UnHack with Drex DeFord

March 13, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss NYU Langone Health's groundbreaking integration of Amazon One palm scanning technology for patient check-ins. They explore how this contactless biometric system is streamlining the authentication process with six nines accuracy while maintaining HIPAA compliance. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   LinkedIn: T...

Drex analyzes three significant cybersecurity developments: the widespread outage of a major social media platform (formerly Twitter) caused by a DDoS attack claimed by hacker group Dark Storm Team, NIST's recent addition of the "govern function" to their cybersecurity framework that emphasizes optimizing existing tools over acquiring new ones, and concerning reports that OpenAI's latest GPT-4.5 m...

March 12, 2025: Jacob Hansen , Chief Product Officer at AvaSure , joins Bill for the news at HIMSS 2025. How will the delicate balance between augmentation and automation reshape clinical workflows? As Jacob envisions a future where AI models collaborate without human intervention, what does this mean for patient care across the continuum? With healthcare margins under pressure, the discussion hig...

March 11, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss the alarming trend of violence in healthcare settings, highlighted by recent shootings at Honor Health Scottsdale Shea Medical Center and UPMC Memorial Hospital. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   LinkedIn: This Week Health   Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer  

March 10, 2025: Our three former CIOs Sarah Richardson, Drex DeFord, and Bill Russell discuss the news from the floor of HIMSS 2025 in Vegas. What's the difference between robotic process automation and emerging agentic AI systems that adapt to changing conditions? As cybersecurity threats evolve with AI assistance, how can health systems make security training engaging rather than tedious? The co...

Broadcom reports three actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities affecting VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion products that require immediate patching. Leaked chat logs from the Black Basta ransomware group reveal internal conflicts, operational tactics, and efforts to circumvent cybersecurity tools. Lastly, A demonstration of Sesame's new voice AI technology shows concerningly realistic capab...

March 7, 2025 Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson examine Paul Keckley's comprehensive report on "The Perfect Storm Facing Healthcare Workforce." They break down eight critical issues shaping healthcare's workforce challenges. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   LinkedIn: This Week Health   Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer

March 6, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss Ohio becoming the first state to mandate hospital price transparency. The hosts explore the technical challenges CIOs face in implementing these requirements, potential impacts on hospital-insurer negotiations, and implications for healthcare competition as similar legislation is being considered in Hawaii, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washingto...

March 5, 2025: Christian Boucher , Head of Healthcare Strategy and Solutions at Island , joins Drex for the news. How can healthcare organizations better leverage cloud solutions to shift IT resources from merely "keeping the lights on" to actually improving clinical workflows? How might healthcare leaders create more meaningful partnerships with clinicians to ensure technology enhances rather tha...

March 4. 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss Banner Health's innovative "Text the CEO" program that has revolutionized patient feedback collection. The initiative allows patients to text feedback directly to leadership via SMS or QR codes, creating immediate communication channels between patients and executives. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   Linked...

According to Kroll's cyber risk team, healthcare leads as the most breached industry in 2024 at 23% of all incidents, with medical data valued up to $1,000 on dark markets compared to just $5 for credit card information. Drex provides updates on the Change Healthcare breach one year later, noting that notifications are still ongoing for the incident that affected nearly half of all Americans. The...

March 3, 2025: Laura O’Toole , Founder and CEO of SureTest , joins Bill for the news. They discuss what makes a conference experience truly valuable in healthcare for both health leaders and vendors. Laura shares insights on meaningful relationship-building versus transactional sales approaches, explaining how pre-work determines conference success long before booths are even set up. As the confer...

Febuary 28, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss potential implications of leadership changes at HHS on healthcare policy, technology, and operations. Learn how healthcare leaders can stay informed about policy shifts affecting compliance requirements, maintain public trust, and navigate complex dynamics in healthcare administration. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week...

Darkula's new "Darkula Suite" phishing-as-a-service platform that makes creating sophisticated phishing campaigns accessible to non-technical users. Then, Warby Parker's $1.5 million fine for a 2018 security breach affecting nearly 200,000 customers. Lastly, CrowdStrike's Chief Security Officer Sean Henry announcing his retirement after serving as a key executive at the company Remember, Stay a Li...

February 27, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss the critical physician shortage facing U.S. healthcare, with projections showing a deficit of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. Learn how health systems are implementing innovative solutions, from Ochsner's $5M workforce development programs to expanded telehealth and advanced practice provider integration. Subscribe: This Week Health &nb...

February 26, 2025: Jacob Hansen , CPO of AvaSure , discusses their new groundbreaking virtual assistant Vicky while exploring the possibilities and difficulties of managing multiple AI systems in a single room. How will the delicate balance between technological advancement and patient privacy shape the future of healthcare delivery? What does the future hold as healthcare technology continues to...

February 25, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss Tufts University and Kaiser Permanente's groundbreaking Food is Medicine National Network of Excellence. The initiative brings together major healthcare organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, CVS Health, and Geisinger to integrate food-based interventions into standard medical care. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter:...

February 24, 2025: Toby Eadelman , CTO of AvaSure , explores the intricate dance between technological advancement and healthcare delivery. With China's DeepSeek challenging U.S. AI dominance will it force more innovation? As healthcare systems grapple with increasing energy demands due to AI technology, how do we ensure that our pursuit of cutting-edge solutions doesn't overshadow our primary mis...

Drex covers major developments in cybersecurity including significant staffing changes at CISA, where the DOJ has laid off 130 employees and controversially granted facility access to 19-year-old Edward Korrestien. We also discuss a critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-0111) discovered in Palo Alto firewalls that requires immediate attention. The episode concludes with news of HealthNet Federal Servic...

February 21, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson explore the influence of healthcare's top billionaires on industry innovation and digital transformation. They discuss the balance between profit-driven advancement and patient care, implications for CIOs, and the role of wealth concentration in healthcare technology investments. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health  ...

February 20, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble examine UPMC's Medicaid contingency planning amid what Brendan Harris calls "a scary time" for health systems. The episode explores how shifting eligibility requirements and budget constraints are affecting healthcare delivery, while discussing how CIOs can leverage data analytics and security measures to navigate these changes. Subscribe: This W...

February 19, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble explore the accelerating trend of hospital systems acquiring urgent care centers. Learn why major healthcare players are investing in urgent care, the challenges of IT integration, and how this strategic move impacts patient care delivery and market competition. Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: This Week Health   LinkedIn: This We...

Drex covers the alleged breach of OmniGPT affecting 30,000+ users with 34M+ exposed messages. Then, sophisticated deepfake scam using Italian defense minister's voice targeting business leaders. Lastly, a growing partnership between financial cybercriminals and state-sponsored hackers from Russia, China, and Iran. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid  Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitter: T...

February 18, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss University Hospitals' innovative $3 million investment in mixed-income housing in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood. Learn how this strategic investment model combines healthcare outcomes with community development, using data analytics to track impact on ER visits and long-term health outcomes.  Subscribe: This Week Health   Twitt...

February 17, 2025: George Pappas , CEO of Intraprise Health , dives into the evolving landscape of healthcare cybersecurity. What separates mere compliance from genuine organizational protection as organizations grapple with increasing regulatory pressures and the imminent HIPAA security rule update? The discussion explores these critical questions while examining the convergence of various securi...