Digital Health Leaders Podcast

CHIME
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  • TECH NEWS
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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.

  1. 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.

    41 min

  2. 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.

    31 min

  3. 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.

    24 min

  4. 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.

    29 min

  5. MAR 16

    Blazing the Next Frontier: The 2026 CHIME + KLAS Trailblazer Award

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, sits down with Adam Gale, Founder and CEO of KLAS Research, and Dr. Richa Gupta, Vice President of Care Transformation at Ambience Healthcare to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare operations. As recipients of the CHIME and KLAS Trailblazer Award, Ambience Healthcare represents a new generation of technology companies recognized not just for innovation, but for measurable outcomes inside health systems. Together, the leaders explore how ambient AI is evolving beyond documentation support into broader clinical and operational intelligence—impacting coding accuracy, compliance, and revenue integrity. Key Takeaways: How health systems are redefining AI maturity as they move from experimentation to enterprise-scale deployment across clinical and operational workflows. Why ambient AI is expanding beyond clinician documentation to influence coding accuracy, compliance, and revenue integrity across health systems. The organizational conditions required to successfully scale AI initiatives, including workflow integration, leadership alignment, and clinician adoption. What separates high-performing healthcare AI vendors from early-stage solutions that struggle to move beyond pilot programs. How digital health leaders can balance innovation, governance, and trust as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in core healthcare operations.

    28 min

  6. MAR 16

    Compassion as Infrastructure: Scaling Predictive Care Across the Enterprise

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, welcomes Dr. Jacob Strand, Chair of Palliative Care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and Enterprise Chair for the Palliative Care Specialty Council to the show for a conversation that challenges how health systems think about care delivery for patients with serious illness. Together, they examine how digital health leaders can move beyond traditional models of specialty care to build scalable systems that connect data, clinical insight, and operational accountability, ensuring the right care reaches the right patient at the right time. How predictive analytics can help health systems identify patients with serious and complex illness earlier, enabling more proactive and coordinated care. Why designing scalable clinical workflows is essential for improving outcomes and managing rising healthcare complexity. The role digital health leaders play in connecting data, clinical teams, and operational strategy to support more patient-centered care models. Practical ways health systems can use data and digital tools to align care delivery with what matters most to patients and families facing serious illness. Lessons from Mayo Clinic’s approach to integrating palliative care insights across the enterprise to support clinicians and improve patient experience.

    25 min

  7. MAR 9

    From Inflection to Impact: Operationalizing AI for Sustainable Healthcare Transformation

    In this episode, Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, speaks with PV SubbaRao, President of Healthcare Provider at NTT DATA, about what it truly takes to operationalize AI for lasting transformation. Together, they discuss the leadership decisions, governance structures, and workflow redesign required to scale AI responsibly while driving measurable improvements in financial sustainability, operational resilience, and care delivery. Key Takeaways: Why AI represents a structural shift in healthcare operations and the signals that indicate organizations have reached a true transformation inflection point. The governance, data architecture, and investment decisions required to successfully move AI initiatives from pilot programs to enterprise-scale deployment. How leading organizations are redesigning clinical and operational workflows, roles, and decision-making structures as AI becomes embedded into everyday work. What distinguishes true AI-enabled revenue cycle transformation from traditional automation efforts and how it can support long-term financial sustainability. The leadership, cultural shifts, and performance metrics required to align the C-suite and measure the real impact of AI-driven transformation across the enterprise.

    25 min

  8. MAR 9

    Scaling AI Responsibly: Workforce Readiness and Patient Trust in Healthcare

    Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, sits down with Abdul Shaikh, Global Leader for Digital Health at Amazon Web Services, for a forward-looking conversation on what it takes to scale artificial intelligence responsibly across healthcare. Drawing from global experience advising health systems, payors, and governments, Dr. Shaikh shares insights on how leaders can move from AI pilots to accountable, enterprise-level impact while ensuring technology adoption strengthens both care delivery and confidence in the health system. Key Takeaways: How to recognize the moment AI shifts from isolated innovation projects to enterprise-wide operational exposure requiring formal governance and executive oversight. The foundational infrastructure, cloud architecture, interoperability, and cybersecurity capabilities needed to scale AI safely across health systems. What true workforce readiness looks like as AI reshapes clinical documentation, operational workflows, and decision-making responsibilities. The critical questions executives and boards should ask about AI performance, bias, transparency, and long-term accountability. Why patient trust is the ultimate measure of success for AI in healthcare—and how leaders can ensure transparency and confidence as AI becomes embedded in the care experience.

    35 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

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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