The Beat

Healthcare technology should quietly remove friction and reduce burden so clinicians can focus on what matters most: caring for patients in a more human way. In this episode, Lisa Gulker, Chief Nursing Officer at Oracle Health and Life Sciences, discusses how Oracle is rethinking healthcare technology by building AI directly into the foundation of its systems rather than layering it on as an afterthought. She explains how this approach can help clinicians spend less time in the chart, reduce workflow fragmentation, and make technology feel more seamless in the care experience. Lisa also shares how Oracle is applying these capabilities across providers, life sciences, and payers, creating opportunities to accelerate research, improve clinical trial matching, streamline prior authorization, and reduce administrative burden across the ecosystem. Throughout the conversation, she brings a nurse leader’s perspective to a central question in healthcare innovation: how do we use technology to make care feel more human, not less? Tune in and learn how embedded AI could reshape the healthcare experience for clinicians, staff, researchers, payers, and patients alike.  About Lisa Gulker: Lisa Gulker is Chief Nursing Officer at Oracle Health, where she helps bring the voice of clinicians into product strategy, innovation, and healthcare transformation. With a background that spans nursing, informatics, analytics, and clinical operations, she has spent her career helping health systems use technology more effectively to improve care delivery and workforce engagement. Before becoming Chief Nursing Officer, Lisa served as Vice President of Product Management and Strategy at Oracle, and previously held senior leadership roles at Cerner, Tenet Healthcare, and Detroit Medical Center, where she focused on clinical transformation, data stewardship, and value realization. She works closely with executive leaders, data science teams, and engineering groups to align innovation with the realities of care delivery. Lisa holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Wayne State University and brings a strong blend of clinical, strategic, and operational expertise to healthcare innovation.  Things You’ll Learn: When AI is built into the foundation of healthcare technology, it can reduce the burden more effectively than tools simply bolted onto older systems.  Seamless technology should help clinicians focus more on patients and less on screens, documentation, and fragmented workflows. Life sciences organizations can use AI-enabled systems to accelerate research, improve access to studies, and surface insights more efficiently. Payers still rely on slow, labor-intensive administrative processes that AI could help streamline, especially in areas such as pre-authorization and referrals. Human-centered innovation depends on listening closely to end users and designing technology that reflects how clinicians actually work.  Resources: Connect with and follow Lisa Gulker on LinkedIn. Follow Oracle Health on LinkedIn and visit their website.

As digital change accelerates across healthcare, payors face an urgent need to modernize how they communicate, educate, and engage. The AI-Orchestrated Experiences portfolio from Adobe and IBM represents a new paradigm where data, design, and intelligence work seamlessly together to improve outcomes for every stakeholder. In this episode of the AI at Health series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Melissa Geissler, Partner for Healthcare and Life Sciences Strategy and Transformation at IBM, and Ted Roman, Healthcare and Life Sciences Digital Strategy Principal at Adobe, to unpack one of the most exciting partnerships in healthcare AI right now. Together, IBM and Adobe are building AI-orchestrated experience solutions that help payers deliver personalized, seamless, and scalable member experiences without the white-glove price tag. From helping members find the right health plan to automating prior authorization and appointment booking, this episode is a must-listen for any payer, provider, or health tech leader who wants to understand where consumer experience in healthcare is headed next.  In this episode, they talk about: Healthcare is data-rich, but still behind every major retailer when it comes to personalized member experiences IBM and Adobe are combining platform capabilities, agentic AI, and change management into one integrated framework AI agents can now handle health plan selection, appointment booking, and benefits navigation for members Brokers serving small and mid-size employers are one of the most underserved audiences in healthcare technology The best AI strategy starts with defining the business problem first, then building the technology around it Social determinants of health data can now be integrated into personalized member recommendations Organizations that feel under-resourced are the ideal candidates for AI-orchestrated experiences The partnership is already live with clients and expanding into provider and life sciences use cases  A Little About Ted and Melissa: Ted Roman, PhD, brings over a decade of expertise in healthcare and life sciences research, management, technology, operations, and digital strategy to Adobe. He is a principal in the Digital Strategy Group, serving organizations globally pursuing more interconnected experiences. Prior to Adobe, Ted served the needs of Highmark Health and McKinsey & Company's clients. He holds a PhD in Computational Biology from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He also earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and mathematics from Case Western Reserve University. Melissa Geissle is a Partner at IBM, leading Public Market activities, where she applies experience strategy and service design to solve complex innovation challenges and leads a diverse team of designers, researchers, analysts, and strategists to help organizations create meaningful stakeholder connections while improving market outcomes. Over two decades, she has partnered with healthcare, life sciences, government, and nonprofit organizations to define and execute digital health initiatives, applying data-driven insights and ecosystem platform capabilities to redefine strategic marketing, service, and digital engagement functions. Melissa holds a BA in Economics from Bates College and an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, and has participated in global corporate citizenship initiatives across the UK, South Africa, and Poland.

In this episode of the Cybersecurity at Vibe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Shreesh Bhattarai, Director of HITRUST at A-LIGN, for a candid and practical conversation about one of the most misunderstood topics in healthcare cybersecurity. With nearly a decade of experience building one of the highest-volume HITRUST assessment practices in the market, Shreesh breaks down the difference between checking a compliance box and actually being secure, walks through the three levels of HITRUST certification, and shares what organizations need to do right now to prepare for an AI-driven future. Whether you are just starting your compliance journey or managing nine certifications with a team of five, this episode has something for you. In this episode, they talk about: Compliance is the baseline, not the finish line, and treating it as a once-a-year exercise is a serious mistake The biggest risk in compliance is not failing the audit, but passing it while still being insecure HITRUST has three certification levels: E1 (crawl), I1 (walk), and R2 (marathon) Organizations should choose the certification that matches their risk profile, not just go for the biggest one The best audits are boring because everything is already embedded in day-to-day operations HITRUST's "audit once, report multiple times" approach eliminates duplicative work across frameworks AI governance plans are no longer optional; shadow AI is a real and growing risk HITRUST now offers an AI cybersecurity assessment to help organizations put guardrails around AI use A Little About Shreesh: Shreesh Bhattarai is Director and HITRUST Practice Lead at A-LIGN, where he works at the intersection of cybersecurity assurance, regulatory pressure, and business growth. Since 2017, he has led more than 500 HITRUST certifications and assessments across healthcare, digital health, and high-growth technology organizations. Shreesh partners directly with CEOs, CISOs, and executive teams navigating increasing scrutiny from regulators, customers, and third parties. He is known for challenging the “check-the-box” compliance mindset and reframing HITRUST as a strategic trust mechanism — one that strengthens security posture, accelerates enterprise sales, and reduces third-party risk friction. He leads a national team of security professionals within A-LIGN’s HITRUST practice and regularly speaks on the evolution of compliance in healthcare at forums including ViVE, Health and HITRUST Collaborate. Prior to A-LIGN, he was part of the audit practice at Ernst & Young, focusing on SOX 404 and SOC engagements.

Consumer healthcare is entering a new phase where patients are no longer just looking for convenience. They are looking for affordability, transparency, and provider relationships that actually feel continuous and personalized. In this episode, Dr. Myra Ahmad, CEO of Mochi Health, discusses how her company is building a comprehensive care platform that goes well beyond GLP-1s and weight management. She explains how Mochi combines providers, pharmacies, and software infrastructure in a marketplace model that gives patients more treatment visibility, supports tailored care plans, and expands access to affordable medications with or without insurance. Dr. Ahmad also shares why price transparency matters more than ever as more patients move into high-deductible plans, how operational efficiency and AI can help keep care affordable, and why the next chapter of telehealth will belong to solutions that reduce friction while preserving the provider-patient relationship. Tune in and learn how consumer health platforms can make care more accessible, more transparent, and more aligned with what patients actually want.  About Myra Ahmad: Dr. Myra Ahmad is the CEO of Mochi Health, a telehealth and digital care platform focused on delivering personalized, accessible, and affordable care through certified providers. She earned her MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wellesley College. Before leading Mochi Health, Dr. Ahmad built a strong background in research through roles at UCSF, the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. Her experience spans clinical research, consumer behavior, and healthcare innovation, giving her a multidimensional perspective on how to expand access while improving the patient experience. Things You’ll Learn: Patients increasingly want healthcare solutions that combine affordability, transparency, and continuity instead of forcing them through fragmented experiences. A marketplace model can give providers more flexibility to tailor treatment plans while giving patients more visibility into medication and pharmacy choices. Expanding beyond weight management became a natural step once both providers and patients began looking for broader, ongoing care relationships. Operational efficiency, automation, and AI can help healthcare companies reduce administrative costs without sacrificing access or affordability. The future of telehealth will likely favor solutions that make pricing clear and help patients understand exactly what they are paying for. Resources: Connect with and follow Myra Ahmad on LinkedIn. Follow Mochi Health on LinkedIn and visit their website.

In this episode of the Interop Now at Vibe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Adam Luff, VP of Product Solutions at Infor, and Jesse Evans, Product Director for Infor FHIR Services, for a deep and practical conversation about why semantic interoperability is the make-or-break factor for AI in healthcare.  With decades of experience between them, Adam and Jesse explain why organizations that skip the data normalization step are building on a foundation that will eventually collapse. From prior authorization workflows to longitudinal patient records, this episode is essential listening for any healthcare leader who wants to understand what AI-ready infrastructure actually looks like. In this episode, they talk about: AI cannot make sense of data that is not semantically normalized Integration wires things up; interoperability makes the data actually usable A single patient can exist under multiple names and identifiers across dozens of systems FHIR is not a replacement for HL7, it is the latest version of the HL7 specification Poor data quality in EHRs is the rule, not the exception, even at well-resourced organizations Event-driven architecture enables prior authorization workflows to run with no human intervention Infor's longitudinal patient record viewer pulls data from up to 70 archival systems into one normalized view The FHIR server is becoming the source of truth, replacing the EHR as the authoritative record Bed turnover and discharge workflows are where providers are capturing real, measurable ROI right now A well-governed, normalized data platform unlocks an almost unlimited number of AI use cases A Little About Adam and Jesse: Adam Luff has been with Infor for six years and has spent about 20 years in the provider space. Before Infor, he worked at a company that manufactures large MRI and CT machinery. He focuses on business impact with provider organizations. Jesse Evans has been at Infor for about 10 years, first as a Principal Solutions Architect and now as Product Director for Infor FHIR Services. He has been in the healthcare enterprise industry for about 20 years, with deep expertise in integration engines, interoperability, and FHIR standards.

In this episode, host Sandy Vance sits down with Dan Shur, Chief Product Officer at Carenet Health, to talk about what it really takes to guide patients and members through one of the most frustratingly fragmented systems in the world. With over 30 years in the healthcare industry spanning payers, providers, and health tech & services companies, Dan brings a grounded, pragmatic perspective to the AI conversation. From the myth that everyone wants to talk to a chatbot to the importance of letting humans be human, their conversation is a must-listen for healthcare leaders who want to use AI to drive real outcomes without losing the empathy that puts the “care” in healthcare. In this episode, they talk about: Healthcare is the last industry where friction is still considered normal Carenet combines nurses, operations, data, and technology to navigate care at scale AI is best used for flagging risk, prioritizing queues, and gathering context before a human steps in Chatbots are not good at empathy, and healthcare interactions require a whole-person approach Not every problem needs AI; sometimes you just need a PDF to open Payers measure engagement, retention, and closed gaps in care; providers measure acquisition and leakage prevention Fragmentation is getting worse, not better, and navigation solutions have to account for the whole ecosystem Proactive, precise outreach beats education-only programs that leave patients to figure it out alone The clinical and administrative sides of care cannot be separated, and solutions need to address both Dan Shur leads product strategy and innovation at Carenet Health, where he helps healthcare organizations use smarter technology to improve outcomes. With over 30 years in healthcare and health tech, Dan has worked across health plans, provider systems, and startups. He is always focused on turning big ideas into practical solutions. Before Carenet, he founded Aloha Value Advisory, helping early-stage companies find their footing, and previously served as Chief Product Officer at Quantum Health, where he helped scale and modernize the business. Throughout his career, including roles at Cigna, EmblemHealth, Progyny, Cloudbreak Health, and GuideWell’s Venture Group, Dan has built a reputation for driving innovation that delivers results.

What if doctors could see all patient data in one place while AI handled the busywork? In this episode, Dr. Shez Partovi talks about the urgent need for integrated diagnostics in healthcare. He explains how fragmented imaging systems create inefficiencies and cognitive overload for clinicians, and how a unified platform can deliver a holistic view of the patient journey. He also explores how AI can automate administrative tasks, reduce burnout, and augment clinical decision-making while keeping humans in the loop. Tune in to learn how AI and integrated diagnostics are reshaping the future of care delivery and clinician experience. About Dr. Shez Partovi: Dr. Shez Partovi is a physician-turned-entrepreneur and Fortune 500 healthcare executive who has built his career at the intersection of clinical care, technology, and business transformation. A five-time founder with multiple successful exits, he has consistently focused on scaling impact—from caring for individual patients to leading large, global healthcare operations. He currently leads a $1.5 billion global healthcare business spanning the United States, China, Europe, and Latin America. Prior to this, he led and rapidly scaled Amazon Web Services’ healthcare and life sciences division to multi-billion-dollar growth, helping organizations harness cloud and emerging technologies to drive meaningful outcomes. Partovi brings deep expertise in healthcare delivery, enterprise software, and end-to-end P&L leadership, along with a unique combination of clinical training as a board-certified physician and technical depth in computer science and AI. Known for translating complex technologies into measurable business value, he has built and led high-performing teams across environments ranging from early-stage startups to global enterprises. At the core of his work is a consistent mission: to improve healthcare access and outcomes for more people at scale. Things You’ll Learn: Healthcare data remains siloed across multiple systems. Integrated diagnostics provides a single, unified view of all patient data. AI reduces cognitive load and administrative burden, including “pajama time.” Clinician burnout is a primary driver of AI adoption in healthcare. Innovation must be patient-clinician backward, not technology-forward. Responsible AI depends on representative data and effective bias mitigation. Human oversight remains essential in current AI applications. Resources: Connect with and follow Dr. Shez Partovi on LinkedIn. Follow Philips on LinkedIn and visit their website. 

What happens when some of healthcare’s most trusted workers are still operating outside the systems that document, reimburse, and scale care? In this episode, Colby Takeda, Co-Founder & CEO of Pear Suite, joins Saul Marquez live at ViVE to explore why community health workers are becoming a more essential part of the healthcare ecosystem. Drawing from his background in senior living and public health, Colby explains how Pear Suite helps community-based providers move beyond paper and spreadsheets with tools to document care, navigate credentialing and contracting, submit claims, and get paid for the value they deliver. The conversation also looks at Pear Suite’s broader vision for connecting community-based organizations, health plans, and providers in a more coordinated system of care. Colby shares why AI should reduce administrative burden instead of replacing trusted relationships, how co-design with frontline workers has shaped the platform, and where he sees the biggest opportunity to make community-based care more sustainable and accessible at scale. Tune in to hear how community health workers are becoming more essential to the healthcare ecosystem, and how better infrastructure and smarter technology can make community-based care more sustainable and scalable. About the Guest: Colby Takeda is Co-Founder & CEO of Pear Suite. With a background in public health, senior living, and community-based care, he founded the company to help community health workers and community-based organizations better navigate the operational side of delivering meaningful support. Under his leadership, Pear Suite has built a tech-enabled model that combines workflow tools, reimbursement support, credentialing, contracting, and claims infrastructure to help community-based providers work more effectively with health plans and the broader healthcare system. Things You’ll Learn: Why community health workers are becoming more central to modern, whole-person care models. How Pear Suite helps community-based providers document care, manage compliance, and get reimbursed for their work. Why policy shifts and Medicaid reimbursement are creating new momentum for community-based care. How AI can support community health workers by reducing administrative burden without replacing trust-based relationships. Why connecting health plans, providers, and community organizations is key to making community-based care sustainable at scale. Resources: Connect with Colby Takeda on LinkedIn Learn more about Pear Suite Explore Pear Suite for Providers Follow Pear Suite on LinkedIn

What happens when interoperability stops being a buzzword and starts becoming real infrastructure? In this episode, Therasa Bell, President & Co-Founder of Kno2, joins Saul Marquez at ViVE to unpack why healthcare communication remains one of the industry’s hardest unsolved problems. Drawing on experience across provider, payer, and technology settings, Therasa explains why connecting the full continuum of care, especially post-acute, behavioral health, EMS, dental, vision, and home-based care, is far more complex than most people realize. She shares how Kno2 is building a communication infrastructure that lets organizations connect once and communicate everywhere, without forcing a massive overhaul of existing technology stacks. Tune in to hear how policy, infrastructure, and ethical governance are converging to bring more of healthcare online in a secure, practical, and meaningful way. About the Guest: Therasa Bell is President & Co-Founder of Kno2. A software engineer by trade, she has spent her career working across multiple healthcare settings, including provider, payer, and health IT environments. That cross-functional perspective led her to focus on one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges: breaking down barriers to communication across the continuum of care. At Kno2, she has helped build infrastructure that supports secure, scalable information exchange across providers, payers, technology vendors, and historically overlooked care settings. Things You’ll Learn: Why healthcare interoperability is far more complex than common comparisons to banking or ATM networks suggest. How Kno2’s communication infrastructure helps technology vendors connect once and communicate across the healthcare ecosystem. Why post-acute care, behavioral health, dental, vision, EMS, and other overlooked settings are critical to a truly connected continuum. Why trust in modern data exchange depends on governance, ethics, and responsible network behavior, not just baseline compliance. How federal initiatives, CMS-aligned efforts, and market pressure could accelerate national exchange participation over the next 12 to 24 months. Resources: Connect with Therasa Bell on LinkedIn Learn more about Kno2 Explore the Kno2 Communication API Follow Kno2 on LinkedIn

What if the real power of AI in healthcare isn’t the technology itself, but how we apply it responsibly and intentionally? In this episode, Ajoy Ranga, Chief Digital Officer of Healthcare at UST Global, and Ashok Chennuru, Chief Data & Digital AI Transformation Officer at the Digital Platforms and Artificial Intelligence Office at Elevance Health/Carelon, discuss how their partnership between UST and Elevance Health is leveraging AI, data, and digital transformation to improve healthcare outcomes and consumer experience. They emphasize that scaling AI responsibly requires strong governance, human oversight, and a clear stance against using AI to deny care. Both highlight that high-quality, actionable data is foundational, but must be practical, cost-effective, and usable even when imperfect. Ultimately, they stress that success in healthcare innovation comes from starting with user experience, rapidly prototyping solutions, and fostering a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation. Tune in to hear how Elevance Health and UST are balancing innovation with responsibility to unlock AI’s true potential in healthcare.  About Ajoy Ranga: Ajoy Ranga is the Chief Digital Officer of Healthcare at UST. Ajoy Ranga is a distinguished technology executive with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation in healthcare. As former Vice President of Product Engineering at Elevance Health, he led the strategy and delivery of all external-facing digital channels, impacting millions of members and partners. Ajoy is known for pioneering industry-first innovations—including AI-powered tools, conversational interfaces, and cloud-native platforms—that improved member engagement and operational efficiency. With deep expertise in product-centric engineering, mobile-first design, and scalable architectures, he has built and led high-performing global teams while advancing enterprise agility, AI adoption, and cloud modernization. About Ashok Chennuru: Ashok Chennuru is the Chief Data & Digital AI Transformation Officer at the Digital Platforms and Artificial Intelligence Office at Elevance Health/Carelon. In his role, is responsible for driving healthcare innovation through the transformative power of data and AI across the organization. In recent years, Ashok has led transformational efforts to revolutionize the business, develop foundational AI platforms, enhance operations, drive exceptional experiences, and develop an AI-enabled workforce. Ashok also spearheads much of Elevance Health’s clinical and payer-provider integration efforts, including Health OS - an interoperability platform that connects provider, payer, and member data - as well as value-based platforms, population health management, and provider analytics.  Things You’ll Learn: Responsible AI must be governed, monitored, and continuously evaluated. AI should augment care decisions, not restrict access to care. Actionable, integrated data matters more than perfectly clean data. Experience-first design leads to faster alignment and better outcomes. Lifelong learning and experimentation are essential for success in modern healthcare technology. Resources: Connect with and follow Ajoy Ranga on LinkedIn. Follow UST Global on LinkedIn and visit their website. Connect with and follow Ashok Chennuru on LinkedIn. Follow Elevance Health on LinkedIn and visit their website.