The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast

Last year, his independent pharmacy spent $13 million on brand-name drugs for patients processed by the three biggest Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which earned a profit margin of 0.01%.
In this episode, Halle speaks with Alec Ginsberg, owner and fourth-generation pharmacist at C.O. Bigelow, the oldest surviving apothecary–pharmacy in the United States. Alec is fighting against the forces squeezing independent pharmacies and charting a course for the future of the pharmacist.
We cover:
How the roll-up of PBMs, health plans, and retail pharmacies changed everything
What led him to remove his pharmacy’s Rx-filling robot
The dramatic decline of independent pharmacies along with the closures of big box pharmacy stores
The one health policy he would put in place today to save independent pharmacies
The history of the pharmacist's role and what’s next
What he really thinks about compounding pharmacies and the Hims vs. Novo lawsuit
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About our guest:
Alec Wade Ginsberg is the fourth-generation pharmacist, owner, and Chief Operating Officer of C.O. Bigelow Apothecary, America’s oldest pharmacy, founded in 1838 and still operating in New York City’s West Village. With a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Alec bridges the clinical world of pharmacy with the realities of modern consumer culture.
At Bigelow, he oversees the brick-and-mortar beauty retail and pharmacy operations, navigating everything from prescription drug shortages to the pressures of today’s PBM-dominated marketplace. Beyond the counter, Alec is the founder and writer of Drugstore Cowboy, a weekly newsletter that dissects the intersection of drugs, business, and consumer culture — making the hidden mechanics of the U.S. healthcare system both understandable and entertaining for thousands of readers.
His work has been featured across national media, and he’s become a trusted voice for translating complex pharmaceutical issues — from GLP-1s to compounding to drug pricing — into plain English. Alec’s mission is simple: to make Americans smarter about the pills in their cabinets and the system that puts them there.
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Show notes:
Drugstore Cowboy - Alec’s free and super interesting newsletter
C.O. Bigelow - The Nation’s Oldest Apothecary
Virtual GLP-1 startups: Pill mills or the future of obesity care?
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Chris Klomp, Director of Medicare and Deputy Administrator of CMS, and Senior Advisor to HHS Secretary RFK Jr., has big ambitions to reshape how healthcare works in the United States.
This week, ​​Steve sits down with Klomp to discuss how his experience as a digital health entrepreneur is guiding his current role overseeing a roughly $2 trillion department. Klomp shares the government's strategy for restoring trust between providers and payers, driving down costs, and addressing a system where approximately 90% of healthcare dollars are still spent in a fee-for-service arrangement.
We cover:
Why 90% of US healthcare remains fee-for-service after two decades of reform.
The intentional design of the new Access model to be deflationary and fuel entrepreneurship among insurgents.
The commitment from the payer industry to make prior authorization invisible to patients and providers by 2027.
CMS's aggressive stance on data interoperability and funding enforcement against data blocking.
How the Most Favored Nation policy is re-wiring global prescription drug supply to lower prices without compromising innovation.
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About our guest:
Chris Klomp is the Director of Medicare and Deputy Administrator of CMS, and Senior Advisor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. With extensive experience in healthcare payment reform and data sharing, he built and led Collective Medical, the largest U.S. real-time care collaboration data network, acquired by PointClickCare in 2020. There, he partnered with health systems, plans, providers, post-acutes, and state governments to advance value-based care through enhanced data access and insights.
Chris has driven healthcare reform at state and federal levels, focusing on value-based care and interoperable health technology. Through Endurance Companies, a San Francisco-based multi-family office he co-founded with Stanford classmates, he has co-founded, invested in, advised, and served on the board of many innovative healthcare organizations, including Nomi Health, Maven Clinic, InnovaCare Health, and Health Joy. He also served as a Utah Senate-confirmed commissioner of the Utah Digital Health Services Commission, where he focused on leveraging technology for cost-effective, healthier outcomes. Previously, he was Vice President in Bain Capital’s North American Private Equity group and worked at Bain & Company. Recognized as Utah Business’ CEO of the Year and EY’s Mountain Region Entrepreneur of the Year, Chris holds a B.A. with honors in Economics and English from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Stanford.
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🙏 Thank you to our show sponsor, Quickstudy PR, story brokers for leading healthcare executives. Learn more about quickstudypr.com.
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This week, Halle and Michael sit down for a special in-person listener Q&A to answer a range of founder questions you submitted.
Topics include:
What investors are prioritizing right now and how first-time founders can stand out
How to think about board seats
What to do if your growth has plateaued
Things to keep in mind when negotiating a health system contract
How to think about choosing between small funds and mega-VCs
What “pay to play” really means
How to handle co-founder equity when someone leaves early
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📍 Connect with us:
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Breakthrough blood tests that can flag dozens of cancers before symptoms appear are gaining momentum, yet questions remain about accuracy, equity, and how these tools will fit into routine care.
In this episode, Steve talks with Helmy Eltoukhy, co-founder and co-CEO of Guardant Health, a $14 billion publicly-traded precision oncology company. The conversation explores the science behind cell-free DNA, the rise of blood-based cancer screening, and the broader shift toward data-driven diagnostics.
We cover:
How liquid biopsy works and why cell-free DNA became such a powerful tool
The path from late-stage applications to large-scale early detection
What Medicare coverage of blood-based colorectal cancer screening signals for adoption
The operational and regulatory hurdles that shape diagnostics businesses
Lessons from Helmy’s entrepreneurial path across sequencing, diagnostics, and company-building
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About our guest:
Helmy Eltoukhy is the chairman and co-CEO of Guardant Health, a leading precision oncology company he co-founded in 2012. He is also an active investor and is involved in over 30 startup companies across the technology and healthcare sectors. In December 2024, Eltoukhy expanded his ventures into sports ownership by co-leading the acquisition of Sheffield United Football Club through COH Sports of which he is currently co-chairman.
Last year, he was named by TIME100 Health as one of the most influential people in global health. He was also on Time Magazine’s inaugural list of the 50 Most Influential People in Health Care and has been recognized by Fortune (40 under 40), the World Economic Forum (Technology Pioneer), and on the list of the Top 50 Healthcare CEOs in 2021.
Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Eltoukhy is deeply committed to various philanthropic efforts and serves on the boards of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), and the UCSF Cancer Leadership Council. Prior to founding Guardant Health, Eltoukhy co-founded Avantome in 2007 to commercialize semiconductor sequencing, which was later acquired by Illumina. Eltoukhy is a named inventor on over 100 patents and holds PhD, MS, and BS degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
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Learn more about the Rock Health CEO Summit at the New York Stock Exchange on March 27th.
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📍 Connect with us:
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Pharma ads, biotech IPOs, $1M longevity programs, oh my!
This month's Digital Health Download skews towards biotech, which is having a moment. Tune in to hear Halle and Michael cover the latest headlines.
We cover:
Why pharma ads are surging and the growing push for restrictions on D2C drug advertising
Hims & Hers’ $1.15B acquisition of Eucalyptus, its global expansion strategy, and the FDA crackdown on compounded GLP‑1 drugs
The return of biotech IPOs, with Eikon Therapeutics and Generate Biomedicines signaling investor interest in platform‑based drug discovery
Vaccine makers scaling back research amid policy uncertainty, declining uptake, and tighter funding
TrumpRx’s “most favored nation” drug pricing approach, and what one STAT analysis found
Bryan Johnson’s $1M per year “Immortals” longevity program
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Show notes:
Should drug companies be advertising to consumers? (The New York Times)
Hims & Hers Enters $1.15 Billion Agreement to Acquire Eucalyptus (PharmExec.com)
A sign biotech is back? Four drugmakers go public, raising nearly $1 billion in all (STAT)
Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs (The New York Times)
TrumpRx claims to offer the lowest prices. But many drugs have cheaper generics (STAT)
Bryan Johnson's Immortals: $1M to try longevity regimen (Axios)
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"Halle Tecco wanted to see tech used for better medical services and getting people engaged in their own health. Now, she’s written a book on how she went about it." - The WSJ
Massively Better Healthcare is out now!
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Rock Health's annual CEO Summit is returning to the New York Stock Exchange on March 27th! Learn more and nominate a CEO to join this invite-only event here.
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📍 Connect with us:
Heart of Healthcare website
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.