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Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to attend the Health Evolution Summit, where Dr. Mehmet Oz delivered his first major public address as the newly appointed Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In a revealing fireside chat with former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt, Dr. Oz shared personal stories and outlined an ambitious vision for transforming American healthcare. Through a mix of anecdotes, clear policy direction, and a candid recognition of existing challenges, Dr. Oz articulated a roadmap for meaningful change aimed at benefiting all Americans.
Preventive Health as a Core Focus
Prevention took center stage in Dr. Oz’s remarks. Drawing on personal experiences, including his time as student body president in medical school, where he championed the inclusion of nutrition in the curriculum. Dr. Oz underscored the longstanding neglect of preventive care in medical training and policy.
He spotlighted America’s alarming obesity rate of 43%, more than twice that of Europe and significantly higher than Japan’s, and tied these health outcomes to systemic gaps in prevention. Despite the nation’s high healthcare spending, life expectancy in the U.S. lags five to six years behind European counterparts. Dr. Oz argued that integrating preventive health through simple, scalable interventions such as promoting physical activity, could reduce healthcare spending by approximately $100 billion annually. By linking prevention to both public health imperatives and economic savings, he positioned it as a cornerstone for sustainable healthcare transformation.
Supporting Successful Care Models for Vulnerable Populations
Dr. Oz also spotlighted care models that effectively serve vulnerable communities, expressing particular enthusiasm for initiatives like the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Cityblock Health. He questioned why these proven, community-based models were not more widely implemented, and called for their expansion across the country.
By highlighting these successes, Dr. Oz made clear that improving access and outcomes for underserved populations must remain a national priority. He emphasized the value of scalable, comprehensive care models that meet people where they are, particularly in historically neglected communities, underscoring that these models offer valuable templates for addressing broader systemic inequities.
Embracing Technology to Transform Care Delivery
Technology, especially AI, was another key pillar of Dr. Oz’s vision. He described generative AI as a transformative tool that could extend providers' reach, personalize care, and support earlier interventions. To accelerate this transformation, he advocated for a more open, innovation-friendly CMS, one that facilitates access to healthcare data, supports the development of open APIs, and offers predictable financial models.
Dr. Oz envisioned a future where technology is seamlessly embedded into the care journey—enhancing transparency, improving efficiency, and ultimately making healthcare more accessible for all. He underscored the importance of aligning regulatory environments with technological progress to ensure these tools can reach their full potential.
A Call for “Insurgents” and “Incumbents” to Collaborate
Echoing this future-forward approach, Dr. Oz stressed the importance of collaboration between "insurgents"—disruptive innovators and "incumbents"—established healthcare players. He argued that supporting innovation keeps incumbents accountable and fuels the evolution of care delivery.
Private investment, he noted, plays a critical role in advancing bold, transformative healthcare solutions. CMS, in his view, should create an environment where both disruptive and traditional players can thrive together, enabling the best ideas regardless of origin to scale and impact patients meaningfully.
At Redesign Health, we recognize and actively facilitate this productive tension between incumbents and insurgents. Our investment themes spanning preventive health, expanding sites of care, leveraging technology for better outcomes, and enhancing patient experiences are built around harnessing insurgent innovation to tackle deeply rooted healthcare challenges. Through thoughtful partnerships with incumbents, we merge agility and innovation with scale and operational rigor, enabling lasting and meaningful change across the healthcare ecosystem.
Prioritizing Transparency and Predictability
Dr. Oz’s administrative vision also includes a strong commitment to increasing transparency and predictability at CMS. Drawing from his private-sector experience, he described CMS as historically opaque and challenging to navigate, deterring investment and innovation.
He pledged to reshape this environment by clearly communicating CMS’s goals, reducing regulatory uncertainty, and creating a more navigable landscape for stakeholders. This shift, he argued, will not only improve CMS’s efficiency but also foster a culture of trust and engagement across the healthcare industry.
Addressing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
Finally, Dr. Oz addressed the persistent problems of fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. These issues, he emphasized, compromise both the financial health of the system and the quality of patient care.
He advocated for proactive strategies driven by advanced technologies, particularly AI and predictive analytics to detect and prevent fraud before it occurs. Effective prevention, he argued, can unlock substantial cost savings and improve care delivery, especially for the most vulnerable populations. By linking system efficiency to patient well-being, Dr. Oz positioned fraud prevention as not just a fiscal priority, but a moral and public health imperative.
At Redesign Health, we are deeply committed to fostering systemic transformation in healthcare. By combining innovative approaches, cutting-edge technologies, and strategic partnerships, we aim to address the pressing challenges Dr. Oz outlined, driving impactful change across the entire healthcare ecosystem. Our focus on preventive health, expanding access to care, and integrating AI into the care process aligns with a vision where healthcare becomes more efficient, equitable, and sustainable for all.
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