The Big Unlock

In this episode, Jan Beger, Global Head of AI Advocacy at GE Healthcare, shares his mission to bridge the gap between the conceptual promise and real-world impact of AI in healthcare. He stresses on the critical need to build AI literacy and trust among clinicians, executives, and students, and explains why a human-centric approach and strong change management are critical for successful adoption. Jan highlights GE’s global AI literacy programs that train employees and clinicians on responsible use, practical applications, and critical evaluation of AI. He highlights how moving beyond pilots to strategic, systemwide deployment requires continuous education, executive engagement, and a focus on change management. He also spoke about GE’s successes such as improved efficiency in software development and innovations like AI-guided handheld ultrasound devices that democratize imaging by supporting users of varied expertise, as well as the challenges of keeping AI tools robust and up-to-date. Jan addresses the future of the workforce, noting that adaptability and tech fluency will be essential as 70% of job skills evolve by 2030. He encourages healthcare leaders to see AI not just as technology, but as a transformative tool to enhance care and outcomes. Take a listen.

In this episode, Thomas Fuchs, Chief AI Officer at Eli Lilly, shares his journey from early machine learning research to spearheading transformative AI initiatives across the pharmaceutical value chain. Lilly is running over a thousand AI projects—from drug discovery and development to manufacturing and commercial operations—leveraging innovations like language models for chatbots, computer vision for quality control, and biomarker development. Thomas emphasizes trust, transparency, and collaboration as critical to AI adoption, supported by AI certification programs for all Lilly technology employees, as well as AI education resources being made available for everyone at Lilly. He also highlights the company’s unique “lab-in-the-loop” setups that generate synthetic data to accelerate innovation. Thomas shares real-world successes, including AI-assisted drug discovery and intelligent chatbots, and how AI is building confidence across the organization. With robust data infrastructure and scalable strategies for synthesizing large datasets, Lilly is driving rapid innovation. Thomas predicts faster drug design, broader access to medicines, and continuous education as defining trends for AI in healthcare. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Dr. Girish N. Nadkarni, Chief AI Officer, Mount Sinai Health System In this episode, Dr. Girish N. Nadkarni, Chief AI Officer at Mount Sinai Health System, discusses his background as a physician-technologist and his vision for AI in healthcare as a tool that augments rather than replaces clinicians. Dr. Nadkarni shares insights on how AI is reshaping healthcare. He describes AI as an ‘arbitrage of knowledge for time,’ enabling physicians to spend less time on administrative work and more time with patients. He also shares real-world examples including ambient AI scribes that eliminate manual note-taking and predictive models that detect patient deterioration hours before it occurs, especially in critical care units such as the NICU. Dr. Nadkarni distinguishes predictive AI’s deterministic approach from generative AI’s flexible, non-linear potential, emphasizing the need for governance, ethics, and trust in deploying both. He outlines Mount Sinai’s cross-functional framework—spanning care, operations, workforce, and research—supported by an assurance lab to monitor bias and safety. Dr. Girish highlights current AI applications that save physicians time and enable proactive care, while predicting future developments will include multimodal integration of text, voice, images, and video to better reflect clinical decision-making processes. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Michael Docktor, MD, Co-founder and CEO of Dock Health In this episode, Dr. Michael Docktor, Co-founder and CEO at Dock Health, shares his journey from being a pediatric gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s Hospital to building a healthcare technology company. Inspired by his sister’s medical experiences and his family’s design background, Dr. Doctor combined medicine, design, and technology to address inefficiencies in operational workflows, particularly the administrative burdens that weigh heavily on providers and staff. Dr. Docktor explains how Dock Health was created to serve as a productivity platform for healthcare, filling the gap between electronic health records (EHRs) and the countless administrative tasks not supported by them. By digitizing and streamlining processes like referrals, patient intake, and care coordination—often still managed through faxes, emails, and spreadsheets—Dock Health aims to reduce redundancy, improve visibility, and enhance the overall user experience for healthcare organizations of all sizes. The conversation also focuses on the role of AI and automation in transforming healthcare operations. Dr. Docktor highlights Dock Health’s “AI‑first” approach, incorporating generative AI and agentic models to automate routine tasks while keeping humans in the loop for oversight. He envisions a near future where administrative inefficiencies are largely eliminated, giving clinicians more time with patients. Dr. Docktor also describes AI as the “big unlock” that could massively reduce the trillions wasted annually in healthcare administration, making care more efficient, accessible, and patient‑centered. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Sameer Sethi, SVP, Chief AI & Insights Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health In this episode, Sameer Sethi, SVP and Chief AI & Insights Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, shares how the health system is embedding AI directly into clinician workflows, moving from theory to real-world transformation. Sameer outlines practical applications such as specialty-specific clinical note summarization, which reduces “pajama time” for physicians and improves patient interactions, and sentiment analysis of patient survey data, which surfaces actionable insights at scale. He also describes Hackensack’s AI governance framework – a board-approved structure with six strategic focus areas, guided by cross-departmental representation to ensure safe, effective adoption. Emphasizing that AI solutions serve as decision-support rather than decision-making tools, Sameer highlights the importance of keeping a “human in the loop.” He sees agentic AI as the next frontier – integrating LLMs, RPA, and rule engines to automate complex processes such as prior authorizations and denial management. The result: faster workflows, administrative efficiency, and truly personalized care at scale. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Ramesh Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, zakipoint Health In this episode, Ramesh Kumar, CEO and Co-founder of Zakipoint Health, shares his perspective on addressing healthcare’s persistent challenges—high costs, lack of price transparency, and fragmented care. He emphasizes that patients, or ‘members,’ often struggle to understand the true value of care, even as regulatory pushes for transparency continue. Ramesh highlights how greater data visibility and patient empowerment can shift the system toward value-based outcomes. He emphasizes that true digital transformation goes beyond compliance and organizations must leverage transparency in data to create actionable insights for patients, employers, and providers alike. He also discusses the role of AI and agentic AI in simplifying complexity, reducing administrative burden, and enabling more personalized, efficient care delivery. Ramesh underscores the need for co-creation between payers, providers, and technology innovators to build sustainable solutions. For him, the convergence of transparency, digital innovation, and AI marks a pivotal moment to reimagine healthcare’s future. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Dr. Regina Druz, Founder and CEO, Holistic Heart Centers In this episode, Dr. Regina Druz, Founder and CEO at Holistic Heart Centers, shares her journey from conventional hospital-based cardiology to leading the charge in personalized precision medicine and longevity-focused care. She explains why optimizing health is the cornerstone of extending lifespan and how digital health innovations must deliver value for patients, clinicians, and caregivers—improving outcomes, reducing burnout, lowering costs, and meeting regulatory demands. A pioneer in telemedicine, digital devices, and AI tools such as ambient scribes and large language models, Dr. Druz examines the opportunities and challenges of Agentic AI in transforming healthcare workflows. She envisions a near future where AI goes beyond administrative tasks to provide advanced clinical decision support—predicting and preventing conditions like Alzheimer’s and heart failure years before symptoms arise. For Dr. Druz, the “N-of-1” approach—tailoring care to each individual’s unique biology and circumstances—will become the new standard, redefining population health through truly personalized care. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock · Digital Twins Could Be a Game-Changer for Scalable Healthcare Innovation – Podcast with Inderpal Kohli In this episode, Inderpal Kohli, Healthcare Executive Leader (Englewood Health, HSS, and Columbia University Medical Center), shares his vision for scalable digital health transformation. He outlines a proven framework focused on patient engagement, clinically integrated care, and remote patient monitoring—strategies that have already driven an 18–20% increase in online scheduling and improved outcomes in preventive care campaigns. Inderpal also reflects on how a chance project in biomedical informatics sparked his passion for digital transformation, leading to pioneering work in digital pathology, remote monitoring, and digital front door solutions. He explores the promise of ambient documentation in reducing clinician burden and enhancing satisfaction, and addresses the persistent challenge of integrating EHR systems with third-party tools—stressing the importance of seamless integration for meaningful impact. He also discusses the potential of digital twins as a game-changer, shares lessons on building agile, consumer-focused digital teams, and weighs in on how GenAI and agentic automation are poised to reshape care delivery. Take a listen.

 The Big Unlock Podcast · AI If Done Right Can Rehumanize Healthcare – Podcast with Ashis Barad In this episode, Ashis Barad, Chief Digital Technology Officer at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), discusses his journey in rehumanizing healthcare through digital health transformation. A practicing pediatric gastroenterologist, Ashis advocates for tech that genuinely solves problems, viewing himself as a “doctor first, technologist second.” Ashis stresses on Agentic AI and change management as pivotal elements in healthcare transformation. Healthcare is inherently workflow-centric, not a series of isolated moments. Barad explains Agentic AI as a workflow orchestrator designed to reduce administrative waste, enhance patient experience, and accelerate the adoption of best practices. Ashis outlines HSS’s strategy to leverage its specialized focus to build a modern data lakehouse architecture and deploy AI-powered solutions through key partnerships. He envisions rehumanizing healthcare by automating backend processes, expanding clinician-patient time, and codifying best practices that can be scaled globally, especially in musculoskeletal care and movement. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Interoperability and AI Adoption are the Pillars of Healthcare – Podcast with Michael Marchant In this episode, Michael Marchant, Director of Digital Applications at Sutter Health, shares his expert perspective on how interoperability and AI are reshaping the future of healthcare. He discusses the promise of TEFCA (Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement) in expanding data exchange beyond treatment to support broader care coordination. He also highlights California’s Data Exchange Framework as a model for equitable and inclusive health information sharing across diverse communities. The conversation explores the real-world applications of generative AI in clinical settings, from ambient documentation to AI-powered inbox agents that reduce administrative burden and help clinicians deliver faster, more personalized care. Michael emphasizes the importance of assistive, not autonomous, AI, spotlighting use cases where technology enhances the capabilities of care teams without replacing the human touch. Drawing on decades of experience in health IT and data policy, Michael offers a grounded yet visionary take on building scalable, interoperable, and patient-centered digital ecosystems. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Transforming Wellness-First Senior Communities Through AI and Social Determinants – Podcast with Mike Hughes In this episode, Michael Hughes, Senior EVP, Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer at United Church Homes, shares how the organization is reshaping the future of senior living. Moving beyond a traditional housing-first model, United Church Homes is leading a shift toward a wellness-first approach that prioritizes health, dignity, and independence for older adults.  With more than 100 communities across 15 states, the organization is leveraging scalable, data-driven strategies to support aging in place, particularly for vulnerable populations. Mike explains how understanding and addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) is key to improving outcomes, and how machine learning is helping evaluate the impact of non-clinical interventions in real-world settings. From transitioning fall detection to fall prevention, to exploring lightweight sensor technologies, Mike emphasizes the importance of proactive care and personal motivation in sustaining long-term wellness. He also introduces the organization’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program—a unique initiative that brings innovators into senior communities to co-create human-centered solutions rooted in real-life experience. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Building Value Through Real-World AI and Smart Technology Adoption – Podcast with J.D. Whitlock In this episode, J.D. Whitlock, Chief Information Officer at Dayton Children’s Hospital, discusses how a smaller pediatric health system is embracing digital transformation and generative AI while navigating resource constraints. Mr. Whitlock shares how platforms like Epic, Workday, and Microsoft are enabling innovation from within, especially through features like ambient documentation and coding assistance. With a fast-follower mindset, Dayton Children’s focuses on adopting proven tools from peer organizations rather than being the first to experiment. Mr. Whitlock emphasizes the importance of balancing hard ROI with softer benefits such as improving physician satisfaction and reducing burnout. He also discusses the challenges of innovation in pediatric care, where many AI tools are still designed with adult medicine in mind. From building data infrastructure to enabling smarter imaging through a vendor-neutral archive, Mr. Whitlock highlights the importance of governance, strategic procurement, and cross-functional collaboration in delivering sustainable innovation. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Aligning AI Fundamentals with User Experience in Pharma – Podcast with Alicia Abella In this episode, Alicia Abella, AI Product Lead at Novo Nordisk, discusses how she is helping drive responsible AI adoption in the pharmaceutical industry. She shares her early experiences in AI, starting with her PhD research at Columbia University on image processing and natural language processing.  At Novo Nordisk, the current focus is on applying AI to commercialization functions including – marketing, legal, and HR – beyond its traditional use in drug discovery. Alicia highlights key use cases such as generative AI for knowledge search, content generation for marketing campaigns, and traditional AI techniques for deriving insights about healthcare providers. She also emphasizes the importance of applying a product mindset to AI development by evaluating user needs, business value, and compliance from the outset. Alicia notes that adding effective governance can help innovation move in the right direction. She also talks about an internal AI Ambassador Program and emphasizes the importance of designing intuitive AI tools to increase adoption. She concludes by discussing future trends in AI, including contextual intelligence, user-centric design, and the opportunity for AI to enhance, rather than replace human decision-making. Take a listen.

 The Big Unlock Podcast · Designing AI-Native Healthcare with Innovation, Automation, and Responsible AI. – Podcast with Sara Vaezy In this episode, Sara Vaezy, Chief Transformation Officer at Providence, discusses Providence’s strategic approach to digital transformation, consumer engagement, and responsible AI adoption to improve both patient and caregiver experiences.  Sara highlights the importance of delivering personalized, frictionless, and proactive healthcare experiences across digital touchpoints. At Providence, a standout initiative is the use of conversational AI to enable ‘message deflection’ which reduces the volume of patient messages sent to physicians by helping patients resolve queries instantly through intelligent chatbots. Sara emphasizes building a digital workforce not just to automate routine tasks, but to rethink and redesign workflows creatively. With foundational investments in cloud infrastructure, unified data systems, and interoperability, Providence is well-positioned to scale AI use cases like ambient documentation and care navigation.  Sara also shares how Providence has incubated and spun off innovative startups like DexCare and Praia Health to address critical gaps in supply-demand matching and patient personalization. She advocates for ethical AI governance, better observability tools, and designing AI-native healthcare processes that go beyond simply replacing human tasks. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Advancing Pulmonology with AI and Functional Imaging – Podcast with Vishisht Mehta In this episode, Dr. Vishisht Mehta, Director of Interventional Pulmonology, Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada and also the Department Chair of Pulmonology at MountainView Hospital, discusses his passion for clinical practice and emerging technologies like AI and telemedicine.  Dr. Mehta shares how his interest in AI began through vendor outreach and evolved into a deeper exploration of its applications in pulmonology, particularly in early lung cancer detection and functional imaging. He highlights the persistent underutilization of lung cancer screenings, with only 5–6% of eligible patients getting screened, and notes AI’s role in identifying high-risk individuals and managing lung nodules. He also emphasizes the value of telemedicine in improving patient access and outcomes.  Dr. Mehta has also created a resource hub – https://pulmonary.ai/ – and produced educational videos to guide clinicians in understanding and adopting AI tools. He advises that physicians must gain foundational AI literacy to make informed technology decisions in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Reimagining Healthcare From Meaningful Use of Data to AI-Driven Equity – Podcast with Aneesh Chopra In this episode, Aneesh Chopra, Chief Strategy Officer at Arcadia shares a bold vision for advancing healthcare equity through smarter data use, AI, and workflow innovation. He unpacks the journey from the early days of “meaningful use” to today’s AI-powered, value-based care landscape, highlighting how intelligent workflows can reach underserved populations and improve outcomes at scale. Aneesh introduces the concept of a “healthcare information fiduciary,” a model where apps and platforms act solely in the patient’s best interest, free from institutional financial incentives. He discusses how this, combined with emerging AI capabilities and interoperability standards like CMS’s FHIR APIs, can empower consumers and scale high-impact care delivery. With real-world success stories, from improved hospital ratings via conversational AI to national gains in ADT data coverage, this episode offers healthcare leaders a roadmap for driving innovation through public-private collaboration and patient-centered data strategy. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · When Technology Meets Care Management, Outcomes Improve. – Podcast with Rob Posner In this episode, Rob Posner, Chief Technology Officer, AbsoluteCare discusses how the organization is transforming care delivery through a member-centric, value-based model that emphasizes advanced care management and the social determinants of health. Rob explains AbsoluteCare’s proactive, longitudinal care management approach – enabled by technology that empowers mobile care teams to engage with members wherever they are, whether at home, in the community, or within hospital settings. He underscores the importance of real-time data access, EMR availability at the point of care, and the role of transitional care managers in ensuring continuity post-discharge. Rob also emphasizes how governance, change management, and attention to operational details such as connectivity, mobility, and privacy are critical to success. Rob also explores AbsoluteCare’s innovation strategy, including the use of ambient clinical documentation, AI-driven diabetic retinopathy screening, and organization-wide adoption of Microsoft Copilot. Rob shares his vision for the future of AI agents and robotic process automation to streamline workflows, reduce provider burden, and ultimately improve care outcomes. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Transforming Prior Authorization with AI – Podcast with Siva Namasivayam He shares how AI is being applied to reduce administrative delays, including the use of generative AI to summarize clinical data and intelligent agents to assist with scheduling and information retrieval processes. The conversation also touches on enabling real-time approvals for a majority of cases, designing algorithms informed by physician input, and navigating the shift to remote work. The discussion offers insight into how technology can address systemic inefficiencies while maintaining clinical oversight. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · Scaling With Autonomous AI for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening – Podcast with Alvin Liu In this episode, Dr. T.Y. Alvin Liu, Inaugural Director, James P Gills Jr MD and Heather Gills AI Innovation Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine shares his journey in healthcare AI, with a focus on image analysis and real-world applications. Dr. Liu discusses the FDA-approved autonomous AI system for diabetic retinopathy screening, which enables early detection in primary care settings and improves screening adherence. He outlines successful AI implementations at Johns Hopkins, including prior authorization pilots using generative AI and the importance of operational understanding in deployment. He also discussed the intersection of value-based medicine and artificial intelligence, and the challenges of implementing successful AI programs.  At the enterprise level, Dr. Liu emphasizes the need for strong AI governance to assess safety, effectiveness, and ROI. He outlines key challenges for AI startups, especially around reimbursement and regulation, and urges them to pursue sustainable business models. He also suggests closer collaboration among startups, VCs, and integrated health systems to bridge the gap between innovation and real-world adoption, essential for scaling AI responsibly and delivering long-term value in healthcare. Take a listen.

The Big Unlock Podcast · We Believe in Provider-led AI Where Clinicians Have the Final Say – Podcast with Patrick Mobley In this episode, Patrick Mobley, Co-Founder and CEO at Vivid Health shares how his personal background and professional journey inspired him to launch a platform that improves clinical workflows using generative AI. Built in collaboration with Redesign Health, Vivid Health’s platform is designed to automate time-consuming, manual processes, such as patient outreach, assessments, care planning, and follow-ups—freeing nurses and care teams to focus on providing care. Patrick highlights their “provider-led AI” approach, where providers retain final control over AI-generated outputs. The platform supports over 100 conditions across 16 specialties and is being adopted in primary care, home health, and hospice settings. It reduces documentation time by over 50% and eliminates outreach labor in chronic care management workflows. Patrick also emphasizes the platform’s value in scaling care, improving patient engagement, and supporting revenue generation, while offering deeper, more honest insights through automated, holistic patient assessments. Take a listen.