This Week Health: Conference

Latest Episodes:

Interview In Action: Preserving the Patient Connection with Blake Anderson Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

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

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Keynote: The Financial World of Healthcare Through an Investor's Eyes with Branden Fini Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

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

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TownHall: Experience the Great Equalizer - Reimagining Facility Design with Jill McCormick Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

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 Healthcare
06:39 The Sprint Process for Problem Solving
13:52 Navigating Resistance to Change
15:16 Measuring Success in Facility Design
17:15 Future Trends in Healthcare Facility Planning

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Keynote: Courageous Leadership and Intentional Culture Shape Lives with Deborah Proctor Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

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

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Interview In Action: Fail Fast, Pivot Quickly - Getting the Data You Need Fast with Julie Johnson Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

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 Governance
03:44 Addressing Data Bias and Sourcing
05:26 Future Prospects and Innovations
08:23 Navigating HIMSS

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TownHall: An Honest AI Journey - Wins and Bumps with Albert Villarin and Mark Weisman Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

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 AI
06:23 AI Governance and Education
14:22 Adoption and Trust in AI
18:48 Future goals for AI

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UnHack (the Podcast): From "All or Nothing" to Scalable Solutions and Resilience with Heather Costa Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

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 Clinic
04:29 The Evolution of Disaster Recovery
07:10 Engaging Frontline Operators
17:44 Building Blocks of Resilience
20:52 Lightning Round

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Interview In Action: Breaking Barriers Between Data with Christopher Policano and Rachel Wilkes Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

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 Exchange
05:36 AI Enhancing the EHR
08:02 MEDITECH's Culture and Mission

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Interview In Action: AI Enhanced RTLS Made Seamless with Philipp von Gilsa Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

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 RTLS
04:39 Implementation and ROI
08:19 RTLS with AI

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Keynote: Security Training that Actually Sticks - Security Mentalism with Gary Chan Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

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: