Talking HealthTech

THT Productions
THT Productions
  • 4.2 (5)
  • Technology
  • Updated Semiweekly

Conversations with clinicians, vendors, policy makers and decision makers to promote innovation and collaboration for better healthcare enabled by technology. Learn about digital health, medical devices, medtech, biotech, health informatics, life sciences, aged care, disability, commercialisation, startups and so much more.

  1. 1d ago ·  Video

    639 - The Roadmap to Successful Healthcare Outcomes in WA: Lessons from the Rauland Panel Discussion

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Jacqueline Leeds, CEO of Rauland Australia and New Zealand, alongside a panel of leaders working across digital health. Panellists include Tim Leen, Acting Director at the Office of Medical Research and Innovation, WA Health, Claire Lake, Chief Nursing Information Officer at Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Brad Guelfi, Senior Solution Architect at St John of God Healthcare, and Vickie Knight, General Manager, Clinical Services at Rauland. The discussion explores digital transformation in healthcare as Western Australia enters the largest health system expansion in its history. The panel looks at the integration of technology across hospitals, lessons learned from real-world system deployments, and why bringing clinicians and end users along from the start is so important. They also share their views on workflow mapping, communication, governance and the importance of collaboration between clinicians, executives and technology providers. This episode was recorded live at an event hosted by Rauland Australia & New Zealand in Kings Park, Perth, on Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Key Takeaways 💡 Unified digital platforms and single device strategies can lead to more streamlined communication and reduced alarm fatigue in healthcare settings. 💡 Lessons learned from past technology implementations, including failures, are critical to improving future digital healthcare projects. 💡 Including end users, especially clinicians and frontline staff, at every stage of technology design and rollout ensures new systems are truly fit for purpose. 💡 Effective communication and change management are essential when implementing large-scale digital health projects, especially in complex environments. 💡 Proper resourcing, strong governance, and collaborative leadership models help deliver sustainable and effective digital transformation. Timestamps 00:00 - Episode introduction and event context 01:18 - Jacqueline Leeds outlines Rauland's history and Concentric Care platform 10:04 - Claire Lake discusses new hospital digital deployments 12:05 - Tim Leen shares healthcare innovation and technology experiences 14:09 - Vickie Knight reflects on bridging clinical and technology roles 15:41 - Brad Guelfi describes building technology-enabled hospitals 32:04 - Advice for healthcare leaders on digital strategy 34:06 - Communicating and managing digital change 37:00 - The importance of resourcing transformation projects Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Use the free Talking HealthTech Glossary for plain-English explanations of digital health terms, acronyms and concepts across the industry: talkinghealthtech.com/glossary.

    639 - The Roadmap to Successful Healthcare Outcomes in WA: Lessons from the Rauland Panel Discussion

  2. Sep 28 ·  Video

    638 - Beyond the Demo: How Facere AI Is Building AI Receptionists That Actually Work in Clinics

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Bin Rong, CEO, and Bowen Zheng, Head of Engineering at Facere AI. The discussion explores how Facere AI is tackling administrative inefficiencies in healthcare through AI-powered solutions such as document routing, automated workflows, and AI receptionist technology. The conversation covers the founding story of Facere AI, which began after the team saw how much time social workers spent on paperwork instead of helping people directly. Bin and Bowen share why building an AI receptionist demo is simple but making it work in a real clinic is far more difficult, and how the team has worked to balance cost, speed, and intelligence. They also discuss how their voice agent now responds in under two seconds and completes roughly 70% to 75% of calls, compared with about 20% for many generic AI receptionists. The episode looks at how automated referral workflows keep admin staff in control, whether patients should always know when they are speaking with AI, and the company's vision for future automation, while emphasising a clear boundary from clinical judgement areas. Key Takeaways 🤖 AI can relieve admin burdens in healthcare by automating document routing, allocation, and phone reception tasks, enabling staff to focus on patient care. 📞 Building a reliable AI receptionist for real-world clinics is complex, with challenges like accuracy, latency, and cost forming the "impossible triangle" of requirements. 🚦 Facere AI's technology pushes the envelope in speed and understanding, achieving sub-2-second latency and higher call completion rates compared to leading global systems. 📈 The vision is to automate up to 95% of daily non-clinical workflows, increasing efficiency without replacing jobs, but always keeping human staff in decision-making roles. 🩺 Facere AI intentionally avoids automating clinical judgement or high-level professional assessments, focusing solely on non-clinical, manual admin tasks. Timestamps 00:00 — Episode introduction and guest backgrounds 03:27 — Healthcare admin burdens and company founding story 05:01 — Automating document routing and AI receptionist explained 07:26 — Technical challenges in live AI reception and solutions 12:54 — Demo: Automated referral and appointment workflow 19:48 — Vision for broader healthcare workflow automation 22:06 — What Facere AI will and won’t automate in healthcare Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    638 - Beyond the Demo: How Facere AI Is Building AI Receptionists That Actually Work in Clinics

  3. Sep 23 ·  Video

    637 - The Future of Traceability in CSSD: RFID, Compliance, and Global Practices

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Violeta Addamo, founder and managing director at WHITECAT, and David Bellamy, vice president for the World Federation of Hospital Sterilisation Services and president of the New South Wales Sterilisation Research and Advisory Council of Australia. Violeta shares how her path into healthtech began in environmental science before moving through dental and surgical sales, eventually leading to the founding of WHITECAT six years ago, built on CareTag, a Danish RFID system for surgical instrument management. David brings his standing as a recognised industry leader in sterilisation through his role representing the WFHSS on the global stage. The conversation explores the challenges and advancements in surgical instrument traceability, the implementation of RFID technology in sterilisation departments, compliance with unique device identification (UDI) requirements, and global practices in healthtech for instrument management The episode also covers how Central Sterile Services Departments (CSSD) manage the cleaning, sterilisation, and tracking of surgical instruments, and the risks that arise when these processes rely on manual systems such as paper logs and barcode scanning. It also looks at how RFID and real-time location systems are being trialled to improve visibility across the instrument lifecycle, reduce search times, and support faster responses to sterility breaches or recalls. Further topics include the regulatory landscape shaping instrument management in Australia and abroad, including requirements set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, as well as comparisons with practices in Europe and emerging trials across Asia. The discussion closes with a look at what these advancements mean for the future of surgical safety and hospital efficiency. Key Takeaways 🛠 The importance of surgical instrument traceability for both patient safety and operational efficiency in healthcare settings 📡 The evolution and adoption of RFID technology for real-time tracking of surgical instruments, including the limitations of traditional data matrix approaches 📝 The introduction of UDI requirements in Australia and the implications for compliance and traceability in sterilisation processes 🔄 How digitisation and technology reduce manual effort, errors, and the time required to handle equipment recalls 🌏 A comparison of global approaches to sterilisation and traceability, highlighting differences in technology adoption between Australia, Europe, and the USA Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions and guest backgrounds 02:06 - Real-time location tracking and RFID in surgical instruments 05:03 - Traceability challenges and compliance requirements 09:01 - RFID vs data matrix for instrument-level tracking 10:47 - UDI compliance and future standards 15:40 - Manual vs digital recall management 22:51 - Global perspectives and best practices Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    637 - The Future of Traceability in CSSD: RFID, Compliance, and Global Practices

  4. Sep 21 ·  Video

    636 - From Trial to Mainstream: Remote Patient Monitoring's Rise in Australian Healthcare

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Craig Simmonds, CEO & Founder of Propell, about the growth and acceptance of remote patient monitoring devices in Australian healthcare. Together, they cover the mainstreaming of virtual care, future directions for device technology, and the practical challenges and opportunities in rolling out devices like iHealth across hospital and home care. They discuss what's driving hospitals to move beyond pilot programmes and treat remote monitoring as a core part of everyday care, including how NSW Health's rollout of iHealth devices is shaping the way patients with chronic disease or post-acute needs are supported at home. The conversation also covers the shift from episodic, patient-initiated checks toward continuous physiological monitoring, along with the importance of integrating patient data with hospital systems for real-time clinical intervention. It also looks at how services are working to close the digital divide by providing patients with fully set-up devices and tablets. Craig shares insights from his experience navigating TGA approval, funding models across different states, and what it takes to keep programmes focused on genuine clinical outcomes rather than technology for its own sake. Key Takeaways 🩺 NSW Health's large-scale adoption of iHealth devices is a major shift towards mainstream remote patient monitoring in hospital-in-the-home programs 💡 Clinical accuracy and integration with hospital systems are critical for monitoring devices, distinguishing them from general consumer wearables 📱 Simplicity, usability, and clinical reliability are fundamental criteria when selecting and deploying health monitoring devices 🔋 New devices such as Vital Patch are enabling continuous, real-time monitoring of key vitals like ECG and respiration rate 🌏 The adoption of virtual care and remote monitoring is accelerating nationwide, not just in rural/remote locations but also in metropolitan settings Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Craig Simmonds and Propell 05:45 - NSW Health iHealth device rollout 07:37 - Core measurements: vital signs at home 10:43 - Data integration and real-time hospital alerts 13:30 - Funding and logistics for device programs 16:27 - Usability and support for patients 21:08 - Future: continuous devices and the Vital Patch Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    636 - From Trial to Mainstream: Remote Patient Monitoring's Rise in Australian Healthcare

  5. Sep 16 ·  Video

    635 - Vital Signs Monitoring Reimagined: Predictive, Not Detective, and Ahead of the Alarm

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Andy Hurt, Head of Strategic Accounts at Ericom, and Sam Yang, Co-founder and CEO at Xandar Kardian. The discussion focuses on contactless, continuous vital signs monitoring using impulse ultra-wideband radar technology, exploring how this approach differs from traditional wearables, cameras, and threshold-based alarm systems. The conversation covers practical applications in health and aged care, palliative care, mental health, and correctional settings, along with regulatory considerations such as FDA and TGA clearance. Andy and Sam discuss data-driven care models, the role of individualised patient baselines, and how longitudinal data can reveal deterioration days before it becomes clinically apparent. They also touch on the cost and system-wide benefits of early detection, the importance of integrating this technology into existing clinical workflows, and its emerging potential in low-resource and global health settings. Throughout, the episode highlights the impact of predictive baseline data on prioritising clinical resources and improving patient outcomes. Key Takeaways 🔎 Contactless radar-based monitoring addresses privacy and compliance issues found with cameras and wearables 🩺 Continuous monitoring provides longitudinal health data to inform clinical workflows and early intervention 💡 The technology assists rather than replaces clinicians, supporting prioritisation and proactive care 🌏 Regulatory approvals in multiple countries, including FDA (US) and TGA (Australia), underpin adoption 🚑 Early detection reduces hospital admissions, ambulance use, and overall costs, with use cases in remote and resource-limited environments Timestamps 02:31 - Radar-based, contactless health monitoring explained 07:02 - Clinical and aged care use cases 11:06 - Early intervention and POBC method 13:00 - Regulatory pathways and global expansion 14:50 - Impact on healthcare system and cost savings 18:51 - Handling alarm fatigue and baseline deviations 22:34 - Integration into health facility workflows 25:15 - Broader global and low-resource applications Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes. And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    635 - Vital Signs Monitoring Reimagined: Predictive, Not Detective, and Ahead of the Alarm

  6. Sep 14 ·  Video

    634 - Smart Summaries and Real-World Evidence: How HEALWELL AI is Supporting Clinicians

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Aaron Leibtag, Co Founder of Pentavere, now part of HEALWELL AI (TSX: AIDX), where he is Global Health Systems Leader. The conversation covers Aaron Leibtag's transition from finance to healthtech, the founding story of Pentavere, a HEALWELL AI company, how AI technology is being leveraged to improve healthcare data utilisation, the practical impact of these solutions in real health settings, and what partnerships with organisations like Orion Health mean for the future of health systems in Australia and beyond. Aaron explains why roughly 80% of existing health data sits unused, buried in free-text notes, referral letters and PDFs that analytics and decision-support tools rarely reach. He walks through how Pentavere's DARWEN™ AI engine works, using natural language processing to read and interpret that material and build summaries that reflect the judgement of clinical experts, with full source document verification so clinicians can trust what they are seeing. The discussion also looks at the SMARTSummary powered by DARWEN™ AI pilot delivered with Canada Health Infoway and integrated directly into the EMR, alongside close to eighty real-world evidence studies run across Canada, the United States, Europe and the Middle East. From there, the conversation turns to the ethics, privacy and governance questions that come with deploying AI in clinical settings. Peter and Aaron close on what Australia's existing health information exchanges make possible, why medical error and missed screenings remain such costly problems, and why solving the basics matters more than chasing the next breakthrough. Key Takeaways 🩺 The majority of documented healthcare data remains unused, with AI technology now helping to extract and utilise this information for patient benefit 🌏 Implementation of AI-driven real-world evidence studies is already underway in countries including Canada, the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia ⏱️ AI tools that summarise patient data significantly reduce clinician administrative load and improve accuracy in patient care decisions 🔒 Ethical, secure, and compliant deployment of AI in healthcare is a global priority, with regions like Europe leading on policy frameworks 🤝 Partnerships with organisations like Orion Health are helping accelerate access, interoperability, and clinical utility of healthcare data in Australia and globally Timestamps 00:01 — Introduction & guest background 03:01 — Why healthcare data is underutilised 05:10 — Real-world AI implementations 07:57 — Immediate and long-term impact of solutions 15:06 — Clinician-level AI tools 21:10 — Orion Health’s role in the Australian context Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    634 - Smart Summaries and Real-World Evidence: How HEALWELL AI is Supporting Clinicians

  7. Sep 9 ·  Video

    633 - Smarter Rosters: How HosPortal Is Using AI to Ease Clinical Scheduling Complexity

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dr Chris Jones, Founder and Clinical Director at HosPortal, about the evolution of clinical rostering in Australian healthcare, the integration of AI in medical workforce management, and shifts in work-life balance for healthcare practitioners. The discussion covers how HosPortal is addressing the complex challenges of scheduling across diverse medical craft groups, the impact of digital transformation on hospital operations, and the growing importance of customisable solutions and ongoing user support. HosPortal has been rebuilt from a clean slate and has roughly doubled in capability, and the software now runs across every state in Australia, covering anaesthesia, emergency departments, radiology, junior medical doctors and radiographers. Chris explains why the current build focus is junior doctor term placement, a problem most hospitals are still solving with survey forms and spreadsheets, and how the team designs for complexity they have not been told about yet. The conversation also gets into where AI genuinely earns its place inside clinical software. Chris describes agents that turn a plain-language description of a rostering rule into a working rule, and agents that do the task rather than point users at a help file. He shares his view that diagnostic radiology will be fully replaced by AI within five years, along with the ten-times-better test he applies to it, and paints a picture of an emergency department avatar that is endlessly patient and never tired. Underneath all of it sits a point about people. Chris argues that doctors working fewer hours with better supervision is a net good for clinicians and patients alike, and that the real cost of fatigue is doctors who quietly stop caring. Key Takeaways 🩺 The complexity of clinical rostering is growing, driven by specialist requirements, junior doctor preferences, and a broader focus on work-life balance. 💻 A major rebuild of Hosportal's platform has enabled greater customisation, scalability, and more sophisticated automation across Australian hospitals. 🤖 AI is playing an increasing role in both automating roster construction and making the system easier for end-users to interact with, including the use of natural language agents. 🧠 There has been a cultural shift in healthcare, with greater attention on clinician mental health and safer working hours, positively impacting staff and patient safety. 🌏 The future roadmap for Hosportal includes continued AI integration, product refinement, and expansion beyond Australia into new international markets. Timestamps 00:00 - Hosportal introduction & background 02:27 - Rostering problems & user experience 04:13 - Shifting work-life balance for doctors 07:17 - Customisation and customer-driven solutions 11:30 - AI features & natural language tools 13:44 - AI's role in the future of healthcare 31:04 - Roadmap and international expansion Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    633 - Smarter Rosters: How HosPortal Is Using AI to Ease Clinical Scheduling Complexity

  8. Aug 31 ·  Video

    632 - Connected Care Beyond the Postcode: Breaking Down Australia's Digital Health Silos

    In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Peter O'Halloran from the Australian Digital Health Agency, and Farhoud Salimi and Dr Monica Trujillo from Telstra Health, about the current state and future of interoperability in Australian healthcare. The discussion covers why seamless data sharing is crucial, how policy, technology, and consumer expectations are driving change, and the evolving roles of national infrastructure like My Health Record. The group unpacks how the shift from paper to digital created a new problem, with information locked inside systems built for a single hospital, practice or specialty. They talk through the real cost of that fragmentation, from repeated tests and retold medical histories to the harm that occurs when clinicians do not have what they need at the point of care. The episode closes on what success looks like by 2030, including a future where interoperability is no longer a talking point, data simply arrives inside the workflow, and connected care reaches rural and regional Australia as reliably as it does the capital cities. Key Takeaways 💡 The priority now is not convincing stakeholders of the need for interoperability but implementing practical solutions for data sharing in healthcare 💡 Modernising "classic" or legacy systems is a major challenge, but new platforms are being built with interoperability and patient-centricity at their core 💡 Consumer expectations are rapidly evolving, with an increasing demand for immediate access to health information and digital-enabled care 💡 My Health Record has shifted from being a basic repository to becoming central infrastructure, supporting real-time, secure, and routine data sharing 💡 Incorrect or incomplete health data, particularly when combined with AI, can lead to safety risks, reinforcing the need for better standards and data quality Timestamps 00:00: Introduction & framing the interoperability challenge 01:09: Evolution and urgency for healthcare data sharing 03:07: Patient impact and consumer stories 08:47: Practical use cases and technology improvements 12:48: Urgency, burning platforms, and risks of inaction 19:02: The role and future of My Health Record 22:52: Interoperability at Telstra Health and industry collaboration Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website. If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps. Mentioned in this episode: Join THT+ Solo to connect with other people working in or moving into digital health through members-only events, deeper content and the Talking HealthTech community hub: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus.

    632 - Connected Care Beyond the Postcode: Breaking Down Australia's Digital Health Silos
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Conversations with clinicians, vendors, policy makers and decision makers to promote innovation and collaboration for better healthcare enabled by technology. Learn about digital health, medical devices, medtech, biotech, health informatics, life sciences, aged care, disability, commercialisation, startups and so much more.

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