This Week In Health It

April 4, 2025: Dr. Blake Anderson, Founder and CEO/CTO of Switchboard, MD, shares his journey from practicing physician to healthcare tech innovator, revealing how his dual background in medicine and computer science led to creating solutions for overwhelmed clinicians. The conversation delves into critical questions about data quality, bias in AI systems, and the balance between technological efficiency and maintaining personal doctor-patient relationships. As healthcare faces demographic challenges with an aging population, how will technology help clinicians manage increased demands without sacrificing personalized care? Dr. Blake emphasizes the importance of problem-first approaches and thoughtful change management when adopting new healthcare technologies.   Key Points: 05:40 Ensuring AI Usability and Trust 08:23 Future of Clinician-Patient Relationship 13:07 Advice for Healthcare Leaders   X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for

April 3, 2025: Branden Fini, Partner at Allumia Ventures, discusses the world of healthcare from the view of an investor. How should entrepreneurs approach product-market fit, and why does Branden insist that solving clear and simple pain points trumps the latest technology? The conversation delves into critical investment inflection points, the importance of leadership teams, and the challenging balance between clinical validation and commercial traction. As healthcare faces provider shortages and ongoing consolidation, what emerging opportunities are on the horizon, and how might the changing political landscape reshape investment strategies in healthcare technology?   Key Points: 01:02 Investment Philosophy and Strategies 10:04 The Importance of Leadership in Investments 19:10 Navigating Early-Stage Investments 23:46 Clinical vs. Commercial Validation 33:35 Future Trends and Closing Remarks   X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation

April 1, 2025: Jill McCormick, EVP of Design and Product Development at Pixel Health, reveals how experience serves as the great equalizer in healthcare facility planning. What happens when decades-old buildings meet modern patient expectations? Jill guides listeners through the sprint process that transforms stakeholder insights into human-centered designs, challenging traditional approaches by focusing first on desired experiences, not buildings or technology. As technology rapidly evolves, Jill emphasizes the need for flexible designs that can adapt quickly, creating seamless patient journeys from home to hospital.Key Points:04:01 Human-Centered Design in Healthcare06:39 The Sprint Process for Problem Solving13:52 Navigating Resistance to Change15:16 Measuring Success in Facility Design17:15 Future Trends in Healthcare Facility PlanningX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 27, 2025: Deborah Proctor, Retired CEO of St. Joseph Health, explores the intricate tapestry of healthcare leadership. What does it truly mean to build a mission-driven culture that permeates every aspect of an organization? Deborah shares her remarkable journey from bedside nurse to system CEO, revealing how the Sisters of St. Joseph's charism of unity and reconciliation shaped her leadership philosophy. The discussion delves into innovative approaches to sponsorship, where leaders take personal ownership of their team members’ success and examine the courage required to make decisions that may not win popularity but honor organizational values.    Key Points: 05:19 The Importance of Mission and Values 14:25 Building a Mission-Based Culture 18:25 Values in Action and Pilgrimage 23:11 Sponsorship and Leadership  29:15 Prioritization Challenges 38:50 Courageous Leadership   X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood

March 26, 2025: Julie Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Research Informatics at the University of Chicago, explores the current state of healthcare data and advancements aiming to transform patient care. How can organizations democratize data while maintaining appropriate governance? Julie shares insights on her partnership with MDClone, describing how this tool helps clinicians and researchers "fail fast and pivot quickly" rather than waiting months for critical information. Key Points:01:57 Data Utilization and Governance03:44 Addressing Data Bias and Sourcing05:26 Future Prospects and Innovations08:23 Navigating HIMSSX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 25, 2025: Albert Villarin, VP and CMIO of Nuvance Health, interviews Dr. Mark Weisman, CIO and CMIO of Tidal Health. Mark candidly discusses the difficulties of implementing AI solutions, emphasizing the critical importance of proper AI governance and education for healthcare professionals. As AI tools increasingly write clinical notes and suggest diagnoses, what skills should future clinicians develop—memorizing facts or critically evaluating AI outputs? Mark envisions a future where ambient AI transforms nursing workflows, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care than documentation, while acknowledging the challenges of building trust in these emerging technologies.Key Points:03:10 Challenges and Successes with AI06:23 AI Governance and Education14:22 Adoption and Trust in AI18:48 Future goals for AIX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 24, 2025: Heather Costa, Director of Technology Resilience at Mayo Clinic, shares her journey of rebranding her team from "disaster recovery operations" to "technology resilience operations," emphasizing that cyber incidents require a fundamentally different approach than physical disruptions. The conversation delves into the challenges of communicating technical needs with clinical staff, with Heather explaining her philosophy of "meeting people where they are" and focusing on their work rather than the technology. As cyber threats continue to evolve, Heather offers insights into building resilient systems that minimize disruption to patient care.Key Points:03:43 Heather's Role at Mayo Clinic04:29 The Evolution of Disaster Recovery07:10 Engaging Frontline Operators 17:44 Building Blocks of Resilience20:52 Lightning RoundX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 21, 2025: MEDITECH leaders Christopher Policano, VP of Sales, and Rachel Wilkes, Director of Marketing, sit down at HIMSS 2025 in Las Vegas. They explore how healthcare interoperability is evolving through their newly launched Traverse Exchange platform. How are these real-time data exchanges transforming clinical workflows beyond traditional fragmented files? The discussion reveals a company culture deeply invested in sustainable healthcare innovation while making advanced capabilities accessible to community hospitals.Key Points:01:51 Introducing Traverse Exchange05:36 AI Enhancing the EHR08:02 MEDITECH's Culture and MissionSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 21, 2025: Philipp von Gilsa, CEO of Kontakt.io, explores how next-generation real-time location systems (RTLS) are re-entering the healthcare space and creating rapid growth. Philipp reveals how his company's cloud-based approach is helping health systems drastically reduce equipment costs through enhanced visibility, with some clients seeing benefits in the first month after deployment. Don’t miss this discussion live from the floor of HIMSS.Key Points:03:47 Next Generation RTLS04:39 Implementation and ROI08:19 RTLS with AISubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 20, 2025: Gary Chan, System VP/CISO at SSM Health and Security Mentalist, brings a refreshingly innovative approach to cybersecurity. Gary reveals how he transforms traditionally dry security training into memorable experiences through psychological techniques and mentalism performances, demonstrating live social engineering tactics that leave audiences both entertained and better prepared. As healthcare faces increasing cybersecurity threats, particularly with the rise of AI, how might the balance between technological defenses and human awareness evolve? Key Points:04:43 Security Mentalism10:04 Impact of Security Training15:41 Human Behavior and Social Engineering19:06 Future of Cybersecurity with AI26:45 Common Misconceptions and Personal InsightsSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 19, 2025: Jonathan Cook, CTO for Clearsense, explores how healthcare organizations can achieve immediate ROI through data enablement and application rationalization. Cook reveals how Clearsense has evolved from an archiving solution to a comprehensive data enablement platform that indexes, structures, and makes accessible data across disparate systems while providing a clear path to cost savings. Key Points:05:12 ROI Found Fast08:15 AI Enablement and Future Prospects11:24 Business Continuity and Disaster RecoverySubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 19, 2025: Tony Douglas, RVP of US Healthcare from Palo Alto Networks, explores solutions to the current vulnerabilities in healthcare security. Tony unpacks their "platformization" approach, consolidating multiple security functions into a single platform to combat breaches. How are healthcare providers balancing the benefits of AI with the risks of data exposure? The conversation highlights their new Unit 42 service offering remote SOC management with real-time zero-day threat intelligence.Key Points:02:23 Platformization: Simplifying Security04:13 AI Inconsistencies 07:51 Unit 42 and Global Threat IntelligenceSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 18, 2025: Today on TownHall, Sue Schade, Principal at StarBridge Advisors, talks with Sonney Sapra, SVP and CIO at Samaritan Health Services. Sonney discusses his nearly four-year journey at Samaritan Health, detailing the organization's focus on technological innovation, financial sustainability, and population health. Why move to a fully cloud-based infrastructure? How can AI and ambient listening technologies transform healthcare? Sonny shares insights into these questions and more, including integrating health plan data to improve patient outcomes. He also delves into workforce management in a remote and hybrid environment, and emphasizes the importance of understanding organizational needs in vendor partnerships. Finally, Sonny discusses his future role as a TownHall moderator in 2025 and his passion for sharing knowledge within the CIO community. Subscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 17, 2025: Dr. Donita Brown, Business Professor and Host of The Management Minute podcast, explores the fascinating shifts in workplace motivation across generations. Donita shares powerful insights on the demographic cliff affecting higher education and the potential rise of micro-learning formats like "micro MBAs." Through stories about family vacations, workplace dynamics, and lessons from her father, Dr. Brown offers listeners quick insights into generational leadership and career development.Key Points:03:50 The Power of Listening09:29 The Future of Higher Education20:48 Mastering Mutual Gains Negotiation29:35 Lessons from Writing a Book33:29 Staying Relevant and ThrivingSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 14, 2025: This is the sixth episode of the Zero Trust Hospital Series. Tamer Baker, Healthcare CTO at Zscaler, explores the critical aspects of promoting a zero-trust culture in healthcare organizations. How can healthcare leaders effectively communicate the strategic value of zero trust to their boards? What approaches yield the best results when tailoring messages to different stakeholders like CNOs and CMOs? The conversation delves into the transformative impact of zero trust on mergers and acquisitions, potentially reducing integration time while enhancing security. Want to get your copy of the new book "Zero Trust Hospital: The CXO Vision" by Zscaler? Pre-Order nowDon't miss our webinar after all six Zero Trust Hospital Series episodes! Register now: www.thisweekhealth.com/zerotrustKey Points:01:03 Communicating Zero Trust to the Board03:34 Engaging Internal Stakeholders09:32 The Avalanche Effect of Zero TrustSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDo

March 13, 2025: Tracy Donegan, Chief Information and Innovation Officer at MLK Community Healthcare, shares her approach to solving seemingly insurmountable problems through creative thinking and scrappiness, pushing beyond conventional limitations. The conversation explores MLK's commitment to health equity through innovative programs like their street medicine team and the upcoming empath unit for psychiatric patients. Tracy offers insights into the importance of fostering partnerships built on shared mission and reducing clinician burnout, all while maintaining a deeply personal connection to the community she serves.Key Points:01:48 Tracy's Professional Journey07:08 Digital Innovation and Patient Engagement10:11 Community Impact and Health Equity16:50 Lessons from the Pandemic23:49 Speed Round: Personal InsightsSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 12, 2025: From the floor of HIMSS 2025 in Vegas Colin Banas, CMO of DrFirst, and Thomas Wells, Medical director of Piedmont, explore the evolving landscape of healthcare technology. How might AI transform physician-patient relationships rather than diminishing them? What would need to change for true interoperability to become reality instead of remaining an endless talking point? The physicians discuss Piedmont's vast Georgia network and their innovative approaches to telehealth, virtual specialists, and the pressing need to address behavioral health through technology. Key Points:03:52 Interoperability and EHR Systems05:55 AI in Medication Management10:01 Telemedicine and Behavioral Health11:24 Closing Thoughts and Fun QuestionSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 11: In this episode of TownHall, Karla Arzola, Chief Information Officer at Campbell County Health speaks with Jay Millar, Client Director at World Wide Technology and author of 'Be a Hero in Your Home’. Jay shares his compelling journey from a challenging upbringing to becoming a mentor and leader dedicated to helping others succeed. How does one turn personal struggles into strengths? Why is mentorship crucial, especially for men facing unique societal pressures? Jay discusses the importance of finding mentors, being vulnerable, and taking intentional actions to improve one's life. He also highlights the significance of creating  spaces for open, honest dialogue. This episode is perfect for anyone looking to understand the transformative power of mentorship and the steps to cultivate meaningful, supportive relationships both personally and professionally. Subscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 7, 2025: In this Interview in Action live from ViVE ‘25, Bill talks with Patience Phillips, Senior Director Information Technology at St. Luke’s University Health System. They dive into Patience’s role overseeing IT physician services, various service lines, access centers, and project management offices. They discuss St. Luke’s transformation of their call centers, highlighting the shift to remote agents and standardizing processes. How does a healthcare network prioritize and execute strategic initiatives such as EPIC modules and ERP implementations? Patience explains her project management approach, including the use of hybrid agile methodologies. Patience also touches on her robust process for construction, mergers, and acquisitions, emphasizing rapid deployment, security, and standardization. How do they integrate new facilities effectively? Subscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 7, 2025: Dr. Andrew Gostine, CEO of Artisight, to discuss how Artisight is revolutionizing patient care with their integrated hardware and AI solutions. The interview focuses on their easy-to-implement hardware innovations. Shifting to software, Andrew highlights their AI’s ability to understand ambient video and audio, learning across thousands of hospital and operating rooms. Key Points:00:52 Artisight's Hardware Innovations06:11 Artisight’s Software Innovation08:07 Ambient Nursing DocumentationSubscribe: This Week HealthTwitter: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer