How to Restore Patient Care in a Broken System with Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio
Joe Grogan sits down with Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio, a neurosurgeon and health policy researcher, for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges facing America’s healthcare system. Drawing on his experience at a safety net hospital, Dr. DiGiorgio discusses the realities of trauma care, including the treatment of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and the systemic issues within Medicaid that hinder access and quality of care. The conversation also explores the misuse of the 340B program, the ethics and logistics of overlapping surgeries, and the growing crisis of physician burnout. Dr. DiGiorgio shares his advocacy for direct primary care and the promise of AI as tools to reduce administrative burdens and improve patient outcomes.
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45:35
Ryan Long on How the 340B Drug Program Got Hijacked—and What It’s Costing Patients
In this episode of DC EKG, policy expert Ryan Long unpacks the tangled evolution of the 340B program—from its origins in the early 1990s to its explosive, unintended role in today’s healthcare market. Originally designed to help hospitals serving the uninsured access affordable drugs, 340B has morphed into a tool for profit, driving hospital consolidation, inflating costs, and straining the biotech innovation ecosystem. Ryan explains how vague eligibility rules, lack of oversight, and policy loopholes have turned a small support program into a massive $54 billion industry—with no requirement that savings actually reach the patients it's meant to help. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in how drug pricing policy, hospital behavior, and innovation incentives are shaping the future of medicine in America.
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1:00:16
How Legal Shifts Are Reshaping U.S. Healthcare Policy with Kelly Cleary
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan speaks with Kelly Cleary, a partner at Akin Law, about her career in healthcare regulatory law and her experience at HHS. They discuss the recent repeal of the Richardson waiver, its historical significance, and implications for healthcare policy and regulation. The conversation also touches on the end of Chevron deference and its potential impact on agency regulations, as well as personal reflections on the value of government service in shaping legal practice.
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36:30
How Regulatory Reform Can Accelerate Medical Innovation in America with Dr. Brian Miller
In this episode of DC EKG, host Joe Grogan sits down with Dr. Brian J. Miller to dissect the critical barriers slowing medical innovation in the United States. Together, they unpack the notorious "Valley of Death"—the daunting gap between FDA approval and Medicare coverage that delays patient access to groundbreaking treatments and technologies, often by an average of 5.7 years. Dr. Miller shares his insights on how outdated regulatory processes at both the FDA and CMS create unnecessary hurdles for life sciences and technology entrepreneurs. They explore how modernizing third-party reviews, streamlining clinical trials, and reforming coverage decisions could dramatically accelerate the journey from lab to patient.
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47:00
Unpacking the Obamacare Money Laundering Scheme with Brian Blase
In this episode, Joe Grogan and Brian Blase dive into the current state of Medicaid, exploring the urgent need for reforms to tackle inefficiencies, improper payments, and discriminatory reimbursement rates. Blase discusses the challenges stemming from the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how it has impacted traditional enrollees. The conversation also uncovers the troubling issue of Medicaid money laundering, shedding light on the practice of state-directed payments that sometimes surpass Medicare rates. Together, they discuss the pressing need for a more effective and equitable healthcare system that better serves those in need while ensuring accountability in healthcare spending. This episode is a critical look at how the ACA and Medicaid policies are shaping the future of American healthcare.
Join former White House policy experts Joe Grogan and Eric Ueland as they cut through the complexities of healthcare legislation and its real-world implications. Each episode of DC EKG aims to demystify the policies shaping our healthcare system, uncovering how these changes impact patients, providers, and payers across the country. New episodes drop every Monday.
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