Healthcare sends 9 billion faxes a year. Delaware has a better idea

Christina Farr talks with Paul Meyer, CEO and co-founder of Smart Health Network, Dr. Neil Hockstein, Delaware's first Surgeon General, and Aretha Rochester, who manages prior authorizations from the front desk, about why prior auth reform keeps failing and what Delaware is doing differently. Dr. Hockstein shares audio from a real insurer denial call. They also discuss Delaware's plan to use Rural Health Transformation funds to build a shared prior auth utility modeled on Visa, the blind router design where the patient holds the only key to their request, and the CMS-0057 January 1 deadline for electronic prior auth.

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Smart Health Network is neutral infrastructure for health transactions between providers, payers, and patients — connect once, transact with all. Smart Health Network — Cut Paperwork, Not Care.

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Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:
• 7/27 - Peptide Therapy: Where Do We Go From Here? - https://streamyard.com/watch/AgaHuDEvjisN 
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LINKS:
Smart Health Network: https://www.smarthealthnetwork.org/ 
Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr 
Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ 
Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ 
Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books 
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FOLLOW:
Paul:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmeyernyc 
https://x.com/paulmeyernyc 

Neil:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-hockstein-2a22241bb 

Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ 
https://x.com/chrissyfarr 

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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Lead In
(00:39) Intro
(01:56) Why Delaware matters
(03:48) Frontline prior auth pain
(08:13) Paul's origin story
(09:35) Text4Baby lessons
(13:00) Smart Health hub explained
(17:42) Patient stakes and delays
(19:49) The infamous denial call
(25:02) Structural fix not portals
(26:54) Delaware leads the dance
(29:06) Governance over technology
(34:47) Why Delaware took the risk
(38:49) How to scale nationally
(43:11) HITECH lessons and standards
(47:50) Wrap