Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Summary

Guest: Daniel Greenleaf, CEO of Duly Health and Care
Host: Scott Becker
Date: October 7, 2025
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into the growth, strategy, and future vision of Duly Health and Care (formerly DuPage Medical Group), as well as broader reflections on healthcare leadership, affordability, innovation (including AI), and challenges facing healthcare systems today.

Main Purpose & Theme

This episode spotlights Duly Health and Care’s journey to becoming the largest independent medical group in the U.S., its commitment to affordability and access, and CEO Daniel Greenleaf’s leadership approach in navigating industry challenges. The discussion explores practical strategies for building a world-class healthcare organization and driving change amid rising costs and workforce pressures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Dan Greenleaf and Duly Health and Care

• [00:46] Dan Greenleaf introduces himself as a six-time CEO with experience across pharma, healthcare services, and both public and private companies.
• Core values instilled by parents: service and commitment to helping others.

Duly Health and Care Snapshot:

• Over 1,600 clinicians in 190 locations
• Serves 1.5 million patients in the greater Chicago area
• 35,000 patient visits per day
• Annual revenue: ~$3 billion
• 6 ambulatory surgery centers, 30 labs, 15 imaging centers, 10 immediate care centers, 100 infusion chairs, 50 physical therapy locations

Speaker quote:
"I tell people this is a national treasure that happens to be in Chicagoland because there isn't really a model like ours and we're a hospital without walls."
— Dan Greenleaf [02:34]

2. The ‘Duly Difference’ – What Sets Duly Apart

• Affordability: One-ninth the cost compared to area hospitals, saving employers/taxpayers ~$2B/year
• Superior Access: Average wait times of 2 days vs. 8–60 at competitors
• Consumer Experience: Net Promoter Score in the 70s ("on par with global brands") vs. hospital systems in the 30–50 range
• Quality Metrics:
  • Cancer biopsy accuracy: 77% (national average: 25%)
  • Lung screening detects at Stage 1/2 in 77% of cases (national average: 25%)

Speaker quote:
"Our consumer experience...our net promoter scores are in the 70s or as high as 74 right now...those are the people we compete against when it comes to our net promoter scores."
— Dan Greenleaf [03:35]

3. Leadership Perspective: Advice for Healthcare Leaders

• [06:45] Five core leadership priorities:

  1. Right people, right seats
  2. Voice of the customer: Reducing friction for patients/clinicians
  3. Best practice development: Reducing variation, driving out waste
  4. Profitable growth: “We have to have margin.”
  5. Innovation and automation: Major excitement around AI

• Emphasis on never forgetting who you serve (patients, family, community).

Speaker quote:
"We never forget that...Every day we think about, like, how do we serve people in the way that if those people were, you know, associated with us, what would we do?"
— Dan Greenleaf [07:56]

• Bold expansion:
  • Adding 150 clinicians this year
  • Major investment in Schaumburg, transforming a healthcare desert; ahead of encounter projections
  • Ancillary services: Drastic cost differences for services (e.g., MRI: $500 at Duly vs $4,500 at hospitals; knee replacement: $8,500 at ASC vs $65,000 at hospitals)

4. Strategic Focus Into 2026

• [10:41] Building a “world class team” and culture:
  • Relentless focus on putting top talent in key roles ("replaced 23 of top 25 leaders")
  • "If you don't do that well, you get...similar results, which...you've seen probably since 1986 when the last great Bears team rolled through."
• Growth and onboarding of physicians, improved engagement, and careful referral management.
• Increasing use of artificial intelligence:
  • Targeting 60% physician adoption soon
  • AI reducing “pajama time” for clinicians by 5 hours/week
  • 5-point increase in patient experience scores
  • Streamlining clinical documentation, scheduling, and inbox management

Speaker quote:
"We're seeing five hours less of pajama time every week...When you think about what drives physician dissatisfaction, one of the biggest issues has been the amount of time they're spending entering notes. That's exciting."
— Dan Greenleaf [12:20]

• AI for patient scheduling and predicting cancellations (double-booking to mitigate no-shows)
• Focusing on maintaining strong clinician-patient relationships

5. Challenges, Advocacy, and Social Mission

• Fighting for “appropriate rates”—physician groups get <1% annual increases, hospitals 3-6%
• Leading value-based care efforts (MA and ACO REACH)
• Concern about rising healthcare costs for employers and employees:
  • Internal health spend: $100M; unsustainable trend
  • Premiums up 314% over 20 years, family cost burden up 326%
• Duly’s “moral responsibility” to lower financial barriers for the middle class

Speaker quote:
"Duly feels like it has a moral responsibility to bend that curve. We owe it to the middle class...Why are we letting this continue to happen and see this level of financial discrimination that continues to occur in the marketplace?"
— Dan Greenleaf [16:24]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• National Treasure:
  "I tell people this is a national treasure that happens to be in Chicagoland because there isn't really a model like ours..."
  — Dan Greenleaf [02:34]

• The Duly Difference:
  “Our consumer experience...our net promoter scores are in the 70s or as high as 74 right now...those are the people we compete against when it comes to our net promoter scores.”
  — Dan Greenleaf [03:35]

• Patient Focus:
  "We never forget that...Every day we think about, like, how do we serve people in the way that if those people were, you know, associated with us, what would we do?"
  — Dan Greenleaf [07:56]

• Bears analogy / Leadership turnover:
  "If you don't do that well, you get...similar results, which...you've seen probably since 1986 when the last great Bears team rolled through."
  — Dan Greenleaf [11:05]

• AI’s impact:
  "We're seeing five hours less of pajama time every week...When you think about what drives physician dissatisfaction, one of the biggest issues has been the amount of time they're spending entering notes. That's exciting."
  — Dan Greenleaf [12:20]

• Cost and access advocacy:
  "Duly feels like it has a moral responsibility to bend that curve. We owe it to the middle class...Why are we letting this continue to happen and see this level of financial discrimination..."
  — Dan Greenleaf [16:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:46] – Dan Greenleaf background & Duly Health overview
• [03:00] – The Duly Difference: Affordability, access, experience, quality
• [06:45] – Leadership philosophy & priorities; expansion & affordability examples
• [10:41] – Strategic vision for 2026; AI, team culture, driving growth
• [12:20] – Detailed discussion of AI/automation benefits for clinicians & patients
• [16:24] – Advocacy for affordability, value-based care, and social responsibility

Overall Tone & Takeaways

Dan Greenleaf discusses Duly Health with both pride and urgency, highlighting outcomes-driven innovation, bold expansion, and moral purpose. His leadership philosophy is grounded in relentless focus on both people and process, with a deep commitment to affordability and clinical quality.

The episode is optimistic yet candid about systemic challenges, offering practical insights for healthcare leaders aiming to drive change and deliver on the promise of affordable, high-quality care.