Conversations About Health Care Delivery in the United States

When Will Technology Save the U.S. Health Care System?

In this episode, host Brian Elbel discusses the role of technology in improving and advancing the health care industry with leading expert Molly McCarthy. During their conversation they discuss the state of technology in the U.S. health system, what is available today and what will be available in the future, solutions technology can help advance and limitations of technology to solving certain problems, careers in health information technology (IT), and much more.

What is the Role of a Health Care Manager?

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss health care management with Dr. Zac Pruitt, an expert in health management and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). During their conversation they discuss the similarities among the health care organization leadership team and a football organization, the importance of systems thinking in health care, the complexity of managing physicians and medical staff, the role of the board of directors, how managers can impact equity, exciting careers in health management, and more.

Is the U.S. Health Care System Stuck in Fee-for-Service Limbo?

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss health care economics and payment models with Dr. Sherry Glied, a leading economist and dean of NYU Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. During their conversation they discuss how the health care industry in the United States is currently performing compared with itself and other countries, value-based payment models versus fee-for-service, factors driving the marketplace and the labor market, careers in health economics and finance, and much more.

How the VA Can Teach Us About Quality of Care

Listen in as hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss what it means to achieve quality excellence and how to be considered a highly reliable health care organization with Dr. Carolyn Clancy (assistant under secretary for health) and Kristi Groves (executive director, Office of Quality Management) for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). During their conversation they discuss the history of the VA integrated health system, define quality and quality management, explain how we measure improvement in quality management, explore careers, and much more.

Why Empathy is Essential for Achieving Health Equity

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss the challenges of advancing health equity with Dr. Jewel Mullen (associate dean for health equity at the University of Texas Austin Dell Medical School) and Dr. Lourdes Rodriguez (CEO of the Rockefeller Fund). During their conversation they discuss the importance of language, using awareness of health inequities in the health care system, technology and equity, empathy and love, and more.

The Often-Overlooked Health Behavior

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss the importance of health behavior and especially the often-overlooked issue of sleep hygiene with Dr. Azizi Seixas, the interim chair of health informatics and health data science at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. During their conversation they discuss the important health behaviors and the risk behaviors that impact individual and population health. They also discuss factors driving these behaviors and the role of the health system in informing, communicating, and shaping improved health behavior. In addition, they reveal some potential career opportunities and discuss how technology is being used to study and measure healthy behavior.

Are We Prepared for Future Public Health Threats?

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss the importance of public health preparedness with Jamie Babin, an expert in crisis management, crisis communication, and disaster response. During their conversation they discuss what is meant by public health preparedness, the four phases of preparedness, lessons from the pandemic, career opportunities, and more.

Regaining Trust in Our Public Health System

In this episode, host Brian Elbel discusses the role of public health in society with Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the president and CEO of the United Hospital Fund and the former health commissioner of the City of New York. During their conversation they discuss the importance of public health, the importance of trust, and how public health intersects with the health care system and health sector. Brian and Oxiris further converse about where investments are most needed in public health, important traits and abilities for careers in the field, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in public health including those related to health equity. 

The Conditions That Lead to Poor Health and Why Concerted Investment in Population Health Is Needed Across Sectors

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss the importance of population health with Sheri Johnson, the director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. During their conversation they discuss what population health is as it relates to other intersecting fields, as well as how the field measures conditions that lead to wellness and illness among defined populations and then designs interventions to improve health in those groups. In addition, they reveal some potential career opportunities and discuss the future of population health.

Health Policy and the Politics of Health Care

In this episode, hosts Jim Knickman and Brian Elbel discuss health policy and the politics driving health care discussion in the United States with health policy experts Rogan Kersh and Jim Morone. During their conversation they delve into the battleground issues that permeate the field such as Obamacare, Medicaid expansion, and COVID-19, as well as some of the history of the health care industry that explains trends in the health sector and its marketplace. In addition, they reveal some potential career opportunities and discuss the persistent inequities that pervade the health care system.