Welcome back to HITea With Grace, where we spill the tea on healthcare IT. This episode takes a hard look beyond the AI hype cycle and into the past, present, future of care in rural America.

Grace is joined by Dr. Sarah E. Matt, MD, MBA, healthcare strategist, bestselling author of The Borderless Healthcare Revolution, and former Oracle executive, for a candid conversation about what is really shaping the future of healthcare in 2026 and beyond.

While headlines focus on AI everywhere and all at once, Dr. Matt argues the real transformation is a quiet rural renaissance happening in places many investors and innovators overlook. Together, they dig into where capital is actually flowing in healthcare, why geography still determines life expectancy, and why so many well-funded digital health pilots fall apart the moment they hit a rural emergency department on a busy night.

This episode explores:

Why zip code still predicts outcomes despite decades of innovation

The difference between digital infrastructure and human infrastructure

What hospital boards are missing about physician burnout right now

Why rural hospitals struggle to scale innovation and how some break the cycle

How AI risks widening the rural care gap if leaders are not intentional

Why workforce shortages are a design failure, not just a staffing problem

The uncomfortable truths health system leaders are avoiding about rural care

Dr. Matt also shares insights from her work on borderless care, including the single regulatory change that could unlock real progress and why it has not happened yet.

As always, HITea With Grace closes by getting personal. Dr. Matt reflects on how she does her best work, how she navigates challenges, and what advice she has for women building careers in healthcare and health IT today. And of course, we wrap with tea, mugs, and the stories behind them.

🎧 If you care about the future of healthcare beyond urban innovation hubs, this episode is a must-listen.

Cheers!

In this episode of HITea, Grace is joined by Anita Phung, MD, Research Physician at Lindus Health, for a thoughtful and timely discussion on how clinical research has historically overlooked women and what that means for diagnosis delays, treatment gaps, and long-term health outcomes.

Together, they unpack why women’s longevity isn’t just about lifestyle hacks or wellness trends, but about who gets studied, how trials are designed, and whose data is actually driving medical decisions. Dr. Phung shares her career journey into clinical research, explains how male-centered trial designs still influence today’s guidelines and health tech, and explores why women remain underrepresented in research, especially during key life stages like perimenopause and menopause.

The conversation also dives into:

How delayed diagnoses quietly compound over time for women

Why decentralized and remote trials are critical for real-world participation

Where the biggest research gaps still exist in women’s aging, hormones, and chronic disease

How women can actively help close the data gap through trials, wearables, and advocacy

As always, we close out HITea With Grace by getting personal, talking about how Dr. Phung does her best work, overcomes challenges, and what advice she has for women navigating healthcare and research today. And of course, we end on a lighter note with tea, mugs, and the stories behind them ☕️

🎧 Tune in for a conversation that blends science, systems, and lived experience and challenges us to rethink what it really takes to support women’s long-term health.

Cheers!

Welcome back to HITea With Grace, where we sip something warm and spotlight the voices reshaping healthcare.

Today Grace is joined by Gail Menasco, founder of the Bra Society and a powerful advocate for women navigating breast reconstruction and broader healthcare challenges. Gail shares the personal cancer journey that led her into advocacy at just 38 years old and how it shaped her mission to empower patients with knowledge, resources, and support.

The conversation explores her important work in Oregon and how policy efforts there aim to improve access and outcomes for women’s health. Gail also discusses the growing role of patient advocates in shaping policy, the evolving partnerships between clinicians, policymakers, and communities, and why collaboration is essential to closing long-standing gaps in care.

Grace and Gail dig into the future of ACA subsidies, rising affordability concerns, and what weakened protections could mean for women and families. They also look at the widening gap between women’s health innovation and insurance coverage and the promising ideas emerging to bridge it.

To close the episode, Gail shares what drives her, how she overcomes challenges, her advice for women in healthcare and health IT, and of course the tea she brought to the pod today.

Settle in for an insightful and inspiring conversation on HITea With Grace.

On this week's HITea with Grace, our host is joined by Nick Adkins, Founder of PinkSocks, for a joyful and heartfelt conversation inspired by his new book that captures years of adventure, connection, and community building.

Nick shares the story behind the PinkSocks movement, how a simple symbol grew into a global community, and why the message of empathy and kindness continues to resonate across healthcare and beyond.

The conversation dives into what makes PinkSocks so enduring, stories from his book that reflect the spirit of the movement, and how allyship is evolving in health tech and patient advocacy. Nick also talks about how human connection and kindness can fuel innovation and strengthen the future of care.

To close the episode, Nick reflects on what motivates him, how he navigates challenges, his advice for leaders in healthcare and health IT, and of course the mug he brought to the pod today.

Pour a cup and enjoy another uplifting conversation on HITea With Grace and check out Nick's latest book:

Welcome back to the HITea With Grace Podcast, where we sip something warm and uncover the real stories behind healthcare innovation.

Today Grace Vinton is joined by Julia Komissarchik for a conversation about the challenges and opportunities behind FDA approved AI models in healthcare. Julia explains why many of these models stay confined to a single hospital, how broader access to high quality clinical data can improve generalization, and what is needed to build AI systems that work for diverse patient populations.

The discussion explores the limits of small training datasets, the importance of secure and scalable de-identification, the role of multimodal clinical data, and what it takes to build trust between hospitals and research partners. Julia also breaks down what works and what does not work in federated learning and what safeguards are required to make it a viable approach for clinical AI.

To close the episode, Julia shares what motivates her, how she overcomes challenges, her advice for women in healthcare and health IT, and of course the tea she brought to the pod today.

Welcome back to the HITea With Grace Podcast, where we sip something warm and explore the stories of women shaping healthcare and health IT.

Today Grace is joined by Jenni Tarma, CEO and Founder of Kaari Prehab, for an honest conversation about women’s bone health and why osteoporosis remains so overlooked. Jenni shares her career path, why bone health for postmenopausal women is often missed in mainstream medicine, and how patient-centered exercise guidance can change outcomes.

The conversation highlights evidence-based options for women who want to avoid or delay medications, ways to spot credible information, how advocacy communities empower patients, and what first steps someone should take if they suspect they are at risk. Jenni also talks about how clinicians and wellness professionals can help patients move past fear-based messaging, along with the policy and community changes needed to improve care.

To wrap up the episode, Yenni shares how she works her best, what helps her overcome challenges, and her advice for women in healthcare and health IT. And of course, we ask the important question: what tea did she bring today?

Tune in, learn something new, and enjoy another great conversation on HITea With Grace!

Welcome to HITea With Grace, where we spill the tea on HIT. Today we are coming to you from the HLTH conference for a special episode with Amanda Rees, CEO of Bold and one of the leading voices in fall prevention. Amanda recently joined me on stage for a panel at HLTH, and now she is here to share even more insight on the crisis we rarely talk about but absolutely should.

Amanda walks us through the career journey that led her to build Bold and why she believes falls remain one of healthcare’s most preventable yet overlooked challenges. Together, we dig into why balance and fall prevention have stayed under the national radar despite the massive medical, social, and economic impact.

We explore the innovations turning fall prevention from reactive to predictive, including AI powered tools that identify risk earlier and more accurately. Amanda shares her perspective on what Medicare’s STAR ratings and value based models mean for accelerating adoption, and what policymakers can do to push prevention forward.

Grace and Amanda also get real about the stigma older adults face when using technology. Amanda breaks down what actually works when it comes to adoption, trust building, and making digital tools feel empowering rather than patronizing. We also talk about how clinicians can integrate these tools in a way that enhances, not overwhelms, their workflow and patient relationships.

To wrap up, Amanda imagines what the next five to ten years could look like if predictive fall prevention becomes the norm and how this innovation could transform aging in place for millions.

Grab your mug and settle in for a thoughtful, energizing HLTH conversation that shines a light on one of healthcare’s most important and least discussed opportunities.

We are kicking things off from sunny Las Vegas at the HLTH conference, where the halls are buzzing with new ideas in digital health. First up at the HITea With Grace table is Dr. Patricia Hayes, chief medical officer of Imagine Pediatrics and a lifelong champion for children with special health care needs.

In this conversation, Dr. Hayes shares the career journey that led her to Imagine Pediatrics and the mission that inspires her work. She explains how their tech enabled, multidisciplinary model strengthens the care children already receive by giving families more support at home, more coordinated communication, and more of what she calls safe days at home. Dr. Hayes also breaks down the real world challenges that families face when navigating Medicaid and the pediatric system and how today’s policy environment can both help and hinder progress.

Grace and Dr. Hayes explore how Imagine Pediatrics weaves together medical care, behavioral health, and social supports like transportation, housing, and food access. Dr. Hayes explains why addressing these social drivers of health is essential for helping families thrive and how technology and data can fuel better outcomes.

They wrap with what gives Dr. Hayes optimism about the future of pediatric care, especially for families facing the steepest obstacles, along with her reflections on purpose, resilience, and her advice for women working in healthcare and health IT.

Pour your tea and settle in for an uplifting, hopeful, HLTH inspired conversation with a leader who is helping reimagine care for some of the most remarkable kids and families in our system.

This week, Grace Vinton is coming to you from sunny Las Vegas at the HLTH conference, where healthcare's brightest minds gather to explore the future of digital health. Her guest is Missy Krasner, angel investor, advisor, and board member to Penguin AI and several other companies shaping the next wave of healthcare innovation.

In this episode, Missy shares her insights on where healthcare AI is heading, what is hype, and what has real potential to transform care. She dives into the current focus on large language models and the challenges we face in making them truly effective in healthcare settings. Missy also talks about the growing excitement around agentic AI systems and how they could improve efficiency for payers and providers as the so called AI agent wars begin to unfold.

Grace and Missy also explore one of the most talked about frontiers in the industry: the rise of AI driven tools in behavioral health. From conversational support to the risks of over reliance on chatbots, Missy offers a grounded perspective on what is promising and what requires caution when applying AI in sensitive areas of care.

The conversation then turns to the innovation trends Missy is energized by, including new models for obesity and GLP-1 care, longevity medicine, the evolution of primary care, and emerging tools designed to support value based care. Throughout the episode, Grace uncovers the values, motivations, and lived experiences that guide Missy's work in digital health and the advice she offers to women building careers in this space.

So pour yourself a cup of tea, settle in, and join Grace and Missy for a thoughtful conversation about the promise and complexity of AI in healthcare and the innovators working to shape a healthier and more connected future.

On this episode of HITea With Grace, we’re brewing up an inspiring conversation with Tiffany Goralczyk - nurse leader, MSN, RN, CNL, and Director of Clinical Solutions at Elemeno Health. Tiffany joins Grace to spill the tea on how microlearning is changing the game for healthcare teams - creating faster, smarter, and more meaningful ways to support clinicians right where they work.

From the bedside to the boardroom, Tiffany’s career journey is proof that when nurses and clinicians lead, innovation follows. She opens up about how her frontline experiences shaped her approach to designing technology that truly listens to caregivers and how real-world feedback fuels better digital solutions.

Together, Grace and Tiffany dive into the power of bite-sized learning, why traditional training often misses the mark, and how microlearning helps healthcare organizations build competence and confidence across their teams. Tiffany shares what it takes to roll out technology that actually sticks, how to measure success beyond adoption rates, and why creating a culture of learning matters just as much as the tools themselves.

They also explore the softer side of leadership: what drives Tiffany, how she overcomes challenges, and her heartfelt advice for women pursuing careers in healthcare and health IT. As always, Grace keeps things real with a little laughter, a lot of heart, and a shared love of tea.

So grab your mug, take a sip, and join us for a thoughtful conversation about empowering the frontline, humanizing technology, and leading with purpose - one microlearning moment at a time.