The Collective Voice of Health IT, A WEDI Podcast

From WEDI's March 27th's virtual spotlight on Artificial Intelligence, former WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner chats with an impressive group of health care professionals about the benefits, challenges, and future of artificial intelligence in health care. The panel: Robert Laumeyer, CTO, Availity Nick Marzotto, Product Informaticist, Epic Andy Chu, SVP of Product and Technology Incubation, Providence Peter Clardy, MD, Senior Staff Clinical Specialist, Google Health Merage Ghane, PhD, Director of Responsible AI in Health, Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)

From WEDI's Spring Conference, Michael crashed the Provider Information Workgroup meeting and chatted with workgroup co-chairs Martin Cody, Senior VP of Sales, Madaket Health, and Michelle Barry, Director, Expert Health Plans, Provider Data Management with Availity. They discuss the definition of provider directories, the current issues concerning accuracy, and the incorporation of artificial intelligence with provider information, and is there hope for a national directory of healthcare providers.

From WEDI's Winter Forum earlier this year, a fireside chat about Health Equity's progress and future. The guests are LaShawn McIver, MD, SVP, Chief Health Equity Officer with AHIP, and Joy Lewis, SVP, Health Equity Strategies and Executive Director,  Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, American Hospital Association. The moderator is Nancy Spector, formerly of the American Medical Association and currently WEDI's Senior Director, Federal Affairs. 

Michael welcomes Oren Nissim, CEO and Co-founder of Brook Health, which focuses on AI-powered remote health care management, particularly for individuals with chronic conditions. The two discuss the unique balance between advanced technology and the human touch necessary to enhance the patient experience and the present and future of artificial intelligence in the industry. 

Michael recently welcomed retired WEDI President and CEO Charles Stellar for the podcast's 200th episode. Charles updates his post-WEDI activities, including travel and reuniting with old friends and colleagues. He reflected on WEDI's growth and accomplishments during his nearly 10 years with the association, and stressed collaboration, leadership development, and mentorship as the secret to organizational success.  

Michael welcomes Ovatient CEO Michael Dalton. Ovatient is a virtual health company that provides a connected, meaningful, and personalized patient experience that empowers care teams with nearly real-time data. The two discuss trends in virtual care post-pandemic, lessons learned by health systems regarding virtual care delivery, and key factor for successful virtual-first care models. They discuss the power of patient and provider trust, integration with existing health systems, and the impact of AI and other emerging technology in hybrid care.  

Michael welcomes Brent Dover, CEO of Carta Healthcare, a healthcare technology company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to streamline clinical data management and abstraction. Brent discusses how AI can support clinicians with data-driven issues, security and ethical considerations with AI, and how AI-powered data management can influence value based care. 

Michael welcomes Karim Karti, CEO of RapidAI, a healthcare technology company specializing in AI-powered clinical decision support for stroke and other vascular conditions. The two discuss the benefits of leveraging AI in healthcare, highlighting Rapid AI's significant impact in the world, particularly in stroke care, where the company's AI algorithms and machine learning software allowed for rapid analysis of scans and routing of treatment decisions to physicians, ultimately saving millions of brain cells and improving patient outcomes. 

Michael welcomes Sandra Johnson, SVP Client Services with CliniComp, a a healthcare technology company specializing in electronic health record (EHR) solutions and clinical information systems designed for hospitals, health systems, and government healthcare organizations. Sandra discussed the current issues plaguing providers and health systems regarding electronic health records, and how platforms like CliniComp can offer ease of use, advanced analytics and interoperability while not compromising on patient data. Sandra also addresses how the industry is embracing artificial intelligence; the current benefits and what she can see down the line. 

Michael welcomed Mike O'Neill, CEO of Medicasoft, a healthcare technology company that specializes in modern, cloud-based health IT solutions designed to improve data interoperability, electronic health records (EHRs), and analytics. The two discussed topics such as legacy system transformation, cloud-based solutions, interoperability, and regulatory challenges in healthcare IT. They explored the importance of internal data organization, the potential of AI and analytics, and the evolving role of cloud computing in managing patient data securely