Guest Co-Host: Dr Michael Bainbridge
George is on holiday so joining Louise at the mic this episode is Michael Bainbridge, Clinical Architect for Leidos Australia.

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Special Guest: Mark Brommeyer
Mark Brommeyer shares insights from his research on overcoming organisational barriers to digital transformation, focusing on practical strategies for health service managers.

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The Role of AI in Health Insurance
Louise and Michael explore the ethical and operational challenges of AI in the insurance sector, reflecting on the controversial use of AI to deny claims and the broader implications for health systems.

PatientsLikeMe Launches AI Assistant Ella
PatientsLikeMe, a leading patient community platform, developed an AI assistant focused on women's health, highlighting the growing trend of personalised digital health tools and femtech opportunities.

Political Shifts in Ireland Impact Digital Health
The team discusses the loss of Ireland’s Health Minister and its potential to disrupt the nation's digital health momentum.

Collaboration in Irish HealthTech
Ireland’s new agreement between the Health Service Executive and HealthTech Ireland is set to enhance innovation, with lessons for global health tech integration and collaboration.

NHS Marketplace: A Digital Revolution?
The UK’s NHS Marketplace promises to streamline app development and foster innovation. Will it deliver on governance, interoperability, innovation and start-ups?

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Prof Blackford Middleton joins us in the PulsePod studio to discuss his philosophising on the intersection of AI and healthcare, and his new publication The Ouroboros Effect: How AI Threatens Human Intellect. Link

In this episode of Pulse, Louise and George explore the hottest topics in digital health, from groundbreaking AI diagnosis studies to the collapse of a high-profile health startup, and news from UK, AU and NZ. Here’s what we cover:

Professional Identity: When Machines Outperform Doctors

We revisit a JAMA study showing ChatGPT outperformed doctors in diagnosis, even when clinicians had access to the tool. The debate heats up as commentary pours in, questioning professional identity, training gaps, and the cultural impact on medicine. Link

‘Doc in a Box’ Fails: Lessons from Forward Health’s Collapse

Forward Health, a $650M-backed US health startup, closed abruptly, leaving patients and employees in limbo. We discuss the pitfalls of tech-first healthcare models, investor errors, the importance of clinician and patient advisory roles, and the future of primary care.

NZ Sets a Goal for Digital Care

New Zealand aims for 10% of care delivered digitally by mid-2025. The timing is ambitious, but is the target?

Health Data as National Infrastructure: The UK’s Vision

A new report calls for treating health data as critical national infrastructure. We delve into its recommendations for a national health data strategy, governance, and patient benefit, reflecting on global implications for health data ecosystems. Link

ShareByDefault: Australia's Health Data Revolution

Australia’s Health Minister introduces a bill mandating the sharing of pathology results and imaging through MyHealthRecord. What does this mean for patients and clinicians?

Finally: Independent Evaluation of Generative AI

In the US the Healthcare AI Challenge Collaborative has been established to comparing the efficacy of generative AI tools for healthcare. They will produce public rankings of 9 commercial tools before Xmas. 

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Elon Musk’s Grok and Crowdsourcing Medical Data – Elon Musk invites the public to submit medical images to his AI, Grok, raising serious privacy concerns and questions about AI’s role in medical diagnostics.

Australia’s Workforce Report on Healthcare Professionals – Louise and George discuss whether the Australian government’s workforce report is reductive in its vision for the role of tech.

Health Technology in Conflict Zones – Health technology innovations are transforming care in war zones, with tools like telemedicine and AI bridging gaps in access and resources for conflict-affected populations.

The First Wearable to Kill Cancer Cells – A new FDA-approved wearable device uses electric fields to target and kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells, marking a significant step forward in digital cancer treatments.

The results of the US election are in. What might be the impact on global health and digital innovation in health?

Remote monitoring in the islands off Ireland gives Kate a trip down memory lane.

World-Class Health Information Exchange – We welcome Dr. Robin Mann and Dr. Honor Magon, co-authors of a popular Pulse+IT opinion piece, to discuss the vision for a world-class Health Information Exchange and its potential impact.

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Contrary to the campaign slogan ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, George asks Louise to spill on how she found the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas.

Samsung Health’s New Features: From medication tracking to meal logging, Samsung’s health app upgrades are enhancing preventive care and consumer engagement. What does this mean for the future of health apps?

Virtual Health Disconnect: Deloitte's survey results highlight a growing divide between consumer demand for virtual health and health systems' priorities.

The fallout from New Zealand’s digital health budget cuts – what happens when you cut $500 million from a transformation program?

How is the UK government’s open consultation on fixing the NHS going? Is comedy going to be the only outcome?

Virtual hospitals and hospital in the home programs are hot right now. How does that compare with primary care telehealth consultations?

Guest: Fay Flevaras, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Department of Health and Aged Care shares insights on the monumental task of digitally enabling Australia’s aged care sector. Her team’s work promises to bring much-needed innovation and support to a vital sector, impacting the lives of many Australians.

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Joining us in the Pulse Pod studio this week is Rachel Dunscombe, CEO of OpenEHR International and Director at the ECHA Alliance. Rachel is a key figure in advancing digital health systems globally, working with governments all over the world to advance their digital health agendas. She recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on the topic of "Leveraging AI for Global Healthcare Delivery".

It's a longevity, healthspan, preventative health focused data week on the pod. George and Louise discuss:

Are governments spending enough of their health budget on preventative health? Are we taking advantage of digital health to enable a proactive and healthspan focused approach to healthcare?

Have humans already maxed out our expected longevity? What happens with our aspirations don’t align with the science?

The Commonwealth Fund ranks the performance of health systems in 10 countries. Where did Australia land? What happens when you look under the hood of the headlines? Which country ranked the worst?

We predict that AI will revolutionise patient triage. The question is not will it, but when will it? What does this mean for consumers, patients, clinicians and the broader workforce?

Two thirds of Australian GPs reckon they are innovators and early adopters. 

The Aussie government is making waves in aged care and charging ahead in digital health, including measuring digital maturity in primary care and residential aged care. 

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Resources: 

Study on public health funding of preventive health. Link

Nature Ageing study on life expectancy limits. Link

Diagnostic accuracy study. Link

Commonwealth Fund report. Link

AI and patient triage at UK GP practice. Link

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Our special guest of Pulse is known online as e-Patient Dave. Dave Debronkart is a leading light of determined patient advocacy for individual access to their own health information. Dave joins us in the PulsePod studio to explore a new movement he is championing - #PatientsUseAI

OpenAI's Transformation and AI Transparency

OpenAI's shift from a non-profit to a for-profit corporation raises concerns about AI transparency, accountability, and the concentration of power in tech. How does this impact healthcare?

ChatGPT Use in Healthcare

A recent UK study reveals that 20% of surveyed GPs use generative AI tools in clinical practice, highlighting the need for education on both benefits and risks.

Patient Data Sharing Controversy

Australia's largest medical imaging lab, i-Med, faces scrutiny for sharing patient scans with AI startup Harrison AI. Is this all a bit overblown?

AI Consultation in Australia

The Department of Health and Aged Care is running a public consultation on Safe and Responsible AI, with healthcare as a priority area for reform. Listeners are encouraged to participate in the consultation and attend the upcoming webinar hosted by the Australian Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAAiH).

Epic vs Particle: Interoperability & Patient Access to Records

A lawsuit between EMR provider Epic and data integration company Particle Health highlights the ongoing debate about patient access to health information and interoperability. The outcome of this case could significantly impact the future of health data sharing and the balance between data protection and patient empowerment.

Real World Testing of AI-enabled General Practice

Hunter, New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network has launched a new project to test and trial AI tools in 10 of its practices and act as a showcase for these tools.

Resources: 

Follow ePatientDave on LinkedIn | X | Substack

Govt AI consultation: Submissions link & Webinar link

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Matthew Holt, Founder of The Health Care Blog and resident Silicon Valley digital health expert, joins us in the PulsePod studio to talk about the US election, what’s happening in health start-ups and venture capital; and what other countries can learn from the US’s experiments in the retailisation of healthcare.

George and Louise discuss Apple’s big health updates - not only is Apple listening, they are helping us hear! Google is experimenting with bioacoustics - by listening to us, can they diagnose respiratory illnesses?

Do you live in a country where insurers can discriminate against you on the basis of your genetics? Thankfully, in Australia that is no longer the case.

Louise experiments with AI to do an analysis of Lord Darzi’s report into the NHS.

The Australian government has a plan to keep older people at home for longer. How will technology enable this?

Resources: 

Follow Matthew Holt on LinkedIn | X | The Health Care Blog

Follow Keith Grimes on LinkedIn & play with his Custom GPT here

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We are living in the future! AI generated drug development is here. George and Louise discuss the significance of this development.

There’s lots of stuff happening in the aged care sector – from clinical information system standards to virtual nurses.

Would you form an intimate relationship with a chatbot? We introduce the topic of sextech on the pod.

The British Medical Journal Open has published a study on life expectancy in high income English-speaking countries. Guess which country comes out on top, and which one comes in dead last?

Our special guest of Pulse is Dr Chris Longhurst, the Chief Clinical and Innovation Officer at UC San Diego Health. Chris is a leader in transforming the way AI is integrated into medicine and how we make healthcare smarter and more compassionate. Follow Chris on LinkedIn

Resources:

• BMJ Open Life Expectancy Link
• Kate McDonald’s article on Dr Chris Longhurst, ‘Pyjama time, generative AI and the rise of the chief health AI officer’ Link

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Today’s episode features part 2 of our extended interview with Daniel McCabe, First Assistant Secretary for the Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. We dissect the government’s ambitious agenda and their determination to put patients/consumers in the centre of healthcare innovation. 

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Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

Today’s episode features part 1 of our extended interview with Daniel McCabe, First Assistant Secretary for the Medicare Benefits and Digital Health Division at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. We dissect the government’s ambitious agenda and their determination to put patients/consumers in the centre of healthcare innovation. 

Louise tries to convince George they should join the Ozempic gold rush. Will George consent?

The British Medical Journal has published a piece entitled “Patients need access to their medical records—now”, adding a loud voice to the move to share by default health records with patients.

What should be the role of tech in treating mental health conditions? The government is under fire for spending precious budget dollars on the wrong things.

Now you can get a blood pressure test while you shop for DIY items and munch down on a sausage sizzle. Will the vegans invade that oh-so-precious Australian institution of a sausage in the Bunnings car park?

Patient portals are not yet universal in Australia, but they will be if Kath Feely, Chief Allied Health Information Officer across Melbourne’s Parkville hospital precinct has anything to do with it. (Go allied health!)

Medical AI scribes are getting traction - can they be used to effortlessly create a version of the clinical note for patients? What do Pulse+IT readers think?

And yay to our friends in Canada who have launched the first patient-mediated International Patient Summary in North America. It’s kind of a big deal! Will Australia be following their lead?

Be a Sparked Founding member and join government, healthcare providers, established big software companies and some startups too. Join up before 30 August to be considered a Founding Member. More info here.

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