The Collective Voice of Health IT, A WEDI Podcast

This podcast is sponsored by Smile Digital Health. Your Digital Transformation Awaits at www. SmileDigitalHealth.com Michael speaks with Smile Digital Health's Director of Standards Strategy Bryn Rhodes about Clinical Quality Language, its challenges with large amounts of data and how FHIR helps mitigate data challenges. 

From our recently concluded national conference in Washington DC, WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner welcomes a panel of AI SMEs to discuss their successes and challenges in developing AI strategies in healthcare. The panel: Kevin Larsen, MD, SVP, Clinical Innovation, Optum Derrick Higgins, Head of Enterprise Data Science and AI, HCSC Jared Staal, Senior Director, Advanced Analytics and AI, Mayo Clinic

The continuation of episode 125, WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner has a great conversation on AI best business practices with an impressive panel of SMEs: • Ram Rimal, Manager of Data Science Engineering, UNC Health • Jared Staal, Senior Director, Advanced Analytics and AI, Mayo Clinic • John Loomis, Head of Technology, AI, Engineering, Softheon • Laura Adams, Senior Advisor, National Academy of Medicin...

Data is an asset and the need for Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) to improve data quality for improving patient care, facilitating interoperability, and unlocking secondary analytics capabilities.  Michael chats with Gregg Church, President of 4medica and Alaap Shah, lawyer with Epstein, Becker and Green and an advisor for 4medica about the importance of data to EMPIs, how artificial intelli...

From WEDI's September 2023 virtual spotlight on Best Business Practice with AI in Healthcare, part 1 of our panel discussion on privacy and security concerns. Moderated by WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner and featuring an esteemed panel of healthcare AI subject matter experts: • Ram Rimal, Manager of Data Science Engineering, UNC Health • John Loomis, Head of Technology, AI, Engineering, Softheon • Laur...

Michael chats with Scott Hondros, VP of Customer Excellence & Strategic Consulting at CenTrak about how Real-Time Location Systems can help healthcare create a safer, more satisfying and efficient environment for patients and healthcare facilities. 

Michael chats with Jon Zimmerman, CEO of Holon Solutions about why now is such a critical time to get value based care right, how it will adjust administrative work in healthcare and how organizations can make the most impact with value based care. 

Michael sits down and chats with Daniel Abrams, CEO of MassLight and zapEHR. MassLight invests capital and software engineers in digital health startups, and are in the process of developing an innovative new “headless” EHR development platform named zapEHR. The two discuss the landscape for healthcare startups, his time as a software engineer at Apple and how regulations and emerging technologies...

The state of South Carolina is the first in the nation to offer families access to programs across the state’s early childhood system through a single web portal – increasing connections to government services for children ages 0-5, reducing administrative burdens on families, and creating cost savings for government. Michael speaks to Georgia Mjartan, Executive Director of South Carolina First St...

Michael chats with multifaceted Dr. Dan Blumenthal, President of Novocardia, the new value-based care division of Cardiovascular Associates of America. The two discuss the strides Dan and Novocardia have made in creating access to timely high-quality, affordable care by optimizing clinical efficiency, reducing avoidable hospitalizations and ER visits, and practicing evidence-based, cost-conscious...

From WEDI's 2023 May Conference, updates on standards, the 2023 roadmap and ICD-11 from Tammy Banks, NCVHS Co-Chair, Subcommittee on Standards and Jamie Ferguson, Co-Chair, ICD-11 Policy Workgroups. Tammy and Jamie will be presenting at WEDI's 2023 National Conference November 6-9 offering updates on a variety of NCVHS activities. Register to attend at wedi.org

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference, WEDI's Payment Models Workgroup Co-Chair Michael Pattwell (Edifecs) speaks with Dr. James Dom Dera (Physicians Network) and Rick Foerster (Privia Health) about their successes and challenges with value based care. 

Michael chats with Dr. Pawan Jindal, MD, CEO of Darena Solutions, A St. Louis-based tech company that delivers EHR and other health IT solutions for vendors and patients. How has technology, the 21st Century Cures Act, and patient literacy aided in the new evolution of data interoperability (not totally there yet though)

Michael speaks with Kermit Farmer, founder and Chief Ethos Officer of Paths, a service that gives doctors and team members the ability to create and share educational material to help their patients in the journey from diagnosis through recovery. Learn more at www.villagepaths.com

From a recent WEDI health equity workgroup meeting, a chat with Mark Megerian, Technology Fellow with Optum. Visit United Health Foundation's comprehensive data and SDOH tool, America's Health Rankings ( https://www.americashealthrankings.org/ ) to see some of the work United and Optum are doing to leverage data to address health disparities in the country. 

From a recent WEDI Health Equity Workgroup meeting, we welcome Tammy Weaver, VP Physician Professional Data with the American Medical Association

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference, 4 patient advocate professionals discuss how regulations and innovation are affecting patients. How close is the work of payers, providers and vendors to achieving "patient nirvana".  Panelists: Andrew Scholnick (AARP), Melissa Williams (National Patient Advocate Foundation), Anna Hyde (Arthritis Foundation), Dr. Nicole Purcell (Alzheimer's Association). The mod...

From the WEDI Archives: Dr. Steve Waldren, Vice President and Chief Medical Informatics Officer of the American Academy of Family Physicians discusses how AAFP's Innovation Lab has embraced the power of artificial intelligence to aid their physicians with numerous functions and processes. 

Matthew has a great conversation with Aaron Patzer, founder of AI-based health care company Vital about how artificial intelligence is quickly evolving in the industry. The former founder of Mint.com discusses AI's benefits, challenges and considerations as the emerging technology plans to redefine the patient experience. 

In June, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new primary care model – the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model – that will be tested under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation in eight states. We welcome CMS Deputy Administrator and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Director Dr. Liz Fowler to discuss the Making Care Primary Model, the process in devel...

Matthew chats with Derrick Higgins, Head of Enterprise Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Health Care Service Corporation (BCBS of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas). Derrick discusses how his organization is leveraging artificial intelligence, his thoughts on future applications, and federal government role in AI governance. 

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference. The Health Care Payment and Learning and Action Network (HCPLAN) established the Health Equity Advisory Team (HEAT) to help identify and prioritize opportunities to advance health equity through alternative payment models (APMs). The HEAT’s goal is person-centered and focuses on leveraging APMs to help make needed care more accessible, drive better patient outco...

From WEDI's 2023 Spring Conference, Michael and WEDI Board Chair Ed Hafner chats with Jonathan Burow, VP Customer Experience and Digital Transformation with Independent Health. Jonathan discusses best practices for measuring customer satisfaction across product lines and engagement channels including call, chat, website and app. 

The concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. Regarding healthcare, collecting data on intersectional social factors like race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation can help i...

Michael welcomes Scott Gray, CEO of Clincierge, a patient concierge services provider in clinical trials. The two discuss the current state regarding diversity in clinical trials and how the need for minority participation can help serve a more accurate, realistic population, establish trust between patients and providers, and improve the patient experience.