Value Health Voices cover art

Value Health Voices

Value Health Voices

Written by: Dr. Amar Rewari and Dr. Anthony Paravati
Listen for free

About this listen

 We discuss the most impactful health policy and healthcare finances developments shaping the US Healthcare system now and in the future. We also discuss personal development for physician executives. Co-hosts Dr Anthony Paravati and Dr Amar Rewari.2025 Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The Clinical Case for Sunlight Therapy to Reduce Hospital Stays with Dr. Roger Seheult

    The Clinical Case for Sunlight Therapy to Reduce Hospital Stays with Dr. Roger Seheult
    Jan 8 2026

    Dr. Roger Seheult makes the clinical case for sunlight therapy. Discover the evidence for using infrared light to reduce hospital stays by 30% and cut costs.


    Episode Resources:

    • Learn from Dr. Seheult on his YouTube Channel
    • Explore MedCram's Health Optimization Courses (CME available)
    • Watch the Guy Foundation's Autumn Series on Light & Health
    • Read the Glen Jeffery study in Nature Scientific Reports
    • Explore the Swedish study on sun exposure and all-cause mortality

    Could a simple, free resource dramatically reduce hospital stays and save the healthcare system billions? In this episode, we explore the powerful clinical case for sunlight therapy with one of the most respected medical educators online, Dr. Roger Seheult. He begins with the astonishing story of a 15-year-old boy given two days to live due to a flesh-eating fungal pneumonia, who made a miraculous recovery after one simple request: to go outside. This episode confronts the "magical thinking" skepticism head-on, presenting a data-driven argument that hospitals and policymakers can't afford to ignore.


    We're joined by Dr. Roger Seheult - a quadruple board-certified physician in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, and the founder of Medcram - to dissect the science behind sunlight and infrared light. Dr. Seheult breaks down the groundbreaking randomized controlled trials, including recent studies in Nature, that demonstrate the profound link between infrared light and mitochondrial function. Learn how specific wavelengths of light can pass through the human body, making our cellular batteries (mitochondria) more efficient, boosting ATP production, and impacting the root cause of many chronic diseases. This robust photobiomodulation evidence suggests we've overlooked a fundamental element of human health.


    The discussion pivots from cellular mechanics to systemic impact, focusing on the staggering potential for reducing hospital length of stay. Dr. Seheult cites multiple studies showing that patients exposed to more sunlight or targeted infrared light are discharged 3-4 days earlier - a reduction of over 30%. We analyze the immense financial implications, calculating potential savings of $5,000-$7,500 per admission for hospitals operating on bundled DRG payments. The episode tackles the practical and bureaucratic hurdles, from the inertia of hospital administration to the need for a new light therapy reimbursement policy. We explore actionable pathways for change, including updates to CPT codes, integration into CMMI value-based care models, and the power of the HCAHPS patient satisfaction survey to drive adoption. This conversation makes a compelling case that adopting light therapy isn't just good medicine; it's a financial and ethical imperative.


    About Our Guest:

    Dr. Roger Seheult is a quadruple board-certified physician (Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine) and an Associate Clinical Professor at the UC Riverside School of Medicine and on faculty at Loma Linda University. As a critical care doctor, he sees the sickest patients in the hospital, which pushed him to explore foundational health principles that could pull patients back from the brink. He is the co-founder of MedCram, a leading online medical education platform with millions of viewers, where he excels at explaining complex medical topics in a clear and accessible way.


    Timestamps:

    (00:00) A Miraculous Recovery: The Case of the Boy with a Flesh-Eating Fungus

    (02:49) The Science and Finance of Light Therapy

    (03:55) Deep Dive: A 15-Year-Old's Fight Against Fungal Pneumonia

    (11:10) The Clinical Case for Light Therapy: Examining the Evidence

    (15:22) How Infrared Light Boosts Mitochondrial Function

    (19:51) Sunlight Exposure, All-Cause Mortality, and Global Health Patterns

    (26:40) The Financial Impact: Reducing Hospital Length of Stay by 30%

    (31:28) Practical Implementation: How to Prescribe Light Therapy in a Hospital

    (34:40) Overcoming Barriers: The Financial and Logistical Case for Change

    (44:14) Pathways to Reimbursement: New Policy and Payment Models

    (47:35) Rediscovering Old Wisdom: The History of Heliotherapy

    (56:21) Actionable Resources & How to Get Involved
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Physician Advocacy in California: How the CMA Fights Back with Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant

    Physician Advocacy in California: How the CMA Fights Back with Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant
    Dec 15 2025
    Learn how physician advocacy in California is tackling the industry's biggest threats. Discover how the CMA fights Medi-Cal cuts, private equity, and physician burnout.Episode Resources:Learn about the California Medical Association (CMA)Explore the AMA's Resources on the Corporate Practice of MedicineAccess the CMA's Model Medical Staff BylawsAMA Venture capital and private equity investment snapshotAMA Legislative approaches to curb corporate influence in health careRead about SB 306 (Prior Authorization Reform)Follow Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant on LinkedInIn this pivotal episode of Value Health Voices, we explore how physician advocacy in California is at the forefront of a nationwide battle for the soul of healthcare. California’s health system is facing its biggest stress test in a generation, with looming federal budget cuts under HR1 threatening to pull tens of billions from Medi-Cal, the state's healthcare backbone for 1 in 3 residents. How can doctors protect patient care and their own professional autonomy when faced with unprecedented financial and corporate pressures?Our guest, Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant, immediate past president of the California Medical Association (CMA), provides a masterclass in turning crisis into opportunity. She reveals the strategies the CMA is deploying to defend the future of medicine, offering actionable insights for physicians everywhere who feel powerless against a broken system. This is a must-watch for any healthcare professional wondering how to reclaim their voice and drive meaningful change.This episode unpacks the core challenges and solutions shaping modern medicine. We dive deep into the devastating Medi-Cal cuts and HR1 impact, which could strip coverage from millions and close rural hospitals. Dr. Udovic-Constant explains how the CMA successfully passed a provider tax initiative (Proposition 35) to boost reimbursement rates, a critical victory now grandfathered in despite federal changes. This proactive approach to physician advocacy in California serves as a model for other states.We also confront the alarming rise of private equity in healthcare and its corrosive effect on physician autonomy. Dr. Udovic-Constant explains the importance of the corporate practice of medicine doctrine, a legal shield designed to prevent corporate interests from interfering with clinical decisions. She provides practical steps physicians can take, from structuring better contracts to utilizing the CMA's model staff bylaws, to protect the physician-patient relationship from profit-driven motives. We connect this corporate pressure directly to the epidemic of physician burnout and collective action, reframing burnout not as a personal failing, but as a symptom of a system that needs fixing. Dr. Udovic-Constant argues that proactive, aspirational engagement in organized medicine is the most potent antidote.Finally, we celebrate tangible legislative wins that demonstrate the power of organized medicine. Learn about the landmark California prior authorization reform bill (SB 306), which aims to cut administrative red tape by eliminating prior authorizations for services that are almost always approved. We also discuss new guardrails for AI in healthcare (AB 489), ensuring transparency when patients interact with chatbots instead of clinicians. Through these examples, this episode highlights a clear path forward, showcasing why effective physician advocacy in California is not just about defense—it’s about building a better, more sustainable, and physician-led future for healthcare.About Our Guest:Dr. Shannon Udovic-Constant is a board-certified pediatrician in San Francisco and the 156th Immediate Past President of the California Medical Association (CMA), the largest state medical association in the country. A passionate advocate for children's health, equity in care, and physician leadership, she has been instrumental in shaping policies to protect patients and empower doctors across California.(Timestamps / Chapters):(00:00) Intro: California's Healthcare System Faces a Generational Crisis(04:19) The CMA: A Bridge Between the Bedside and the Legislature(07:32) A State-Level Victory: Boosting Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rates(12:54) Defending Physician Autonomy Against the Corporate Practice of Medicine(16:28) The Data Behind California’s Healthcare Pressures(21:06) How Physicians Can Regain Power Through Contracts and Bylaws(24:36) The Looming Threat: How HR1 Cuts Endanger Medi-Cal(30:40) Legislative Victories: Tackling Prior Authorization and AI Deception(38:05) Transforming Physician Burnout into Proactive Advocacy(43:55) Final Thoughts: The Future of Healthcare is Physician-Led
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • AI in Oncology: The Reality & Future of Cancer Care with Dr. Sanjay Juneja

    AI in Oncology: The Reality & Future of Cancer Care with Dr. Sanjay Juneja
    Nov 20 2025

    Is the rapid rise of artificial intelligence a threat to medicine or its greatest hope? In this episode, we tackle the massive hype and complex reality of AI in oncology with one of the leading voices in the field, Dr. Sanjay Juneja, also known as TheOncDoc. We break down what this technological revolution truly means for cancer patients, doctors, and the healthcare system at large. From uncovering hidden patterns in cancer data that defy human intuition to the practical challenges of implementation, we explore how AI is set to transform everything we thought we knew about medicine.


    Join us as we separate fact from fiction in the world of medical AI. Dr. Sanjay Juneja, a medical oncologist and VP of Clinical AI Operations at Tempest, shares his journey from social media educator to a trailblazer in health technology. We dive deep into how AI can address the "unwarranted variation in care" that leads to inconsistent patient outcomes across the country. Dr. Juneja explains how machine learning models can analyze vast datasets to find novel insights, much like Google's AlphaGo made a move in the game of Go that was inconceivable to human grandmasters. This episode explores the incredible potential of the future of AI in healthcare, from AI scribes developed to combat AI and physician burnout to new diagnostic tools that can predict hyperglycemic events from the sound of your voice or determine a tumor's molecular features from a simple pathology slide.


    However, the conversation doesn't shy away from the serious challenges ahead. We confront the "garbage in, garbage out" problem, discussing how biases in training data can lead to flawed or inequitable conclusions. A core part of our discussion focuses on the critical need for validating AI models in medicine before they are widely deployed, ensuring that these powerful tools are both safe and effective. We also explore the nuanced impact of AI and the doctor-patient relationship, debating whether an algorithm can truly be more empathetic than a human physician and what happens to trust when patients suspect their doctor's messages are AI-generated. Finally, we unpack one of the biggest hurdles to adoption: the issue of liability for AI in healthcare. When an AI model makes a mistake, who is responsible—the developer, the hospital, or the clinician who acts on its recommendation? This is a must-watch for any clinician, patient, or technologist seeking to understand the real-world implications of AI in oncology today and in the near future.


    About Our Guest:

    Dr. Sanjay Juneja (@TheOncDoc) is a triple board-certified medical oncologist who has become a leading global authority on the application of AI in medicine. He serves as the Vice President of Clinical AI Operations at Tempest, is a contributing writer for Forbes, and was credentialed by Harvard Medical School's inaugural "AI in Healthcare" executive program. Through his massive social media presence and podcast, Dr. Juneja has a unique talent for simplifying complex medical and technological topics for a broad audience.


    Timestamps / Chapters:

    (00:00) Introduction: Separating Hype from Reality in AI and Oncology

    (02:41) From Social Media Influencer to AI Trailblazer: Dr. Juneja's Journey

    (06:14) Tackling Unwarranted Variation in Cancer Care with AI

    (10:35) The Devil's Advocate: Bias, "Garbage In, Garbage Out," and AI's Flaws

    (19:10) Real vs. Hype: Current AI Applications Changing Medicine Now

    (24:22) Systemic Hurdles: Data Privacy, Reimbursement, and AI Adoption

    (33:30) Can an AI Be More Empathetic Than Your Doctor?

    (41:35) AI in the Clinic: Improving Workflow and Reducing Physician Burnout

    (47:15) Who's to Blame? Unpacking the Liability of AI in Healthcare

    (52:06) The 2-to-5-Year Future of AI in Oncology


    Episode Resources:

    • Follow Dr. Sanjay Juneja on LinkedIn
    • Follow Dr. Sanjay Juneja on Instagram
    • Follow Dr. Sanjay Juneja on TikTok
    • Follow Dr. Sanjay Juneja on YouTube
    • Check out Dr. Juneja's Podcast
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
No reviews yet