MGMA Podcasts

Daniel Williams: Well, hi everyone.

Welcome to the MGMA
Weekend Review podcast.

I am one of your hosts, Daniel Williams.

I'm here with our co-host Colleen Luckett.

We're both editors and writers
here at MGMA and love bringing you.

The news each week, whether it's
healthcare, industry, news, policy

updates, expert insights, or just
really cool stories we find from the

field to help keep medical practice
leaders informed and inspired.

So this week, Colleen, what are you
finding that's inspiring or informing you?

Colleen Luckett: well, this week in
Washington, a storm is brewing over

the house, GOPs proposed budget plan,
which aims to fund substantial tax

cuts for the wealthy by implementing
significant reductions to Medicaid.

I'm sure most people listening have
heard of this, but the proposal

has ignited fierce debate among
healthcare leaders and policymakers.

So in my article, first article,
it's titled, hospitals say Medicaid

Cuts in GOP plan would leave millions
without coverage and force closures.

Ron Southwick of Chief
Healthcare Executive reports

on the potential ramifications
of the proposed Medicaid cuts.

Healthcare leaders warned that
these cuts could lead to millions

losing access to care and may
force some hospitals to shut down.

So Bruce Siegel.

MD President and CEO of America's
Essential Hospitals describes the plan

as a direct assault on our nation's
healthcare system, emphasizing that

essential hospitals, which already
operate on thin margins cannot absorb

such losses without reducing services
or closing their doors altogether.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates
that the plan would cut $715 billion

from Medicaid by 2034, resulting in 8.6

million Americans losing coverage.

Rick Pollock, president and CEO of
the American Hospital Association.

Labels the proposal, a quote, devastating
blow to vulnerable communities, warning

that it would lead to millions of
hardworking Americans losing access to

healthcare and many hospitals struggling
to maintain services Similarly.

Sister Mary Haddad , President and CEO
of the Catholic Health Association of the

United States urges Congress to consider
the moral implications stating that

the cuts would threaten access to care
for millions in vulnerable communities.

As debates continue, the healthcare
community remains vigilant,

emphasizing the critical role of
Medicaid plays in providing access

to care for millions of Americans.

The proposed cuts have sparked
a broader conversation about the

nation's healthcare priorities.

And the potential impact on
both patients and providers.

So for more detailed information,
you can read the full article by

Ron Southwick on Chief Healthcare
Executives website, or of course

we'll link it here in our show notes.

Okay.

Daniel over to you.

Daniel Williams: Thanks, Colleen.

All right, everybody.

Let's dive into story number two.

This piece comes from medical economics
and it's titled, when Doctors Don't

Listen, patients Stop Talking.

This article was written by Austin Latrell
and it was fact checked by Keith A.

Reynolds.

Here goes.

A doctor shrugs off a patient's concern.

Test results are normal and the
patient leaves, assuming it's probably

anxiety, but the impact lingers.

Well, a new Rutgers Health report
finds that when clinicians dismiss

or downplay symptoms called symptom
invalidation or medical gaslighting,

patients can suffer long-term
psychological and behavioral harm.

The review published in psychological
bulletin synthesized 151 studies

involving more than 11,000 patients.

With illnesses like fibromyalgia,
long covid, endometriosis, and lupus

invalidation led to a range of negative
outcomes, including shame, suicidality,

anxiety, and avoidance of future care.

Consequences fell into four categories.

Emotional harm, which is
self-doubt or hopelessness.

Healthcare related distress,
anxiety and trauma.

Behavioral changes, avoiding doctors
downplaying symptoms and diagnostic

delays, which can worsen disease outcomes.

Increasingly visits involving uncertain
or difficult diagnoses driven by

syndromes like long covid are common.

Yet many clinicians lack training in
how to manage uncertainty, relying

on workflows that often overlook
complex patient stories, bon tempo

stress that validating a patient's
experience doesn't require a diagnosis.

Patients appreciate clinicians
communicating uncertainty rather

than offering hollow reassurance.

She said the researchers built
a model linking invalidation to

emotional distress, withdrawal
from care and poor health outcomes.

They call for improving clinician
training to address this.

Patients often must advocate
for themselves a difficult and

sometimes unsustainable burden.

Bon Tempo advises bringing a partner
or friend to appointments for support.

Ultimately, the study highlights that even
small changes in how clinicians respond to

patient concerns could reduce harm, and I.

Offer much needed validation to those
struggling with misunderstood illnesses.

And we're gonna bring this
up again in my next story.

This is May and it's Mental
Health Awareness month.

So our other story's gonna
touch on that as well.

So with that said, Colleen, I'm
gonna turn it back over to you.

Colleen Luckett: Right.

That's a really important
topic and I'm glad they're

putting a name to it, actually.

That's good.

All right, well let's get into some
some MGMA stat polling results.

So in this week's stat poll, we asked
healthcare leaders to weigh in on

how their staff turnover rates are
trending in 2025, and there seems to be

a bit of cautious optimism out there.

Seven outta 10 respondents reported
turnover as either holding steady.

It's about 35%.

Improving 35% compared to last year,
while 29% said it had increased.

So medical assistants and front
office staff remained the most cited.

Pain points for turnover, whether
things are holding steady or getting

worse, but many practices seeing
improvement shared the same theme,

strategic role, specific retention.

That means clear career ladders,
better pay onboarding, upgrades,

and even character-based
hiring to build stronger teams.

Hiring and retention strategies now often
include everything from sign-on bonuses

and education stipends to partnerships
with local schools and centralized

admin support to reduce burnout.

Some practices are getting
really creative, bringing EMTs or

nursing students into MA roles.

Retraining existing staff and
offering flexible work where possible.

Meanwhile, the Borough of Labor
statistics data shows that the average

healthcare quit rate has dipped to 2%.

Its lowest since before the pandemic.

Though the pace of new hires is also
slowing in early 2025, ambulatory

care practices in particular are
still feeling the lingering effects

of the post 2020 workforce disruption.

But signs of stabilization
are growing stronger.

So as we move into 2026, building a
resilient and committed workforce will

require continued investment, cultural
alignment, and a touch of creativity.

our ability at MGMA to provide
great resources, education, and

advocacy depends on a strong feedback
loop with you healthcare leaders.

So to be part of this
effort, sign up for MGMA.

Stat and make your voice
heard in our weekly polls.

Sign up by texting stat STAT 2 3 3 5
5 0 or you can visit mgma.com/mgma.

Stat polls will be sent to your
phone via text message weekly.

Okay, Daniel, back to you.

Daniel Williams: All right.

Thanks again, Colleen.

And as mentioned earlier, may is
Mental Health Awareness Month, and

it's the perfect time to dive into
a story that really hits home.

Today's story is unique generational
mental health needs highlight

demand for personalized care.

This was published by Fierce Healthcare
and it was written by Anastasia.

Glia Koski.

I hope I got that right.

Anastasia.

According to a nurse new survey from
ULA Health, more than half of Americans

have accessed mental health services at
some point in their lives over a quarter

or currently in therapy, and another
quarter had therapy in just the past year.

And here's the good news.

Nearly 80% of those who sought
help said their mental health.

had improved.

The survey also pulls back the curtain on
why people are reaching out for support.

Top drivers include economic uncertainty,
political tension, and the ongoing

ripple effects of the pandemic.

Anxiety, depression and stress still
dominate, but trauma is now front and

center, especially for younger adults.

In fact, one in three individuals
aged 18 to 24 said trauma was

the main reason they saw therapy.

Doug Newton rulers chief medical
Officer, summed it up perfectly.

Trauma is deeply personal.

And care has to be personal too.

But even as the conversation around
mental health grows louder, real

barriers still stand in the way.

A quarter of respondents said
cost kept them from seeking care.

Others cited insurance issues.

Or struggling to find the right therapist.

This survey reminds us that while we've
come a long way in breaking the stigma,

access to personalized, affordable mental
health care remains a serious challenge.

The more we listen and truly hear
what patients are experiencing, the

better chance we have of building a
system that meets people where they

are with compassion and understanding.

So again, everybody may is
mental health awareness month.

We'll drop in some additional
links where you can access tools,

data, and perhaps help as well.

So, Colleen, back over to you.

Colleen Luckett: Well, I was gonna
say, Daniel has done a lot of good work

toward our mental health here at MGMA.

And you just had a little
anniversary, right?

Do you wanna

Daniel Williams: Yeah.

Yeah, tell everyone we
are celebrating in May.

We are celebrating five years
of Mindful Monday at MGMA.

I did post something on LinkedIn.

I tried to stay off of social media as
I was telling Colleen earlier today.

But, this was something that I just
thought was really cool during the

lockdown, during the heat of the pandemic,
when we literally didn't even know.

How, COVID-19 was being
transferred that far.

you know, or that early into that,
that trauma and that terrible situation

that we were all dealing with.

some people at MGMA gathered together
and decided to create Mindful

Monday, which basically every Monday,
8:00 AM Mountain time, where we

are, we gather for 15 minutes to.

Be mindful to meditate, to
have some guided meditations,

different things there.

if anybody wants to know about Mindful
Monday, a Mindful Monday program, how

it might fit into your organization,

Email me, dWilliams@mgma.com.

I'd love to walk through it
with you and share it with you.

Colleen Luckett: course.

Yeah.

Here at MGMA we not only talk
the talk, we walk the walk.

Thanks to Daniel there.

All right, well, let's close
with a forward-looking story that

centers innovation in patients.

An article titled The FDA's AI Leap
Ushering in a New Era of Drug Review

published by the gMed team a few days
ago, highlighted how the FDA is going

full speed ahead with a generative
AI rollout across the agency.

The goal.

Fully integrate AI tools
by June 30th, 2025.

Pretty aggressive there.

So these tools won't replace
scientists, don't panic.

They're designed to support them by
automating repetitive tasks like sorting

data and summarizing clinical trials.

For healthcare leaders, this means
quicker drug approvals, more efficient

trials, and ultimately faster
access to lifesaving therapies.

Hopefully the effort is being
customized across departments

to ensure secure compliant use.

The FDA is also working with OpenAI
and other tech leaders to get it right

before rolling out it's AI tools.

The FDA issued draft guidance
outlining a risk-based framework

for regulatory decision making.

The document stresses the importance
of transparency, reproducibility and

trust, and makes it clear that AI
must be credible, not just capable.

It signals to industry that while
innovation is encouraged, it

must be implemented with strong
guardrails and ethical oversight.

Still, some experts are urging caution.

So Dr.

Katie Specter bag.

A bioethics professor at the
University of Michigan has warned

that quote, there's a real risk of
over-reliance on opaque systems.

If we don't know how the AI makes
decisions, how can we ensure those

decisions are fair or accurate?

That's a fair question.

Dr.

Alex John London, director of the
Center for Ethics and Policy at Carnegie

Mellon emphasized the importance
of transparency, saying quote, the

promise of AI in healthcare is real.

So is the danger of bias if we let
black box systems make high stakes

calls without adequate human oversight.

There's also concern about regulatory
capture or pressure to approve drugs

faster without enough scrutiny.

If AI is perceived as a shortcut
rather than a tool, public trust

could erode, especially if the
rollout is rushed for political wins.

Even former FDA Commissioner Robert
Kaif has noted that AI systems can

quote amplify disparities if they're
trained on data sets that under

represent marginalized communities.

So yes, the bots are here to
help, but healthcare leaders

still need to read the fine print.

AI could be a revolutionary ally
in the drug review process, but

only if it's deployed responsibly
with clear guardrails, diverse

data and human oversight.

As always, tech is only as
ethical as the people guiding it.

And that's a wrap for me today.

Daniel, back to you.

Daniel Williams: All right, and
that's a wrap for this week of

MGMA Weekend Review Podcast.

Thank you all for listening, and
again, just as a reminder, may

is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Seriously, y'all, if any of you are
feeling anything, any mental health issues

or anybody you love or know out there.

I'm so glad that the stigma of all
that is, is going away, that people

can feel, open, that they will not
be stigmatized if they go to their

bosses or their workplace or wherever
it might be to get the help they need.

So with that said, I hope all of you have
a wonderful weekend, and, y'all take care.

Colleen Luckett: Thanks everyone.

See you next time.