Care in the Middle is a podcast about the human side of cancer care — the space between diagnosis and treatment where patients, families, and healthcare systems intersect. Hosted by oncology professional Rifeta Kajdić Hodžić, the show explores patient navigation, financial toxicity, healthcare policy, and trauma-informed care through conversations with clinicians, advocates, navigators, patients, and caregivers working to make cancer care more accessible and compassionate.
In this episode of Care in the Middle, Rifeta explores how a poverty formula developed in the 1960s continues to shape who qualifies for healthcare and financial assistance today. From Medicaid and immigration eligibility to benefits cliffs and changing policies, she examines how where we live, what we earn, and the rules we live under can determine access to care, even when our need for help remains the same.
19 Aug 2026
All We Carried and the One Spoon We Had
This personal episode explores how experiences we may not fully understand as children can quietly shape who we become. Rifeta shares a few memories of growing up during the war in Bosnia and reflects on how receiving help later shaped the way she supported patients navigating patients.
25 Jul 2026
The Business of Cancer Care: The Stories Behind Reimbursement
In this episode of Care in the Middle, Rifeta explores the business side of oncology and how reimbursement influences patient access, care delivery, and the resources cancer programs rely on every day. She breaks down concepts like buy and bill, site-of-care restrictions, white bagging, and 340B in plain language—focusing not on billing codes, but on what these policies mean for patients and the professionals who care for them.
Whether you're a financial navigator, nurse, pharmacist, administrator, or simply curious about the systems behind cancer care, this episode will help you better understand why reimbursement isn't just a financial issue, it's a patient care issue.
22 Jun 2026
Lessons From a Financial Navigator
Over the years, I've had thousands of conversations withpatients and families trying to figure out the same things. In this episode, I share 15 lessons I learned from those conversations. Not because every situation is the same, but because there are certain questions, surprises, and challenges that seem to come up again and again.
My hope is that hearing them now makes the road a little easier if you ever need them later.
27 May 2026
The Cost of Staying in Care: The Role of Financial Navigation
In this episode of Care in the Middle, Rifeta is joined by Aimee Hoch, MSW, LSW, OSW-C, FACCC, together they explore the evolving role of financial navigation in cancer care. They discuss the invisible work happening behind the scenes to help patients access and stay in treatment. The conversation highlights how financial navigation has become an essential part of modern oncology care and why these roles are critical to care continuity, access, and patient outcomes.
6 Apr 2026
Alternative Funding Programs: The Hidden Layer of Cancer Care Access
What happens when a patient has insurance, but still can’t easily access treatment? Behind the scenes of cancer care, Alternative Funding Programs (AFPs) are quietly reshaping how treatment is accessed and paid for.
In this episode, I break down AFPs, a growing benefit design strategy that shifts the cost of high-priced therapies away from insurers and onto outside assistance programs, often creating new barriers for patients and care teams along the way.
10 Mar 2026
The Space in Between
In this first episode of Care in the Middle, host Rifeta Kajdić Hodžić introduces the idea behind the podcast and the space where cancer care truly unfolds. Drawing from her work in oncology navigation and her personal journey growing up between cultures, Rifeta reflects on the systems, conversations, and invisible work that shape the cancer experience. This episode explores why the “middle” of cancer care matters, the space where patients, families, clinicians, and advocates come together to navigate complex healthcare systems while trying to maintain stability. Along the way, ithighlights the invisible work, the human connections that shape the cancer journey, and the people who help others find their way through it.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Contact Care in the Middle
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Care in the Middle?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
