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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Julie Sturgess, Chief Executive Officer of Country to Coast Queensland (CCQ), about democratising healthcare and driving equity in regional Australia.
Julie shares her perspective on the complexities of delivering care across CCQ’s diverse region, which spans remote, rural, and outer metro areas, including Central Queensland, Wide Bay, and the Sunshine Coast.
The conversation explores how data, technology, and genuine community partnerships influence new models of care, advance mental health reform, and build resilience in the face of major challenges such as disasters and homelessness.
Key Takeaways
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it. Keen to take your healthtech to the next level?
Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Nicole Allan and Federica Lanzo from Orion Health about the realities of interoperability in healthcare. Nicole, VP of Solutioning and Delivery, brings decades of experience implementing digital health systems globally, while Federica, Product Director for Interoperability, offers a technical perspective on integrating data standards and leveraging new technology. Together, they discuss what interoperability means at the point of care, why FHIR compliance is just the beginning, the practical challenges of working across sectors and geographies, the role of AI, and how initiatives like the International Patient Summary (IPS) are shaping the future of connected healthcare.Key Takeaways:🩺 Interoperability in a clinical setting is about securely ensuring relevant, accurate, and timely patient information flows between providers, reducing repeated tests, improving coordination, and enhancing safety for patients and clinicians.⚙️ The challenge of achieving true interoperability goes beyond just technical standards like FHIR; it requires broad adoption, stakeholder engagement, flexible approaches for legacy systems, and governance that aligns with local needs and realities.🏥 Real-world implementations that work are driven by phased rollouts, practical engagement with clinicians and stakeholders, and integration within hospitals and GPs and across community, social care, and justice sector settings.🌐 The adoption of standards such as FHIR and IPS is increasing momentum globally, yet transitioning from compliance to data utility means focusing on context-rich, easily consumable information tailored for clinicians and patients alike.🤝 Progress in interoperability is as much about social and organisational change as it is about technology; stakeholder collaboration, alignment on data governance, and willingness to evolve long-standing practices are essential.Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Consumer Health Partnerships, we speak with Debra Letica, former carer and citizen leader, and Dr Viktoria Stein from the International Foundation for Integrated Care, about the Citizens Leadership Research Project. They highlight the significant role of citizen leaders in co-creating integrated care systems and the impact of genuinely involving consumers in health care reform.
Debra shares her journey of becoming a citizen leader and how her personal experiences as a carer helped her advocate for better healthcare systems. Dr Viktoria Stein explains the origins of the Citizen Leadership Research Project, and their move to involve citizen leaders from around the globe. Both discuss the importance of genuine partnerships between health professionals and consumers, offering insights into how these relationships can enhance care delivery.
Key Takeaways:
Importance of Inclusion: Including citizen leaders from the very start of the project to shape priorities and questions.
Diverse Perspectives: Recognise that different communities want and need to be involved in various ways.
Mentorship Value: Mentors play a crucial role in building confidence and guiding new citizen leaders.
Collaborative Networks: Leverage existing networks and international collaborations to find and engage citizen leaders.
Shared Challenges: Citizen leaders worldwide face similar barriers and motivations, reinforcing the universal need for integrated, consumer-driven care.
Links & Resources:
Debra Letica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-l-14b79b74/
Viktoria Stein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikstein/
Citizen Leadership Research: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/health-and-social-care-leadership/research/citizen-leadership
RACP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/royal-australasian-college-of-physicians/posts/?feedView=all
International Journal of Integrated Care: https://ijic.org/
Consumer Health Forum Canberra (National Body) : https://www.linkedin.com/company/consumers-health-forum/posts/?feedView=all
Health Consumer Council WA : https://www.linkedin.com/company/healthconsumerscouncil/posts/?feedView=all
Health Consumers NSW: https://www.linkedin.com/company/health-consumers-nsw/posts/?feedView=all
Carers WA: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carers-wa/posts/?feedView=all
Carers Australia: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carers-australia/posts/?feedView=all
Consumer Health Partnerships is a podcast for healthcare stakeholders that spotlights the synergistic power of partnering with consumers to share a human-centred health system. We share inspiring stories and practical strategies from healthcare professionals at the forefront of embracing a human-centred approach to patient experience and a patient-centred approach to patient experience and co-design. We are redefining care by respecting their patients’ equal place in conversations about their health.
This show is a proud member of the Talking HealthTech Podcast Network - the premier audio destination for cutting-edge insights and thought leadership in healthcare delivery, innovation, digital health, healthcare ICT, and commercialisation.
Learn more at www.talkinghealthtech.com/podcast/network.
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Sam Wood, Head of Product at Meddbase, and Greg Jennings, Chief Engagement Officer at Beyond Blue. The discussion centres on the current state of workplace mental health in Australia, the increasing importance of prevention and early intervention, and how technology and partnerships are reframing mental health support at work. Sam shares the story behind Meddbase's collaboration with Beyond Blue to deliver the Before Blue programme, while Greg outlines the realities facing Australian workplaces and the measurable impact of practical, data-driven solutions for mental health.Key Takeaways🧠 The prevalence of mental health issues remains high in Australia, with 1 in 5 people experiencing a mental health condition each year, and almost half the population affected in their lifetime.🛑 Prevention and early intervention are essential; initiatives like Before Blue focus on building practical skills and supporting staff before issues escalate — shifting from reactive support to proactive care.🔐 Secure data management and straightforward service design are critical for building trust in digital mental health tools, enabling measurable outcomes for individuals and organisations.🏢 Effective workplace mental health strategies require commitment from leadership, integration into company culture, and a move beyond awareness campaigns to actions with real, measurable benefits.🤝 Partnerships between technology providers and mental health organisations, like Meddbase and Beyond Blue, are delivering solutions that are accessible, evidence-based, and scalable for Australian workplaces.Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Lily Liu, the Divisional Director of Digital Health at Western Health.
They discuss Western Health's recent efforts in digital health transformation, focusing on Western Health Care Connect (WHCC), a system designed to consolidate patient medical information across various visits into a single, accessible view.
Key Takeaways:
🩺 Care Connect is there to make life easier for medical staff by bringing together all the important bits of a patient's record, like demographics, allergies, and visit history, into one handy view.
💻 The setup tackles the usual EMR headaches like endless clicking and browsing for details by giving clinicians an easy-to-use landing page.
📲 They're also working on getting info to GPs more smoothly, moving away from the old fax system to secure messaging.
🌍 Western Health is stepping up and is taking tips from big players in the UK and Canada to nail the implementation of Care Connect.
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.Keen to take your healthtech to the next level?
Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Kai Van Lieshout, cofounder and CEO of Lyrebird Health, about the rise of AI scribe technology in healthcare.
The discussion explores the growing role of artificial intelligence in reducing clinicians' administrative workload, AI in primary care consultation workflows, data privacy considerations, practical realities of adopting AI scribes, and documentation automation in medical practice.
Key Takeaways
📝 AI Scribes in Healthcare: AI scribes can speed up medical workflows by automating notetaking and document generation, significantly reducing clinicians' time on paperwork.
🔗 Integration with Practice Management Systems: Deep integration between AI scribe solutions and existing electronic medical records or practice management software makes deployment seamless and more valuable for clinicians.
🤝 Patient Experience and Consent: Patient acceptance of AI scribes in consultations is high when doctors explain the benefit of improved attention; information transparency builds trust.
✅ Trusted AI Outputs: AI scribe recommendations and extractions are verified against patient records to ensure accuracy. The final responsibility and liability remain with the clinician, making trusted system design important.
🔍 Choosing the Right AI Scribe: Key decision factors are data sovereignty, product integrations, and how well the AI matches and represents a clinician’s documentation style.
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.
Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Dr Jason Brown, Chief Digital Health Officer at Metro North Health; Dr Rae Donovan, Acting Chief Clinical Information Officer of eHealth Queensland; Dr Mia McLanders, Manager of Research and Innovation at Metro North Health; Fiona Armstrong, CEO at Liquid; and Kate Wylie, Director of Health at Liquid, exploring why healthcare technology so often misses the mark.
The discussion dives into why projects fail to scale, how local needs can be balanced with system reform, the importance of genuine co-design, and why adoption, rather than rollout, decides whether healthtech delivers benefit for clinicians and patients.
This episode was recorded at the Clinical Skills Development Service at Metro North Health in Brisbane, during a special Future Led panel event hosted by THT+ partners Liquid.
The event brought together clinicians, designers and innovators to discuss collaboration, smarter procurement, and systemic reform in healthcare technology.
Key Takeaways
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.
Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet ups, special offers and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Chris Pymble from Graphics et al., Dr Bhavesh Patel from Queensland Children’s Hospital, and Dr Brent Richards from Gold Coast Hospital. They dive into why good communication in healthcare is such a big deal and how it affects patient care and system efficiency.
Key Takeaways:• Effective communication is crucial in healthcare, impacting not just patient outcomes but also the efficiency of healthcare systems.• Current systems often result in fragmented communication due to lack of integration, stressing the need for streamlined processes.• Digital tools, including AI, can personalise patient information, making healthcare communication more effective and accessible.• Making sure patients get what's going on involves changing up how doctors communicate, using visuals, and translating information when needed.Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet-ups, special offers, and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dan Michelson, CEO of RLDatix, Leanne Lind, Head of Policy Governance at St. John of God Health Care, Imtiaz Bhayat, CIO at Regis Aged Care, and Barbara Staruk, Chief Product Officer at RLDatix.
They discuss how tech, AI, and innovation are changing healthcare policy, compliance, and more.
This episode was recorded at the Connected Health & Care Summit Asia-Pacific 2025 in Melbourne, hosted by RLDatix.
Key Takeaways:
🌍 RLDatix is making waves globally with its impressive risk, safety, workforce, and data management portfolio.
🤝 Health systems benefit from a partnership approach rather than just viewing vendors as product providers, highlighting collaboration for solving pressing challenges in healthcare IT.
🤖 The role of AI in making clinical systems more efficient by capturing data and predicting potential outcomes was discussed.
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
Loving the show? Leave us a review, and share it with someone who might get some value from it.
Keen to take your healthtech to the next level? Become a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, meet-ups, special offers, and more exclusive content. For more information visit talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
In this episode of Consumer Health Partnerships, we speak with Anja Christoffersen from Champion Health Agency and Jeremy Kerr from QUT Design Lab about the importance and application of co-design in the healthcare sector.
Anja and Jeremy shared their extensive experience in co-designing health services and projects, highlighting the need for genuine consumer collaboration. Discussing their respective roles and achievements, including Jeremy's project on resources for health professionals and Anja's integrated design methods. They aim to demystify co-design, explaining its methods and the significance of creative and empathetic collaboration. As well as addressing the benefits and challenges involved in implementing co-design practices in healthcare environments.
Key Takeaways:
Participation Importance: Highlighting that co-design needs practical participation to fully understand its value.
Co-Design Methods: Various methods like journey mapping and empathy mapping are critical in understanding lived and professional experiences.
Starting Small: They recommend starting small with co-design methods, focusing on comfort and practicality.
Framework Adaptability: Emphasising that co-design frameworks must be adaptable to different contexts and needs.
Creative Collaboration: Successful co-design relies on creativity and empathetic collaboration, with no predetermined outcomes.
Links & Resources:
Anja Christoffersen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anja-christoffersen-999446152/
QUT, School of Design: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/faculty-of-creative-industries-education-social-justice/school-of-design
Design for Health: https://research.qut.edu.au/designlab/programs/
References mentioned by Jeremy during the podcast:
Link for the book via Australian distributor (cheaper than international publishers): https://www.hachette.com.au/jeremy-kerr/the-art-of-co-design-solving-problems-through-creative-collaboration
Eating disorder co-design podcast link (In Full Bloom): https://open.spotify.com/show/6uhfJm0F2oUFOEdW1Y4K1W (it’s on Apple podcasts too!)
Consumer Health Partnerships is a podcast for healthcare stakeholders that spotlights the synergistic power of partnering with consumers to share a human-centred health system. We share inspiring stories and practical strategies from healthcare professionals at the forefront of embracing a human-centred approach to patient experience and co-design. We are redefining care by respecting their patients’ equal place in conversations about their health.
This show is a proud member of the Talking HealthTech Podcast Network - the premier audio destination for cutting-edge insights and thought leadership in healthcare delivery, innovation, digital health, healthcare ICT, and commercialisation.
Learn more at www.talkinghealthtech.com/podcast/network.
Mentioned in this episode:
Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.
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