Straight Outta Health IT

Cybersecurity in healthcare is no longer just an IT issue. It is a leadership, operations, and trust issue that can disrupt care, expose sensitive data, and test whether an organization is truly prepared for a crisis.In this episode, Zach Lewis, CIO and CISO at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, shares how AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape and reflects on the real-world ransomware attack that shaped his new book, Locked Up. He explains how threat actors are using AI to accelerate reconnaissance, sharpen phishing attempts, and exploit fundamental weaknesses more quickly, while defenders still need to focus on the basics: identity, access, data protection, patching, and segmentation.Zach also walks through the moment his organization realized it was facing a LockBit ransomware attack, the decisions that followed, and the hard lessons learned from the response. He discusses why tabletop exercises matter, how security culture must be built through relationships rather than fear, and why data governance is becoming even more urgent in the age of generative AI. The conversation closes with a practical and hopeful look at where AI could create real value in healthcare, from smarter clinical support to more personalized health insights.Tune in and learn why resilience in healthcare cybersecurity depends on strong fundamentals, transparent leadership, and a clear understanding of how people, data, and technology intersect.ResourcesConnect with Zach Lewis on LinkedIn here.Visit the Homesteading CISO website.Get a copy of Locked Up: Cybersecurity Threat Mitigation Lessons from a Real-World LockBit Ransomware Response here. 

The American healthcare system has extraordinary talent, advanced technology, and unmatched spending, yet it too often fails the very people it is meant to serve.In this episode of Straight Outta Health IT, Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose at FINN Partners, bestselling author, healthcare strategist, and former combat medic, joins Christopher Kunney to discuss the urgent themes behind his new book, Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter. Drawing from his experiences in military medicine, family caregiving, health policy, and patient advocacy, Gil argues that the core problem in American healthcare is not a lack of innovation but a loss of humanity, trust, and connection. He explains why healing is more than science and why kindness, empathy, and service must be treated as essential components of care rather than optional extras.Gil also explores how the system has become overly transactional, from insurance bureaucracy to rushed appointments and fragmented care delivery. He reflects on how patients are often treated like passengers instead of partners, while clinicians are burdened by incentives that reward volume over relationship-building. From social determinants of health and fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based care and patient experience, he makes the case that many of healthcare’s biggest failures are not technical problems, but human ones. He also highlights how leadership decisions, staffing models, and medical education shape whether care feels compassionate or cold.The conversation also offers a hopeful path forward. Gil shares examples of healthcare leaders and clinicians who create trust-centered environments, treat staff as partners, and model a true service mentality. He argues that rebuilding the healthcare system begins with restoring the relationship between healer and patient, aligning incentives around outcomes and experience, and empowering wise leaders to make people-centered decisions. Ultimately, he calls on everyone in the healthcare ecosystem to remember that medicine is not just about treating illness, but about caring for human beings.Tune in to hear why fixing healthcare starts with restoring trust, kindness, and humanity to the center of care.ResourcesConnect with Gil Bashe on LinkedIn here.Follow FINN Partners on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Check out Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter here.

AI could become the greatest equalizer in healthcare if we use it the right way.In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Dr. Harvey Castro, a physician, entrepreneur, and CEO of 8 free-standing ERs, a medical billing and physician staffing company, and a strategic advisor to ChatGPT and healthcare, discusses how artificial intelligence is poised to transform global healthcare access and delivery. He shares how discovering ChatGPT in 2022 immediately convinced him that AI would reshape medicine. Drawing from his experience building more than 20 emergency rooms and launching multiple healthcare companies, he explains why bold innovation and acting on new ideas are critical. He also reflects on how entrepreneurs and clinicians must trust their instincts when they see transformative technology.Dr. Castro also explores how AI, satellites, and wearable devices could dramatically expand access to healthcare worldwide. He explains how predictive analytics, combined with satellite connectivity, could remotely monitor patients and alert clinicians before life-threatening events occur. This infrastructure could help overcome the reality that geography often determines survival in medical emergencies. By enabling global connectivity, he believes AI-powered systems could bring care to underserved populations that currently lack reliable access to healthcare.The conversation also tackles the challenges of adopting AI responsibly in healthcare. Dr. Castro discusses the cultural resistance within medicine and the need to train future clinicians to work alongside AI. He highlights the dangers of biased datasets and why AI systems must represent diverse populations to avoid reinforcing disparities. Ultimately, he argues that leaders, policymakers, and clinicians must work together to ensure AI improves equity rather than widening the healthcare gap.Tune in to hear how AI, space technology, and bold thinking could reshape the future of global healthcare.ResourcesConnect with Dr. Harvey Castro on LinkedIn here and visit his website here!Check out Dr. Castro’s TED Talks here!

Value-based care can improve outcomes and lower costs, but only when the incentives, workflows, and data all pull in the same direction.In this episode of Straight Outta Health IT, Dr. Shannon Decker, founder and CEO of VBC One, unpacks the good, the bad, and the ugly of value-based care and what it takes to succeed beyond the buzzwords. She explains why many organizations struggle when they jump in without true readiness, especially when contracts shift risk faster than teams can build the infrastructure to manage it. The conversation spotlights the practical difference between chasing measures and building a system that reliably delivers prevention, coordination, and better patient experience.Dr. Decker shares lessons from years of hands-on work in Medicare, quality, and risk adjustment, including where performance quietly slips through the cracks. She breaks down risk adjustment in plain language and shows how incomplete documentation and messy data flow can translate into fewer resources for high-acuity patients. Instead of treating coding as a compliance task, she frames it as a visibility problem that affects staffing, care planning, and long-term sustainability.The episode also gets tactical about what actually moves the needle. Dr. Decker points to avoidable utilization as a major opportunity and discusses simple, repeatable practices such as tighter triage, clearer patient education, and post-discharge medication reconciliation that help prevent unnecessary ED visits and readmissions. She also cautions against the “ugly” side of incentives, including gaming behaviors, cherry-picking, and equity blind spots, and offers a grounded path forward that prioritizes outcomes over optics.Tune in to learn how to build a practical value-based strategy that improves performance, protects patients, and keeps incentives honest.ResourcesConnect with Dr. Shannon Decker on LinkedIn! Follow VBC One on LinkedIn, reach out via email, and visit their website.

Caregiving for Alzheimer’s isn’t just hard; it’s isolating, invisible, and full of grief that never gets a clean ending.In this episode, Dr. Caron Leid, counselor, educator, author, and caregiver advocate, discusses how her mother’s early Alzheimer’s diagnosis and later aphasia changed everything and how the system largely left her to figure it out alone. She names the ambiguous grief of losing a parent in slow motion, and the emotional whiplash of being a daughter while also becoming the decision-maker.Dr. Leid gets real about the “impossible choice” caregivers live with, especially in the sandwich generation. She talks about the guilt of choosing between a child and an aging parent, the exhaustion of constant vigilance, and how martyr culture rewards caregivers with praise instead of practical support. That dynamic can keep people stuck, suffering quietly, and feeling like asking for help is failing.She also brings a trauma-informed, schema-based lens to caregiving. What we react to is not only today’s crisis, but old family patterns, cultural expectations, and the layered impact of racism and microaggressions on access, trust, and how black and brown families are treated in care settings. She explains why informal caregiving and formal healthcare work are not the same job.Tune in and learn how to center caregivers as the backbone of care, without romanticizing their burnout.Connect with Dr. Leid on LinkedIn here and visit her website! Check out Dr. Leid’s books: Alzheimer’s: What They Forget to Tell You: A Personal Journey, Self Love: What They Forget to Tell You, Grief: What They Forget to Tell You, and BS and Other Childhood Tales We Learned by Dr. Caron Leid

Strategic credibility is what turns a strong health tech product into a clear yes for buyers, investors, and health systems.In this episode, Sabrina Runbeck, a healthcare media strategist, explores why innovative founders often remain invisible and how to become an obvious choice in a crowded market. She explains how many leaders mistake credentials for credibility, getting stuck in a “hyper-achiever” loop of collecting titles instead of demonstrating real market impact. Sabrina also highlights common startup gaps, including weak go-to-market focus, unclear positioning, and teams strong in science and tech but light on business execution.She introduces an inside-out model for visibility and growth that begins with product strength, then builds human capital and culture, followed by social capital and consistent messaging. This includes alignment across decks, LinkedIn, websites, and outreach, with a focus on signals over noise, because impressions only matter if they lead to conversations and conversions. The discussion also addresses additional barriers faced by women founders and founders of color, emphasizing self-awareness, authentic leadership, and choosing the right arenas for visibility.Sabrina shares how initiatives like the Health Tech Impact Awards provide third-party validation, coaching, and structured visibility that help accelerate trust. She closes with practical steps founders can take now, such as running an AI reputation check and prioritizing sellability, sustainability, and scalability as core growth drivers.Tune in and learn how to build credibility that gets you chosen! ResourcesConnect with and follow Sabrina Runbeck on LinkedIn.Follow PulsePoint Path on LinkedIn and explore their website!Submit your Health Tech Impact Awards nomination here! 

AI in healthcare has moved past the hype, and leaders are now demanding real value, accountability, and global perspective.In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Jeffery Heenan-Jalil, CEO of hunterAI, talks about the global evolution of AI analytics in healthcare and what it takes to move from experimentation to real impact. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience leading analytics and technology initiatives across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, Jeffery explains why healthcare organizations are now at a maturity inflection point. He emphasizes the shift from AI hype and “AI-washing” to disciplined, ROI-driven adoption. The conversation highlights why responsible, scalable analytics will define the next phase of healthcare transformation.Jeffery shares his professional journey from leading billion-dollar global teams at companies like Wipro, Cognizant, Unisys, and EDS to becoming a healthcare AI entrepreneur. His experience working directly within healthcare delivery systems, including Southern Cross Healthcare in New Zealand, shaped his practical view of technology’s role in real-world operations. Rather than focusing solely on innovation, he stresses the importance of execution, governance, and alignment with clinical and administrative realities. This background informs hunterAI’s mission to deliver analytics that healthcare leaders can trust and operationalize.The discussion also explores how AI is gaining early traction in administrative areas such as prior authorization, claims processing, and clinical documentation, where friction reduction is delivering measurable wins. Jeffery and host Christopher Kunney discuss why these use cases are building confidence for broader clinical adoption. They examine the global differences in AI readiness and regulation, underscoring why lessons from international health systems matter. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that AI’s future in healthcare depends on thoughtful deployment, transparency, and outcomes that genuinely improve performance and care.Tune in to hear how global experience, disciplined execution, and responsible analytics are shaping the next chapter of healthcare AI!ResourcesConnect with Jeffery Heenan-Jalil on LinkedIn here or reach out to him via email.Follow hunterAI on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Check out his podcast as well as his company’s podcast, The Health Intelligence Pitch

Dementia is both a growing national crisis and a profound health equity issue, with African Americans facing nearly double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to white Americans.In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Chuck Brown, founder of Expose Dementia, shares how his personal journey caring for his aunt with dementia led him to confront his own lack of awareness and ultimately to found Expose Dementia, an organization that uses the arts, media, and storytelling to educate, reduce stigma, and spark dialogue, especially within the African American community. Through projects like the documentary Remember Me: Dementia in the African American Community, Expose Dementia addresses mistrust in healthcare, the need for inclusive research, and the power of representation.Chuck explains how Expose Dementia leverages creative expression, film, books, visual arts, and live experiences to humanize dementia, uplift caregivers’ voices, and change the narrative around the disease, while also identifying structural gaps in care. While the organization centers African American experiences, Chuck emphasizes the importance of cross-community collaboration, exemplified by their annual conference, which brings diverse groups together through a shared commitment to brain health and the arts. He also explores the emerging role of technology and AI in education, advocacy, and awareness, and his belief in amplifying innovative tools as they arise.Cuck offers guidance for caregivers and individuals concerned about brain health, stressing honesty, early action, and self-care. He highlights the “six pillars of brain health”: mental stimulation, exercise, diet, sleep, stress reduction, and social connection, and underscores that prioritizing quality of life and personal well-being is essential for sustaining both caregivers and communities.Tune in for a powerful conversation with Chuck Brown on how storytelling, art, and community can change the way we understand dementia and care for one another! ResourcesConnect with Chuck Brown on LinkedIn here.Visit the Expose Dementia website here.

Rare diseases like renal medullary carcinoma demand earlier awareness, stronger advocacy, and faster specialist-driven care because delays can be deadly.In this episode, Tanisha Washington, the mother of Jelani Washington and a family advocate, shares her son’s sudden diagnosis and passing from renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), a rare and highly aggressive kidney cancer strongly linked to sickle cell trait. She recounts his first symptoms, abdominal pain and severe blood in the urine, and how imaging revealed a kidney mass that set off a rapid and overwhelming medical journey.Tanisha describes the urgency of Jelani’s treatment, which included kidney removal and intensive chemotherapy, and reflects on how little clinical familiarity exists with RMC. She highlights the critical role played by MD Anderson specialists and explains how limited research, scarce awareness, and delayed recognition worsen outcomes, particularly in Black communities.She also discusses warning signs families may dismiss, the importance of second opinions and self-advocacy, and the need for greater education about sickle cell trait–related risks. The episode closes with the family’s creation of the Jelani Washington Seeds of Hope Foundation, which offers grief support and promotes healing initiatives centered on hope, remembrance, and growth.Tune in and learn how awareness, early detection, and insistence on care can save lives.ResourcesConnect with Tanisha Washington on LinkedIn here.Visit the Jelani Washington Seeds of Hope Foundation website.Learn more about Jelani’s story in the news here.Watch Jelani’s testimony video here.

AI is revolutionizing healthcare, but it’s also giving cybercriminals unprecedented speed, scale, and precision.In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Ali Pabrai, Chief Executive Officer at ecfirst, explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing cybersecurity risk management in healthcare. While AI is accelerating innovation in diagnostics, workflows, and operations, it is also expanding attack surfaces through new data flows, third-party tools, and global supply chains. Despite updated guidance from HHS, NIST, and HIPAA-aligned frameworks, the healthcare sector remains under intense pressure from threats. Ransomware attacks and large-scale breaches continue to disrupt clinical operations and expose patient data, underscoring the stakes for healthcare organizations.Ali stresses that cybersecurity can no longer be treated as a compliance checkbox but must be approached as an enterprise-wide resilience strategy. Attackers are using AI to launch faster, more personalized, and more targeted attacks, exploiting vulnerabilities in devices, cloud systems, and human behavior. At the same time, healthcare organizations face growing financial exposure through class-action lawsuits, regulatory settlements, and long-term corrective action plans. Persistent gaps in configuration management, patching, and workforce awareness leave many organizations vulnerable, despite lessons learned from prior breaches.The conversation underscores the importance of robust AI governance, grounded in HIPAA security programs, NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework, state-level AI mandates, and integrated standards, such as HITRUST. Ali emphasizes the importance of conducting AI-focused risk assessments, improving ransomware readiness, and establishing clear AI risk management policies. He also underscores the importance of building AI literacy across the workforce to reduce social engineering and insider risk. Ultimately, the discussion frames AI as both a threat and an opportunity, with resilience depending on leadership, knowledge, and proactive governance.Tune in to hear how healthcare leaders can turn AI from a growing liability into a powerful tool for resilience and trust! ResourcesConnect with Ali Pabrai on LinkedIn here.Follow ecfirst on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Check out the ecfirst AICRP program here!Read the NIST AI Risk Management Framework here!

Healthcare startups don’t fail because their tech isn’t cool, they fail because they don’t understand how healthcare actually buys, governs, and deploys change. In this episode, Sohail Azeem, principal consultant at South Star Consulting, discusses his path from Texas Children’s Hospital operations and NICU leadership to COO/CEO roles, then into entrepreneurship supporting telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and chronic care programs. He explains the most common startup pitfall he sees: obsessing over fundraising before building a real business development engine, a credible pipeline, and a revenue trajectory that meets investor expectations.Tom Leary, SVP of Government Affairs at HIMSS, breaks down the policy landscape shaping digital health. He discusses the debate around the “One Big Beautiful Act,” concerns about Medicaid impacts, and a major rural health transformation push that states are responding to—often by leveraging digital health. Grant McGaugh, CEO of Five Star BDM, shares how building an authentic personal brand can become a growth engine. He explains why “search and social” now determine credibility, how podcasting became his platform for social selling, and why your online narrative must match your real skills to avoid an authenticity gap. Lou Mendez, president of the South Florida HIMSS chapter, outlines the chapter’s “three C’s” focus: community, collaboration, and communication; and the conference theme of “Bold Moves.” He highlights how CEOs are now confidently bringing AI strategy to their boards, with repeated emphasis on efficiency, accuracy, and especially patient experience. Tune in and learn how to build health tech growth that survives the realities of healthcare!ResourcesConnect with Sohail Azeem on LinkedIn here.Visit South Star Consulting’s website here.Follow and connect with Tom Leary on LinkedIn.Email Tom directly here.To learn more about HIMSS’ policies, email them here or visit their website here.Connect with Grant McGaugh on LinkedIn.Explore 5 Star BDM’s website.Listen to the Follow the Brand podcast here.Follow and connect with Lucianil Mendez on LinkedIn.Find out more about the HIMSS South Florida Chapter on LinkedIn and their website.

AI, interoperability, and real-world readiness are converging to define the next era of healthcare IT. In this episode, Shaman Akhtar, Mike Costa, and Tom Stafford break down the challenges and opportunities shaping healthcare IT, as well as the growing need for true downtime resilience.Shaman Akhtar, senior leader at ELLKAY, discusses how interoperability remains a “data plumbing” problem, warning that even with HL7 and FHIR, vendors still “speak different dialects,” creating ongoing challenges in exchanging patient information and even between emerging AI tools and agents.Next, Mike Costa, Client Relationship Executive at Impact Advisors, reflects on the journey from EHR implementation to true optimization, arguing that many organizations have barely unlocked the value of their systems and that AI and ambient technologies could finally help harvest that potential while addressing persistent adoption and operational challenges. Finally, Tom Stafford, Healthcare Strategist at CDW and a recovering CIO, explains how CDW evolved from a logistics company into a turnkey healthcare partner, helping systems with security, cloud, and, especially, downtime resilience so they can safely operate when core systems fail. Together, they highlight common themes from the South Florida HIMSS Integrate Conference, ranging from regulatory and political pressures to the promise of AI, demonstrating that leaders across payers, providers, and vendors are grappling with similar issues. Tune in and learn how interoperability, optimization, and resilience are reshaping healthcare’s digital future!ResourcesConnect with Shaman Akhtar on LinkedIn.Follow ELLKAY on LinkedIn here and explore their website.Connect with and follow Mike Costa on LinkedIn.Learn more about Impact Advisors on LinkedIn and visit their website.Email Mike directly here.Follow and connect with Tom Stafford on LinkedIn.Discover more about CDW•G on LinkedIn and their website.Email Tom directly here.

What if the key to curing today’s most complex diseases has been hiding in plain sight inside electronic health records all along?In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Vish Srivastava, CEO of Century Health, explores how artificial intelligence can unlock the vast potential of real-world healthcare data that has long been trapped inside electronic health records. He explains why traditional clinical trials, although essential, often fail to accurately reflect how treatments perform across diverse, real-world patient populations, and how this gap hinders innovation. Drawing from both his professional journey and the personal experience of losing his grandfather to Alzheimer’s, Vish shares what motivates his mission to better understand disease progression and accelerate breakthrough treatments.Vish breaks down what real-world data actually is, why more than 80% of it remains unstructured, and how fragmented EHR systems have made research slow, expensive, and inaccessible. He describes how observational studies and patient registries can take years and cost millions due to manual chart abstraction, and how carefully validated AI can now automate this process, turning clinical notes, PDFs, and imaging data into high-quality research-ready insights. The conversation also highlights how this approach can broaden research beyond historically narrow clinical trial populations.Ultimately, the episode addresses the crucial issues of trust, bias, and patient privacy. Vish discusses how AI can either perpetuate or correct historical biases in healthcare data, why transparency and published validation are essential, and how strict de-identification and governance frameworks protect patient privacy. Together, these advances point toward a future where real-world data fuels faster, more inclusive, and more impactful medical research.Tune in to hear how AI is reshaping clinical research and bringing us closer to treatments that truly work for real patients in the real world!ResourcesConnect with Vish Srivastava on LinkedIn here.Follow Century Health on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.

Brilliant digital health ideas die every day, not because of technology, but because founders ignore the legal and regulatory realities of healthcare.In this episode, Dr. Stephanie D. Barnes, Senior Counsel at Nixon Law Group, discusses how digital health entrepreneurs can navigate the complex intersection of law, regulation, and innovation without jeopardizing their company's growth before it scales. She shares her journey from traditional health law to innovation and explains why every startup must first understand who pays for their solution, as reimbursement drives everything from design to go-to-market strategy. Dr. Barnes breaks down the implications of software becoming a regulated medical device, how FDA scrutiny increases as products move closer to clinical decision-making, and why MSO/PC structures and corporate practice of medicine laws are critical for anyone deploying virtual care or owning clinics across state lines. She clarifies the risks of Anti-Kickback, Stark, and False Claims for RPM, telehealth, and SaaS models, and demonstrates how poor contracting, governance, and entity structure can compromise limited liability or deter investors. Finally, Dr. Barnes highlights her passion for supporting women and Black founders who receive a tiny fraction of venture capital. Tune it and learn how to build legally sound, scalable digital health solutions that can actually stay in the market long enough to save lives!ResourcesConnect with Stephanie Barnes on LinkedIn here.Follow Nixon Law Group on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Subscribe to Nixon Law Group’s newsletter here.

The mother needs care too, not just the baby.In this episode, Brittany Starobin, founder of Haven Postnatal Retreat, discusses how her own battle with postpartum depression, including suicidal thoughts, led her to create a space that prioritizes mothers’ recovery during the “fourth trimester.” She explores the U.S. maternal health crisis, particularly its disproportionate impact on Black and Brown women, and how systemic inequities, lack of support, and cultural stigma contribute to worsening outcomes. Brittany explains how Haven combines trauma-informed care with data-driven practices, monitoring vital signs like blood pressure to detect postpartum preeclampsia early, and integrates mental health screenings, therapy, journaling, and partner education. The retreat offers both luxury and purpose: creating a model to prove that comprehensive postpartum care improves outcomes and deserves broader access. She also highlights the importance of supporting fathers, fostering community among mothers, and educating families about recognizing mental health warning signs. This episode brings empathy and innovation together to reimagine maternal wellness as both a personal and public health priority.Tune in and learn how one woman’s personal struggle turned into a mission to revolutionize postpartum care through compassion, technology, and community!ResourcesConnect with Brittany Starobin on LinkedIn here.Follow Haven Postnatal Retreat on LinkedIn here and visit their website.Learn more about Haven Postnatal Retreat on Instagram and TikTok.Email Haven Postnatal Retreat directly here.

Family caregivers are the unsung heroes holding America’s healthcare system together.In this episode, Dr. Barry Jacobs, a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and author of The AARP Caregiver Answer Book, discusses the emotional, financial, and logistical realities faced by family caregivers, who often serve as the silent backbone of elder care in the U.S. Dr. Jacobs shares his deeply personal journey, from losing his father at 15 to years of caring for aging parents and in-laws, revealing how these experiences shaped his lifelong mission to support caregivers. He delves into the various roles caregivers play, from medical advocates and financial organizers to emotional anchors, and how unprepared most are for the demanding marathon of caregiving. Dr. Jacobs and host Christopher Kunney delve into the internal family conflicts that caregiving can trigger, the importance of teamwork, and the common mistake of denial when facing aging and illness. He also examines government and community support systems, new Medicaid models that compensate family caregivers, and the emergence of digital caregiving technologies that integrate human connection with data-driven support. Finally, he closes with wisdom on adaptability, self-care, and learning as the keys to surviving and thriving as a caregiver.Tune in and learn how to strengthen families, embrace technology, and prepare for the emotional journey of caregiving!ResourcesConnect with Dr. Barry Jacobs on LinkedIn here.Follow Health Management Associates on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Buy Barry’s book The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers here.Get The AARP Caregiver Answer Book by Barry on Amazon here, or check it out on the AARP website.Contact Barry here.Learn more about WellLink on LinkedIn and explore their website.

What if technology could be the key to healing trauma instead of deepening it?In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Dr. Brook Bello, a champion against human trafficking, a national policy advocate, a technology thought leader, and founder of the More too Life Foundation, and the visionary behind VR Eval Incorporated and the Coming Home Platform, shares how she’s redefining trauma recovery through innovation. As the visionary behind VR Eval Incorporated and the Coming Home Platform, Dr. Bello is building an AI-driven, trauma-informed ecosystem that connects survivors, veterans, and justice-involved individuals to care, community, and hope. Her mission is clear: ensure that technology liberates, not enslaves.Through her powerful personal story of survival and resilience, Dr. Bello reveals how lived experience inspired her to develop tools for “scalable compassion,” using digital case management, gamified therapy, and AI to expand access to mental health and social services, especially in underserved regions. She discusses how her platform helps providers and survivors alike, bridging the growing gap between those who need care and the shrinking number of professionals available to give it.Dr. Bello also introduces the concept of prescription gaming, a new frontier in “tech for good,” where digital experiences are intentionally designed to calm, heal, and restore. With AI-enhanced learning, job readiness features, and therapeutic pathways, her vision reimagines how millions can find connection and recovery through technology.Tune in to hear how Dr. Brook Bello is using innovation to transform trauma into healing and technology into a force for liberation!ResourcesConnect with Dr. Brook Bello on LinkedIn here and visit her website here.Learn more about the More Too Life Foundation, soon to be More To Living, on LinkedIn and their website here!Learn more about the VR Eval Coming Home platform on LinkedIn here and explore their website here!Get a copy of Dr. Brook Bello’s books, Shame Undone here, and the Fine Heart Table Book here!

Disciplined, purpose-driven innovation, anchored in governance, data, and the human experience, beats shiny-object hype.In this mega-episode, Lisa Fry, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at SCP Health, discusses “purposeful innovation” that reduces clinician burden and elevates patient experience: ED-volume prediction to align coverage, early pilots of ambient scribing, and patient-preferred models like hospital-at-home. She explains the guardrails, an enterprise architecture review board, commitments to core platforms, and stage-gated pilots with predefined success metrics, to avoid the “tyranny of the urgent” and scale only what works. Nancye Feistritzer, DNP, RN—VP, Center for Care Delivery & Innovation at Emory Healthcare, talks about how bold initiatives, including the Apple hospital work and implementing Epic on Apple devices, succeed only when they explicitly align with an organization's strategy, mission, and values. Nick Yaitsky, Board Member for TAG Digital Health, urges outcome-first AI roadmaps: accept that healthcare data is imperfect, mitigate bias by fine-tuning models to local populations and even individual patients, and build trust in the same way we came to trust GPS, through consistent, measurable results and governance. Olga Ryzhikova, Founding Partner at Kepler Team, tackles adoption by starting integration where clinicians work (SMART on FHIR/SSO), designing modern user experiences, and favoring ambient, low-click workflows so tools remain in use. Ron Strachan, Global Healthcare CIO Advisor, addresses rural access, noting that resilient, low-bandwidth virtual care and platform economies can “meet patients where they are.” His own brain-tumor journey underscores how imaging precision and reliable infrastructure can change outcomes. Finally, Wes Whitaker, AVP of Growth Strategy & Data Analytics, shows population health at scale: unifying EHR, eligibility, claims, and ADT into a modern cloud/Databricks stack, then applying predictive models to anticipate ER visits, target outreach, drive attribution, and prove ROI, while tightening security with role-based access. Together, their message is clear: govern hard, integrate early, pilot fast, measure relentlessly, and scale empathetically. Tune in and learn how to innovate with rigor, scale with empathy, and deliver measurable value!ResourcesConnect with Lisa Fry on LinkedIn here.Follow SCP Health on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Follow and connect with Nancye Feistritzer on LinkedIn.Learn more about Emory Healthcare on LinkedIn and their website.Connect with and follow Nick Yaitsky on LinkedIn.Discover more about the TAG Digital Health Society on LinkedIn and explore their website.Follow and connect with Olga Ryzhikova on LinkedIn.Learn more about the Kepler Team on their LinkedIn and explore their website.Connect with Ron Strachan on LinkedIn here.Explore Zoom’s website and learn more about them on their LinkedIn.Follow and connect with Wes Whitaker on LinkedIn.Discover more about Premise Health on their LinkedIn and visit their website.

From reshaping healthcare through innovation and AI to navigating complex mergers, regulations, and public health challenges, this special compilation brings together leading voices who are driving transformation in every corner of the healthcare ecosystem.At the Southeastern Healthcare Innovation Summit, attorney Benjamin Wilson explored the critical intersection of healthcare, technology, and regulation. He emphasized that success in mergers and acquisitions hinges on early collaboration between legal, financial, and tech leaders. With rising scrutiny in AI, data privacy, and antitrust, Wilson encouraged organizations to proactively engage communities to ensure equity, transparency, and compliance—stressing that foresight and cooperation are essential to avoiding costly setbacks.Daniel Para Mata, founder of Bamberg Health, highlighted the organization’s global mission to unite healthcare innovators across continents. Through international conferences and partnerships, Bamberg fosters cross-regional collaboration to tackle shared challenges—like regulation and access—while preparing to expand into regions like Chicago and the Middle East, creating a worldwide network of providers, policymakers, and tech leaders committed to better care.Dr. Tobi Amosun, Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, offered a practical look at how states are responding to budget constraints and shifting public health priorities. Tennessee, for example, is stabilizing its efforts through targeted state funding, maternal and infant health initiatives, and community-driven programs that empower young people and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.Jeff Hatfield, CEO of Four Points Health, showcased agentic AI and intelligent automation tools designed to help rural hospitals survive and thrive. His patented tech predicts and prevents claim denials, offering smaller hospitals access to enterprise-grade efficiency via a scalable SaaS model—cutting costs and boosting operational strength without breaking the bank.Finally, Leslie Kirk, CEO of Innsena, unpacked healthcare innovation through an investor’s lens. She emphasized the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and ecosystem awareness—reminding founders that resilience and strong relationships are vital to navigating uncertainty. True innovation, she believes, lives at the intersection of purpose and business.Tune in to this powerful compilation of conversations, where leaders across law, innovation, AI, public health, and investment share how they’re rethinking healthcare for a smarter, more connected future.ResourcesConnect with Benjamin Wilson on LinkedIn here.Follow Ropes & Gray on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Connect with Daniel Para Mata on LinkedIn here.Follow Bamberg Health on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Learn more about the Southeast Healthcare Innovation Summit here!Connect with Dr. Tobi Amosun on LinkedIn here.Follow the Tennessee Department of Health on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Connect with Jeff Hatfield on LinkedIn here.Follow Four Points Health on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.Connect with Leslie Kirk on LinkedIn here.Follow Innsena on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.

AI is rapidly reshaping healthcare, but the future will depend on how it is implemented responsibly, equitably, and intelligently.In this special crossover episode of Straight Outta Health IT and HIMSSCast, hosts Christopher Kunney, Mike Miliard, and Susan Morse sit down with two health innovation leaders, Dr. Ryan Sadeghian, Assistant Chief Medical Information Officer and practicing pediatrician at the University of Toledo, and Rachini Moosavi, Chief Analytics Officer at UNC Health. Together, they explore how AI, data, and governance are reshaping healthcare from the ground up. Their discussion seamlessly blends frontline experience with enterprise strategy, demonstrating how technology can drive both clinical efficiency and equitable innovation.Dr. Sadeghian presents a physician’s perspective on how generative AI can alleviate workload through targeted applications. He describes a pediatric chatbot his team developed, trained with more than 420 logical pathways to provide safe, easy-to-understand guidance for parents while meeting HIPAA, ADA, and legal standards. His “small wins” approach, focusing on measurable ROI through milestones like denial reduction and workflow improvement, demonstrates how trust, data fluency, and leadership credibility form the foundation of successful AI adoption.Rachini Moosavi dives deeper into data infrastructure and governance, explaining UNC Health’s collaborative approach to building its AI ecosystem. She outlines the journey from data governance to creating an AI & Automation Advisory Group that oversees bias, vendor accountability, and the ethical use of AI. Both guests stress that defining governance, ensuring equity, and maintaining human-centered care are essential as healthcare evolves toward cloud, data mesh, and interoperable systems that enable responsible AI-driven transformation.Tune in and learn how to build an AI-powered healthcare future grounded in trust, governance, and equity!Resources:The hosts:Connect with Susan Morse on LinkedIn here.Follow Healthcare Finance News on LinkedIn and visit their website.Connect with and follow Mike Milliard here.Find out more about Healthcare IT News here.Visit the HIMSS website and connect with them on LinkedIn.Listen to HIMSSCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music!Watch Christopher Kunney’s recent TED Talk here!The guests:Connect with and follow Ryan Sadeghian on LinkedIn and visit his website.Learn more about The University of Toledo Health on their LinkedIn and website.Follow and connect with Rachini Moosavi on LinkedIn.Discover more about UNC Health on LinkedIn and explore their website.Learn more about WellLink on their website and follow them on LinkedIn.