Digital Health Leaders Podcast

CHIME
  • 4.9 (9)
  • Tech News
  • Updated Bimonthly

Russ Branzell, President & CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), interviews leaders in Digital Health from around the world. These thought leaders share their knowledge, challenges, best practices, and ideas for helping to transform health and care on a global level.

  1. 1d ago

    The Discipline Behind Digital Transformation: How Healthcare Organizations Create Real Capacity for Innovation

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, welcomes Shane Cronin, Head of ITAM Services at SHI Healthcare, for a timely discussion on how digital health leaders are effectively creating the operational discipline necessary to sustain ongoing digital transformation. While AI and cloud modernization continue to dominate industry initiatives, many organizations are discovering that long-term success depends on something less visible but equally critical: governance, optimization, and a clear understanding of their technology environment. Together, they explore how healthcare leaders can move beyond reactive technology management and build the visibility, accountability, and strategic alignment required to support innovation at scale — creating a stronger foundation for technology and AI readiness. Key Takeaways: Why technology optimization has evolved from a cost-management exercise into a core leadership strategy for enabling innovation and organizational growth. How greater visibility into technology assets, spending, and utilization helps healthcare leaders make more informed strategic and financial decisions. What effective governance looks like in an era defined by AI adoption, cloud expansion, SaaS proliferation, and increasing technology complexity. The leadership mindsets and decision-making approaches that help organizations remain agile, resilient, and prepared.

  2. Aug 6

    Sticking the Landing in Healthcare's AI Era: Turning Innovation Into Operational Impact

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, sits down with Vivek Swaminathan, CEO of Cardamom Health, for a thoughtful conversation on what it takes to succeed in healthcare's next era of transformation. As health systems navigate accelerating AI adoption, mounting operational pressures, and evolving patient expectations, leaders are being challenged to move beyond innovation for innovation's sake and focus on measurable outcomes. From building the foundational capabilities needed to scale AI responsibly to transforming data into actionable insights, they discuss how healthcare organizations can turn emerging technologies into meaningful operational impact. Key Takeaways: How organizations can establish the right foundation for successful AI adoption and long-term scalability. What separates organizations that are building for healthcare's next era from those still applying new technologies to legacy operating models. How healthcare leaders can convert growing volumes of data into operational intelligence that drives measurable outcomes. The role of leadership, culture, and trust in sustaining innovation and organizational growth. Lessons from healthcare executives navigating continuous disruption while remaining focused on mission and patient impact.

  3. Jun 3

    Engineering the Future of Care: Modernization, AI, and the Resilient Systems Shaping Healthcare Technology

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, sits down with Anupama Ambe, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Healthcare at Kyndryl, for a conversation on the technologies and leadership strategies revolutionizing healthcare's next chapter. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience leading complex transformation initiatives, Anupama shares insights on how healthcare organizations are approaching modernization in an era defined by AI, hybrid cloud, cybersecurity threats, and rising demands for operational resilience. Key Takeaways: Emerging strategies for strengthening cyber resilience, managing risk, and building secure digital ecosystems in increasingly connected healthcare environments. The role of infrastructure, data, and automation in helping leaders improve decision-making, and support long-term organizational resilience. What the next generation of healthcare technology leaders will need to succeed, and how organizations can create pathways for diverse talent to drive future innovation. Strategic insights into modernizing critical infrastructure while maintaining trust, security, and continuity of care. Leadership principles for guiding large-scale transformation, aligning teams around shared priorities, and sustaining momentum through continuous change.

  4. May 12

    Why Clinical Conversations Matter: Leading Human-Centered AI in Healthcare

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, connects with Dr. Shiv Rao, Founder and CEO of Abridge and practicing cardiologist, for a compelling discussion on the evolving role of AI in clinical care. Drawing from his unique vantage point at the intersection of medicine and technology, Dr. Rao shares how firsthand clinical experience is shaping the development of ambient, generative AI tools designed to reduce cognitive burden and restore focus to patient care. Together, they examine the growing importance of trust, the responsibility of leaders to guide ethical AI adoption, and how human-centered design principles can scale alongside rapid innovation. Key Takeaways: The shift from traditional documentation to ambient AI and its impact on clinician focus, burnout, and workflow efficiency. The role of storytelling in measuring meaningful impact and reinforcing human connection in digital transformation. How frontline clinical experience is influencing the design and deployment of generative AI in healthcare environments. Practical guidance for scaling AI innovation while preserving empathy, nuance, and the patient-provider relationship at the core of care.

  5. Apr 30

    From Matching to Meaning: Why Trusted Identity Is the Foundation of Healthcare AI 

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, continues the conversation on digital identity with Clay Ritchey, CEO of Verato, and Inderpal Kohli, Chief Technology Officer at Healthix, in this second installment of the identity series. Moving beyond strategy into execution, this discussion explores how trusted identity is operationalized across complex healthcare ecosystems to support care coordination, data exchange, and AI readiness. Drawing from their work at the intersection of health systems, HIEs, and national data networks, Clay and Inderpal share real-world perspectives on the risks of fragmented data, the importance of closing identity gaps, and the role identity plays as a foundational layer for scalable, trustworthy innovation. Key Takeaways: Why incomplete or inconsistent identity data creates real-world risks for care quality, clinician trust, and patient safety across interconnected systems. How leading organizations are addressing the “last mile” of identity resolution to improve longitudinal patient records and care coordination. The role of identity as critical infrastructure for interoperability, enabling seamless data exchange across providers, payers, and community partners. Strategic guidance for digital health leaders on elevating identity from a back-end IT task to a core priority for innovation, scalability, and ecosystem-wide transformation. What it means to be “AI-ready” in healthcare, and why accurate identity is essential for trustworthy data pipelines and reliable insights.

  6. Apr 7

    The Role of the Modern Healthcare CIO: Leadership, Complexity, and Lasting Impact

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, welcomes Theresa Meadows, Chief Information Officer in Residence at symplr, for an in-depth conversation on the evolving role of the healthcare CIO. Drawing on decades of leadership experience and a unique vantage point across health systems, Theresa explores how digital health leaders are expanding beyond traditional IT responsibilities to become strategic business partners. Together, they examine the realities of leading through complexity, the importance of enterprise-wide perspective, and how today’s CIOs are driving alignment, simplification, and lasting organizational impact. Key Takeaways: How the role of the healthcare CIO is evolving from technology steward to strategic business leader amid rising industry pressures and complexities. The growing importance of business acumen and how digital health leaders can strengthen their influence on organizational strategy. Where complexity is creating the greatest friction in healthcare today and how simplification strategies like integration and standardization can unlock better outcomes. The role of leadership, mentorship, and community stewardship in shaping the future of digital health and supporting the next generation of CIOs.

  7. Apr 1

    From Promise to Performance: Advancing Digital Health with Intention and Impact

    In this episode, Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, is joined by Lyle McMillin, Associate Vice President of Product Management at Hyland, for a dynamic discussion on turning digital health ambition into measurable performance. The conversation examines how healthcare leaders translate innovation — particularly in cloud, AI, and enterprise imaging — into scalable, real-world use and impact. Lyle shares frontline insights on what’s driving meaningful progress today, what’s getting lost in the noise, and how organizations can build trust while navigating complex digital transformation decisions. Key Takeaways: What determines whether AI, cloud, and automation initiatives scale effectively across clinical and operational environments. The gap between hype and reality in digital health, including which trends are truly delivering results. Practical strategies for scaling digital solutions across fragmented systems, workflows, and organizational cultures. How leaders can evaluate emerging technologies and make confident, future-focused investments that deliver long-term value.

  8. Mar 26

    Driving Resilient Care: Leadership, Technology, and Transformation in Digital Healthcare

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, welcomes Cletis Earle, Field CTO for Healthcare at Citrix, for a thoughtful discussion on what it takes to build resilient, high-performing digital health environments. Drawing on his experience as both a health system executive and technology strategist, Cletis shares practical insight into how organizations can better align technology investments with clinical and operational priorities. Together, they explore how healthcare leaders are modernizing legacy systems, improving workflows, and enabling secure, seamless access to critical data. Key Takeaways: How leading health systems are unlocking measurable value from technology investments to improve care delivery and workforce efficiency. Practical approaches to modernizing applications and workflows in ways that enhance both caregiver experience and patient outcomes. Strategies for balancing security, compliance, and frictionless access to clinical systems in distributed care environments. The leadership mindset required to build resilient digital infrastructures while mentoring and developing the next generation of healthcare IT leaders.

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4.9
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Russ Branzell, President & CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), interviews leaders in Digital Health from around the world. These thought leaders share their knowledge, challenges, best practices, and ideas for helping to transform health and care on a global level.

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