The Untold Stories of American Healthcare

What lessons can we take from healthcare’s past to help us shape a better future? With the Untold Stories of American Healthcare, host Ryann Petit-Frere will talk with leading researchers, White House healthcare advisors, economists, and more. They’ll explore the dynamics of healthcare through time to uncover the stories and history that impact the way Americans receive care, and also dive into some of today’s most important issues, like the pandemic economy and government-funded care.

What can the history of government funded care teach us about America’s relationship to healthcare and the direction our system may be heading? In this episode, Ryann Petit-Frere talks with Dr. Melinda Buntin, chair of the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, former deputy chief of staff for policy under President Obama. They discuss the complicated history of healthcare reform, examining incremental changes from the past and offering predictions about the future.

From research-focused missions to efficiency through economies of scale, the operating models behind health care as a business have grown throughout history and are actively expanding today. In this episode, Ryann Petit-Frere talks with Nicole Cottrill, head of health provider services at Finn Partners, and Michael Burcham, executive partner at Shore Capital Partners. They explore the timeline of healthcare business models dating back to the 1700’s and predict business models that will make future healthcare businesses successful.

What lessons can we learn by looking back at the evolution of our healthcare payment processes? In this episode, Ryann Petit-Frere talks with global healthcare reimbursement expert Kathleen Schaum and health economist Dr. Kosali Simon. They discuss the impact of several key shifts in how we pay for healthcare, including the creation of Diagnosis Related Groups and the change from fee-for-service to value-based care models.

How have pandemics shaped our society in the past, and how will the current COVID-19 pandemic inform our future? In this episode, Ryann Petit-Frere speaks with Dr. Naomi Rogers, a writer and professor specializing in the history of medicine, and Nick Diamond, an advisor and legal academic focusing on global health policy. They discuss the common threads between COVID-19 and the 1918 Influenza pandemic and predict some of the long-term changes that COVID-19 will bring to the healthcare industry and economy.