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The Pulse with Mary Delaney

The Pulse with Mary Delaney

Written by: Mary Delaney
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Alera Group’s podcast series, The Pulse, will help you keep pace with what’s trending in employee benefits. Every month, nationally recognized subject matter experts from the health and pharmacy industry and top academic and research institutions will provide data-driven insights while giving you actionable, scalable, strategies. If you are looking to reduce medical and pharmacy spend while driving better health outcomes, this podcast series is for you!

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Episodes
  • The Evolution of Obesity Care: What Have We Learned in the GLP-1 Era?
    Sep 16 2026

    In this episode of The Pulse in 15, Mary reconnects with Dr. Sean Hashmi, a leader in Lifestyle and Obesity Medicine at Kaiser Permanente, to explore how obesity treatment has evolved since their first discussion in 2022. At that time, GLP-1 medications were just beginning to gain attention. Today, they have transformed conversations around obesity management, healthcare costs, long-term outcomes, and employer health plan strategy. Dr. Hashmi shares what real-world experience has taught us about sustainable success, long-term use, and medication discontinuation, while providing practical insights for employers evaluating obesity care programs.

    Key Takeaways

    • Understand how obesity treatment has evolved since GLP-1 medications entered mainstream clinical practice.
    • Explore what providers are seeing regarding long-term outcomes, sustainability, and measures of success beyond weight loss.
    • Gain insight into whether patients can successfully transition off GLP-1 medications and maintain their results.
    • Identify the key elements employers should consider when developing an obesity management strategy that extends beyond medication coverage alone.
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    20 mins
  • Absence isn’t just an HR issue anymore — it’s a business issue
    Aug 19 2026

    In this episode of The Pulse in 15, Mary Delaney sits down with Teri Weber to talk about the growing complexity of absence management—and why so many employers are feeling the impact across their organizations.

    From FMLA and ADA to evolving state leave laws, rising mental health–related absences, and hybrid work challenges, absence is hitting organizations from every direction. What used to be a compliance exercise is now directly impacting productivity, cost, manager effectiveness, and employee trust.

    In this quick 15-minute conversation, Teri focuses on what matters most right now:

    • Where employers are most at risk
    • What’s changed in the absence landscape
    • Practical steps leaders should be thinking about this year

    If you’re navigating absence across your workforce, this is a conversation worth 15 minutes of your time.

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    18 mins
  • Reimagining Interventional Radiology: A Path to Lower Costs and Better Cancer Care
    Jul 15 2026

    In this podcast, Dr. Joshua Dowell, a private practice pioneer in radiology care, explores the future state of interventional radiology and why moving these services away from hospital‑based setting represents a critical opportunity for the healthcare system. He discusses how alternative care models can meaningfully reduce costs, lower patient risk, and improve quality—particularly in cancer care. The conversation highlights how rethinking site‑of‑care decisions in interventional radiology can unlock a more sustainable cost structure while delivering better outcomes for patients.

    After listening to this podcast, participants will be able to:

    • Explain the potential impact of shifting interventional radiology away from hospital‑based services, including implications for cost, access, and care delivery.
    • Understand how alternative interventional radiology models can improve patient care and reduce risk, particularly through more appropriate care settings.
    • Identify the drivers of improved cost structure when interventional radiology services move outside of traditional hospital environments.
    • Recognize the path forward for improving cancer care through innovative interventional radiology delivery models.
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    18 mins
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