Healthcare Empowered

Wade Emmert

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Hosted by attorney Wade Emmert (Carrington Coleman), Healthcare Empowered explores the real stories behind healthcare innovation. Join us as we sit down with the industry's most dynamic leaders to discuss their triumphs, hurdles, and the lessons learned along the way. New episodes every two weeks.

Sep 23

How Texting With Doctors Can Keep Patients Out of the ER | with Dirk Perritt

What if patients could text a physician before defaulting to the emergency room? Dr. Dirk Perritt is an emergency physician and founder of Text A Physician, a text-first care model built around a problem he saw repeatedly in the ER: many patients did not need an emergency department. They needed fast access to a qualified medical professional who could answer questions, provide reassurance, prescribe when appropriate, or direct them to the right level of care. In this episode, Wade and Dr. Perritt discuss how that idea grew from giving patients his personal phone number into a model designed to give entire communities the experience of having “a doctor in the family.” They cover why traditional telehealth often creates too much friction, how municipalities can help fund direct access to care, where text-based medicine has limits, how patients are referred and followed after a visit, and how TAP uses technology and AI to support physicians rather than replace the physician-patient relationship. Dr. Perritt also explains why he believes everyday healthcare access could eventually become part of community infrastructure in much the same way cities think about 911 and EMS. For more healthcare and health law insights, visit texashealthlaw.com. Episode Outline 00:00 A doctor for less than $10? 00:28 What ER television never shows you 02:48 Creating the “doctor in the family” experience 04:14 The patient who started the idea 06:08 Why cities are already paying for healthcare 08:33 How COVID exposed gaps in healthcare infrastructure 09:51 What if everyone in the city had access to a doctor? 10:46 Why traditional telehealth loses patients 11:44 Launching Text A Physician 12:29 When the original funding ran out 14:14 How the model got below $10 per family 15:08 Can you really provide medical care by text? 17:28 Why follow-up matters 18:11 What happens when a patient needs more care? 20:36 Where text-based care has limits 22:13 Staffing care across an entire community 23:21 How often patients actually use the service 26:09 The technology behind Text A Physician 27:16 Medical records, privacy, and patient data 30:50 Labs, imaging, and care beyond the text 32:45 From city employees to citywide access 35:03 Could healthcare become infrastructure like 911? 36:27 How the model expands into new cities 37:45 Why people initially do not believe it 38:24 How AI supports the physician 40:23 Final thoughts
May 20

The "Legal" Peptide Scam Targeting Chiropractors

Chiropractors across the country are being inundated by vendors offering "turnkey, completely legal, zero-risk" solutions to sell peptides, GLP-1s, and hormone replacement therapies directly to their patients for a cut of the revenue. It sounds like easy money, but it is actually a massive compliance nightmare. In this episode, health law attorney Wade Emmert breaks down the convoluted FDA regulations surrounding compounded peptides. Wade explains why almost all of the popular peptides being sold today - including BPC-157 and compounded semaglutide salts - are actually being compounded illegally. If you are a chiropractor or clinic owner referring patients to these peptide vendors, you are placing yourself directly in the chain of civil and criminal liability. Episode Chapters: 00:00 The Turnkey Peptide Scam04:46 503A vs 503B Compounding Pathways07:49 The 3 Gates of Legal Compounding13:18 The FDA's Category 1 & 2 Lists17:43 The 2023 Peptide Crackdown23:22 The PCAC Review Trap32:13 The Legal Truth About Compounded Semaglutide40:01 DOJ Crackdowns on Prescribing Physicians44:11 Texas Anti-Solicitation Act & Kickbacks46:34 The Chiropractic Compliance Checklist
May 7

Stop Using AI for Medical Practice Valuations

Are you using ChatGPT to retroactively justify your clinic's lease payments or physician compensation? You are stepping into a massive compliance trap. In this episode, Wade sits down with Brent Shockley, a healthcare valuation expert at Marshall & Stevens, to discuss the dangerous trend of AI-generated Fair Market Value (FMV) reports. Brent breaks down why AI's tendency to hallucinate data and its inability to bypass paywalled market research makes it completely indefensible against the Department of Justice. They also cover the actual 4-week timeline of a proper valuation, the critical "Commercial Reasonableness" test, and why keeping documented work papers for seven years is the only way to truly protect your transaction from an audit. Episode Chapters:00:00 The Trap of AI-Generated Valuations02:40 What is a Real Healthcare Valuation?04:32 The 4-Week Appraisal Process06:29 Why AI Hallucinates Medical Market Data10:02 The Problem with Retroactive AI Reports13:43 How Appraisers Actually Use AI19:01 The "Commercial Reasonableness" Test22:27 Defending Your Deal with Work Papers23:26 Contacting Brent Shockley
Apr 22

Inside the Federal Scramble to Overhaul HIPAA in 2026

For years, tech companies have monetized "anonymized" patient data because stripping 18 identifiers made it completely legal under HIPAA. Today, Artificial Intelligence can re-identify those patients with terrifying accuracy. The rules are changing. In this episode, Wade sits down with Jordan Johnson, founder of Bridge Oncology and appointee to the National Committee on Vital Health and Statistics (NCVHS). Jordan shares an inside look at how the federal government is rushing to build guardrails around AI in healthcare and update HIPAA standards that haven't been touched since 2003. They also dive into the FTC's aggressive shift toward investigating "vertical monopolies", where massive vendors control the equipment, the software, and the staffing of a clinic, and how Direct Virtual Supervision is becoming the ultimate telehealth strategy to save rural healthcare margins. Episode Chapters:00:00 The Push to Update 2003 HIPAA Standards03:26 Mandatory Cybersecurity for Medicare Participation?05:18 How AI is Defeating HIPAA De-Identification08:27 The FTC Shifts Focus to Vertical Monopolies12:54 Vendor "Block Out" Tactics in Healthcare15:12 How Telehealth is Saving Rural Oncology Margins18:11 Direct Virtual Supervision Explained
Apr 8

Healthcare M&A In 2026: Why Buyers Are Getting Picky

The "buy everything" days of healthcare M&A are over. In this episode, Wade sits down with Anna Brewer, Partner at JTaylor, to discuss the shifting landscape of healthcare acquisitions. With shrinking margins, increased state regulations, and heightened scrutiny, buyers are using due diligence as a weapon to drive down purchase prices.Anna explains the fatal flaw of the "asymmetrical negotiation" - where buyer's counsel actively hunts for compliance gaps and messy financials to retrade the Letter of Intent (LOI) - and breaks down exactly what you need to do to get your managed care rates and balance sheets "sale ready" before you ever go to market.Episode Chapters:00:00 How I Got Into Healthcare 20+ Years Ago01:18 Using Data Analytics in Healthcare M&A02:04 Client Profiles and The Universality of Preparation04:44 2025/2026 Healthcare M&A Market Outlook07:43 The Surgery Center Acceleration vs. Private Equity Pickiness09:48 Regulatory Headwinds and State Scrutiny12:18 The Economics of Consolidation13:38 Alternative Revenue Streams (Cash Pay & Med Spa)16:25 Burnout and Administrative Burden17:41 The ASC Runway for Surgeons18:56 The Shift to Hospital Joint Ventures21:31 Complexity and Risk Management in JVs22:37 Mutual Dependence in Healthcare Partnerships25:50 Anna’s "Sale-Ready" Checklist28:53 Buy-Side Scrutiny vs. Sell-Side Due Diligence31:49 Binding LOIs and Retrading EBITDA34:17 Private Equity Preference for Advising Teams35:37 How to Contact Anna Brewer
Mar 25

The 2026 HIPAA Overhaul: AI Risks, Missed Deadlines, and Massive Fines

Healthcare has been the number one targeted industry for cyberattacks for 13 consecutive years. Now, the federal government is finally overhauling the rules - and the penalties for non-compliance are steeper than ever. In this Q1 2026 HIPAA update, I break down the massive regulatory shifts hitting the healthcare industry right now. I covers the newly proposed HIPAA Security Rule that eliminates "optional" IT controls, the February 2026 Notice of Privacy Practices deadline that most clinics have already missed, and the exploding legal risks surrounding Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. From staff members putting PHI into public ChatGPT servers to class-action wiretapping lawsuits over AI medical scribes, the compliance landscape has completely changed. Episode Chapters: (00:00:00) Q1 2026 HIPAA Landscape Overview (00:02:35) The Proposed HIPAA Security Rule Overhaul (00:07:25) Mandatory Patching & IT Vulnerability Rules (00:09:09) The Missed Notice of Privacy Practices Deadline (00:12:29) The Massive Legal Risks of AI in Healthcare (00:14:44) AI Scribes and Wiretapping Class Action Lawsuits (00:17:24) OCR Enforcement & Multi-Million Dollar Fines (00:22:09) Vendor Breaches and Tracking Pixel Liability (00:26:11) Legacy Email Systems: The Ticking Time Bomb (00:31:24) 6 Immediate Action Items for Your Clinic
Mar 11

Why Chiropractors Cannot "Opt Out" of Medicare | with Lisa Maciejewski-West

Many chiropractors believe they can simply operate a cash-only practice or have patients sign an ABN form to avoid dealing with Medicare. According to the law, they are completely wrong. In this episode, Wade sits down with Lisa Maciejewski-West from Gold Star Medical, a billing and compliance expert with 44 years of experience in the chiropractic field. Lisa breaks down the harsh reality of Medicare compliance: chiropractors are statutorily prohibited from opting out of Medicare. They discuss the massive compliance risks chiropractors take by operating under the radar, the difference between Participating (PAR) and Non-Participating (Non-PAR) elections, and why offering "free" or discounted non-covered services to Medicare beneficiaries is actually a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Episode Chapters: (00:00:51) The "Opt-Out" Myth for Chiropractors(00:03:42) How to Handle Medicare Patients at the Front Desk(00:05:17) Enrolling in Medicare: PAR vs. Non-PAR(00:09:03) Understanding Covered vs. Non-Covered Services(00:11:30) The Anti-Kickback Risk of "Free" Exams(00:12:56) When to Actually Use an ABN Form(00:15:38) How Well-Meaning Patients Trigger Audits(00:21:48) Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare(00:26:38) Criminal and Civil Penalties for Non-Compliance
Feb 25

Why Joint Ventures Are the Best Way to Scale a Medical Clinic

When you want to scale a healthcare service nationwide, what is the best business model? Jason Green, the entrepreneurial force behind Brain Restore Centers (BRC), initially thought the answer was licensing. He gave clinics a powerful toolkit of brain rehabilitation protocols and told them to run with it. It failed. In this episode, Wade and Jason break down exactly why Joint Venture (JV) structures are the ultimate scaling tool in healthcare. They discuss why expecting busy providers to build a new service line from scratch is a recipe for disaster, and how BRC shifted to a "done-for-you" JV model. By forming a true partnership where the business systems, marketing, and P&L are shared, BRC ensures that adding a new service line never wrecks the doctor's core practice. Episode Chapters: (00:00:00) The Mission of Brain Restore Centers(00:03:02) Defining Brain Health and Cognitive Decline(00:06:46) The Three Pillars of BRC Infrastructure(00:11:15) Treating ADHD, Burnout, and Dementia(00:16:10) Bridging Biohacking and Conventional Medicine(00:18:06) Building Clinical Credibility and Uniformity(00:21:33) The 60-Day Partner Clinic Onboarding(00:25:30) Why Our Licensing Model Failed(00:28:33) Surrounding Yourself With High-Caliber Professionals(00:30:49) The "Video Game" Entrepreneur Cheat Code(00:32:19) Stop Trying to Brute Force Business

Trailer

Welcome to Healthcare Empowered | Coming December 3rd

Welcome to Healthcare Empowered, a new podcast hosted by Wade Emmert, healthcare and privacy law attorney at Carrington Coleman. In my daily work as a healthcare attorney, I work alongside forward-thinking innovators. I get a front-row seat to the moments of challenge and triumph that the public rarely sees. Now, I’m bringing those stories directly to you. We are going beyond the legal briefs to explore the human side of healthcare leadership. We'll talk about the wins, the losses, and the future of the industry. New episodes will drop every two weeks. Be sure to subscribe before the podcast premieres on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Hosted by attorney Wade Emmert (Carrington Coleman), Healthcare Empowered explores the real stories behind healthcare innovation. Join us as we sit down with the industry's most dynamic leaders to discuss their triumphs, hurdles, and the lessons learned along the way. New episodes every two weeks.

Creator

Wade Emmert
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

15
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Wade Emmert
Show Website

Healthcare Empowered