Healthcare AI Gets Real: Naomi Lopez on ACCESS, TEMPO, and the Future of Care
Healthcare AI Gets Real: Naomi Lopez on ACCESS, TEMPO, and the Future of Care  
Podcast: DC EKG
Published On: Fri Jan 23 2026
Description: DC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast Ep. 122 In this episode of DC EKG with Joe Grogan: A Healthcare Policy Podcast, Joe recaps the first Healthcare AI Policy Summit, held on December 10th in Washington, DC, with his co-host for the event, Naomi Lopez, founder of Nexus Policy Consulting. They walk through the big themes shaping healthcare AI right now: how HHS is approaching AI adoption, what real regulatory clarity could look like, and how new federal initiatives like ACCESS and TEMPO may reshape chronic disease management for Medicare patients. Joe and Naomi unpack HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill’s view of AI in government, from using large models to improve physician productivity, payment integrity, and care coordination to managing privacy and re-identification risk when working with federal health data. They dig into the ACCESS Medicare payment model and the FDA TEMPO initiative, explaining how these pilots test AI and machine learning tools in real-world chronic disease management (hypertension, diabetes, musculoskeletal pain, and depression), and what that means for Medicare payment models, FDA oversight, and healthcare innovation. The conversation then widens to physician burnout, interoperability, rural care, and the role of states and federal preemption in setting the rules for healthcare AI. If you care about the real-world impact of healthcare AI on policy, payment, and patients, this episode offers a clear, practical summary of what the summit revealed and what to watch next. Today Joe and Naomi cover: Key Takeaways: Healthcare AI is being built into policy through programs like ACCESS and TEMPO, tying AI tools to Medicare payment and FDA pathways in chronic disease management. Joe's guest, 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 with Joe Grogan and co-hosted the inaugural Healthcare AI Policy Summit on December 10th in Washington, DC.