In this episode of QuickHITs, we sit down with Alex Romillo, CEO, and Oscar Perez, Chief Applications and Innovation Officer at Health Choice Network (HCN). Together, they share how HCN is using technology, data, and mission-driven leadership to support community health centers across the country.

Alex reflects on his nearly 30-year journey with HCN—from joining as employee #17 to leading a 400-person network focused on improving access to care for underserved populations. Oscar discusses his path through major academic and public health systems and why he ultimately chose to help HCN modernize care delivery at scale.

They walk through HCN's multi-state Epic implementation, their approach to data migration, and how AI-powered tools like ambient documentation are reducing burden and improving provider-patient interactions. Both leaders emphasize the importance of data equity, strong governance, and keeping innovation grounded in the real needs of clinicians and the communities they serve.

Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on how technology, when aligned with mission, can expand access, strengthen quality, and drive meaningful transformation across the safety net.

In this episode of QuickHITs, we're joined by Amber Schuetz, Director of Clinical Systems at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Amber's story is one of transformation. Starting her career as a registered nurse in critical care and clinics, she stepped into healthcare IT to become a leader who bridges clinical insight with digital innovation.

Amber shares the defining moments that shaped her leadership style, including the mentor who encouraged her to take on stretch assignments and instilled in her the principles of servant leadership. She discusses leading Boys Town through a smooth Epic go-live, training nearly 1,700 users, and even presenting her work at Epic's XGM conference, all while ensuring clinicians and staff felt supported every step of the way.

She also reflects on Boys Town's unique history and mission, serving primarily pediatric patients, and how clinical systems play a crucial role in supporting children and families. From embracing AI-powered tools like DAX and Copilot to focusing on relationship-building across IT and clinical leadership, Amber demonstrates how technology can enable trust, improve care, and drive meaningful outcomes.

Please tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, resilience, and how healthcare IT can serve as a strategic enabler of quality, safety, and innovation in pediatric care.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Nneka Sederstrom, Chief Health Equity Officer at Hennepin Healthcare. As the organization's first leader in this role, Nneka shares how Hennepin responded to the death of George Floyd by creating a system-wide strategy to confront racism in healthcare and build lasting trust with the community.

Nneka reflects on the challenges and successes of launching a year-long, 44-hour anti-racism training for more than 7,000 employees, and why education and awareness are critical foundations for equity work. She explores the complexity of measuring progress in meaningful ways. From rethinking how identity is captured in EHRs to creating innovative forums like a "failure conference" that encourages honest dialogue and shared learning.

She also breaks down the importance of listening to and believing patient stories, building champions for change at every level of leadership, and why persistence is crucial when addressing deeply rooted inequities within the healthcare system.

Please tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, courage, and the future of health equity and why, as Neka reminds us, "everything is figureoutable."

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Anita Harris-Brown, Vice President, CNIO, and Clinical Applications leader at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. A former pediatric critical care nurse turned healthcare IT leader, Dr. Harris-Brown shares her journey from paper-based workflows to shaping one of the nation's top children's hospitals through technology and innovation.

Dr. Harris-Brown reflects on the pivotal experiences that led her into clinical informatics and how she bridges the gap between bedside care and digital transformation. She explores the role of gamification in pediatric care — from turning physical therapy into baseball with the Cincinnati Reds to designing child-friendly digital tools that make hospital visits less intimidating.

She also breaks down how her team approaches AI, avatars, and virtual nursing with intentional governance and a focus on safe, scalable use cases. With servant leadership at the core of her philosophy, Dr. Harris-Brown shares why listening to clinicians, patients, and families is essential for building trust and driving adoption of new technology.

Please tune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership in pediatric healthcare, the intersection of clinical insight and innovation, and how technology can create both safer outcomes and more engaging experiences for children and their families.

In this episode of QuickHITs, we're joined by Rebecca Woods, Founder and CEO of Bluebird Leaders, a vibrant and fast-growing community on a mission to empower women in healthcare IT. Rebecca shares what inspired her to create the organization, how it's evolved into a powerful network of nearly 5,000 followers and 250+ members, and why community and mentorship are essential to changing the leadership landscape.

Alongside hosts Tyler Smith and Ken Booth, Rebecca discusses what it means to build a personal brand with intention, how to lead with empathy while navigating chaos, and the importance of letting people, especially future leaders, fail, learn, and grow. From her "hooky day" parenting rules to her viral pink sparkly shoes moment, Rebecca brings refreshing honesty, sharp insight, and a deep passion for helping others rise.

Whether you're an aspiring leader, a seasoned executive, or somewhere in between, this conversation will leave you inspired to show up more authentically for yourself and for others.

In this episode of QuickHITs, we're joined by Dr. Nirav Shah, Associate Chief Medical Informatics Officer of AI and Innovation at Endeavor Health. With a clinical background in infectious diseases and a career spanning quality, analytics, and digital transformation, Dr. Shah shares how Endeavor is navigating the complex yet urgent task of scaling AI responsibly across a multi-hospital health system.

Dr. Shah, Tyler Smith, and Ken Booth discuss what it takes to build trust in emerging technologies from the rapid adoption of ambient documentation to the next wave of agentic AI tools that promise to automate full workflows. He shares how his team is using generative AI to reduce a 3-month manual policy consolidation effort down to five minutes, and why platforms over point solutions is the mindset shift needed for sustainable growth.

If you're working to balance innovation with governance, reduce burnout with better tech, or prepare your health system for the scale of change AI is bringing, this episode offers a clear framework for getting started.

In this episode of QuickHITs, Tyler Smith sits down with Olegas Niaksu, Head of Digital Health at AME International GmbH, researcher at Vilnius University, and digital transformation advisor to governments and global health organizations.

Olegas shares how he unexpectedly entered the healthcare space and became fascinated by the complex world of hospital information systems. From there, his career took off, spanning continents, health systems, and innovation strategies.

The conversation explores the global acceleration of virtual care and remote patient monitoring, how lower-income countries are bypassing outdated systems in favor of newer innovations, and why AI has yet to fully disrupt healthcare. Olegas also discusses how the EU is setting a new standard for cross-border data exchange and emphasizes what healthcare leaders must understand before starting any digital transformation effort.

This is a thoughtful, global look at where digital health is headed—and why success depends on more than just technology.

In this episode of QuickHITs, we're joined by Dr. Alistair Erskine, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Emory Healthcare and Emory University. With a background that bridges clinical care and digital transformation, Dr. Erskine offers a candid and practical perspective on how healthcare systems can utilize technology to enhance, rather than complicate, care delivery.

Dr. Erskine and Tyler Smith, CEO of Health Data Movers, discuss the emerging role of ambient technologies in reducing documentation burden and burnout, the importance of governing AI responsibly, and the power of interoperability through Epic to drive smarter, safer workflows. From real-world change management lessons to forward-thinking use cases like practice-based evidence and predictive patient engagement, this conversation is packed with strategies healthcare leaders can use today.

If you're navigating digital transformation, scaling innovation, or just trying to make IT a little less painful for clinicians, this one's for you.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Nish Patel, Director of the Structural Heart Program at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. A practicing interventional cardiologist and structural heart specialist, Dr. Patel shares how his personal experiences and procedural expertise have shaped his patient-centered approach to care.

Dr. Patel walks us through the evolution of structural heart interventions, from the early days of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to today's cutting-edge use of 3D imaging, CT simulations, and AI-powered identification tools. He breaks down how his team uses data, technology, and standardized reporting to improve outcomes, reduce delays, and deliver what he calls the "Ritz-Carlton" experience in cardiovascular care.

He also explores the systemic challenges of standardizing complex heart programs across multi-hospital health systems, especially when navigating fragmented EHR environments. From real-time simulations that reduce procedural risk to using large language models to identify high-risk patients proactively, Dr. Patel offers a pragmatic and inspiring look at the future of heart care innovation.

Please tune in for a powerful discussion about leadership in cardiology, the impact of digital tools on care timelines, and what it takes to balance precision, compassion, and scale in modern medicine.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Nigam Shah, a leading voice in healthcare AI and Stanford Health Care's Chief Data Scientist. As a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Shah has spent his career turning massive amounts of health data, from EHRs to wearables, into actionable insights that improve clinical care.

Dr. Shah explains what it takes to bring AI out of the lab and into patient care. From Stanford's groundbreaking approach to advance care planning to the importance of understanding workflows and work capacity before deploying any model, he offers a candid look at the complexities and opportunities of real-world AI in healthcare.

He also introduces the "Turing Trap" concept, explains why "human-in-the-loop" is often misunderstood, and discusses how we can prepare health systems for sustainable, ethical AI adoption. With his unique perspective at the intersection of clinical practice, research, and informatics, Dr. Shah offers a thoughtful, grounded take on how AI can support, not replace, the people at the heart of care.

Please tune in for an eye-opening conversation about responsible AI, the evolution of care delivery, and what it means to be bilingual in tech and medicine.