first quarter of this year. Marketplace plans saw significant enrollment declines alongside tier shifts, while providers felt the impact in both volumes and payer mix. Fierce Healthcare's Dave Muoio…

Inside the gaps in fertility and surrogacy systems
Fertility services—and conversations about them—are expanding across the U.S. But the sector remains underregulated, expensive and, in some cases, outdated. These factors are reshaping how Americans seek care, sometimes in ways that may put quality and safety at risk. Where are the biggest gaps? A…