EP330: What Is Going On Over at Health Systems? With John Marchica, CEO at Darwin Research Group

In Episode 330, Stacey Richter talks with John Marchica, CEO of Darwin Research Group, about what an ongoing quarterly research study reveals about how health systems and integrated delivery networks (IDNs) are strategizing and reacting coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

✅ What Darwin Research Group's top three health system findings were during COVID

✅ Why health systems have a renewed focus on primary care

✅ How infusion centers managed throughout the pandemic, and what screening gaps opened up in other areas

✅ Which telemedicine changes are likely to become permanent, and why reimbursement parity matters

✅ What health systems that own their own specialty pharmacy groups are doing right now

WHY THIS MATTERS

IDNs are, and are run, like businesses, nonprofit status notwithstanding — and the mountain of evidence showing that IDN consolidation drives up prices for patients, employers, and taxpayers is hard to deny. With aggregate IDN market size at $1 trillion in 2020 and projected to double by 2027, understanding what these powerful institutions are strategically prioritizing, from telemedicine to specialty pharmacy, matters well beyond their own walls.

=== LINKS ===

🔗 Show Notes with all mentioned links: Episode Page

🔗 Healthcare Industry Acronyms and Terms

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00:00 Introduction.

03:50 What were John's top three health system findings during COVID?

05:24 What is priority for integrated delivery network health systems right now?

08:57 Why do health systems have a renewed focus in primary care?

10:07 How did infusion centers manage throughout the pandemic?

13:58 "It's not just in cancer, people not getting screened and being diagnosed; it's in other areas as well."

14:17 Which of these telemedicine changes are permanent?

19:39 "A visit is a visit … so why would you reimburse at a lower rate?"

19:57 "Telemedicine … is, by its nature, more efficient … and they should be able to figure out how to make money."

27:17 What are health system plans that own their specialty pharmacy groups doing right now?

29:57 What does Darwin Research Group focus on?