Highway to Health

MarketScale

David Kemp will be sitting down with the leaders that are creating the roadmap for the future of healthcare.

  1. Apr 29

    Rethinking the Standard of Care: How Noninvasive Therapy Could Change Heart Disease Outcomes

    Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., with 683,491 deaths reported in 2024, according to the CDC. As cardiovascular care shifts toward access, prevention, and value-based outcomes, noninvasive therapies are gaining renewed attention for patients who continue to experience symptoms after traditional interventions. At the same time, rising healthcare costs and hospital readmission rates are putting pressure on providers and payers to find treatments that improve outcomes without adding risk or burden. But if a proven therapy can improve blood flow without surgery, why is it still often treated as a last-line option? Welcome to Highway to Health. In the latest episode, host David Kemp talks with Michael Gratch, CEO and founder of Flow Therapy, about rethinking heart disease treatment through counterpulsation therapy, also known as EECP. Their conversation explores patient access, physician education, delivery-model innovation, and why Flow Therapy is working to make noninvasive cardiovascular care easier to understand and easier to receive. Key highlights from the episode… Counterpulsation therapy may help relieve heart disease symptoms—such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue—that occur with activity and ease with rest.Flow Therapy’s care model is built around access and experience, replacing the traditional hospital-based “room at the end of the hall” with dedicated outpatient centers.Education remains the biggest barrier, as Gratch believes the therapy should be considered earlier in the care pathway, not only after all other options have failed.Michael Gratch is the CEO and founder of Flow Therapy, a company he launched in 2003 after searching for better options for his grandfather, who became the company’s first patient. A former athlete, Gratch chose entrepreneurship in health care over a professional football opportunity, building Flow Therapy around a mission to make noninvasive cardiovascular treatment more accessible to patients with chronic heart disease symptoms. His work has focused on expanding EECP access, improving the care experience and partnering with cardiologists and health systems to bring counterpulsation therapy into a broader standard-of-care conversation.

  2. Mar 25

    Fixing the Physician Experience: Why Advocacy Is Healthcare’s Next Frontier

    Physician burnout has become a defining challenge in healthcare, with research showing that a substantial portion of clinicians—anywhere from roughly a quarter to over half—experience emotional exhaustion, driven more by systemic pressures like administrative burden and reduced autonomy than by individual resilience alone. As healthcare systems face growing staffing shortages and rising patient demand, the conversation is shifting away from individual coping strategies toward structural solutions that prioritize physician support, retention, and long-term alignment. So what would it look like if physicians were supported not just as clinicians—but as professionals with long-term career strategies, personal goals, and evolving identities? The latest episode of Highway to Health zeroes in on one of healthcare’s most urgent challenges: fixing the physician experience. Host David Kemp sits down with Dr. Michael Suk and Leigh Steinberg, co-founders of MDEnvoy, to explore how advocacy-driven support models can transform the profession. Together, they unpack how aligning physicians with the right opportunities—and supporting them beyond the exam room—can reshape not only individual careers, but the broader healthcare ecosystem. Top insights from the talk… Misalignment—not lack of resilience—is a primary driver of physician burnout, often stemming from unmet expectations around autonomy, support, and culture.Retention is the most effective lever for improving healthcare access; losing a single physician can trigger cascading impacts on patient care and system stability.Early clarity and long-term career planning can prevent “silent failures” in physician placements, reducing turnover and improving satisfaction.Dr. Michael Suk is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon, physician-executive, and healthcare innovator with extensive experience leading clinical, operational, and policy transformation across major health systems. He has held prominent national leadership roles, including Chair of The Joint Commission Board of Commissioners and Immediate Past Chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees, while also serving as a professor and mentor to hundreds of physicians in training. Through his clinical practice and physician-led ventures, he focuses on advancing value-based care, empowering physicians, and improving the long-term sustainability of the healthcare workforce. Leigh Steinberg is a pioneering sports agent, entrepreneur, and Chairman of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, widely recognized for transforming athlete representation by building clients into global brands. Over a 50-year career, he has negotiated more than $4 billion in contracts, represented over 300 professional athletes—including multiple No. 1 NFL draft picks—and directed over $1 billion to charitable causes. Known as the inspiration behind Jerry Maguire, Steinberg also brings expertise in negotiation, branding, and leadership, alongside his work as an author, educator, and founder of initiatives focused on brain health and philanthropy.

  3. 12/17/2025

    Caregiver Engagement Is the Missing Link in Dementia Care: Why Empowering Families Drives Better Outcomes and Lower Costs

    Dementia is becoming one of healthcare’s most difficult problems to ignore. As the population ages, more families are finding themselves responsible for loved ones who can no longer manage their own care, communicate symptoms clearly, or navigate the healthcare system. Research shows that people living with dementia are hospitalized far more often than those without it—even when age and other medical conditions are taken into account—fueling a cycle of stress, confusion, and hospital visits that are often avoidable with the right support in place. That raises a simple but uncomfortable question: if people living with dementia can’t meaningfully engage with the healthcare system on their own, why do we keep designing care models that expect them to? That question sits at the heart of this episode of Highway to Health, hosted by David Kemp, featuring Dirk Soenksen, CEO of Ceresti Health. Together, they explore why family caregivers—not patients—are the most important and overlooked participants in dementia care. The conversation looks at what actually happens inside the home, how caregivers make daily decisions that affect outcomes, and why supporting them can improve quality of life while reducing strain on the healthcare system. Top insights from the talk… Why traditional patient engagement doesn’t work for dementia: Cognitive impairment makes it unrealistic to rely on patients to self-report symptoms or manage care, often leaving them disconnected from timely medical support.How caregivers become the real care coordinators: When caregivers are educated and supported, they’re better equipped to recognize changes, respond early, and work effectively with primary care physicians.What a caregiver-first model changes for the system: Ceresti Health’s approach has shown meaningful reductions in avoidable hospitalizations, saving roughly $6,000 per patient per year while helping people remain at home longer.Dirk Soenksen is a healthcare executive and entrepreneur with a long track record of founding, scaling, and commercializing technology-enabled care and diagnostics companies. He is the co-founder and CEO of Ceresti Health, where he leads a caregiver-enabled dementia care model that delivers proven cost savings for Medicare Advantage plans, ACOs, and PACE programs, and participates in CMS’s GUIDE model. Previously, he founded and scaled Aperio into a global leader in digital pathology—raising over $50M and leading the company through FDA clearances and a successful acquisition by Danaher—after earlier leadership roles in digital health, medical technology, and engineering.

  4. 10/15/2025

    The Open Road to Reform: Why Healthcare Needs Disruption, Innovation, and the Return of Real Competition

    The U.S. healthcare system is at a crossroads — facing rising costs, limited competition, and a widening gap between innovation and accessibility. According to projections from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), national health spending is expected to grow faster than the overall economy over the next decade — about 5.8% per year compared to 4.3% GDP growth. If this trend continues, healthcare’s share of the economy will climb from 17.6% in 2023 to more than 20% by 2033. As costs rise faster than wages or inflation, the need for sustainable, competitive reform has never been more urgent. How can employers, providers, and innovators work together to create a more competitive, cost-effective, and sustainable healthcare system? And what does it truly mean to “reintroduce wolves” — or competition — into healthcare’s delicate ecosystem? Welcome to Highway to Health. In the latest episode, host David Kemp sits down with Chris Wilson, President & Chief Revenue Officer at Healthcare Highways, for a deep and refreshingly candid discussion about disrupting the status quo in healthcare. Together, they explore what sustainable reform looks like in practice — from empowering employers to take ownership of health plan decisions to rethinking the structure of care delivery and reimbursement. Top insights from the talk… Reintroducing Competition: Wilson draws parallels between Yellowstone’s reintroduction of wolves and the healthcare industry’s need to restore balance through competition and innovation.Empowering Employers: Engaged employers at the C-suite level can directly influence healthcare outcomes and costs by treating healthcare as a core business strategy rather than a delegated HR function.Building Sustainable Models: True change requires provider-employer collaboration, transparent reimbursement practices, and consumer-driven health plans that emphasize value and accountability.Chris Wilson is a seasoned healthcare and insurance executive with over 30 years of experience driving growth and innovation in the industry. Starting his career by founding his own insurance agency, he went on to hold senior leadership roles at Arthur J. Gallagher and Healthcare Highways, where he now serves as President and Chief Revenue Officer. Known for his strategic leadership and focus on disrupting traditional healthcare models, Wilson specializes in business development, revenue strategy, and creating competitive, sustainable solutions for employers and providers.

  5. 10/01/2025

    Leading Through Change: Dr. Kevin Stevenson on Workforce, Innovation, and the Future of Healthcare

    Healthcare is at a critical turning point, where staffing pressures, shrinking reimbursements, and rising patient expectations are reshaping the future of healthcare. According to the AACN Nursing Workforce Fact Sheet, the federal government projects more than 203,000 new registered nurse positions will be created annually from 2021 to 2031, reflecting high demand from an aging population and increased healthcare needs. Yet the supply of nurses has not kept pace, making workforce shortages a defining challenge that is reshaping how hospitals recruit, retain, and support their clinical teams. So, what does it take to lead in healthcare during such a transformative era? In this episode of Highway to Health, host David Kemp sits down with Dr. Kevin Stevenson, a board-certified senior healthcare executive and host of the I Don’t Care with Dr. Stevenson podcast. Dr. Stevenson draws on 36 years of experience across hospitals, health systems, consulting, pharmaceuticals, and physician networks. He shares insights into the evolving landscape of healthcare leadership, the complexities of hospital decision-making, and the non-negotiables for sustaining both patient care and staff well-being as the industry navigates the future of healthcare. Key Topics Discussed The evolution of healthcare business models: From “heads in beds” volume-driven care to efficiency, consumerism, and value-based strategies.The workforce crisis: Why nurses are burning out, how generational shifts affect staffing, and what health systems must do to rebuild the pipeline.Decision-making in hospitals: The complex interplay of vendors, administrators, clinicians, and community foundations in bringing new solutions to healthcare.Dr. Kevin Stevenson is a board-certified senior healthcare executive with more than three decades of leadership experience. He became one of the youngest hospital CEOs in his organization at age 35 and has since held roles across hospital administration, healthcare consulting, pharmaceutical distribution, and physician networks. He is also the host of I Don’t Care with Dr. Stevenson, a podcast dedicated to candid conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare leaders. His career has been shaped by a dedication to patient care, workforce engagement, and advancing innovation in the industry.

  6. 09/17/2025

    Transformation Without Disruption: How Access Healthcare Is Rewiring the Revenue Cycle with Agentic AI

    Hospitals are juggling shrinking margins and rising costs while denial volumes remain stubbornly high. In the revenue cycle alone, hundreds of billions are lost annually to preventable errors and inefficiencies—in fact, Access Healthcare CEO Shaji Ravi cites more than $250 billion wasted each year. Meanwhile, payers have accelerated their use of AI to adjudicate and deny claims. Against this backdrop, a practical question has turned urgent: can health systems modernize fast enough without derailing day-to-day cash flow? What would it take to deploy AI across the revenue cycle without a painful rip-and-replace—and actually cut operating costs by half? On this episode of Highway to Health, host David Kemp talks with Shaji Ravi, the CEO of Access Healthcare, which is now part of Smarter Technologies (alongside SmarterDX and Thoughtful AI). They unpack a blueprint for “transformation without disruption,” covering front-end CDI and coding, mid-cycle automation, and back-end denials/AR—plus the governance needed to keep AI reliable and compliant. Key highlights from the episode... Front-end first: Fix documentation and coding upstream (SmarterDX) to reduce downstream rework; 60% of claims pay cleanly, but the persistent 40% problem starts before submission.Agentic AI with humans-in-the-loop: Move beyond RPA’s static rules to self-learning “knowledge streams” that spot root causes, propagate fixes across thousands of claims, and are audited by governance teams—no “rogue bots.”Zero-disruption rollout, real ROI: Wrap modular AI around existing EHRs, require “near-zero” IT lift, and phase savings: ~50% people reduction in the first months as agents take on denial management, coding assists, posting, and AR follow-up.Shaji Ravi has spent nearly 30 years in the U.S. healthcare revenue cycle, beginning in the mid-1990s and ultimately co-founding and scaling Access Healthcare to 27,000+ specialists across the U.S., India, and the Philippines. Now the CEO of Access Healthcare within Smarter Technologies, he’s leading the integration of service delivery (Access Healthcare), clinical/front-end intelligence (SmarterDX), and agentic automation (Thoughtful AI) to help providers cut costs and improve collections—without changing core systems.

  7. 08/07/2025

    The Uber of Healthcare: How OverbookMD is Using Data and Tech to Redefine Patient Care

    In today’s world, where instant delivery and ride-sharing are everyday norms, healthcare access still lags behind. Patients now wait an average of 31 days to see a specialist in major U.S. cities—a 19% jump since 2022—according to AMN Healthcare’s 2025 survey. The stakes are high: delays can lead to worsening conditions, increased ER visits, and skyrocketing costs for patients, providers, and employers alike. So why are we still waiting on healthcare, and how do we fix that? Is it possible to deliver rapid, high-quality access to top-tier physicians without sacrificing care or overwhelming the system? In this episode of Highway to Health, host David Kemp is joined by Priya A. Patel, CEO and Co‑Founder of overbookMD, to discuss how her company is tackling this access crisis. OverbookMD connects patients to top specialists within 48 hours—without compromising quality. Patel explains how her background in pharmacy, data science, and healthcare operations helped fuel a tech‑forward solution to one of medicine’s most stubborn bottlenecks: scheduling. Key Highlights from the Episode: How overbookMD transforms no‑show gaps into rapid access slots: The platform dynamically fills cancellations and no-show openings so patients can see board‑certified specialists—often within 48 hours. Why fast access matters across the care ecosystem: Reducing wait times not only benefits patients but also decreases unnecessary ER visits and eases workload for administrative and clinical teams. How overbookMD balances speed with uncompromising quality: Using a four-pillar vetting framework—including outcome metrics, license and litigation checks, experience, and online reputation—they maintain a high-caliber provider network via the proprietary Overbook Quality Index. Priya A. Patel is the CEO and Founder of overbookMD, a company dedicated to providing rapid, concierge-level access to industry-leading medical specialists. With over 20 years in healthcare operations and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, Patel blends clinical insight with operational expertise. She has built a company driven by data-backed decision-making to break through entrenched healthcare inefficiencies.

  8. 06/24/2025

    RevSpring Uses Data, Automation and Empathy to Improve the Patient Financial Journey - Better Outcomes for Patients, Less Burden for Providers

    Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to meet consumer expectations without adding an administrative burden. According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll in June 2024, 18% of the 2,092 American adults who were surveyed had received an unexpected medical bill of $1,000 or more in the past year, and 50% said they would not or weren’t sure they could pay it. Moreover, 10% said they would delay or avoid essentials such as food or rent as a result. This financial uncertainty remains a leading reason patients delay or avoid care, underscoring the urgency of enhancing the patient financial journey to safeguard outcomes and revenue. What strategies can help health systems deliver a personalized patient experience while reducing operational complexity? On Highway to Health, host David Kemp speaks to Nicole Rogas, the President of RevSpring, about how the company is transforming the patient financial journey using data, automation, and empathy. Rogas shares how RevSpring is evolving far beyond its print roots, using analytics and adaptive technology to make financial engagement more personalized and accessible for patients, while easing the workload for providers. Key Highlights from the Episode: Personalized Communication at Scale: RevSpring’s Engage IQ™ platform uses behavioral data, financial analytics, and communication preferences to tailor how and when patients are engaged via text, email, print, or voice. The Biggest Social Determinant: Rogas emphasizes that financial access is one of the most overlooked social determinants of health. When patients cannot understand or afford their care, it disrupts treatment adherence and outcomes. Empathy and Innovation in Leadership: Rogas reflects on her journey from Experian to Simpler and now RevSpring, underscoring how authentic leadership and mission-driven teams create the conditions for lasting transformation. Nicole Rogas is a veteran healthcare technology executive with over two decades of leadership experience spanning revenue cycle management, healthcare operations, and patient engagement. She spent 19 years at Experian Health, rising from sales roles to Chief Commercial Officer, where she led national growth strategies, client success, and post-acquisition integrations. Now President of RevSpring, she continues to drive innovation in patient financial engagement by leveraging data, technology, and a people-first leadership philosophy.

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About

David Kemp will be sitting down with the leaders that are creating the roadmap for the future of healthcare.

Information

  • Creator
    MarketScale
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    112
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    Highway to Health