UnHack with Drex DeFord

April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the ri...

April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the ri...

Class action lawsuits have been filed against Oracle in Texas following recent cyber incidents, with lawyers alleging poor security framework, inadequate staff training, and failure to implement preventative software. The Health Sector Coordinating Council's cybersecurity working group testified to Congress about medical device security and the suspended HIPAA security rule update, citing unrealis...

April 3, 2024: Kate and Sarah break down Google Health's six groundbreaking AI initiatives. They explore how these innovations—from enhanced health information in search results to medical records APIs and AI-powered disease detection—are reshaping healthcare delivery worldwide. The hosts discuss practical implementation considerations for healthcare IT leaders, including interoperability challeng...

April 3, 2024: Sarah and Kate examine Sanford Health's successful implementation of ambient AI documentation tools. After an initial pilot with 100 clinicians, the South Dakota-based health system is now expanding to an additional 200 clinicians—with 100% of pilot participants reporting they would be "extremely disappointed" if the tool was taken away. Learn how this AI implementation is addressin...

April 2, 2025: Kate and Sarah discuss RWJ Barnabas Health's innovative partnership with Uber Health to provide free transportation for underserved patients. They explore how this initiative significantly reduces no-show rates, improves care continuity, and addresses critical social determinants of health. X: This Week Health  LinkedIn: This Week Health   Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Fo...

Drex covers two separate Oracle security incidents affecting healthcare organizations. The Rose87168 hacking group claims to have stolen 6 million user records from Oracle Cloud, now for sale on the dark web. Oracle denies the breach, but independent researchers confirm data authenticity. A second breach on older Cerner servers (not yet migrated to Oracle Cloud) exposed patient medical information...

April 1, 2025: Sarah and Kate explore the critical role trust plays in healthcare IT transformation. They discuss how trust accelerates adoption of new technologies, why leadership consistency builds credibility, and practical ways to measure trust within your organization. Learn why even the best digital initiatives can stall without proper stakeholder trust and how cybersecurity efforts depend o...

Drex covers a major security breach where Trump administration officials shared classified military operation details via Signal chat with an unauthorized reporter, Broadcom's release of critical security updates for VMware tools addressing high-severity vulnerabilities, and a dramatic HHS restructuring that eliminates 10,000 positions, reduces divisions from 28 to 15, and transfers key healthcare...

March 31, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Drex DeFord of This Week Health explore the most impactful events in healthcare today. As cybersecurity regulations continue to advance, how do struggling systems keep up? They discuss the recent Johnson & Johnson investment of $55 billion in healthcare and what the current financial landscape means for innovation. Lastly, governance continues to be a compl...

March 28, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson explore an innovative approach to EHR training that uses escape rooms to engage nurses. They discuss how these interactive experiences improve engagement, promote teamwork, develop critical thinking skills under pressure, create a safe space for making mistakes, and offer cost-effective training solutions. The hosts highlight how this approach trans...

March 27, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble analyze the recent congressional funding bill's impact on healthcare. They discuss five key provisions: extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities, continued hospital-at-home programs, delayed Medicaid DSH payment cuts, financial relief for rural hospitals, and the lack of measures to avert physician pay cuts. The hosts provide actionable insights f...

March 26, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss the significant shift from volume-based to value-based physician compensation models and what this means for healthcare technology leaders. They explore how this reform requires enhanced data tracking capabilities, EHR evolution, AI integration, and cybersecurity protocols while addressing physician burnout concerns. The conversation highlig...

Drex covers reports of an alleged Oracle Cloud security incident affecting login infrastructure with over 6 million records at risk across 140,000 tenants (though Oracle denies any breach), and 23andMe's bankruptcy filing. Security recommendations include rotating credentials, resetting passwords for Oracle Cloud users, and downloading then deleting personal genetic data from 23andMe as a precauti...

March 25, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss how fear-based leadership impacts healthcare organizations. They explore how fear stifles innovation, paralyzes decision-making, erodes trust, and contributes to burnout. Key takeaways include strategies to foster psychological safety, implement data-driven decision-making, and promote cross-functional collaboration to overcome fear-based le...

Drex discusses Google's massive $32 billion acquisition of cloud security company Wiz and what it means for healthcare cloud infrastructure. Learn about the recent CISA employee firing controversy and subsequent court-ordered reinstatements. Plus, discover how states are competing to recruit displaced federal cybersecurity professionals - creating a potential hiring opportunity for healthcare orga...

March 24, 2025: Brad Marsh (BSN, RN, CEN, CHISL) EVP for Government, Health, and Security Technology at First Health Advisory , joins Drex for the news. How do we protect healthcare systems when everyday medical devices become potential security vulnerabilities? The conversation examines why governance matters more than acquiring new security tools, how organizations should approach comprehensive...

March 21, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson examine the implications of recent NIH budget cuts on healthcare technology and research. They discuss how major institutions like Johns Hopkins face massive funding reductions, the impact of proposed caps on indirect research costs affecting IT infrastructure, and potential threats to America's leadership in scientific innovation. Subscribe: This W...

2Drex discuss CSA's decision to cut $10 million in funding to the Center for Internet Security's management of MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC programs, which coordinate critical threat information for state, local, and election infrastructure. Meanwhile, a new ransomware gang called Mora 0 0 1 is targeting 49 firewalls by exploiting known vulnerabilities to gain initial network access. The FBI and CISA have...

March 20, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss Satya Nadella's recent comments on AI's limited value generation despite massive investments. They explore the gap between AI expectations and outcomes in healthcare, examining productivity challenges, cost-benefit concerns, and security implications. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   LinkedIn: This Week Hea...

March 19, 2025: Troy Ament , Industry Leader for Healthcare at Palo Alto Networks Joins Drex for the News. The conversation delves into the importance of establishing relationships with law enforcement before a crisis occurs and why including them in tabletop exercises is crucial. Troy examines why threat actors deliberately target healthcare systems during weekend hours when staffing is minimal....

Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss Epic's initiative to integrate AI agents into its EHR system, exploring the impact on healthcare organizations. They examine key benefits including AI-powered clinical documentation through Nuance's Dragon Ambient Experience, patient self-service through MyChart, predictive analytics for early intervention, and enhanced interoperability. Subscribe: This Wee...

March 17, 2025: John Kirkman , VP of Government, Healthcare, and Education from Island , joins Drex for the news. With organizations managing an average of 76 different security tools—up from 64 the previous year—what approaches to rationalization and accountability might create more sustainable security postures? As John introduces the concept of user-centric guardrails rather than purely data-fo...

Critical Microsoft Patch Tuesday release includes near-record number of zero-days with six already being exploited. Apple releases patches for Safari browser engine affecting all devices. Analysis of leaked Black Basta ransomware gang chat logs reveals valuable insights on attack strategies and evasion techniques. Recent DDoS attack against X (formerly Twitter) remains largely unattributed despite...

March 14, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss the impending telehealth policy cliff set for April 1st, 2025. They examine how the expiration of pandemic-era flexibilities will impact healthcare organizations, particularly regarding originating site requirements and reimbursement structures. The hosts outline how these changes may create access challenges for rural and underserved popula...