This
week,
President-elect
Donald
Trump
announced
celebrity
physician
Dr.
Mehmet
Oz
as
his
pick
to
lead
the
Centers
for
Medicare
&
Medicaid
Services.
Dr.
Oz
is
a
surgeon
who
hosted
a
syndicated
daytime
television
show
from
2009
to
2022,
and
he
also
unsuccessfully
ran
for
a
U.S.
Senate
seat
representing
Pennsylvania
in
2022.
Healthcare
leaders
have
mixed
feelings
about
Dr.
Oz’s
appointment.
Can
Americans
be
sure
what
Dr.
Oz
really
stands
for?
Anu
Sharma
—
CEO
of
Millie,
a
startup
offering
hybrid
maternal
care
—
said
she
is
“not
sure
what
to
make”
of
Dr.
Oz’s
nomination.
“He
is
a
trained
physician,
yes.
But
he
has
also
taken
past
positions
on
unproven
treatments.
He
also
said
he
believed
in
universal
access
to
healthcare,
but
withdrew
support
for
the
ACA
and
has
since
signaled
support
for
more
privatized
models
like
Medicare
Advantage.
So
it’s
hard
to
know
what
he
really
thinks,”
she
explained.
Dr.
Oz
has
been
criticized
by
healthcare
experts
in
the
past
for
spreading
misinformation
about
unproven
Covid-19
treatments,
such
as
anti-malarial
drug
hydroxychloroquine.
He
has
also
come
under
fire
for
promoting
questionable
weight
loss
strategies
—
in
2018,
Dr.
Oz
reached
a
$5.25
million
settlement
for
endorsing
unproven
supplements
for
weight
loss.
Sharma
said
only
“time
will
tell”
whether
Dr.
Oz
is
a
good
choice
for
the
agency
responsible
for
the
healthcare
needs
of
some
of
the
country’s
most
vulnerable
citizens.
Could
the
U.S.
healthcare
system
fully
enter
the
digital
age?
Pouria
Sanae,
CEO
of
healthcare
technology
platform
ixlayer,
noted
that
Dr.
Oz’s
appointment
has
caused
more
discussion
than
any
previous
CMS
nomination
ever
has.
“Has
a
CMS
appointment
ever
drawn
so
much
attention
in
the
past?
Because
it
is
Dr.
Oz,
we
are
all
talking
about
it.
Because
of
his
celebrity,
Dr.
Oz
is
uniquely
positioned
to
raise
awareness
and
help
Americans
think
more
proactively
about
their
health
—
which
we
all
agree
is
still
much
needed.
And,
raising
awareness
among
the
American
public
about
the
role
of
the
CMS
and
the
politics
around
healthcare
is
a
good
thing,”
he
declared.
Sanae
believes
that
Dr.
Oz’s
passion
for
longevity
will
lead
him
to
embrace
technologies
that
empower
patients
to
take
control
of
their
health,
including
tools
that
make
it
more
convenient
for
patients
to
access
to
doctors,
testing
and
medications.
“Perhaps
Dr.
Oz
is
the
forward-thinking
physician
who
recognizes
the
need
for
America
to
bring
its
world-class
healthcare
system
fully
into
the
digital
age,”
he
remarked.
Might
Dr.
Oz
be
a
champion
for
food-as-medicine?
Ashley
Tyrner-Dolce,
CEO
of
food-as-medicine
startup
FarmboxRx,
pointed
out
that
Dr.
Oz
may
be
“working
hand-in-hand”
with
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.
Both
are
outspoken
about
the
positive
impact
that
a
healthy
diet
can
have
on
Americans’
health.
“This
signals
that
the
federal
government
will
likely
be
allocating
CMS
dollars
for
food-as-medicine
initiatives
—
with
poor
food
and
the
chronic
disease
epidemic
being
top
of
mind
for
both
men,”
she
stated.
In
her
view,
using
food
as
an
engagement
tool
is
an
economically
viable
solution
that
has
potential
to
mitigate
food
insecurity
and
improves
people’s
nutrition
—
which
could
in
turn,
provide
tangible
results
when
it
comes
to
improving
Americans’
health
outcomes.
Will
Dr.
Oz’s
appointment
decrease
access
to
weight
loss
treatments?
Brooke
Boyarsky
Pratt
—
CEO
of
knownwell,
a
primary
care
clinic
specializing
in
obesity
treatment
—
pointed
out
that
more
than
70%
of
the
100
million
patients
insured
through
Medicaid
and
Medicare
are
overweight
or
obese.
“Ensuring
that
these
patients
have
coverage
for
evidence-based,
effective
obesity
treatment
is
critical
for
not
only
these
patients
but
for
the
health
of
the
U.S.
population
at
large.
From
their
public
statements,
Dr.
Oz
and
RFK
Jr.
appear
to
be
heavily
focused
on
non-medical
interventions,”
she
said.
Pratt
acknowledged
that
comprehensive
care
is
important
for
treating
the
nation’s
obesity
epidemic
—
but
in
her
view,
medical
intervention
delivered
by
clinicians
is
required
for
immediate
and
sustained
weight
loss.
Could
this
nomination
hurt
pharmaceutical
R&D?
Dave
Latshaw,
CEO
of
AI-powered
drug
development
startup
BioPhy,
noted
that
Dr.
Oz’s
appointment
could
affect
the
pharmaceutical
industry
in
a
couple
different
ways.
“His
stance
on
stricter
cost
controls
in
Medicare
and
Medicaid
would
compel
drug
developers
to
engage
in
more
challenging
price
negotiations,
potentially
compressing
profit
margins
across
the
sector,”
he
stated.
Additionally,
the
growing
emphasis
on
Medicare
Advantage
is
requiring
pharmaceutical
companies
to
demonstrate
stronger
cost-effectiveness
and
improved
outcomes
to
secure
coverage,
Latshaw
pointed
out.
“While
streamlined
CMS
processes
could
deliver
expedited
approvals
and
reimbursements,
proposed
privatization
reforms
could
fundamentally
alter
the
market
dynamics,
potentially
favoring
innovation
while
creating
challenges
for
high-cost
therapeutic
options,”
he
declared.
From
Latshaw’s
perspective,
these
pricing
pressures
and
regulatory
changes
could
ultimately
constrain
investments
in
research
and
development,
leading
drugmakers
to
prioritize
projects
with
higher
probability
of
returns.
Photo:
gustavofrazao,
Getty
Images