In a special episode recorded live on Capitol Hill, host William Chey, MD, speaks with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell about current challenges facing public health and policy issues surrounding access, advocacy and physician burnout.

· When thinking about health care legislation, what value do you place on preventing disease over treating it? 2:46

· Why can't we get a permanent fix for telehealth benefits? 8:44

· Do you think there is any hope for passing the Specialty Physicians Advancing Rural Care (SPARC) Act? 10:43

· Chey and Dingell discuss health care disparities and incentivizing physicians to practice in rural areas. 11:55

· Chey and Dingell discuss NIH research. 15:47

· What can we do to get legislation like the Safe Step Act across the finish line? 21:45

We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc.

Reference:

· Chey WD. Biomedical research in America: The corrosive effects of uncertainty. ACG Magazine. 2026;10(2):4-5.

Chey and Dingell report no financial disclosures.

Debbie Dingell represents Michigan's 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In this episode, Lin Chang, MD, and Jan Tack, MD, PhD, discuss the history and evolution of Rome criteria, developing guidelines for multifactorial disorders in Rome V and more.

· Lin Chang, MD, and Jan Tack, MD, PhD 1:04

· How has the Rome Foundation evolved over the last ten years? 4:26

· What are the Rome criteria, and why should clinicians care about them? 7:20

· How did these guidelines become the Rome criteria? 10:32

· What is the timeline of developing these criteria? 12:35

· Can you tell us about how the Rome Foundation got to the name "DGBI", and why it makes sense for multifactorial conditions? 22:22

· What are the highlights and most important changes from Rome V? 26:38

· How will this information be disseminated so clinicians can learn about it? 34:22

· What lessons did you learn from the Rome V process? 37:40

· What's next for the Rome Foundation? 40:04

Lin Chang, MD, is professor of medicine and vice chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Jan Tack, MD, PhD, is president of the Rome Foundation. He also serves as professor of medicine at KU Leuven and chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Leuven University Hospitals.

We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc.

Disclosures: Chey and Tack report no financial disclosures. Chang reports consulting roles with Ardelyx, Atmo, Eli Lilly & Co., FoodMarble, GSK, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Ono Pharmaceutical; speaking fees from Bausch Health; research grants from AnX Robotica and Ironwood; serving on the Rome Foundation Board of Directors; and having unvested stock options with FoodMarble, ModifyHealth, PICO Health and Trellus Health.

Reference:

· Drossman DA, et al. Gastroenterology. 2026;doi:10.1053.j.gastro.2026.02.014.

In this episode, Kyle Zebley, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, or ATA, discusses telemedicine's role in current health policy, innovation in virtual care and more.

· Intro 0:56

· Kyle Zebley 1:03

· What is the distinction between telehealth and telemedicine? 1:37

· Tell us about where you grew up and your upbringing. 2:36

· How did your interest in telehealth and virtual care develop? 7:18

· Was joining the ATA your first shift from working for the government to going into the private sector/a nongovernment role? 11:37

· Is telehealth now evenly distributed throughout the U.S., or are there still areas where it is not being utilized? 16:23

· Discussion on health care worker shortages and issues with distribution, and whether telehealth is part of the solution. 19:10

· Who is pushing back against telehealth? 21:01

· Why can't we get a long-term solution to these issues? 26:11

· Can you share your perspective on the October 2025 government shutdown, and why telehealth flexibility was involved? 30:10

· What are the telehealth innovations that you are most excited about? 35:53

· Is AI-driven technology something the ATA is thinking about and navigating? 41:09

· Thanks for listening 47:28

Kyle Zebley is CEO of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), leading efforts to advance health care innovation and the transformation of health care through virtual care, digital health and AI-driven models.

We'd love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to guttalkpodcast@healio.com. Follow us on X @HealioGastro @sameerkberry @umfoodoc.

Disclosures: Berry, Chey and Zebley report no financial disclosures.