Colleen Smith, MD. Colleen Smith is a Clinical Policy Analyst at the Center for Modern Health. She is also an emergency medicine physician who currently practices in New York City. She completed medical school in Atlanta, Gerogia, at Emory University School of Medicine, residency in Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and a fellowship in Medical Simulation and Education at New York University and Bellevue Hospitals. In addition to contributing to our policy work, Colleen also writes about health policy, medical education, and her experiences of the American healthcare system on her personal Substack.
Topics
Appearances (2)
2026-08-06
The No Surprise Act: Patient Protection or Provider Exploitation?In the latest episode of the Health Policy Podcast, host Bryan Hyde speaks with Dr. Colleen Smith, an emergency medicine physician and clinical policy analyst at the Center for Modern Health. They discuss the No Surprise Act, which aims to protect patients from unexpected medical bills by requiring insurers and providers to resolve out-of-network charges without involving patients directly. The conversation also explores the complexities of healthcare pricing, transparency, and potential solutions for improving patient choice and affordability in the healthcare system.
2026-04-21
Dr. Colleen Smith Discusses Healthcare Reform and RegulationIn the latest episode of the Health Policy Podcast, Dr. Colleen Smith, an emergency medicine physician and visiting fellow at the Center for Modern Health, discusses healthcare reform and regulation. She addresses the proposed "Breakup Big Medicine Act" by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley, which aims to tackle the increasing vertical integration in healthcare. Dr. Smith advocates for deregulation and increased competition, suggesting reforms such as repealing certificate of need laws and promoting health savings accounts to empower consumers and healthcare providers.
Notable quotes
“I'm frustrated with it, both as a patient and as a doctor.”
“I think that it should be a non-partisan issue, and I think everyone in this country is frustrated with the way that healthcare is.”
“We're not really in, we are not even as much as we're the ones with the skin in the game when we're patients speaking as a patient, we also don't have very much of the purchasing power.”
“The problem is in healthcare, there's not another choice.”
“We've just entirely eliminated competition almost from the marketplace.”
“I think you would begin to see the cost of that routine care come down over time.”
