The 229 Podcast

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 H...

November 20, 2025: Deborah Muro , CIO of El Camino Health , shares her vision for transforming healthcare from reactive to predictive through intelligent use of AI and sensor technology. With 30 AI use cases already deployed across Epic and other platforms, El Camino is pioneering applications from radiology incidental findings to employee sentiment analysis. Deborah discusses the challenges of in...

November 19, 2025: Healthcare interoperability has evolved far beyond simple data exchange—but are we truly unlocking its potential? Dr. Steven Lane , CMO from Health Gorilla , and Mike Cordeiro , Senior Director of Interoperability Market & Product Strategy from MEDITECH join Bill Russell to explore how the industry is shifting from moving data to making it actionable. Discover why structured...

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 hospita...

November 13, 2025: Chris Paravate , CDIO of Northeast Georgia Health System , reveals how his organization achieved 80% ambient voice adoption in just two months, with physicians now seeing nearly three additional patients weekly while rediscovering joy in their practice. He tackles the critical challenge facing healthcare IT leaders today: how to differentiate high-impact AI projects from 320 tra...

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...

November 6, 2025: Stephon Proctor , PhD, Associate Chief Health Informatics Officer for Platform Innovation at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia , is redefining what's possible when clinical expertise meets technical innovation. He built "Chipper"—a prototype that embeds generative AI directly into Epic's EHR, eliminating the friction of jumping between systems. The reaction from the healthcare...

November 5, 2025: Mark Galea , SVP and CIO at Willis Knighton Health , shares how they achieved world-class EMR results at a fraction of typical costs, proving that digital transformation doesn't require unlimited budgets. Leading a $1.4 billion health system in northern Louisiana, Mark deployed MEDITECH Expanse to 140 clinics in just 14 months while cutting IT operating costs to the lowest quarti...

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 capture...

October 30, 2025: Healthcare systems often lose millions in revenue, not because clinicians aren't doing the work, but because critical informatics get lost between the operating room and the billing department. Dr. Carla Haack , Chief Financial Informatics Officer at Emory Healthcare , discovered this gap firsthand when she stepped away from surgery during the pandemic. In this conversation, she...

October 29, 2025: Cellular networks are transforming healthcare delivery, but what makes 5G truly different from its predecessor? Perry Welch , EVP and Chief Revenue Officer at Airwavz Solutions , discusses creating a robust network infrastructure that can handle the demanding requirements of modern medical technology. As healthcare systems begin exploring what's possible with this upgraded networ...

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...

October 23, 2025: Sarah Hatchett , SVP and CIO of Cleveland Clinic , manages IT across a sprawling healthcare network spanning Ohio, Nevada, Florida, and international destinations. Sarah reveals how they track time spent on pilots, balance 60% run versus 40% innovation, and the real challenge of managing Epic's 160 annual feature releases. Explore inside their billion-dollar neurological hospital...

October 22 – In this episode, Bill Russell sits down with Scott D’Entremont , CEO at Parlance , to explore the evolving role of AI in healthcare communication. From tackling rising operational costs to addressing the hidden issue of referral leakage, Scott shares how automation is reshaping call centers and front desks across healthcare systems. They unpack why integration is still a major hurdle,...

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...

October 17, 2025: When ChatGPT entered healthcare with bold claims about clinical guidance, physicians took notice—and not always in a good way. Yaw Fellin , SVP and GM at Wolters Kluwer , discusses why expert-curated content still matters in the age of generative AI. With 7,600 clinical experts validating every recommendation, Wolters Kluwer is taking a fundamentally different approach than Big T...

October 16, 2025: How do you build a cybersecurity program that lasts over a decade? Anahi Santiago , CISO at ChristianaCare , shares what separates healthcare organizations that prioritize security from those where CISOs burn out in 18 months. She reveals why bringing state agencies and the National Guard into tabletop exercises transformed her team's preparedness, how she aligned security with p...

October 15, 2025: Polly Parrent , SVP of EHR and ERP Services at Nordic Global , reveals why the EHR market is more competitive than many realize, with Epic, Oracle, and MEDITECH each advancing distinct capabilities that healthcare leaders need to understand. She warns that organizations sitting on the sidelines risk losing providers and revenue cycle competitiveness as AI-driven features reshape...

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...

October 9, 2025: Phil Lindemann , VP of Data and Research at Epic , reveals how Cosmos has grown to 300 million patient records, transforming clinical decision-making through AI-powered insights. Discover how physicians now access precision cohorts and outcome-driven treatment recommendations at the point of care, backed by over 1,000 automated quality checks per query. Phil discusses the evolutio...

October 7, 2025: Bob Kitts , CEO and Founding Partner of Avarion (formerly Huntzinger Management Group), shares insights on navigating healthcare IT transformation in an era of unprecedented change. From AI integration strategies that vary dramatically between rural hospitals and academic medical centers to the coming revolution in revenue cycle management, Bob explains why successful technology a...

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...

October 3, 2025: Healthcare leaders are sitting on a cybersecurity time bomb, and most don't even know it. Censinet CEO and Founder Ed Gaudet reveals that 80% of healthcare vendors have quietly AI-enabled their products while organizations still rely on outdated SOC 2 certificates for risk assessment. Drawing lessons from the Change Healthcare crisis, Ed explains why hope has become the default se...

October 2, 2025: Dr. Spencer Dorn , Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine from UNC Health , brings a refreshingly honest perspective to healthcare AI adoption that challenges industry assumptions. As a gastroenterologist who deliberately chose not to use AI scribes despite the hype, he reveals why AI tools only save about one minute per patient and questions whether billion-dollar valuations are ju...

October 1, 2025: How does an 880-bed health system in rural Alabama transform from a Leapfrog safety grade of D to B in just two years while achieving CHIME Most Wired Level 9 recognition? DCH Health System's CIO, Billy Helmandollar , and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer, Faith Burkett , reveal the multidisciplinary approach that drove their remarkable turnaround. Discover how simple fixes like...