In this episode of The Missing Piece Podcast, Shawn Valenta shares his journey from respiratory therapist to healthcare innovator, telehealth leader, and digital transformation strategist. 

Over nearly 25 years in healthcare, Shawn has helped build and scale telehealth programs, expand rural access to care, develop virtual emergency care services, and lead large-scale healthcare transformation initiatives. He discusses how listening to clinicians, understanding real-world challenges, and focusing on outcomes helped drive innovation across telehealth and correctional healthcare. 

Shawn also shares his perspective on the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare, why organizations should learn from the EHR adoption era, and the importance of thoughtful implementation, training, and workflow integration when introducing new technologies. 

Key topics include:

• Telehealth innovation and expansion

• Building the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance

• Virtual emergency care in correctional healthcare

• Healthcare leadership and mentorship

• AI adoption in healthcare

• Digital transformation strategies

• Solving healthcare challenges through collaboration 

Whether you're a healthcare leader, clinician, technology professional, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating meaningful and sustainable change. 

Listen, learn, and discover what may be the missing piece in healthcare innovation. 

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

Connect with Shawn Valenta:

-LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-valenta-44756193/⁠

#TheMissingPiece #HealthcareInnovation #Telehealth #DigitalHealth #HealthcareLeadership #AIinHealthcare #HealthTech #VirtualCare #HealthcareTransformation #HealthcareTechnology #ClinicalLeadership #Telemedicine #DigitalTransformation #HealthcarePodcast #HealthInnovation

Amit Shah, President of Virta Health, joins TMP Podcast to challenge one of healthcare’s most accepted assumptions: that chronic metabolic disease is something patients simply have to manage for life. 

Drawing on nearly a decade at Virta, Amit explains why the U.S. healthcare system is often built to manage sickness rather than improve long-term health — and how Virta is working to change that through nutrition, technology, and personalized care. 

This conversation explores:

• Why U.S. healthcare incentivizes treating sickness over preventing disease

• How Virta combines nutrition, AI, and human coaching to reverse metabolic disease

• The importance of aligned incentives in scaling patient-centered healthcare

• How AI is transforming proactive and personalized care

• Advice for healthcare entrepreneurs navigating the payer landscape 

If this conversation sparked something in you, subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Missing Piece Podcast. 

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

Connect with Amit Shah: 

-LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitrshah1/overlay/contact-info/ ⁠

-Virta Health: ⁠https://www.virtahealth.com/⁠

#MetabolicHealth #VirtaHealth #ChronicDisease #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare #ReverseDiabetes #HealthTech #GLP1 #TheMissingPiece #HealthcareLeadership 

Jane Garcia spent 43 years transforming La Clinica de la Raza from a small grassroots clinic into one of the nation’s leading community health organizations — proving that healthcare is about far more than medicine. It’s about trust, access, and community. 

In this episode, the longtime CEO shares how growing up without health insurance shaped her mission, why community health workers became critical during COVID-19, and how healthcare organizations can embrace AI without losing the human connection at the center of care. 

From health equity and leadership to EHR transformation and universal healthcare access, this conversation explores some of the biggest challenges — and opportunities — shaping community healthcare today, including: 

• Community healthcare leadership and health equity

• How trust lowered COVID-19 death rates

• AI adoption in healthcare and protecting community impact

• The evolution of EHRs and care coordination

• Why “health for all” remains the missing piece 

Read the blog for more insights from Jane Garcia’s 43-year leadership journey:  ⁠https://podcast.ehrconcepts.com/⁠

If you believe healthcare should be a right — not a privilege — share this episode and subscribe for more conversations on the future of healthcare, leadership, and innovation. 

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#HealthEquity #CommunityHealth #LaClinicaDeLaRaza #HealthcareLeadership #UniversalCoverage #PatientAdvocacy #PublicHealth #MissionDrivenLeadership #HealthForAll #TheMissingPiece

Dr. Laurel Soot spent 16 years as a general surgeon before becoming Chief Medical Officer at Providence Health Plan, and throughout that entire journey, one question kept following her: why are patients still arriving in crisis for conditions the healthcare system could have caught years earlier? 

In this episode of The Missing Piece, Dr. Soot shares the pivotal patient stories that changed the way she viewed medicine, the systemic failures driving preventable disease, and why healthcare must shift from reacting to illness to truly investing in prevention. 

From the realities of AI in clinical settings to the financial incentives shaping modern healthcare, this conversation challenges the status quo while offering a clear vision for where the industry needs to go next. 

Key Topics:

• Dr. Soot’s transition from surgeon to Chief Medical Officer — and the moment she realized she wanted to influence healthcare beyond the operating room

• Two patients in their 40s with preventable advanced cancers, and what their stories reveal about gaps in the system

• Where AI can genuinely improve care and why physician oversight remains critical

• The fee-for-service problem and how current healthcare incentives discourage prevention

• Why physicians are uniquely equipped for leadership roles within healthcare organizations 

If you’re a clinician, healthcare executive, innovator, or simply someone passionate about the future of healthcare, this episode is a must-listen. 

Read more insights on  The Missing Piece Blog for more conversations shaping the future of healthcare: ⁠https://podcast.ehrconcepts.com/⁠

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#HealthcareLeadership #PreventiveMedicine #ChiefMedicalOfficer #PopulationHealth #PhysicianLeaders #HealthcareReform #AIInHealthcare #TheMissingPiece #WomenInMedicine #ValueBasedCare

What can healthcare learn from aviation, AI, and even space travel? 

In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Matthew Cooper — cardiac surgeon, aerospace medicine leader, former Fortune 100 Chief Medical Officer, and FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner — shares how decades of high-stakes decision-making shaped his perspective on leadership, patient safety, and the future of medicine. 

From performing heart transplants to advising on medicine for humans living and working in space, Dr. Cooper explains why healthcare has become dangerously fragmented, how aviation safety models could transform patient care, and why AI should augment human creativity — not replace it. 

Topics include:

- Aviation safety and healthcare

- The risks and future of AI in medicine

- Life as a cardiac surgeon

- Surgery and medicine in space

- Why healthcare systems are failing patients

- Leadership, resilience, and continuous learning 

If you enjoy conversations about healthcare innovation, technology, leadership, and the future of humanity, this episode is for you. 

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share your biggest takeaway in the comments. 

Connect with Dr. Cooper:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-m-cooper-md-mba-facs-fasma-fcama-a80b2631/ ⁠

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#HealthcareLeadership #CardiacSurgery #AerospaceMedicine #PatientSafety #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalLeadership #FutureOfMedicine #SpaceMedicine #AlwaysBeLearning 

Andy Farella, SVP and CIO at the NBME and 2022 Philly CIO of the Year, has watched healthcare technology evolve from the first desktop PC to full-scale AI-driven medical assessments — and he's been building it the whole way.  

In this conversation, Andy gets honest about what EMRs got wrong, why healthcare moves slower than it should, and why the defining challenge for every leader today is figuring out where AI ends and the human touch must begin. It's a career story built on relationships, decisiveness, and never losing sight of the mission.  

Key Topics: 

• The real lessons from 30 years at the intersection of healthcare and technology 

• Where EMRs over-promised and where they genuinely saved lives 

• How NBME is using AI to reimagine physician assessment at scale 

• Why decisive leadership — not consensus — builds stronger teams 

If this episode resonated with you, follow The Missing Piece Podcast and connect with Andy Farella.  

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

Want to connect with Andy? Reach out on LinkedIn to discuss leadership, healthcare transformation, or the future of AI in medical education and assessment: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfarella/⁠

#HealthcareIT #CIO #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareTechnology #MedicalEducation #DigitalTransformation #LeadershipDevelopment #USMLE #ElectronicHealthRecords #TheMissingPiecePodcast

What actually drives sustainable growth in a company—and why do so many get stuck? 

In this episode of The Missing Piece, April Reed sits down with Todd Treml, CEO of Touching Hearts at Home, to explore what 30+ years in franchising, leadership, and private equity have taught him about scaling businesses the right way. 

From building franchise systems to leading a purpose-driven home care organization, Todd shares how his approach to leadership evolved—and why growth ultimately comes down to people, discipline, and execution. 

He also dives into the rising importance of in-home senior care, and what it takes to build organizations that deliver both performance and impact. 

Key topics discussed: 

• The leadership shift from individual performance to empowering others  

• Why listening first is critical in times of transformation  

• How to scale through people, systems, and operational discipline  

• What separates companies that grow from those that get stuck  

• The growing demand for non-medical senior home care  

• Building culture and alignment across distributed teams  

If you're a leader, entrepreneur, or operator navigating growth, this conversation offers practical insights grounded in real-world experience. 

Listen to the full episode and follow along for more conversations on leadership, healthcare, and innovation. 

Connect with Todd Treml:

-Follow Todd Treml on LinkedIn.

-Visit ⁠https://touchinghearts.com/⁠

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#SeniorCare #AgingAtHome #FranchisingLeadership #TouchingHeartsAtHome #HomeCare #TheMissingPiece #PurposeDrivenBusiness #FranchiseBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #CaregiverSupport 

Erika Maritz spent 14 years as a radiation therapist watching cancer patients —and after seeing them sent home with feeding tubes, discharge instructions, and a roll of tape, she decided to start designing a better solution from home. Now founder of Maritz Medical Solutions, she's disrupting the feeding tube category with a support system designed around patient dignity, not clinical convenience. This conversation traces her journey from bedside observations to product innovation, and the vision she has, to ensure no patient leaves a hospital without the tools they need. 

In this episode, Erika and April discuss several topics: 

• The emotional and physical impact of feeding tube management on patients and caregivers 

• How Erika designed and iterated the feeding tube belt through direct patient feedback 

• The clinical gap between hospital discharge and specialized home care for tube-fed patients 

• Maritz Medical's nonprofit partnership strategy to scale patient access  

If this story moved you, share it with a caregiver, clinician, or anyone navigating life with a feeding tube and follow The Missing Piece Podcast for more conversations that put patients first. 

Connect with Erika Maritz: 

-Follow Erika on LinkedIn. ⁠

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#FeedingTube #PatientAdvocacy #MedicalInnovation #CancerCare #HealthcareEntrepreneur #MaritzMedical #NurseInnovator #CaregiverSupport #RadiationTherapy #TheMissingPiecePodcast 

What if AI could give clinicians their time back, and improve patient care at the same time?

In this episode of The Missing Piece Podcast, April Reed sits down with healthcare IT leader and AI strategist Robert Henehan to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of healthcare.

From his early exposure to electronic medical records to leading AI innovation today, Robert shares real-world insights on: 

• The evolution from paper charts to AI-powered systems  

• Why AI agents are the next big shift in healthcare  

• How organizations can safely adopt AI (without risking compliance)  

• The importance of AI governance and education  

• How tools like HIPAA-compliant platforms are transforming workflows  

• Real stories of clinicians saving 8–10 hours a week—and getting their lives back  

This conversation is a must-watch for healthcare leaders, clinicians, and anyone curious about where AI is taking the industry next.

Whether you're new to AI or already exploring it, this episode will help you understand what’s coming—and how to prepare. 

Connect with Robert Henehan: 

Connect with Robert on LinkedIn

-Henecorp

-BastionGPT

🔗 Follow the conversation:  

-Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

-Follow April on LinkedIn

🎧 Sponsored by EHR Concepts and Learnista

#AIinHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #FutureOfHealthcare #AITransformation #HealthcareIT #MachineLearning #TheMissingPiecePodcast 

Nathan Franklin has an unconventional path: from rural Wisconsin farm kid to political staffer to energy executive—now VP of External Affairs & Sustainability at Emplify Health. In this episode, April Reed and Nathan explore how Emplify Health is reimagining what's possible in healthcare. 

Topics covered on this episode: 

• How to crowdsource innovation from your workforce 

• Why AI is a multiplier for healthcare, not a threat to jobs 

• Sustainability initiatives generating millions in annual savings 

• From 2.2 GPA to healthcare leadership—the power of finding your niche 

• Net-zero clinics and the future of healthcare energy 

• The "work smarter, not harder" philosophy that changed everything 

Learn more: 

• Emplify Health

• Eneration

• Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn.  ⁠

Follow the conversation:  

Subscribe for weekly episodes here.

Follow April on LinkedIn:⁠ / april-reed-82259711  ⁠

Sponsored by EHR Concepts - ⁠https://ehrconcepts.com⁠

Learnista - ⁠https://learnista.com ⁠

#HealthcareInnovation #Leadership #Sustainability #HealthcareLeadership #AmplifyHealth #AI #Healthcare #Innovation #RuralHealthcare #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthcareTechnology #EmployeeInnovation #GreenEnergy #HealthcareJobs #MissionDriven #PodcastInterview