Keynote: Partner Failures, Risk Stratification, and Strategic Translation With Alan Smith
July 3, 2025: Alan Smith, SVP and CIO of Lifepoint Health, joins Bill for a discussion on the top challenges facing CIOs. How do you balance immediate system stability when your organization is built through constant acquisitions? Al discusses his approach to the "CIO escape room" scenarios that define modern healthcare IT, from major partner outages to the ongoing tension between cloud-first strategies and financial realities. As healthcare organizations grapple with cost pressures while demanding more from their IT departments, Alan reveals how LifePoint navigates these competing forces and what it takes to build resilient systems in an industry where failure isn't an option.
Key Points:
04:57 CIO Escape Room
14:14 The Importance of Inquisitiveness
17:31 Strategies in Virtual Leadership
26:12 Advice for Future Healthcare IT Leaders
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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28:48
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28:48
TownHall: Creative Rural Healthcare Solutions with Sue Schade and Brian Sterud
July 1, 2025: Sue Schade, Principal at StarBridge Advisors, sits down with Brian Sterud, VP of IT, CIO, and CISO of Faith Regional Health Services. Brian tackles a pressing question facing healthcare leaders today: how do we regulate AI without killing innovation? His perspective on finding the right balance between safety and progress offers valuable insights as the industry navigates uncharted territory. The conversation reveals how rural health systems face unique operational challenges, from patients driving three hours for care to IT staff covering vast geographic territories. Brian shares details about an innovative college partnership program designed to address workforce shortages by combining education with hands-on experience.
Key Points:
01:38 Challenges of a Rural Health System
06:11 Balancing CIO and CISO Roles
08:02 Addressing Workforce Challenges
13:05 Navigating Regulatory Challenges
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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16:19
Keynote: From the Operating Room to the Boardroom with Michael Han
June 26, 2025: Michael Han, MD, Enterprise CMIO and VP of MultiCare Health System, discusses his transition from the operating room to the boardroom. He argues that the path forward isn't through automating clinical decisions, but through revolutionizing call centers, scheduling, prior authorizations, and referrals. Michael reveals how ambient clinical documentation must evolve beyond simple note-taking into a treasure trove of unstructured data that can drive actions across the entire care continuum—from pre-visit chart preparation to post-visit care coordination. The conversation explores how leaders establish credibility as they transition from the operating room to the boardroom.
Key Points:
02:43 Impact of Ambient Clinical Documentation
05:51 AI and Large Language Models in Healthcare
10:27 The Role of CMIO in Digital Transformation
15:05 Leadership and Credibility in Healthcare
24:51 Speed Round: Personal Insights
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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TownHall: A Look Inside the Incredible World of Organ Donation with Mathew Moss
June 24, 2025: Mathew Moss, SVP and CIO at New England Donor Services, joins Sarah to discuss the amazing stories and stubborn challenges in the world of organ donation. When hospitals process over 100,000 death referrals annually, how do cutting-edge systems determine which cases have life-saving potential? The conversation delves into the sobering reality that less than 50% of organ donors are registered, leading to hundreds of preventable deaths on waiting lists, while exploring how machine learning and real-time data streaming are revolutionizing a field where every minute counts. As Mathew shares the emotional weight of working with families on the worst day of their lives and the rush of innovating with technology that enables organs to be pumped outside the body for extended viability, listeners gain insight into a world where compassion meets precision engineering.
Key Points:
03:13 Technology Integration in Organ Donation
08:30 The Emotional and Logistical Side of Donating
12:06 Community Outreach and Education
17:46 Future Innovations and Standout Stories
23:37 Lightning Round
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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29:57
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29:57
UnHack (the Podcast): Security Consolidation and the Viral Google Bug with Chris Plummer
June 23, 2025: Chris Plummer, Senior Cybersecurity Architect from Dartmouth Health, discusses the realities of defending healthcare systems against sophisticated threats. Chris shares his path from childhood computer enthusiast to cybersecurity leader, including the surprising story of how he discovered a major Google security flaw that made national headlines. Why do over 6,000 hospitals still fight cyber battles independently when other sectors have found strength through consolidation? Chris and Drex examine whether AI can truly become the force multiplier cybersecurity teams desperately need, or if current limitations keep it relegated to assistant roles. From burnout stories to breakthrough moments, this discussion reveals both the struggles and innovations shaping healthcare cybersecurity today.
Key Points:
03:19 Career Beginnings and Challenges
10:39 The Role of AI in Cybersecurity
21:46 Building Networks and Information Sharing
23:59 The Google Bug Story
28:20 The Blue Sky Viral Post
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
“This Week Health: Conference” captures the essence and energy of attending a premier health technology conference designed specifically for health systems. With a rich lineup of shows like UnHack (the Podcast), TownHall, Keynote, and various sponsored content, this channel serves as a gathering place for innovative thinkers and industry leaders to share transformative ideas. Hosted by Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson—all of whom have firsthand experience in the trenches of health IT leadership—each episode fosters the spread of knowledge and the formation of new connections. By bridging geographical divides, we help ensure that breakthroughs in one part of the country can enhance healthcare delivery nationwide. Subscribe today to join a vibrant community working together to make healthcare more connected and informed, accessible wherever you listen to podcasts.
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