Accelerating drug development from ten years to one is possible when data, technology, and clinical trial design finally work together. In this episode, Bari Kowal, Senior Vice President of Development Operations & Portfolio Management for Regeneron, discusses how modernizing clinical trials, strengthening data infrastructure, and using AI responsibly can expand patient access and accelerate development. She emphasizes that education is a significant missing link in clinical research and that true progress depends on interoperability rather than flashy standalone tools. Bari highlights the need for clean, structured data and strong partnerships with health systems to integrate genetics, EMRs, and real-world information for more personalized and preventive medicine. She also explores the future of drug development, emphasising the importance of reducing cycle time, fostering regulatory collaboration, streamlining protocols, ensuring site readiness, and simplifying trial complexity while leveraging digital biomarkers effectively. Tune in and learn how thoughtful trial design, better data, and smarter collaboration can reinvent the path from discovery to patient impact.

Real-time transparency between payers and providers is becoming one of the most transformative levers in the healthcare industry. In this episode, Madhu Pawar, Chief Product Officer at Optum, discusses how her team is tackling the long-standing inefficiencies buried in today’s claims processes. She explains how Optum Real connects payers and providers through a real-time multi-party hub, uses AI to interpret contracts and encounter data, and equips providers with AI-first workflows that dramatically reduce denials, rework, and confusion for patients. Madhu also highlights early pilot results with Allina Health, demonstrating improvements in both patient experience and operational accuracy. She shares why 84% of first-time denied claims are avoidable, why eliminating that friction is at the core of Optum’s mission, and why value-based care will benefit enormously from real-time intelligence. Looking ahead, Madhu outlines a bold vision in which real-time payment flows, AI-enabled clinical insights, and improved data exchange reshape the entire system's operations. Tune in and learn how real-time transformation could redefine healthcare’s future.

In this episode, host Sandy Vance sits down with Hadas Bitran, Partner General Manager of Health AI at Microsoft Health & Life Sciences, for a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of healthcare agents. Together, they explore how agentic technologies are being used across clinical settings, where they’re creating value, and why tailoring these tools to the specific needs of users and audiences is essential for safety and effectiveness. Well-designed healthcare agents can reinforce responsible AI practices (like transparency, accountability, and patient safety) while also helping organizations evaluate emerging solutions with greater clarity and confidence.

AI is finally mature enough to move out of the way so nurses and clinicians can put humans back at the center of care. In this episode, Mary Varghese Presti, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Health and Life Sciences, discusses how global clinician shortages and rising acuity are colliding with an “AI frontier” that can reshape documentation, workflows, and patient outcomes. She shares her personal story as the daughter and former nurse who saw workforce gaps firsthand, then explains why Dragon Copilot for nurses was built to relieve documentation overload and capture the “invisible” work nurses do at the bedside. Mary breaks down the leap from copilots to agentic services, where digital colleagues take on predictable, nonclinical tasks and surface patterns clinicians would miss, as in Stanford’s AI-enabled tumor boards. Finally, she paints a future of hybrid human–digital teams and ambient, background technology that restores time, presence, and dignity to care. Tune in and learn how AI can truly serve caregivers.

Clinical trials fail far more often due to flawed operations and unusable data than because of poor science. In this episode, Heather Grey, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Real World Data, Clinical Trials, and Registry at Omega Healthcare, explains why clinical research continues to stall despite scientific breakthroughs and growing excitement around AI. She details how messy data, underprepared sites, missed timelines, and gaps in education across patients, providers, and pharma create systemic delays that limit patient access and slow drug development. Heather shows how pairing clinical expertise with AI-driven data curation can produce FDA-grade data, keep trials on track, and enable more health systems to participate in research. She concludes by emphasizing that AI alone is insufficient, and that strong infrastructure, human quality assurance, and operational discipline are essential for expanding trial access and diversity. Tune in and learn how fixing execution, not chasing hype, is the real key to accelerating clinical trials.

Accessible diagnostics isn’t a luxury anymore; it’s the missing link preventing millions from receiving timely care. In this episode, James York, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Government Affairs for Molecular Testing Labs, discusses how reimagining the patient journey can remove the economic, geographic, and emotional barriers that keep people from getting essential tests. He explains how at-home self-collection, transparent pricing, and frictionless access are transforming diagnostics, especially for conditions like HIV, STIs, chronic disease markers, and wellness indicators. James walks through the challenges of pioneering new models in healthcare, including regulatory hurdles, industry resistance, and the realities of scaling without major outside funding. He also explains why affordability is inseparable from access, how virtual care has shifted expectations, and why focusing on everyday tests, not cutting-edge technology, is where the greatest impact lies. Tune in and learn how simplifying diagnostics can unlock a more equitable, consumer-centered healthcare system.

Healthcare systems can only achieve meaningful progress when technology removes waste, strengthens workflows, and empowers clinicians at every step of care. In this episode, Beth McCombs, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at BD, explores how connected solutions, AI, and smart devices are transforming care delivery across hospitals, homes, and underserved communities. She describes BD’s approach to innovation: solving real clinical problems, scaling what works, and validating outcomes with clinical and real-world evidence. Beth highlights advances in medication management, vascular access, and machine-learning tools that can predict complications, such as hypotension. She also explains BD Incada, the company’s new cloud-native, AI-enabled platform built to unify data, streamline workflows, and accelerate medtech innovation. Tune in and learn how connected intelligence is redefining the healthcare experience.

Accessible, AI-driven heart care is rapidly becoming both possible and essential. In this episode, Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor, discusses how her team is reimagining cardiac care through patient-centric design, affordability, and advanced clinical AI. She explains that patients are whole people, not conditions, and this principle drives tools that fit naturally into daily life rather than episodic clinical encounters. Priya highlights innovations such as portable ECG devices, AI models that detect 35 cardiac conditions, and systems that integrate blood pressure and ECG trends for proactive monitoring. Looking ahead, she shares their vision for 24/7 AI-powered continuous care, enabling earlier interventions, seamless physician collaboration, and personalized preventive cardiology. Tune in and learn how continuous, AI-enabled heart care is reshaping the patient experience.

A fingertip-sized blood sample may soon replace the needle stick millions of patients avoid every year. In this episode, Web Golinkin, President of Babson Diagnostics, shares how Better Way, a fingertip blood collection system, is redefining convenience, accuracy, and accessibility in diagnostic testing. He explains how the company spent nearly a decade validating its technology through 45+ IRB-approved studies, 4,300+ participants, and more than 850,000 tests to ensure clinical equivalence to venous draws. He traces the innovation’s journey from a Siemens skunkworks project to partnerships with BD and a 510(k)-cleared device, culminating in an 80% primary-care test menu from a pea-sized sample. He also highlights how Better Way improves adherence, enhances patient and staff experience, and reduces friction with clear, graphical results. Tune in and discover how fingertip testing can transform preventive care, patient engagement, and healthcare operations.

In this episode, host Sandy Vance sits down with someone who has been shaping the future of digital health long before AI became the headline Mike Serbinis, Founder and CEO of League. League was built on a simple but ambitious idea: if companies like Netflix can instantly understand what we need next, why can’t healthcare do the same? Now, more than a decade into transforming the way people access and experience care, Mike joins Sandy to talk about how his team is helping organizations deliver truly personalized healthcare at scale. Together, they explore Mike’s path into the world of AI, the early sparks that led to League’s creation, and the lessons learned from 11 years of reimagining patient and member journeys. They delve into how League works alongside existing EHRs and health systems, not replacing anything, but weaving intelligence and interoperability through the cracks that slow down care. It’s a thoughtful, future-forward discussion with one of the industry’s most seasoned innovators—and a must-listen for anyone curious about where healthcare AI is truly headed.

Patients are now bearing an unsustainable share of healthcare costs, and providers who ignore the financial side of care are putting both outcomes and revenue at risk. In this episode, Seth Cohen, President at Cedar, discusses how the affordability crisis is being felt at the front lines, with patient out-of-pocket costs rising faster than overall medical spending, and the majority of Americans now in high-deductible plans that they often cannot afford. He explains why a small share of uninsured patients generates 35% of the dollars owed and how that financial stress undermines any claim of “healing” if it ends in ruined credit and anxiety. Seth introduces Cedar Cover as a proactive digital coverage safety net that goes beyond billing to connect patients to Medicaid, ACA plans, financial assistance, copay programs, and other benefits, already delivering a 97% success rate in Medicaid applications, pharmacy subsidies, and higher reimbursement on denied claims. Looking ahead, he predicts the crisis will worsen and argues that caring for patients means helping them access every resource. Tune in and discover how reframing billing as part of care can create mutually beneficial situations for patients and providers.

In this episode, host Sandy Vance sits with Adam Siskind from ZS, a global consulting and technology firm known for transforming data, science, and human ingenuity into real-world impact. With more than 13,000 employees across 35+ offices, ZS partners with companies to improve life and how we live it. Sandy and Adam dive into how AI and advanced analytics are reshaping operations, the insights coming out of ZS’s Future of Health Report, and what it will take to overcome lingering distrust in AI across healthcare. From predictions and concerns to practical advice for payers and providers, they explore whether we’re headed toward a tipping point or an AI bubble.

Clean, connected data is becoming the foundation for real progress in patient access, affordability, and care delivery. In this episode, Lynne Nowak, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Surescripts, shares how her team is using data, automation, and emerging technologies to remove friction across the healthcare system. She explains how greater interoperability improves information flow among providers, payers, pharmacies, and patients, especially benefiting underserved populations. Lynne details how her organization evaluates AI by focusing on its real-world impact, utilizing it for high-value tasks such as reviewing complex medical records for prior authorizations and digitizing benefit verification. She also highlights new insights such as “first-fill abandonment” and previews upcoming work in adherence analytics, price transparency, and direct-to-patient capabilities. Tune in and discover how smarter data, automation, and real-time insights are transforming access, adherence, and the patient experience across the care continuum.

The future of cancer care is shifting toward earlier detection, continuous monitoring, and truly personalized treatment powered by high-quality genomic insights. In this episode, Ajay Gannerkote, President of Integrated DNA Technologies, explains how rapid advances in genomics are transforming cancer diagnosis, precision medicine, and personalized care. He describes how IDT evaluates emerging technologies by combining custom manufacturing, high-quality reagents, and deep scientific partnerships to deliver clinically meaningful insights. Ajay highlights how NGS, MRD, and multi-cancer detection are expected to accelerate over the next 3–5 years, enabling far earlier diagnosis and more precise monitoring. He also underscores the power of collaboration, shares a rare pediatric success story, and reflects on leadership principles centered on trust, innovation, and an “obligation to dissent.” Tune in and learn how the next wave of genomic innovation is bringing precision medicine within reach for patients everywhere.

The future of healthcare payments depends on harmonizing payers, providers, and consumers through speed, transparency, and control. In this episode, Dylan Papa, Senior Vice President of Commercial Growth for Payments Optimization at Zelis, discusses how the healthcare payments ecosystem is shifting toward deeper collaboration, improved data utilization, and a more modern financial experience for everyone involved. He explains how providers increasingly seek secure, simple, and fast transactions—and how payers benefit when data empowers both sides to reduce denials, improve forecasting, and operate with greater clarity. Dylan also outlines how new consumer expectations are pushing healthcare toward more personalized benefit designs and transparent financial interactions. Looking ahead, he shares Zelis’ vision of transforming payments from an administrative burden into a strategic asset through a unified platform that can harmonize fragmented systems, outdated technology stacks, and inconsistent treasury infrastructures. Tune in and learn how modern payment platforms are reshaping speed, transparency, and trust across the healthcare ecosystem.

In this episode, host Sandy Vance sits down with Joerg Schwarz, Senior Director of Industry Strategy & Solutions for Healthcare Interoperability at Infor, and Adam Luff, a healthcare technology executive and VP of Solution Consulting at Infor. Together, they take a fascinating look at the real-world state of healthcare data. Together, they unpack what AI is actually doing for the industry, why pulling meaningful information from existing systems is so challenging, and how proprietary schemas and non-queryable databases keep organizations stuck with costly “zombie systems.” They explore the promise of using AI to finally unlock that trapped data, along with the critical measures needed to ensure accuracy, quality, and transparency as new technologies evolve. Make sure to check out this episode if you’ve ever wondered what’s behind the “black box” of healthcare data.

The future of healthcare will depend on whole-person care, patient-centered design, and community-rooted delivery. In this episode, Liana Guzmán, CEO of FOLX Health, discusses how her organization is reimagining care for the LGBTQIA+ community through integrated primary and mental health services, community support, and accessible telehealth. She explains why emerging technologies like AI must be adopted thoughtfully to avoid reinforcing bias and why trust, cultural competence, and safety are prerequisites for better outcomes. Liana walks through FOLX Health’s evolution from a cash-pay subscription model to an insurance-supported membership structure, highlighting the dangers of poorly trained AI systems and outlining the clinical and financial consequences of failing to invest in affirming care. She also dispels myths about telehealth, shares the demographic realities shaping the future, and emphasizes the urgency for employers and payers to act now. Tune in and learn how inclusive, community-centered care can transform outcomes and reshape the healthcare landscape.

Care coordination shouldn’t feel like a black box. In this episode, Ben Forrest, CEO of Olio, discusses how his team is reimagining collaboration among payers, health systems, and post-acute providers for the most complex patients. He shares why fragmented workflows create massive administrative burden, how real-time engagement across 100+ care sites improves outcomes, and why downstream provider relationships directly shape cost and quality. Ben also reflects on the future of AI in care coordination and the bold bets he believes will reshape medical spend. Tune in and learn how better coordination can transform patient journeys.

Early cancer detection significantly increases survival rates and reduces the overall health and financial burden. In this episode, Trudy McKanna, Senior Field Medical Director for GRAIL, discusses how Galleri multi-cancer early detection technology is transforming screening by identifying signals for more than 50 cancers through a simple blood draw. She explains how methylation patterns, cell-free DNA, and machine learning allow clinicians to pinpoint potential cancer origins before symptoms appear. Trudy shares data showing that adding this test to standard screening detects seven times more cancers, with over half found at early stages, while maintaining a remarkably low false-positive rate. She also highlights its impact on underserved communities, population health scalability, and the importance of rigorous clinical validation. Tune in and discover how early detection can transform cancer outcomes.

The future of healthcare lies in intelligent automation that gives providers back their time. In this episode, David Cohen, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Greenway Health, explains how AI and automation are reshaping the ambulatory healthcare experience from “encounter to cash.” He outlines the company’s agentic-first architecture, which embeds intelligent automation into the core of the product to streamline clinical, operational, and financial workflows. David showcases real-world applications, including ambient documentation, automated billing, and chart review powered by AWS HealthLake, that reduce administrative burden and improve care coordination. He also highlights Greenway’s customer-driven “working backwards” approach and their focus on delivering measurable impact within months, not years. Tune in and learn how intelligent, end-to-end automation is redefining efficiency, accessibility, and care quality in ambulatory healthcare.