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The 229 Podcast

Podcasts Hosted by Bill Russell, Sarah Richardson, and Drex DeFord

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 (275)

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The 229 Podcast UnHack the Podcast UnHack the News 2 Minute Drill Newsday Executive Interview Solution Showcase

Nov 24, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Merger Madness and Why Hospitals are Moving Back to On-Prem Data with Dave Dyell

November 24, 2025: Healthcare organizations are drowning in applications they can't even inventory, especially after mergers and acquisitions. But the real shock comes when they try to access archived data years later. Dave Dyell , Managing Partner at Innovative Consulting Group , reveals why cloud storage fees are forcing health systems to rethink their entire archiving strategy, particularly for medical imaging. With AI initiatives on the horizon, the way you archive data today determines whet

Nov 21, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Doing More with Less and Budgeting Wake-Up Calls with Bill Willis

November 21, 2025: What if your organization could reclaim millions of dollars just by rethinking processes you already have in place? Bill Willis , CTO of IDMWORKS , discusses the hidden costs plaguing healthcare IT, from runaway cloud storage bills to the shocking economics of password resets. Discover why identity management isn't just a security issue but a massive financial opportunity, how HR-IT integration is transforming onboarding from a week-long wait to day-one productivity, and why t

Nov 17, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Security Culture Saves Hospital and Resource Gaps with George Pappas

November 17, 2025: How does a 25-bed critical access hospital successfully stop a cyberattack when larger health systems fall victim? George Pappas , CEO of Intraprise Health , unpacks the Colorado hospital that shows how security culture beats expensive technology. The conversation reveals why vendor transparency remains elusive despite high-profile breaches, explores the harsh reality of hospitals that know their vulnerabilities but lack resources to fix them, and tackles AI governance challen

Nov 12, 2025·Solution Showcase

Solution Showcase: Building a Successful 5-Year Digital Roadmap with Pam Austin and Chris Jenkins

November 12, 2025: After a major consolidation and Epic implementation during COVID-19, Ballad Health could have focused solely on survival. Instead, Pam Austin , CIO at Ballad Health , partnered with Chris Jenkins , EVP of Digital Strategy and Enterprise Imaging at Healthlink Advisors , to build a comprehensive five-year digital roadmap anchored in six strategic pillars. This conversation explores how they established IT governance that turns noise into clarity, created an Office of the CIO to

Nov 10, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: AWS Outage Exploration and Removing Risk from Your Data with Vik Patel

November 10, 2025: When AWS experienced a major outage affecting over 500 companies, healthcare IT leaders were reminded that cloud architecture isn't just a technical decision; it's a strategic imperative. Vik Patel, COO from Tido dives into the cascading failures that exposed vulnerabilities in healthcare's cloud dependencies. From Epic instances running on AWS to the emerging challenges of AI data lakes, this conversation reveals why simplicity in architecture might be healthcare IT's most un

Nov 3, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: The CxO Pulse - Insights and Lessons from 229 Summits with This Week Health

November 3, 2025: What are healthcare IT leaders really concerned about? Fresh from three 229 Project summits across the country, Bill Russell, Sarah Richardson, and Drex DeFord pull back the curtain on the most pressing conversations happening right now. From simplifying AI governance with a two-track vendor approach to rethinking hiring strategies for an agent-driven future, this episode captures the pulse of healthcare leadership in real time. Discover why some organizations are solving hundr

Oct 29, 2025·Solution Showcase

Solution Showcase: Smooth and Rapid Growth In the M&A Era with Glen Phares and Brent Lamm

October 29, 2025: When UNC Health embarked on integrating 14 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across North Carolina, they needed more than just technology—they needed a scalable playbook. Brent Lamm , SVP and CIO at UNC Health , joins Glen Phares , National Director for Healthcare Solution Delivery at Experis Health Solutions , to reveal how UNC Health built repeatable processes for rapid M&A integration. From consolidating nine different payrolls into one ERP system to managing infrastruct

Oct 27, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Why Constraints Drive Innovation - AI Agents and the Jobs They Can’t Fill

October 27, 2025: Bill, Drex, and Sarah discuss the realities of implementing AI agents across organizations. The group tackles uncomfortable questions about workforce displacement, the critical thinking skills being lost to automation, and the massive energy demands threatening AI sustainability. From simplifying complex systems to understanding what innovation really means under constraint, This Week Health explores the practical and philosophical challenges facing healthcare technology leader

Oct 20, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: MFA Isn't Enough and Why Healthcare Can’t Just Hack Back with Preston Duren

Multi-factor authentication isn't the bulletproof security measure it once was. Preston Duren , VP of Threat Services at Fortified Health Security , explores how cybercriminals are outsmarting traditional MFA through sophisticated phishing tactics and MFA bombing. The conversation shifts to the debate over platform consolidation—does fewer mean safer, or are we creating attractive single points of attack? With AI rapidly transforming both offensive and defensive capabilities in cybersecurity, th

Oct 13, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: CIO Turnover - Leadership Challenges in a Fast-Paced Era with Laura O’Toole

October 13, 2025: H ealthcare IT leaders are exhausted, CIO positions remain unfilled for months, and the pressure keeps mounting. In this candid conversation, Laura O'Toole , CEO and Founder of SureTest , explores why traditional CIO roles are transforming faster than organizations can define them. They discuss the widening gap between leadership expectations and operational reality, the critical shift from problem-solver to coalition-builder, and why empathy may be the most underrated leadersh

Oct 6, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: IT Expecting 18% Hiring Cut and Innovating Access in the AI World with Bill Willis

October 6, 2025: New research reveals an expected 18% reduction in hiring over the next two years, but this isn't about downsizing—it's about strategic reallocation. Bill Willis , CTO of IDMWORKS , joins to discuss these new breaking statistics. With 62% of organizations prioritizing AI skills over traditional development experience, the industry faces a critical choice between reducing headcount or upskilling existing talent. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts warn that the traditional network pe

Sep 29, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: The Perfect Storm in Healthcare Cybersecurity: AI, Costs, and Risk with Russell Teague

September 29, 2025: In this episode of Newsday, Drex is joined by Russell Teague of Fortified Health Security for a candid look at the storm brewing in healthcare IT. From the promises and pitfalls of AI to the growing sophistication of cyber threats, they explore how health systems are balancing innovation with risk. The conversation dives into financial pressures, shifting reimbursement models, and the tough choices CIOs and CISOs are facing as budgets tighten. With insights from the front lin