Episode 11: Kim Bellard - Deeply curious

Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠blog post⁠ on North of Patient: https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-11-kim-bellard-deeply-curious If you have been following insightful and intersectional writing on healthcare in the United States in the last 10-15 years, it’s likely you’ve come across the work of Kim Bellard. Kim is a former health insurance executive, who, amongst many other things, pioneered one of the first fully online health insurance products in the US in the 90s, and went on to become the editor of Tincture Health, a bold online publication discussing critical conversations around improving healthcare in the US. Kim’s career journey was not traditional by any means. From math graduate to healthcare policy leader, his bold ideas and curiosity led him to propose healthcare reforms at Prudential and Blue Cross Blue Shield, setting the tone for a lifelong pursuit of innovation. Our conversations covers everything from life in Cincinnati to the peculiar decisions that locals seem to make regarding where they get their health, to exploring the origins of complexity in healthcare delivery in the US, to talking about the incredible potential of the microbiome. Key stamps from our conversation are below:01:38 Healthcare in Cincinnati04:46 Challenges in American Healthcare06:21 Innovations in Health Insurance12:10 Digital Healthcare Revolution14:13 Tincture Health and Writing20:14 Barriers to Healthcare Transformation29:08 Future of Healthcare with AI31:45 The Future of AI in Healthcare Licensing32:48 AI's Role in Reducing Healthcare Bloat34:28 Virtual Care and AI Doctors37:08 AI in Medical Documentation and Empathy39:29 The Role of Physical Exams and AI41:26 The Impact of AI on Medical Treatments50:43 The Microbiome and Future Medical Revolutions54:15 The Problem with Prescription Benefit Managers (PBMs)59:45 The Future of Healthcare and AI