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Artwork for The Heart of Healthcare

The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast

Massively Better Healthcare
Healthcare Innovation
Digital Health
AI In Healthcare
Value-Based Care
Healthcare
Mental Health
Artificial Intelligence
Medicaid
Venture Capital
Medicare Advantage
Women's Health
Glp-1 Medications
Affordable Care Act
Prenuvo
Generative AI
Medicare
Hims
Metabolic Health
Abridge
Cardiovascular Disease

🏆 2026 Webby Award-winning podcast.

Join us every Monday for conversations with the biggest names in healthcare. Hosted by health tech veterans Halle Tecco, Michael Esquivel, and Steve Kraus.

Learn more and submit your ideas for the show at the Heart of Healthcare website.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes229Founded5 years ago
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EntrepreneurshipHealth & FitnessMedicineBusiness

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Artwork for The Heart of Healthcare

Latest Episodes

July marks five years of The Heart of Healthcare, and we're grateful for every listener who's tuned in. If you've enjoyed the show, please show your love by leaving us a review!

This month, Steve and Halle take stock of an industry where capital is ... more

YouTube

Back by popular demand, 3x Heart of Healthcare guest Eric Larsen joins Steve to answer listener questions on healthcare's AI revolution. Drawing on the ideas behind his latest essay, Healthcare's Oppenheimer Moment, Eric argues that healthcare may be... more

YouTube

Healthcare AI funding is booming, but the money is flowing to fewer companies than ever before. As investors pour capital into a small group of breakout winners, founders are navigating a fundraising environment where expectations seem to change ever... more

Autonomous vehicles may be the closest real-world example of AI operating in life-and-death situations at scale. Justin Norden believes healthcare has a lot to learn from how that industry approached safety, testing, adoption, and trust.

This week,... more

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Recent Guests

Justin Norden
Founder and CEO of Qualified Health
Qualified Health
Episode: What Healthcare Can Learn From Waymo | Qualified Health founder and CEO Justin Norden
Lance Armstrong
Founder and managing partner at Next Ventures
Next Ventures
Episode: Investing in “Whole Person Care” | Lance Armstrong
Eric Larsen
President, TowerBrook Advisors; venture partner at Thrive Capital
TowerBrook Advisors; Thrive Capital
Episode: How AI Will Finally Make Healthcare Deflationary | Eric Larsen
Prashant Samant
CEO and co-founder of Akido Labs
Akido Labs
Episode: What It Takes To Scale Care With AI | Akido Labs CEO Prashant Samant
Nate Gross
OpenAI VP of Health
OpenAI
Episode: Is ChatGPT Now the World's Largest Health App? | OpenAI VP of Health Nate Gross, MD
Wendy Barnes
CEO of GoodRx
GoodRx
Episode: The Chaos Of Drug Pricing in the US | GoodRx CEO Wendy Barnes
Pete McCanna
CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health
Baylor Scott & White Health
Episode: Building a Health System for “Customers” | Baylor Scott & White Health CEO Pete McCanna
Alec Wade Ginsberg
Chief Operating Officer of CO. Bigelow Apothecaries
CO. Bigelow Apothecaries
Episode: The Drugstore Cowboy | C.O. Bigelow Owner & Pharmacist Alec Ginsberg
Chris Klomp
Director of Medicare and Chief Counselor to HHS Secretary
HHS / CMS
Episode: Where Healthcare Policy Is Headed | Chief Counselor at HHS, Chris Klomp

Hosts

Halle Tecco
Host with deep background in healthcare startups and digital health, frequently guiding conversations with founders, investors, and policymakers.
Michael Esquivel
Co-host bringing operational and investment perspective to digital health topics, with emphasis on healthcare delivery and policy.
Steve Kraus
Co-host and health tech veteran offering a practical lens on product, operations, and market dynamics.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 311 ratings
  • Best healthcare pod out there

    Must listen for anyone in the health world. Halle is the best!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Photography San Francisco
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Not the usual pitch

    Thank you for bringing the realness. So many podcasts are secretly pitches funded by the guest/vendor, so it’s really refreshing to not only hear your independent take, but to hear you put your guests on the hot seat instead of just taking their word for it.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Matt Fox 007
    United States2 months ago
  • Super informative!

    It is such a pleasure to start my week by listening to a new episode that consistently expands my knowledge of the health care ecosystem.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Steve U in San Jose
    United States4 months ago
  • Let’s Hear it for the Health Literate Hosts

    There are tons of smart people in health care. Prying knowledge out of them, however, is an art form that is effectively deployed by THOHC hosts. Pivoting easily based on unpredictable responses is to be applauded.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    RedSaawwxx
    United States6 months ago
  • This podcast should be required listening!

    This is the best podcast for anyone serious about the future of healthcare. It should be required listening for anyone building a health tech company, investing in one or those trying to understand where healthcare is headed over the next decade.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Steph Cartin
    United States6 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Consistently valuable coverage of AI, pricing, and system-level change.
Listeners appreciate independent discussion and tough questions for guests.
Thoughtful guests and practical takeaways—great for founders and operators.
Quality conversations that balance optimism with realism in health innovation.
High-caliber insights on healthcare tech and policy that stay grounded in reality.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

What Healthcare Can Learn From Waymo | Qualified Health founder and CEO Justin Norden
Q: How do you balance working with platforms like Epic and pushing for broader AI adoption?
We partner to extend Epic where possible, build interoperable components, and focus on long-tail problems that can be solved with our building blocks, rather than duplicating what Epic already does well.
What Healthcare Can Learn From Waymo | Qualified Health founder and CEO Justin Norden
Q: What is your view on the biggest blockers for health systems adopting AI today?
The main blockers are data infrastructure, governance, and the need to prove ROI and safety across complex workflows, not just pilot projects; leadership must commit to systemic integration rather than incremental pilots.
What Healthcare Can Learn From Waymo | Qualified Health founder and CEO Justin Norden
Q: Can you explain the product at Qualified Health in simple terms?
The core is an infrastructure stack that connects data, applies clinical or operational rules, and enables end-to-end workflows across care, administration, and workforce training, so health systems can deploy AI safely and measure impact.
Investing in “Whole Person Care” | Lance Armstrong
Q: What have you learned about liquidity and the venture model that surprised you the most?
The long horizon of venture returns surprised him, along with the importance of patient capital and reliable, values-aligned leadership over chasing short-term liquidity.
Investing in “Whole Person Care” | Lance Armstrong
Q: How has your health journey influenced your investing thesis and the kinds of companies you back?
His own experiences with cancer and staying healthy shape his focus on whole-person care, preventive health, and the importance of founders delivering tangible, long-term impact for patients.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Heart of Healthcare

What is The Heart of Healthcare about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program features high-profile conversations at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and policy. Episodes commonly explore digital health, AI-enabled care, healthcare delivery, policy reform, drug pricing, and the economics of health systems, often through the lens of startups, investors, and large health institutions. A standout trait is the ability to pair practitioner-level insights with strategic, market-wide context—beneficial for listeners who want practical takeaways for product, policy, and startup strategy. The show frequently welcomes founders, investors, and clinicians who are shaping the future of healthcare, delivering actionable perspectives on how innovations scale, how cost and access are evolving, and what reform... more

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How many listeners does The Heart of Healthcare get?

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What are the audience demographics for The Heart of Healthcare?

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How many subscribers and views does The Heart of Healthcare have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Heart of Healthcare has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Heart of Healthcare?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Heart of Healthcare:

1. The a16z Show
2. What the Health? From KFF Health News
3. Freakonomics Radio
4. NEJM AI Grand Rounds
5. Tradeoffs

How many episodes of The Heart of Healthcare are there?

The Heart of Healthcare launched 5 years ago and published 229 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Heart of Healthcare?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Heart of Healthcare?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Heart of Healthcare from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Heart of Healthcare. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Heart of Healthcare?

Recent guests on The Heart of Healthcare include:

1. Justin Norden
2. Lance Armstrong
3. Eric Larsen
4. Prashant Samant
5. Nate Gross
6. Wendy Barnes
7. Pete McCanna
8. Alec Wade Ginsberg

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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