Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: Digital Detox & Healthcare Reform | The Vision for 2026

Dr. Nicole Saphier kicks off 2026 with two powerful goals: reducing digital overload and improving patient care. She shares her personal mission to spend less time on her phone and be more present—with patients, family, and herself—in a world of constant notifications and digital distraction.

On the professional front, Nicole breaks down new changes to the prior authorization process under Dr. Mehmet Oz’s leadership. She discusses how streamlining approvals, reducing paperwork, and increasing automation could finally remove barriers that delay medical imaging, prescriptions, and treatment—improving outcomes for both doctors and patients.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Wellness on MASS. I'm doctor Nicole Safire and
this is your first weekly rundown of twenty twenty six,
and doesn't it feel good? As we head into this
new year, I've been doing a lot of thinking, not
just about medicine, but about how I want to show
up in my own life. One of my biggest personal
goals for twenty twenty six is simple, well in theory,

(00:24):
but it's hard in practice. Spending less time on my phone.
That's right. Like many of you, my phone has become
a constant companion, emails, headlines, social media, text notifications that
never seem to stop. And while technology connects us and
makes life easier, it also fragments our attention. I want

(00:46):
to be more present with my patients, my family, and
honestly with myself. Less scrolling, fewer distractions, more intentional time
because mental clarity, focus, and real connection are foundation to health,
and I need to practice what I preach now. On
the professional side, I'm also cautiously optimistic about something that

(01:07):
could meaningfully improve patient care. Heading into twenty twenty six,
CMS under doctor mem Oz has made changes to the
whole prior authorization process. You know, the process in getting
insurance companies to cover things. For years, prior authorizations have
been one of the most frustrated barriers in healthcare. Delayed

(01:27):
medical imaging medications at the pharmacy treatments not because something
isn't medically necessary, but because paperwork got in the way.
Patients feel it, doctors feel it, and it has absolutely
contributed to burnout and worse outcomes. Now there's growing momentum
to streamline this process using automation, clearer guidelines, and faster

(01:50):
turnaround times. If done right, this could mean fewer delays,
less red tape, and more time spent where it actually
belongs on patient care, not fight with insurance companies, because
that's what we've been doing, even more so since the
Affordable Care Act past. So as I look towards twenty
twenty six, I'm aiming for less noise and more progress
personally and professionally, less time on my phone, and hopefully

(02:15):
less time stuck in bureaucratic limbo for my patients. Well
that's the goal. I'm going to be watching it closely.
Feel free to call me out on it if you
think I'm spending too much time on social media. As always,
thanks for listening, Happy New Year, we are starting off
twenty twenty six with a bang. I'm doctor Nicole Safire.
Thanks for listening to Wellness on mass You can get
this podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts,

(02:37):
and we'll see you next time.