Welcome to the Empowered Patient Podcast with Karen Jagoda. This show is a window into the latest innovations in applying generative AI, novel therapeutics and vaccines, and the changing dynamics in the medical and healthcare environment. One focus is on how providers, pharmaceutical companies, and payers are empowering patients. In addition, conversations are often about how providers, care facilities, pharmaceutical companies, and payers are being empowered by technology to improve patient outcomes and reduce friction across the healthcare landscape.
Popular Topics
- Virtual and digital health
- Use of AI, ML, and LLM in healthcare and drug discovery, development, trials
- Value-based healthcare
- Precision and stratified medicine
- Integration of digital technology into existing workflow and procedures
- Next-generation immuno, cell, and gene therapies
- Vaccines
- Biomarkers, sequencing, and imaging
- Rare diseases
- MedTech and medical devices
- Clinical trials
- Addressing Social Determinants of Health
- Treating chronic conditions like obesity and pain
- Clinician and staff burnout
The audience includes life science leaders, researchers, medical professionals, patient advocates, digital health entrepreneurs, patients, caregivers, healthcare solution providers, students, journalists, and investors.
Check out our new EmpoweredPatient.Solutions site where you can quickly search all of the Empowered Patient Podcast interviews by any word or phrase to identify useful resources, potential partners, and insights about the life sciences landscape.
Managing Medical Debt and the Impact of Cost Transparency with Ryne Natzke Sphere TRANSCRIPT
Download PDFApr 6, 2023
Ryne Natzke, Chief Revenue Officer for Sphere, works with healthcare providers to facilitate patient payments using technology to smooth the process. Medical debt is increasing, and reports are that nearly half of Americans can not afford an unexpected $500 medical expense without stress to their budgets. Transparency of costs and adding flexibility to patients for payments are key to reducing the impact of preventative and unexpected medical costs.
Ryan explains, "The thing about medical debt also is that it, by definition, is almost always unexpected. You don't plan to go to the emergency room or do anything like that, and this is beyond just having insurance. This is debt that a patient owes after insurance already takes care of their side. So, it's impacting a large number of Americans and has a really big impact on their day-to-day lives and day-to-day finances."
"The two things that come to mind for me are transparency and flexibility. As we talked about at the beginning, a lot of it is the unknown and for the most part, is also unexpected. Giving patients information about what they owe and why ahead of time, before the care has been delivered before the claim is adjudicated and the final bill becomes due, is important, before it's too late to change behaviors. So, if you can help somebody budget, or if you could help somebody prepare for what's going to be coming down the line, it allows them to make more informed decisions."
@SphereCommerce #MedicalDebt #HealthcarePriceTransparency #MedicalInsurance #Patients
