Health Tech Nerds Radio
Episode 21
The Grand Roundup: Novo-Hims partnership, UHS buys Talkspace, OpenEvidence's "Spotify of healthcare" strategy & Wiley partnership, and Idaho Microhospitals
Mar 9, 2026
48:43
Episode Description
The episode covers a busy Monday in healthcare and markets:
- Universal Health Services announced it will acquire Talkspace to expand outpatient behavioral health and virtual care, raising questions about Talkspace’s largely non‑W2 therapist model and the modest premium paid.
- Hims and Hers and Novo Nordisk unexpectedly reengaged after a broken partnership and lawsuit, with Hims curtailing compounded GLP‑1 advertising, Novo dropping its lawsuit, and Novo products expected on the platform, boosting Hims’ stock.
- Wiley’s AI-focused earnings call and partnership with OpenEvidence (including equity)
- CMS action against Elevance over risk-adjustment submissions via encrypted USB drives
- Hospital operators’ revenue growth driven mostly by price and coding intensity
- Idaho legislation targeting a freestanding ER’s heavy use of the No Surprises Act IDR process
- Private-market deals for FindHelp and Greater Good Health
- The collapse of New Mountain’s planned “Thoreau” spinout
- Operational and financing challenges of scaling cell and gene therapies.
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