Episode 39: Ed Gaines - Healthcare Reimbursement, Prior Authorization, and the No Surprises Act

In this episode of the Strive Podcast, we speak with Ed Gaines, a nationally recognized expert in healthcare reimbursement, medical coding, and physician payment policy, to unpack the economic infrastructure that shapes modern medicine.Together we discuss:• Why reimbursement education is largely absent from medical training• How documentation and coding directly influence physician payment• The real implications of the No Surprises Act for patients and providers• The growing burden of prior authorization and payer oversight• Why independent practices may be regaining leverage against health plans• What young physicians should know about contracts, negotiations, and advocacyThis conversation offers a rare inside look at the policy, incentives, and payment systems that quietly determine how care is delivered in the United States, and why physicians must understand them to protect the future of the profession.