Health Innovation Matters

Michael chats with Elevsis Delgadillo, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at KeenStack. Together, they discuss KeenStack's mission, how healthcare IT organizations support other organizations' digital transformations, how to foster successful IT change initiatives, how KeenStack expertise in implementing ServiceNow's AI-powered solutions enables digital transformation in healthcare, and much more.

Michael chats with Jay Volk, CEO of Weave Cloud Solutions. Together, they discuss how Weave is uniquely positioned to make an impact in the healthcare industry; how AI-powered Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) streamlines workflows and improves patient outcomes; what rise of AI means for the clinicians, administrative staff, and patients; and much more.

Michael chats with Dr. Colin Banas, Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst. Together, they discuss automating and modernizing prior authorization workflows to speed access to critical drugs; challenges and opportunities in how providers, payers, and pharmacies share medication data and orchestrate prescription workflows across different systems; and advances in AI that can make a real difference for clinicians in practical, measurable ways.

Michael chats with Dana Janssen, Chief Product Officer at MedCerts. Together, they discuss MedCerts new Professional Caregiver, Home Health Aide (HHA), and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program offerings and the industry challenges that led to their development; how these programs can help hospitals and nursing facilities address staffing shortages and reduce turnover; what sets these MedCerts program offerings apart from other similar training options on the market; how employers can customize the programs with specialty courses to create more tailored, impactful training experiences; and much more. This episode is sponsored by MedCerts. Visit partners.medcerts.com to learn more.

Michael chats with Tom Liddell, CEO of Harmony Healthcare IT. Together, they discuss the impetus and development of ClearWay, Harmony's new AI platform designed to streamline clinical abstraction and submission workflows; how ClearWay is making a huge impact in time-savings for clinicians and patients alike; how AI-driven automation in healthcare continues to evolve; and much more.

Michael chats with Dr. Jennifer Hledik, Chief Operating Officer at SomaTX Design Inc., and Dr. Tom Andriacchi, President and Chairman of SomaTX Design Inc. Together, they discuss the impetus for developing KneeMo®, a wearable, non-invasive, drug-free device designed to address knee pain and improve mobility. Jennifer and Tom dive into the technology behind KneeMo®, how it allows people dealing with chronic knee pain to remain active, the potential impact of KneeMo® moving forward, and much more. To learn more about KneeMo®, visit thekneemo.com.

Michael chats with Oded Kraft, CEO and Co-Founder of GrayMatters Health. Together, they discuss the future of mental health care, how technology has had a positive impact on the mental health industry, the launch of Prism and how its helping post-traumatic stress disorder patients, how Prism is different than other devices in the PTSD space, and much more.

Michael chats with Antoine Robiliard, leader of Withings Health Solutions, the B2B division of Withings. Together, they discuss recent analysis and findings related to body mass index (BMI), how body composition is being used in obesity care today, how obesity care will evolve, the role of connected devices in the obesity care space, and much more.

In this episode, Michael chats with Rick Sherak, CEO of Exokinetics, to discuss the creation of the groundbreaking Zeen mobility device and its impact on the lives of those struggling with mobility challenges. They explore Zeen's innovative functionality—allowing users to transition seamlessly from sitting to standing to walking safely and without the fear of falling. They also highlight the unique market segments the Zeen serves and much more in this insightful conversation.   To learn more about Zeen, visit gozeen.com or call 833-FOR-ZEEN.

Michael chats with Nir Salomon, Co-founder and Head of R&D at Evinature. Together, they discuss importance of speaking up and educating others about gastrointestinal functions, strategies to managing the stigma and challenging emotions that come with living with gastrointestinal diseases, Evinature's latest study into the effects and science behind how CurQD is helping patients heal from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, and much more. Read Evinature's study.

Michael chats with Jennifer Kolb, Vice President of Partnerships and Workforce Development at MedCerts. Together, they discuss MedCerts' history, mission, programs, and partnership offerings; how the company has partnered with hospitals and healthcare systems to build talent pipelines; how partnerships with MedCerts benefit healthcare organizations and hospitals; and much more. This episode is sponsored by MedCerts. Visit partners.medcerts.com to learn more.

Michael chats with Kate McAfoose, President of Chang Robotics. Together, they discuss how Chang Robotics' healthcare robotics work fits into the broader automation landscape, how robotics are helping nurses and improving hospital operations, other new innovations in hospital automation, and much more. Plus, hear a special, can't-miss announcement from Kate on Chang Robotics' next great venture. For more on Chang Robotics and Kate McAfoose, visit: Chang Robotics' website  Curabotics' website  Chang Robotics' LinkedIn  Kate McAfoose's LinkedIn

Michael chats with Christian Boucher, Field CTO and Healthcare Tech Strategist at Island. In this episode, Michael and Christian discuss how the shift toward web applications aligns with security improvements and evolving digital roles, overcoming challenges with healthcare IT modernization due to FDA regulations on biomedical devices, how small productivity gains can lead to thousands of hours of savings per year, and much more. Learn more at island.io.

Michael chats with Steven Hajny, Healthcare Technology Evangelist and Principal Solutions Engineer at Zscaler. Together, they explore the critical role of zero trust in reshaping healthcare IT, from mitigating ransomware threats that could impact patient safety to balancing the demands of innovation and strong security. Steven shares insights from the Zero Trust Hospital book series, which includes a guide for clinical teams on breaking down zero trust implementation into actionable steps and another volume tailored for healthcare CXOs, offering strategies to drive organization-wide zero trust adoption. Packed with real-world examples and practical advice, this episode highlights how zero trust fosters secure, personalized patient experiences while staying ahead of cyber threats. Download the Zero Trust Hospital book series to discover how to safeguard healthcare environments at every level.

Michael chats with Jennifer Sargent, CEO of Pacify. In this episode, Michael and Jennifer discuss Pacify's evolution toward becoming a leading provider of wrap-around support in maternal care, how the organization is transforming maternal health outcomes and overcoming access barriers through accessible tech-enabled doula-led care, and much more.

Michael chats with Kempton Presley, Chief Strategy Officer at AdhereHealth, LLC. In this episode, Michael and Kempton explore how advances in data analytics and behavioral science are transforming member engagement. They discuss how health plans and providers are leveraging predictive insights and omnichannel strategies to reach high-risk members by their preferred means. This personalized support, through incorporating science-backed techniques, helps address barriers to care and improve medication adherence. Kempton also shares insights on emerging trends in member engagement, the role of evidence-based interventions in shaping health outcomes, and what's next for the industry.

Michael chats with Mark Newman, Co-founder and CEO of Nomi Health. In this episode, Michael and Mark discuss how the idea to start Nomi came to Mark and why the U.S. healthcare system is bloated and inefficient. They explore why direct contracts and data ownership are key to liberating healthcare dollars, and how Nomi is helping rebuild the business of healthcare.

Michael chats with Dr. Ivan Rusilko, a medical doctor, author, and pioneer in lifestyle medicine. In this episode, Michael and Ivan first discuss the state of precision medicine, then dive into mitocondriac cellular therapy, female hormone therapy, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) therapy, and the evolutions, science, narratives, and misperceptions surrounding those fields. Check out these documentaries featuring the work Ivan discusses in this episode: Parkinson's: https://vimeo.com/654359320  Burned: https://vimeo.com/767507931  MS: https://vimeo.com/764813906

Michael chats with Kevin Deutsch, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Health Plan Solutions at Softheon. In this episode, Michael and Kevin discuss all things ICHRAs (Individual Health Coverage Reimbursement Arrangements), including their growing popularity, challenges in adapting to increased ICHRA adoption, overcoming technical hurdles in getting products into ICHRA platforms, how the growth of ICHRAs might reshape the health insurance landscape in the future, and more. Listeners can connect with Softheon at softheon.com. To learn more about the HRA Council, visit hracouncil.org.

Michael chats with Grace Vinton, award-winning healthcare PR professional, patient advocate, and host of the podcast HITea With Grace. In this episode, Michael and Grace discuss her inspiration for becoming a patient advocate, what a patient “informaticist” is, how patients are using tech to “hack their health,” the importance of understanding the patient-led care and research revolution, moving forward in this new healthcare reality, and much more.   Listen to HITea With Grace on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Michael chats with Preethi Raju, Product Design Leader, most recently at Amazon One Medical. In this episode, Michael and Preethi discuss Preethi's background and journey toward her role, the importance of holistic design in healthcare, innovation and collaboration in healthcare through design, how thoughful product design creates real impact in healthcare, and much more. 

Michael chats with Tracie Wagman, CEO of ColdVest. In this episode, Michael and Tracie discuss ColdVest and how it addresses the growing issue of heat-related deaths, the benefits of ColdVest and its endothermic technology, how Tracie sees ColdVest evolving in the future, and much more. This episode is sponsored by ColdVest, ColdVest.com.

Michael chats with Vik Krishnan, President of Televox. In this episode, Michael and Vik discuss how Vik became interested in and involved with healthcare technology, patient relationship management and how it differs from patient engagement, the use of AI in patient relationship management, other areas that TeleVox is helping in the healthcare field, and much more. This episode is sponsored by TeleVox, televox.com.

Michael chats with Kumar Shwetabh, President and Chief Growth Officer at Access Healthcare. In this episode, Michael and Kumar discuss the U.S. healthcare industry's reluctance to adopt AI and advanced automation compared with other industries, why hospital operating margins are continuously sliding, how they can remain profitable without increasing the cost of delivery, the future of the medical field and how to incentivize pursuing family practice, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Access Healthcare, accesshealthcare.com.

Michael chats with Dylan Border, Director of Cyber Security at Hyland, leading the company's Cyber Security Operations and Governance and Risk and Compliance teams. In this episode, Michael and Dylan discuss the prevalence of cyber attacks in healthcare, several types of cyber attacks and how potential resulting shutdowns can be prevented, what to look for when considering cloud app vendors to help protect infrastructure, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Hyland, hyland.com.

Michael chats with Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist at ESET. In this episode, Michael and Tony discuss the motivation behind and nature of healthcare cyber attacks, the pros and cons of using AI in healthcare, protection in light of the prevalence of telehealth, the importance of threat intelligence and human expertise in preventing cyber attacks, and much more. This episode is sponsored by ESET, eset.com/us.   Visit with ESET at booth #1601 at HIMSS, March 11–15, in Orlando.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Jeremy Huval, Chief Innovation Officer at HITRUST. In this episode, Michael and Jeremy discuss how HITRUST serves the healthcare industry; how the company is expanding into AI through its AI Assurance program; takeaways for buyers, users, and sellers of AI-enabled systems; and much more. This episode is sponsored by HITRUST, hitrustalliance.net.   Visit with HITRUST at booth #1233 and at the Microsoft's booth #3161 at HIMSS, March 11–15, in Orlando.   Check out Jeremy's presentation at HIMMS, titled “Streamline Compliance to Accelerate Solution Adoption, Time-to-Value and Global Scale,” Tuesday, March 12, at 4:15 p.m. ET.   Visit the HITRUST AI Hub at info.hitrustalliance.net/hitrust-ai.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with David Cottingham, President of rf IDEAS. In this episode, Michael and David discuss rf IDEAS' background and mission, how the company provides efficiencies in data security for healthcare, how healthcare organizations can strengthen their data security practices, some major trends in healthcare data security, and much more. This episode is sponsored by rf IDEAS, rfideas.com.   Visit with rf IDEAS at booth #3313 at HIMSS, March 12–14, in Orlando. Preview their IDEAS stage partners and sessions at rfIDEAS.com/HIMSS24.    The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Mike Nelson, Vice President of Digital Trust at DigiCert. In this episode, Michael and Mike discuss the latest cybersecurity regulations surrounding medical devices, how public key infrastructure (PKI) connects compliance and security to help medical device manufacturers meet those regulations, the meaning of “crypto-agility” and how it helps organizations adapt to and defend against cybersecurity threats, and much more. This episode is sponsored by DigiCert, digicert.com.   Visit with DigiCert at booth #1636 in the Cyber Command Center at HIMSS, March 11–15, in Orlando.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Peter Goldstein, Chief Revenue Officer, and Ann Seigler, Strategic Sales Executive, both at Clear Choice Headsets & Technology. In this episode, Michael, Peter, and Ann discuss the intersection of technological evolution and headset development, how headsets affect employee well-being and productivity, the challenges and needs of healthcare organizations regarding headsets, how the modern work environment has impacted how companies view headsets, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Clear Choice Headsets & Technology, LLC; clearchoiceheadsets.com, 847-298-8100.   Visit with Clear Choice Headsets & Technology at booth #6652 at HIMSS, March 11–15, in Orlando.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Maria Nikol, CEO and founder of Revelar Analytics. In this episode, Michael and Maria discuss the genesis of Revelar Analytics, the evolution and impact of accountable care organizations and value-based care, price transparency as it relates to value-based care, strategies in implementing national-scale healthcare initiatives, the role of technology in the future of healthcare, and much more.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Vijay Ramanathan, co-founder and CEO of RamSoft, a healthcare imaging software provider. In this episode, Michael and Vijay discuss the development of RamSoft's OmegaAI solution, how it's changing the landscape of radiology imaging, helping healthcare providers overcome challenges with radiology imaging, improving workflow efficiency for imaging centers, using AI and machine learning to enhance decision-making and patient care, and much more. This episode is sponsored by RamSoft, www.ramsoft.com.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Apollo Enterprise Imaging's Kevin Stinson, Chief Revenue Officer, and Tom Coppa, Chief Product Officer. In this episode, Michael, Kevin, and Tom discuss challenges and needs related to implementing enterprise imaging, why healthcare providers need to be able to view all images on a single screen, the paradigm shift in enterprise imaging, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Apollo Enterprise Imaging. Visit www.apolloei.com to download the company's groundbreaking ebook, Delivering Relevant Medical Images Across the Continuum of Care.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Dr. Jo Varshney, Founder and CEO of VeriSIM Life, which aims to bring clarity to drug development through computational sciences rather than the existing trial and error experimentation approach. In this episode, Michael and Jo discuss how VeriSIM Life's work brings better outcomes without redundant trials and subjecting animals to cruelty, how the company's technology helps to save and time and costs to bring drugs to market, Jo's vision for the company's future, and much more.   Visit verisimlife.com to learn more.   The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Luká Yancopoulos, CEO of Grapevine, where he has been reshaping the healthcare supply chain since the company was founded in 2021. In this episode, Michael and Luká discuss how Grapevine is simplifying supply chain management in healthcare, eliminating intermediaries within the supply chain, saving clients significant time and costs throughout the supply chain journey, the impact of those savings, and much more. Visit go-grapevine.com to learn more. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors.

Michael chats with Kelley Aurand, DO, FAAFP, Clinical Vice President and Chief Medical Informatics Officer of Legacy Health, where she represents all physicians and providers, advocating for technology that helps the delivery of care and provider well-being. In this episode, Michael and Dr. Aurand discuss the role of technology in healthcare, future technological innovations, preventing physician burnout, promoting greater work-life balance, and much more. This episode is sponsored by Nuance, www.nuance.com. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors. 

Michael chats with Becky Trotter, Vice President, Population Health Solutions, at CareAllies, where she leads the implementation, design, and delivery of population health technology that enables CareAllies clinical and value-based care solutions and supports the organization's provider engagement strategy. In this episode, Michael and Becky discuss the role of data and technology in at-risk populations and value-based care, achieving greater health equity, the tech-driven future of health care, and much more. This episode is sponsored by CareAllies, careallies.com. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors. 

Michael chats with Anna Twomey, Senior Director, Healthcare Providers – Americas, at SS&C Blue Prism. In this episode, which was recorded during the 2023 HIMMS conference in Chicago, Michael and Anna discuss the role of automation in healthcare, how healthcare organizations are exploring the use of automation, how automation can help with staffing and other processes, and much more. The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors. 

Michael chats with Dr. Bryan Cline, Chief Research Officer at HITRUST, a co-chair of the Risk Assessment Task Group of the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector Cybersecurity Working Group, and lead author of joint public-private sector guidance on implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework in the healthcare industry. In this episode, Bryan talks about the history and development of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, HPH sector implementation guidance, HIPAA compliance, and much more. This episode is sponsored by HITRUST. To learn more about HITRUST, visit www.hitrustalliance.net. To learn more about how HITRUST supports the implementation of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, see https://hitrustalliance.net/risk-analysis-control-selection-and-assurance-with-the-cybersecurity-framework-implementation-guide/.  The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsors. 

Michael chats with Dr. Jeff Thompson, former CEO of Gundersen Health System, pediatrician, and author of Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community; and Dr. Urvashi Bhatnagar, healthcare executive and co-author of The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement And Profit From Unexpected Solutions. Jeff led strategic sustainability initiatives during his time at Gundersen, which has been nationally recognized for boosting quality and lowering costs, while seeing a 95% drop in greenhouse gas emissions. He was also honored by the White House as a champion for change and has served as the board chair of Healthcare Without Harm. Urvashi, who holds an MBA from Yale University and a doctorate in physical therapy from Boston University, has forged a career spanning clinical care, research, advocacy, and strategy and operations consulting for leading healthcare organizations. Her work addresses breaking down barriers to care, advancing health equity, and improving access to quality care for all. In this episode, Jeff and Urvashi talk about sustainability's importance in healthcare systems, how providers can lead sustainability efforts and combat climate change, some promising and exciting decarbonization initiatives and innovations, and much more. This episode is sponsored by The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement And Profit From Unexpected Solutions by Drs. Paul Anastas and Urvashi Bhatnagar. The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement And Profit From Unexpected Solutions: www.amazon.com/Sustainability-Scorecard-Implement-Unexpected-Solutions/dp/1523093781  Lead True: Live Your Values, Build Your People, Inspire Your Community: https://www.amazon.com/Lead-True-Values-Inspire-Community/dp/1946633011

Michael chats with David Katz, chief scientific officer and founder of Sparrow Pharmaceuticals. Prior to founding Sparrow, David was a pharmaceutical R&D leader at Abbott and AbbVie, where he led clinical development and drug discovery teams and was a personalized medicine pioneer. He is currently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Oregon Health & Science University. David held post-doctoral fellowships in immunology at the Universities of Chicago and Michigan and earned a B.A. in Chemistry at Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. In this episode, David discusses the creation of Sparrow, the company's work in developing new medicines for patients who have experienced the effects of excess steroids, and how, in his view, developing drugs is just as much of an art as it is a science. This episode is sponsored by Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, sparrowpharma.com.

Michael chats with Rich Miller, chief strategy officer at QGenda, leading innovator in provider operations and healthcare workforce management. Rich, who is a career entrepreneur in the health care and software arenas, founded OpenTempo in 2006, which joined QGenda in 2019 to form one of the most comprehensive companies in health care workforce optimization. As CSO, he helps health care companies through effective executive management, workforce analytics, and strategy. Rich discusses QGenda's ProviderCloud, the first provider operations platform which brings traditionally disparate systems together to serve as the central source of truth for provider operations information. This solution drives greater efficiencies and allows organizations to focus on delivering greater care without the administrative headaches while reducing provider burnout. This episode is sponsored by QGenda, qgenda.com.

Michael chats with Yoni Nevo, CEO of Sweetch, a digital therapeutics innovator and creator of a clinically validated, personalized, and adaptive AI platform and companion app for chronic health conditions. Yoni is an entrepreneur and executive with over 20 years of experience in international business development, marketing, strategy, and software engineering management, and he was the CEO and co-founder of Cimagine, a pioneering AR platform for retailers and brands that was bought by Snap Inc. in 2016, among many other impressive ventures. Yoni talks with Michael about how new technologies, such as hyper-personalization and other advancements in remote health, are fostering improved in-home health care, bettering the lives of patients with chronic conditions, and benefiting health care providers and other industry organizations as they move quickly into a new health care landscape. This episode is sponsored by Sweetch, sweetch.com.

Michael chats with Krish Ramakrishnan, co-founder, executive chairman, and chief innovator at BlueJeans by Verizon, a video collaboration platform that empowers fast and easy face-to-face communications using high-quality audio and video conferencing technology. Krish, who is considered a video visionary and is widely regarded as the founder of the new class of cloud-based video interoperability, speaks to how innovations in video conferencing are leading to a telehealth revolution and, thus, transforming ideas such as the concept of hospital-at-home quickly into reality. This episode is sponsored by BlueJeans by Verizon, www.bluejeans.com.

Michael chats with Ivan Childress, Director of Healthcare Identity Cloud at Saviynt, a provider of intelligent, cloud-first identity governance solutions. Ivan has spent 20 years in healthcare technology and security roles, including stints at Mass General Brigham and Boston Children's Hospital. Currently, he leads the development of Saviynt's industry-optimized identity and governance solutions that address healthcare providers' unique security challenges and business needs. In this episode, Ivan discusses the evolving cybersecurity landscape and identity's role in securing healthcare's people, applications, and infrastructure. Saviynt sponsors this episode. To learn more, visit saviynt.com.

Michael chats with Jeff McDaniel, principal security engineer at Airgap Networks. Airgap's zero-agent, zero-trust approach to universal network segmentation, preventing lateral threat movement, stopping ransomware propagation by ringfencing every endpoint, and protecting high-value assets and mission-critical infrastructure. Jeff is a customer-focused, results-driven technologist with more than 25 years of experience in security and SAN architecture. His leadership and expertise have helped countless clients discover technology solutions in several areas, including health care. Jeff is a leader in solving issues in these environments and has spearheaded numerous successful full system rollouts—from planning all the way through post-production. This episode is sponsored by Airgap Networks, airgap.io.

Michael chats with Scott Francis, technology evangelist at Fujistu Imaging, about how AI, digitization, and document-imaging technologies are helping to advance health care. Fujitsu recently unveiled a new line of scanners, the fi-8000 series, for health care that offer high-quality, straight-to-cloud document-imaging systems. Francis is a leading expert in digitization's role in health care, and he shares his insights into how leveraging AI and data is essential in helping to push the field further into a more efficient future. This episode is sponsored by Fujitsu, fujitsuscanners.com.

Michael chats with Andrew Feldman, co-founder and CEO of Cerebras Systems, about the role of AI in transforming health care. The team at Cerebras includes computer architects, system engineers, software engineers, and ML researchers who design and build systems to accelerate AI in multiple industries, including health care. Feldman is an entrepreneur dedicated to pushing boundaries in the compute space, and his experience in bringing innovative AI solutions to health care is reflected in his work with industry leaders such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and Argonne National Laboratories. The role of AI in health care and life sciences is becoming more prominent than ever, he asserts, by leading to efficiencies that just years ago would have been unheard of—and thrusting health care into a new age of possibilities. This episode is sponsored by Cerebras Systems, www.cerebras.net.

Aneel chats with Roger Lam, Director of Engineering, at MBX Systems about how AI is transforming the health care industry. MBX Systems is an OEM/ODM of embedded, edge and data center hardware for medical ISVs and OEMs. Lam leads a team of engineers who develop next-gen hardware platforms for medical devices and AI/machine learning applications, to reduce the time and complexity of bringing inferencing-based solutions to market. AI is revolutionizing the health care industry by both pushing cutting-edge boundaries in various specialties, such as radiology and by augmenting productivity through reduction of staffing costs, for example, by enabling nurses to monitor more patients. This episode was sponsored by MBX Systems, www.mbx.com. 

Did you know that rheumatic diseases cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $128 billion annually? That fact forms the basis of a riveting conversation between Aneel and Dr. Andrew Concoff,. Executive Vice President and Chief Value Medical Officer at United Rheumatology.  Concoff describes the unique challenges faced by rheumatologists in private practice,  compared to those working for health systems, and details resources that have been helpful in overcoming these challenges. Concoff notes how the infusion suite has produced substantial revenue for rheumatologists but how those revenue now are being targeted and shrinking. For patients to succeed they need to be provided with robust care, he explains, but we also need ensure that private practices succeed as well. The transformation to value-based care, through evidence-based data and outcomes, can produce innovative treat-to-target strategies, he notes. Concoff also discusses how healthcare systems, payors, and rheumatologists can work together to drive quality care and reduce the cost of treating patients with rheumatologic disease.    

Aneel talks with Jim Elliot, Chief Marketing Officer at AdvancedMD, about why his company was uniquely positioned to assist independent practitioners with virtual patient care during the pandemic, especially in the mental health space. Since joining AdvancedMD in 2008, he has  played a key role in growing the company 10-fold by promoting a customer-driven culture. Elliot describes examples of how  the company's recent innovations, which include harnessing  the power of the EHRs alongside patients engagement, under the umbrella of integrated workflow, benefits both the provider and patient. Elliott also talks about why there has been a resurgence in independent practitioners even as consolidation is going on in health care generally. He describes how practitioners using AdvancedMD are reporting that the integrated system has reduced their overhead by 40 percent or more through utilization of centralized billing and virtual care visits. Technology is a game-changer for independent practitioners, he concludes.