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

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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 

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on the transformative conversations that shaped healthcare leadership this year. From finding courage in uncertainty to leading with empathy in high-stakes environments, these moments reveal what it truly means to flourish. Healthcare leaders shared how they navigate daily alignment, build trust through authentic presence, and create cultures where growth isn't optional—it's essential. Whether you're managing digital transformation, building cross-generational teams, or simply trying to stay grounded amid constant change, these insights remind us that leadership isn't about perfection. It's about showing up with curiosity, courage, and the empathy that changes everything.

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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 

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December 4, 2025: Candice London, SVP of Client Success at Clearsense, shares the unfiltered truth about her transition after 20 years in health systems. She reveals why the move was more humbling than she expected, the mindset shifts that made the difference, and the one critical mistake healthcare organizations keep making with digital transformation. If you've ever wondered whether you could make the leap to trying something new—or why your latest technology implementation isn't solving the problems you expected—this conversation offers rare insights from someone who's lived on both sides of the table.

Key Points:

• 05:35 Misconceptions in Digital Transformation
• 08:24 Candice's Advice for Career Transitions
• 13:18 Balancing Work and Life as a Leader
• 14:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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December 1, 2025: As AI tools rapidly transform healthcare IT workflows, leaders face an unexpected challenge: what happens when your team becomes dramatically more productive? Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson explore the productivity paradox hitting healthcare organizations—when AI enables staff to accomplish in hours what once took weeks, do you need fewer people or different approaches? From closing open positions to managing "cozy" employees who've mastered automation, they debate real strategies for navigating this shift. Whether you're a process-driven leader or innovation-focused builder, this discussion reveals how AI is forcing healthcare IT to rethink staffing, workflow waste, and organizational culture before it's too late.

Key Points:

• 02:56 AI in the Workplace: Efficiency and Challenges
• 17:15 Leadership Styles and AI Integration
• 20:33 Approaching the AI Wave
• 26:23 Balancing Leadership Styles
• 32:11 End-of-Year Reflections and Predictions

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