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Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness on MASS. I'm doctor Nicole Safire and

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Speaker 1: this is your first weekly rundown of twenty twenty six,

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Speaker 1: and doesn't it feel good? As we head into this

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Speaker 1: new year, I've been doing a lot of thinking, not

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Speaker 1: just about medicine, but about how I want to show

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Speaker 1: up in my own life. One of my biggest personal

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Speaker 1: goals for twenty twenty six is simple, well in theory,

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Speaker 1: but it's hard in practice. Spending less time on my phone.

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Speaker 1: That's right. Like many of you, my phone has become

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Speaker 1: a constant companion, emails, headlines, social media, text notifications that

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Speaker 1: never seem to stop. And while technology connects us and

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Speaker 1: makes life easier, it also fragments our attention. I want

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Speaker 1: to be more present with my patients, my family, and

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Speaker 1: honestly with myself. Less scrolling, fewer distractions, more intentional time

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Speaker 1: because mental clarity, focus, and real connection are foundation to health,

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Speaker 1: and I need to practice what I preach now. On

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Speaker 1: the professional side, I'm also cautiously optimistic about something that

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Speaker 1: could meaningfully improve patient care. Heading into twenty twenty six,

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Speaker 1: CMS under doctor mem Oz has made changes to the

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Speaker 1: whole prior authorization process. You know, the process in getting

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Speaker 1: insurance companies to cover things. For years, prior authorizations have

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Speaker 1: been one of the most frustrated barriers in healthcare. Delayed

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Speaker 1: medical imaging medications at the pharmacy treatments not because something

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Speaker 1: isn't medically necessary, but because paperwork got in the way.

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Speaker 1: Patients feel it, doctors feel it, and it has absolutely

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Speaker 1: contributed to burnout and worse outcomes. Now there's growing momentum

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Speaker 1: to streamline this process using automation, clearer guidelines, and faster

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Speaker 1: turnaround times. If done right, this could mean fewer delays,

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Speaker 1: less red tape, and more time spent where it actually

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Speaker 1: belongs on patient care, not fight with insurance companies, because

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Speaker 1: that's what we've been doing, even more so since the

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Speaker 1: Affordable Care Act past. So as I look towards twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty six, I'm aiming for less noise and more progress

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Speaker 1: personally and professionally, less time on my phone, and hopefully

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Speaker 1: less time stuck in bureaucratic limbo for my patients. Well

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Speaker 1: that's the goal. I'm going to be watching it closely.

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Speaker 1: Feel free to call me out on it if you

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Speaker 1: think I'm spending too much time on social media. As always,

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Speaker 1: thanks for listening, Happy New Year, we are starting off

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty six with a bang. I'm doctor Nicole Safire.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Wellness on mass You can get

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Speaker 1: this podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts,

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Speaker 1: and we'll see you next time.