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The 229 Podcast

Hosted by Bill Russell

In-depth interviews with healthcare CIOs, CISOs, and technology leaders. Bill Russell explores the decisions, strategies, and innovations shaping healthcare transformation.

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Episodes (1140)

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The 229 Podcast Newsday Executive Interview Solution Showcase

Jan 26, 2026·Newsday

Newsday: The ROI Ultimatum: Healthcare's New Survival Rule for 2026 with Zahid Rathore

January 26, 2026: Fresh from J.P. Morgan 2026, the This Week Health team joins Zahid Rathore , Senior Partner at Chartis , to dissect healthcare's new reality. With Epic and Microsoft topping CFO spend lists and unpredictability replacing planning cycles, one thing is clear: vendors must prove bankable ROI immediately or lose the deal. The conversation explores how healthcare leaders are protecting the core while navigating AI agents, third-party risks, and the compression of innovation timelines from three-year returns to prove-it-tomorrow expectations. Key Points: 02:44 Hotel Experience and Healthcare Lessons 04:13 JP Morgan Conference Highlights 16:35 Operational Challenges in Healthcare 22:11 Security Concerns and Future Outlook

Jan 22, 2026·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Podcast: This White House Deal Changed Your Hospital Visits Forever with Aneesh Chopra

January 22, 2026: Aneesh Chopra , Chief Strategy Officer at Arcadia and former first U.S. Chief Technology Officer, joins Bill Russell to discuss the transformative health tech ecosystem. Aneesh reveals how major EHR vendors, tech giants like OpenAI and Google, and health systems have committed to democratizing patient data access by March 2026. The conversation explores how AI-powered health information fiduciaries will revolutionize healthcare delivery, the implications of the one big beautiful bill for Medicaid work requirements, and why this moment represents healthcare's shift from supply-side regulation to demand-driven innovation that could finally deliver higher quality care at lower costs. Golf Tournament Registration: https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/686801-ThisWeekHealth Key Points: 04:14 Regulatory Innovations and Trust Models 14:46 Consumer Health Information and AI Fiduciaries 23:07 Healthcare System Strategies and Future Directions 38:04 Closing Remarks and Future Engagement X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Jan 19, 2026·Newsday

Newsday: OpenAI's Big Healthcare Launch and a New Age of Personal Records

January 19, 2026: Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson unpack OpenAI's two major healthcare announcements that could fundamentally reshape how patients interact with their health data—and how health systems govern AI. ChatGPT Health promises to finally deliver on the personal health record dream, letting patients aggregate everything from Apple Health to medical records in one secure place. Meanwhile, ChatGPT for Healthcare gives CIOs the governed sandbox they've been desperate for. Hear why patient data monetization, clinical trial recruitment, and the shift from provider liability to patient empowerment could make this time actually different. Golf Tournament Registration: https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/686801-ThisWeekHealth Key Points: 05:00 ChatGPT Health Announcement 17:40 Personalized GPT and Analytics in Healthcare 22:05 Wearable Health Tech and Personal Health Records 25:35 Community Events and LinkedIn Series

Jan 15, 2026·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Podcast: Strategy, Culture, and Innovation at Providence with Cherodeep Goswami

January 15, 2026: How do you lead 120,000 caregivers across seven states while maintaining a relationship-first philosophy? Providence CIDO, Cherodeep Goswami , reveals how his health system reduced patient wait times by seven days through disciplined innovation and the power of asking "why". From the unique practice of reflections in faith-based healthcare to navigating AI governance at scale, Cherodeep shares candid insights on what separates successful digital transformation from "lipstick on a pig." He discusses the challenges of training the next generation in a remote work era, why standards might be overused in healthcare, and his three-word framework for driving change: empathy, innovation, and impact. Golf Tournament Registration: https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/686801-ThisWeekHealth Key Points: 03:26 Scaling Personal Touch in Large Healthcare Systems 12:55 The Importance of Empathy in Healthcare 19:35 The Role of Standardization and Respecting Variations 22:09 Challenges and Strategies in AI Adoption 37:06 Lightning Round: Personal Insights X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Jan 12, 2026·Newsday

Newsday: Epic Faces Lawsuits and the AI Proving Ground with This Week Health

January 12, 2026: Epic is defending three simultaneous lawsuits while CIOs grapple with vendors imposing staggering price increases—some as high as 600%. Bill, Sarah, and Drex tackle the uncomfortable truth about AI leadership: it's time to figure it out or risk getting left behind. They explore why AI with context is transformative while AI without it looks foolish, discuss whether board members know how to hire AI-savvy CIOs, and predict a major shift in how healthcare organizations approach t

Jan 8, 2026·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Podcast: Inside Stanford Medicine’s AI Sandbox With Michael Pfeffer, MD

January 8, 2026: Dr. Michael Pfeffer , SVP and CIDO at Stanford Medicine , reveals how his team built a secure AI sandbox in just six weeks—and what they learned from analyzing thousands of user prompts. From ambient scribes that actually work to ChatEHR transforming clinical workflows in real-time, Michael shares the practical wins and honest challenges of deploying AI across an academic medical center. Discover why different AI models excel at different tasks, how Stanford approaches governanc

Jan 5, 2026·Newsday

Newsday: The $7B ServiceNow-Armis Deal & What's Coming in 2026 with Jason Rose

January 5, 2026: ServiceNow's $7 billion acquisition of Armis signals a major shift in healthcare IT consolidation strategy. Jason Rose , CEO of Clearsense dives into what this deal means for health systems juggling overlapping security tools and bloated app portfolios. The conversation shifts to bold predictions for 2026, including a massive wave of multi-billion dollar health system mergers and the rural hospital crisis. Jason reveals how Trinity Health eliminated $100 million in operational c

Dec 29, 2025·The 229 Podcast

2025 Healthcare Recap: CIO Pressures, AI Advances, and Cultural Shifts

December 29, 2025: As 2025 draws to a close, Drex, Sarah, and Bill gather to reflect on a year of struggles and triumphs. From unprecedented CIO turnover among top talent to the stark reality of workforce exhaustion, this candid conversation reveals why even quality leaders are finding themselves displaced. They explore how fear has stifled innovation, why AI advanced faster than expected with synthetic media, and how organizational culture emerged as the true differentiator in digital transformation success. They also share personal highlights from their year of summits and dinners, proving that even in challenging times, community and purpose remain paramount. Key Points: 00:50 Reflecting on 2025: Surprises and Challenges 06:25 What We Got Right in 2025 13:22 Personal Reflections and Key Takeaways 18:55 Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Initiatives 22:47 Conclusion and Community Engagement X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 23, 2025·The 229 Podcast

Reflecting on the 2025 AI Rush: What Worked, What Failed, and What's Next

December 23, 2025: The AI revolution swept through healthcare in 2025, but did it deliver on its promises? Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson pull back the curtain on what really happened in AI this year—from North Korean deep fakes infiltrating hospital workforces to the sobering reality of billion-dollar AI investments with ROI timelines stretching to 2030. They reveal why ambient listening became the breakout use case, which organizations are actually making progress, and the critical mistake most health systems are making with endless pilots. If you're wondering whether your organization is behind on AI or just getting started right, this honest end-of-year reflection delivers the answers healthcare leaders need heading into 2026. Key Points: 02:38 2025 Reflections and Predictions 11:21 Deep Fakes and Digital Trafficking in Healthcare 17:50 Balancing Tech Debt and Innovation in Healthcare 19:22 Enhancing Physician Efficiency and Satisfaction 25:09 Future AI Trends X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 19, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: CMS ACCESS Model & Tech-Enabled Care with Laura O’Toole

December 19, 2025: CMS has unveiled its new ACCESS Model—an ambitious 10-year initiative aimed at expanding digital, tech-enabled care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In this discussion, Laura O’Toole , CEO of SureTest , joins Bill and Sarah to unpack how outcome-based reimbursement could finally accelerate innovation in remote monitoring and chronic disease management. They explore what this shift means for CIOs, including the need for stronger data interoperability, integrated analytics, and secure pipelines to support continuous digital care. The conversation also highlights risks, from digital literacy gaps to patient privacy concerns as de-identified data gains value across the industry. From wearables and home health devices to the challenge of building a true digital front door, this episode examines how ACCESS could reshape care-in-place models—and why commercial payers may soon follow Medicare’s lead. X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 18, 2025·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Rewind: 2025's Boldest Healthcare IT Moves

2025 wasn't just another year in healthcare IT—it was a year of constant change. Leaders stopped waiting for permission and started building the future themselves. From AI implementations that deliver results in weeks instead of years, to cybersecurity boundaries that actually hold, to predictive care models that flip the reactive healthcare script entirely. This rewind captures the breakthrough moments, the honest struggles, and the conversations that made room after room go silent before someone said, "We should be recording this." These aren't predictions about what's coming. These are the moves that already happened—and the leaders who made them possible. X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 15, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: How PhD-Level AI Agents are Changing Healthcare with Dan Schubert

December 15, 2025: What if healthcare's biggest breakthroughs require throwing out the playbook? Joined by Daniel Schubert , CEO and Co-Founder of Revuud , this episode explores how AI is fundamentally reshaping healthcare IT strategy, from deploying countless virtual PhD-level agents across operations to rethinking patient access and workflow automation. Healthcare leaders discuss the challenge of prioritizing AI initiatives amid competing demands, the importance of creating organizational margin for creative problem-solving, and why divergent thinking beats linear logic in digital transformation. The conversation tackles talent deployment, the dangers of "we've always done it this way" mentality, and a critical question every CIO must answer: how resilient are your systems when AI becomes mission-critical infrastructure? Key Points: 01:40 AI in Healthcare: A LinkedIn Post Discussion 04:18 Challenges and Opportunities with AI 08:38 Future of AI in Healthcare 10:55 Organizational Impact and Talent Management 20:05 Resilience and Final Thoughts X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer