REFILL | Naomi Lopez on Healthcare AI, ACCESS, TEMPO, and the Future of Care (Originally Aired: January 23, 2026)

This is a legacy episode recorded in January 2026. At the time of recording, Naomi Lopez was founder of Nexus Policy Consulting and a leading voice in healthcare policy, healthcare AI, and state health reform.Joe Grogan sits down with Naomi Lopez from Nexus Policy Consulting to recap the first Healthcare AI Policy Summit held in December 2025 in Washington, DC. They discuss big themes shaping healthcare AI, HHS approaches to AI adoption, and what regulatory clarity could look like. The conversation covers new federal initiatives like ACCESS and TEMPO that may reshape chronic disease management for Medicare patients. They unpack HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill's vision for AI in government, including using large models to improve physician productivity, payment integrity, and care coordination. They dig into ACCESS Medicare payment model and FDA TEMPO initiative, explaining how these pilots test AI tools in real-world chronic disease management for hypertension, diabetes, musculoskeletal pain, and depression. The discussion widens to physician burnout, interoperability, rural care, states and federal preemption, and what tech companies becoming Medicare Part B providers could mean for healthcare innovation.Key Timestamps0:00 Intro and why the Healthcare AI Policy Summit matters2:00 Summit recap: big themes and regulatory pressure points6:00 Jim O'Neill at HHS: regulatory clarity and adoption inside government12:00 ACCESS explained: Medicare chronic disease management payment model18:00 TEMPO explained: FDA's risk-based approach for chronic care tools24:00 Wearables, remote patient monitoring, and virtual ICU models30:00 Privacy, de-identification, and re-identification risk35:00 AI inside HHS and FDA: productivity, payment integrity, care coordination41:00 Reducing admin burden and physician burnout47:00 Rural healthcare: scaling diagnostics and access with AI52:00 Interoperability and data sharing: APIs, friction, and incentives58:00 State AI laws versus federal preemption1:04:00 2026 outlook: tech companies as Medicare Part B providers1:09:00 Wrap-up and what to watch nextKey TopicsHealthcare AI, ACCESS payment model, TEMPO initiative, FDA regulation, Medicare reimbursement, chronic disease management, AI in government, physician productivity, care coordination, wearables, remote patient monitoring, privacy and de-identification, rural healthcare, interoperability, state AI regulation, federal preemption, healthcare innovation, payment integrityAbout the Guest (at time of recording, January 2026)Naomi Lopez is the founder of Nexus Policy Consulting and a leading voice in healthcare policy, healthcare AI, and state health reform. She co-founded a healthcare AI working group and co-hosted the inaugural Healthcare AI Policy Summit in December 2025 in Washington, DC. Her work focuses on how regulation, Medicare and Medicaid policy, and state law shape healthcare innovation, access, and affordability.Podcast: DC EKG with Joe GroganHost: Joe GroganGuest: Naomi LopezSponsor: Survivors for SolutionsExecutive Producer: John CZ Czwartacki, DC EKG Podcast