In the third episode of our three-part deep dive into A Path Forward, Dr. Carolyn Brooks, Vice President of Quality, Strategy, Innovation, and Experience at UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement, and Dr. Wyatt Decker, CEO of Optum Health discuss ways to address health disparities and improve the health care experience.

In the second installment of our three-part podcast deep dive into A Path Forward, Dirk McMahon, President and Chief Operating Officer at UnitedHealth Group and Heather Cianfrocco, CEO at Optum Rx, discuss ways to make the health system more affordable for consumers, employers and governments.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Optum Everycare CEO Kristi Henderson join the podcast to discuss policy solutions to achieve universal coverage and expand access to care.

Dr. Yusra Benhalim, Senior Medical Director at Optum Behavioral Health, discusses the growing rates of youth mental health challenges.

Craig Kurtzweil, leader of UnitedHealthcare's Center for Advanced Analytics, explains what five conditions are the costliest and how preventive care plays a role in improving affordability.

Throughout the past two years, virtual care has expanded and evolved at a rapid pace. Colleen Van Ham, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Dental, discusses how virtual dentistry is improving access to preventive care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new sense of urgency and creativity within patient care and provider support. Dr. Amy Nguyen Howell with Optum’s Office for Provider Advancement discusses ways to improve the provider and patient experience.

The health care workforce shortage, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is one of the biggest issues facing the industry in 2022. Clinicians across the industry are struggling with high rates of burnout and pandemic fatigue. UnitedHealth Group's Mary Jo Jerde discusses the impact of clinician burnout and how the Center for Clinician Advancement is working to build a sustainable health care workforce.

When it came time to evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA tapped into Optum Scientific Consulting's 25 year history of conducting drug and vaccine safety. Optum Chief Scientific Officer John Seeger discusses the companies role in evaluating vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 and the broader impact data has on drug and vaccine safety.

Eliminating friction points in health care could save the health system billions of dollars and improve patient outcomes. Optum Insight's Shea Helmle joins the podcast to discuss where that friction exists and how to root it out.

Heading into the third year of the pandemic, virtual care has become more ubiquitous than ever before, and health plans are responding with virtual first health plans that can improve access to care. UnitedHealthcare's Karen Silgen joins the podcast to discuss the rise of virtual care and the recent launch of NavigateNOW.

Hospitals and health systems are increasingly seeking partnerships that can help them improve administrative capabilities and drive strategic growth. Optum Insight's Nick Howell explains why these partnerships can be an alternative to mergers and acquisitions, and how Optum is developing a new industry model.

Biosimilar drugs have the potential to make a significant impact on prescription drug costs. Optum Rx's Savitha Vivian joins the Weekly Dose podcast to discuss the pipeline of biologic drugs and the impact they could have on access and affordability.

A new partnership between Sesame Workshop and UnitedHealthcare aims to build resiliency in children to help them navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. 

How has America's health changed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare E&I, speaks with host Ira Apfel and offers some perspective, using the 2021 America's Health Rankings Annual Report.

Optum's Faiz Ahmad explains the rise of Direct-to-Consumer health care -- and its impact on the industry -- to host Ira Apfel.

In this episode, Weekly Dose Podcast host Ira Apfel looks back at the big health care stories of 2021 and looks ahead to the trending storylines of 2022.

Joy Fitzgerald, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for UnitedHealth Group, shares her perspective on the evolution of DE&I and what it means to UnitedHealth Group.

The No Surprises Act was passed by Congress to protect consumers from surprise medical bills, which come unexpectedly and often with high price tags. What's really in the legislation? And how will it affect patients, hospitals and insurers? Lisa McDonnel of UnitedHealthcare and Michael Wentzien of Naviguard visited the Weekly Dose to explain.

This week, Dr. Jill Hagenkord visits the Weekly Dose Podcast to discuss genomics -- is it finally ready to fulfill its promise?