Welcome to another episode of Patients Win. Today, we explore what it truly means to move healthcare upstream, shifting the focus from reactive disease treatment to proactive, whole-person care. We’re joined by Dr. Scott Conard, a family physician and leader in value-based care, who shares his transformative journey from traditional allopathic medicine to embracing integrative and preventative health. Dr. Conard recounts how personal loss early in his career compelled him to question the conventions of medicine and motivated his mission to become not just a doctor, but a healer focused on the entire individual - body, mind, and spirit.
In this conversation, you’ll hear candid stories about the shortcomings and perversions of value-based care, how data and risk management can be harnessed to save lives before crises strike, and how innovative care models are both saving lives and challenging the financial incentives of traditional healthcare systems. Together with hosts Dr. Jonathan Bushman and Troy Reichert, we’ll discuss empowering patients to take control of their own health, building systems that identify risk before it becomes reality, and the ongoing battle to align healthcare incentives with true wellness. Get ready for a deep dive into the future of medicine, the power of data, and the courage it takes to lead change that puts patients first.
Timestamps:
00:00 Transitioning from Doctor to Healer
04:11 Rethinking allopathic medicine basics
08:58 Building health literacy and relationships
11:27 Discussing patient post-surgery recovery
15:11 Mindset and Physical Transformation
17:50 Using data to prevent health issues
22:42 Using a whole person risk score
24:08 Expanding and diversifying clinic services
29:51 NDA and deciding to leave
32:34 Discussing healthcare financial conflicts
33:34 Frustrations with insurance and patient care
37:59 Improving Patient Care and Services
40:44 Innovations in healthcare cost reduction
45:01 Commitment to healthcare reform
48:36 Hospital reimbursement rates increase
50:54 Discussing US healthcare costs
Transforming Healthcare: Insights from the Patients Win Podcast with Dr. Scott Conard
The latest episode of the Patients Win podcast, featuring a conversation between Dr. Bushman, Troy Reichert, and special guest Dr. Scott Conard, delivers powerful insights into how healthcare can be revolutionized through proactive care, whole person risk management, and a commitment to patient-centered outcomes. This episode is a must-listen for healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers interested in understanding the root problems in modern healthcare and discovering solutions that truly place patients first.
The Pitfalls of Value-Based Care
Dr. Scott Conard kicks off the discussion with a striking example from his clinic experience. He shares how value based care, intended to improve patient outcomes, has instead often been misapplied in large health systems. In one instance, staff were required to conduct diabetes retinal screening on already blind patients, simply to boost star ratings. This leads frontline clinicians like the one in his story to leave their jobs, unwilling to be part of a system that values metrics over meaningful care. This anecdote exposes a critical flaw: when healthcare becomes obsessed with metrics rather than people, true progress stalls.
Moving Upstream: From Treating Illness to Preventing Disease
A major theme discussed by Dr. Bushman and Dr. Scott Conard is the importance of “moving upstream” in healthcare. Instead of reacting to disease, the focus should be on identifying and mitigating risks early on. This approach began for Dr. Scott Conard after losing three patients in their forties to heart disease solutions that could have been caught with a better understanding of patient risk factors. Rather than only treating symptoms, Dr. Scott Conard shifted toward a holistic model, focusing on conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, all the way to supporting mental wellbeing and life purpose.
Creating Whole Person Care
The episode highlights the transition from treating illnesses to caring for the whole person. Dr. Scott Conard delves into his journey as he adopted holistic and integrative medicine, mental health support, sleep medicine, and bariatrics, ultimately fostering a model where the goal was not just to add years to life, but life to those years. The key takeaway is that true healthcare empowers patients to take control of their health by addressing not only physical factors but also psychological, social, and even financial determinants of wellbeing.
Data Driven Risk Management: Impact at Scale
One of the most compelling segments is Dr. Scott Conard’s experience leading a network of over 500 clinicians operating in a risk management model. By leveraging data analytics, the clinics could identify patients most at risk for severe health outcomes and proactively reach out to them. This system not only improved patient outcomes but also dramatically reduced healthcare costs. For example, in one organization, the number of catastrophic events dropped substantially, resulting in savings of over 17 million dollars. This proactive, relationship-driven approach is proven to add significant value, but Dr. Scott Conard warns of systemic resistance, especially from fee-for-service hospital systems focused on keeping beds full rather than patients healthy.
How Patients and Providers Can Win
Dr. Bushman emphasizes the satisfaction and success of using limited resources to reach patients at greatest risk, allowing for thoughtful, targeted care. By leveraging technology and risk scoring to ensure high-risk patients receive attention sooner, clinicians can focus their time and expertise where it matters most. The episode closes with a call to action for community members and healthcare professionals alike: adopting holistic, data-driven, prepaid, or value-based care models that are transparent, fair, and truly measure what matters.
Final Thoughts
The Patients Win podcast episode featuring Dr. Scott Conard provides a clear roadmap for transforming healthcare for the better. Instead of settling for fragmented, transaction-driven models, the focus must shift towards comprehensive risk management and relationship-dedicated care. For more actionable insights and inspiring stories from healthcare innovators, tune into the full episode and join the movement to make patients the true beneficiaries of our healthcare system.
Show Website - https://thepatientswin.com/
Primed Healthcare - https://primedhealthcare.com/
Troy Reichert - Show Host - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-reichert-67606b5/
Dr. Jonathan Bushman - Show Host - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-bushman-do-106821191
Media Partner - TopHealth - https://tophealth.care/
“Disclaimer: Informational only. Not medical advice. Consult your doctor for guidance.”