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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 (1172)

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The 229 Podcast Newsday Executive Interview Solution Showcase

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 22, 2025·Executive Interview

Executive Interview: Inside Insights Into Abridge’s ‘The Conversation’ Event with Guru Sundar

December 22, 2025: What makes a healthcare event truly transformative? Guru Sundar , VP of Marketing at Abridge , explores their unique event, ‘The Conversation’, that blends art, science, and healthcare innovation. From Laird Hamilton's insights on trusting your subconscious to John McEnroe's lesson on staying true to your brand, this discussion reveals how cross-industry inspiration drives healthcare forward. Discover why Eric Larson shocked attendees by suggesting health systems close non-clinical positions today and how Daphne Koller is compressing centuries of drug discovery into months with AI. This conversation will change how you think about innovation. Key Points: 00:41 ‘The Conversation’ Event: A Unique Experience 02:32 Highlights from the Bridge Event 03:12 Insights from Laird Hamilton and John McEnroe 09:01 Healthcare Conversations and AI 18:56 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans 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 17, 2025·Executive Interview

Executive Interview: How Real-Time Location Data Could Transform Hospitals with Philipp von Gilsa

December 17, 2025: Real-time location data is revolutionizing hospital operations, but most executives haven't grasped the full magnitude of what's now possible with AI. Philipp von Gilsa , CEO of Kontakt.io , reveals how combining RTLS with AI agents enables immediate interventions when operations break down - no more dashboards, just actionable intelligence in the moment. From predicting equipment needs to optimizing patient flow, health systems are achieving real operating margin improvements by rethinking core operations. Discover why leading health systems are consolidating their point solutions onto next-generation platforms, and learn about an innovative AI hackathon model that helps executives experience these capabilities firsthand rather than just reading about them. Key Points: 05:02 Real-Time Data and Its Impact 10:38 Pandemic Response and Operational Efficiency 13:50 Executive Engagement with AI 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

Dec 12, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Preparing for Cloud Outages and Phishing Attacks with Charles Knight

December 12, 2025: When cloud platforms like AWS and Azure experience outages, hospitals across the country feel the impact. But are healthcare organizations truly prepared for these disruptions? Charles Knight , Founder of EHC Consulting , explores the critical gaps in healthcare's cloud resilience strategies. From understanding single points of failure to running actual failover tests, this conversation reveals why documentation and operational readiness matter just as much as technical redundancy. Key Points: 04:09 Challenges in Disaster Recovery and Documentation 16:14 Phishing and Cybersecurity Concerns 21:30 Thanksgiving Food Favorites X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 11, 2025·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Podcast: RSNA 2025 - Breaking Down the Latest in Imaging Technology with Lee Milligan

December 11, 2025: Medical imaging is undergoing a massive transformation, and the innovations unveiled at RSNA 2025 reveal just how profound these changes will be. Dr. Lee David Milligan , Managing Partner at Asbury HealthTech Partners , takes us inside the conference floor to explore groundbreaking advances that are reshaping radiology workflows. Discover how companies are revolutionizing cardiac care by replacing invasive procedures with advanced imaging that costs 90% less, why radiologists finally have the workflow tools they've needed for a decade, and how 3D visualization technology is transforming the way surgeons communicate with patients. Key Points: 01:16 RSNA Conference Insights 05:46 Operational Improvements in MRI 18:08 HeartFlow and Cardiac Imaging Innovations 22:12 Challenges and Solutions in Radiology 25:23 Avatar Medical and Patient Communication X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 10, 2025·Executive Interview

Executive Interview: The Importance of Community-Driven Care with Leigh Williams

December 10, 2025: Leigh Williams , VP and CIO at Augusta Health , shares how a 255-bed independent community hospital is reimagining care through strategic EHR transformation. In this conversation, Leigh discusses leading a MEDITECH Expanse implementation while maintaining deep community ties through comprehensive health needs assessments and patient advisory groups. She reveals how independence enables data-driven, nimble decision-making tailored to local populations, from mobile clinic initiatives to COVID response strategies. Leigh also explores leveraging emerging technologies to scale workforce capabilities, reduce operational costs, and improve the digital workday for every team member. Key Points: 02:01 EHR Implementation and Challenges 04:47 Innovative Strategies for Rural Healthcare 12:13 Leveraging Emerging Technologies 16:23 Advice for Healthcare Leaders X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 8, 2025·Newsday

Newsday: Streamlining Patient Access and Healthcare Abroad with Will Akers

December 8, 2025: Healthcare systems are drowning in administrative calls while patients struggle with fragmented portals and coordination nightmares. Will Akers , Chief Strategy Officer from Switchboard, MD , joins Bill Russell, Sarah Richardson, and Drex DeFord to unpack a stunning reality: 25-40% of health system calls are simple scheduling requests that could be automated today. Drawing from his experience having children in both Hong Kong and the US healthcare systems, Will reveals stark efficiency gaps costing patients time and money. The conversation explores why seniors spend three weeks yearly on healthcare logistics, how multiple portals create care coordination chaos, and practical automation strategies that could transform contact centers while improving patient access for vulnerable populations. Key Points: 02:06 Healthcare Experiences Abroad vs. US 09:55 Technology in Healthcare Communication 16:44 Patient-Centric Healthcare Solutions 22:52 Thanksgiving Traditions X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

Dec 4, 2025·The 229 Podcast

The 229 Podcast: 20 Years, Zero Paper, One Vision: Pioneering on a Budget with Tanya Townsend

December 4, 2025: Tanya Townsend , CIDO at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health , didn't just receive a lifetime achievement award from CHIME—she pioneered the first all-digital hospital back in 2005. Now Tanya is navigating the ultimate healthcare paradox: how do you invest in AI and digital transformation while facing unprecedented budget pressures? In this conversation, she reveals how ambient listening got clinicians home for dinner, why their digital front door adoption jumped 36% practically overnight, and her surprising take on the AI hype cycle. Key Points: 02:04 Career Highlights and Achievements 06:57 Digital Transformation Journey 14:57 Challenges in Pediatric Healthcare 23:35 The Role of AI in Healthcare 30:50 Future Outlook X : This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer