Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 35 million Americans, and up to 9 in 10 adults with the condition don’t know they have it. Often called a “silent killer,” CKD is typically diagnosed in later stages, when treatment becomes more complex and costly.

In this episode, Fierce Healthcare Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with Carney Taylor, M.D., associate chief medical officer at Interwell Health, about why CKD is ripe for value-based care, how early interventions can improve outcomes, and what it takes to shift kidney care upstream.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 
CMMI to cut participation in payment models, estimates $750M in savings
Humana finds value-based care leads to fewer hospital admissions for kidney patients
Humana cuts 13-state kidney disease management deal with Interwell Health
Interwell Health finalizes $2.4B kidney care merger to combine tech, value-based care capabilities

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 35 million Americans, and up to 9 in 10 adults with the condition don&rsquo;t know they have it. Often called a &ldquo;silent killer,&rdquo; CKD is typically diagnosed in later stages, when treatment becomes more complex and costly.
In this episode, Fierce Healthcare Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya speaks with Carney Taylor, M.D., associate chief medical officer at Interwell Health, about why CKD is ripe for value-based care, how early interventions can improve outcomes, and what it takes to shift kidney care upstream.
To learn more about the topics in this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/cmmi-cut-short-payment-models-estimates-750m-savings">CMMI to cut participation in payment models, estimates $750M in savings</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/humana-finds-vbc-leads-fewer-hospital-admissions-kidney-patients">Humana finds value-based care leads to fewer hospital admissions for kidney patients</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/humana-enters-kidney-disease-management-agreement-interwell-health">Humana cuts 13-state kidney disease management deal with Interwell Health</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/interwell-health-finalizes-24b-kidney-care-merger-combine-tech-value-based-care">Interwell Health finalizes $2.4B kidney care merger to combine tech, value-based care capabilities</a></li>
</ul>

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podnosis

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

The case for proactive kidney care

In a recent episode of Podnosis, Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey, chief medical officer at CorroHealth, called for a strategic overhaul in how hospitals approach clinical documentation and payer denials.

“Documentation has become the battlefield where clinical, financial and payer priorities collide,” Morrissey said. Tracing the evolution of medical records from ancient Egypt to modern electronic systems, she emphasized that while technology has enabled better data sharing, it has also introduced administrative overload and clinician disengagement.

Morrissey challenged the common belief that denials stem from provider error. “Denials are a payer strategy,” she said. “They distract and delay, and they’re designed to do just that.” She urged healthcare leaders to shift from reactive to proactive strategies, focusing on clear expectations around reimbursement.

Hospitals spend nearly $20 billion annually fighting denials, often by adding more staff or vendors. Morrissey cautioned against this approach, noting that more resources rarely yield better outcomes. She also questioned the effectiveness of AI-generated appeal letters, citing a low success rate and rapidly changing payer policies.

Instead, Morrissey advocated for integrating technology earlier in the care process. “Denials don’t start when we submit a claim,” she said. “They start at the point of documentation and decision-making.”

Looking ahead, Morrissey sees promise in AI for clinical support, pattern recognition and denial prediction. But she warned that trust in technology must be earned. “AI works most of the time, but not all of the time,” she said. “We’re not yet at a point where we can remove the human from the loop.”

Her advice to healthcare executives: embrace innovation with creativity and collaboration, and aim to be “constructively destructive” in reshaping the system.

In a recent episode of Podnosis, Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey, chief medical officer at CorroHealth, called for a strategic overhaul in how hospitals approach clinical documentation and payer denials.
&ldquo;Documentation has become the battlefield where clinical, financial and payer priorities collide,&rdquo; Morrissey said. Tracing the evolution of medical records from ancient Egypt to modern electronic systems, she emphasized that while technology has enabled better data sharing, it has also introduced administrative overload and clinician disengagement.
Morrissey challenged the common belief that denials stem from provider error. &ldquo;Denials are a payer strategy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;They distract and delay, and they&rsquo;re designed to do just that.&rdquo; She urged healthcare leaders to shift from reactive to proactive strategies, focusing on clear expectations around reimbursement.
Hospitals spend nearly $20 billion annually fighting denials, often by adding more staff or vendors. Morrissey cautioned against this approach, noting that more resources rarely yield better outcomes. She also questioned the effectiveness of AI-generated appeal letters, citing a low success rate and rapidly changing payer policies.
Instead, Morrissey advocated for integrating technology earlier in the care process. &ldquo;Denials don&rsquo;t start when we submit a claim,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;They start at the point of documentation and decision-making.&rdquo;
Looking ahead, Morrissey sees promise in AI for clinical support, pattern recognition and denial prediction. But she warned that trust in technology must be earned. &ldquo;AI works most of the time, but not all of the time,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not yet at a point where we can remove the human from the loop.&rdquo;
Her advice to healthcare executives: embrace innovation with creativity and collaboration, and aim to be &ldquo;constructively destructive&rdquo; in reshaping the system.

In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, Dr. Jerilyn Morrissey, chief medical officer at CorroHealth, joins host Chris Hayden to unpack the complex intersection of clinical documentation, payer denials and emerging technologies. From the historical roots of medical records to the modern-day challenges of electronic systems, Dr. Morrissey explains why documentation has become a battleground for hospitals. 

Documentation, denials and AI: CorroHealth’s CMO urges strategic shift in healthcare (Sponsored)

Florida is among the fastest-growing states in the U.S. Demand for healthcare is also growing. Predicting community needs can help organizations be better prepared to serve patients.  

To understand what health systems in Florida are thinking about when it comes to architecture and design, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Michael Compton, director of healthcare, Florida, at Barge Design Solutions.  

Compton shares the projects he takes on as a board-certified healthcare architect and predicts what the next few design trends might be in the state.  

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 
'We can't do this alone': Hospitals share lessons from Hurricane Helene to prepare for extreme weather events
Kaiser Permanente launches renewable energy microgrid at California hospital
Florida health system tackles expansion challenges to meet growing demand

Florida is among the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2025/03/05/population-growth-in-most-states-outpaced-long-term-trends-in-2024" aria-label="Link fastest growing">fastest-growing</a>&nbsp;states in the U.S. Demand for healthcare is also growing. Predicting community needs can help organizations&nbsp;be better prepared to serve patients. &nbsp;
To understand what health systems in Florida are thinking about when it comes to architecture and design, Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to Michael Compton, director of healthcare, Florida, at Barge Design Solutions. &nbsp;
Compton shares the projects he takes on as a board-certified healthcare architect and predicts what the next few design trends might be in the state. &nbsp;
To learn more about the topics in this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/we-cant-do-alone-hospitals-share-learnings-hurricane-helene">'We can't do this alone': Hospitals share lessons from Hurricane Helene to prepare for extreme weather events</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/kaiser-permanente-debuts-renewable-energy-microgrid-ontario-hospital">Kaiser Permanente launches renewable energy microgrid at California hospital</a></li>
<li><a href="https://florida%20health%20system%20tackles%20expansion%20challenges%20to%20meet%20growing%20demand/">Florida health system tackles expansion challenges to meet growing demand</a></li>
</ul>

How can design help health systems be proactive?

The hype around artificial intelligence in healthcare has yet to fizzle out. The technology offers a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations to reduce complexity and inefficiencies in the system. However, there are plenty of risks to navigate, too. 

In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sits down with Sandeep Dadlani, CEO of Optum Insight and former chief technology officer at UnitedHealth Group, to discuss how the industry giant is deploying AI today and the guardrails that are necessarily in place to keep patient data safe. 

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 
UnitedHealth taps Sandeep Dadlani to lead Optum Insight unit
AI Pulse: Microsoft rolls out updated 'Copilot for health' feature; athenahealth embeds agentic AI into athenaOne platform
AMA launches initiative in bid for AI policy leadership
Optum unveils new AI-powered claims processing platform

The hype around artificial intelligence in healthcare has yet to fizzle out. The technology offers a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations to reduce complexity and inefficiencies in the system. However, there are plenty of risks to navigate, too.&nbsp;
In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sits down with Sandeep Dadlani, CEO of Optum Insight and former chief technology officer at UnitedHealth Group, to discuss how the industry giant is deploying AI today and the guardrails that are necessarily in place to keep patient data safe.&nbsp;
To learn more about the topics in this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/health-tech/unitedhealth-taps-sandeep-dadlani-lead-optum-insight-unit">UnitedHealth taps Sandeep Dadlani to lead Optum Insight unit</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/ai-pulse-microsoft-rolls-out-claims-denial-navigator-tool-rural-hospitals">AI Pulse: Microsoft rolls out updated 'Copilot for health' feature; athenahealth embeds agentic AI into athenaOne platform</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/ama-launches-initiative-bid-ai-policy-leadership">AMA launches initiative in bid for AI policy leadership</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/hlth25-optum-unveils-new-ai-powered-claims-processing-platform">Optum unveils new AI-powered claims processing platform</a></li>
</ul>

The case for proactive kidney care

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