PULSE

PULSE+IT

PULSE, the podcast, produced by Pulse+IT and hosted by digital health legends Louise Schaper and George Margelis, is an enlightening, entertaining look at global digital health trends and current debates with our hosts’ deep takes on all the latest news in digital health.

  1. 4d ago

    The AI Wars: Best Practice vs Heidi, Patients vs Doctors, and Google's Health Agents

    This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George pay tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart and Captain Picard’s legacy for science. Then they dig into who gets to let AI into our medical records. Best Practice vs Heidi: Best Practice tells customers that using Heidi’s new agent, Heidi II, with Bp Premier breaches its licence, while Heidi argues that clinicians should choose their own tools, and the American Medical Association offers a more useful starting point by asking what the AI should be authorised to do, what evidence shows it’s safe, and who is accountable when it goes wrong. The AI-informed patient, from the other side of the desk: following the Australian Healthcare Index on the last show, new surveys from Healthed and Zanda show GPs and allied health practitioners seeing patients arrive armed with AI research, which brings better understanding but also anxiety, longer consults and pushback. Google’s personal health agent: a Nature paper from Google Research describes a team of AI agents, a data scientist, a domain expert and a health coach, that reasons over wearable data and blood tests, a glimpse of a future where our most continuous health relationship may be with an AI. Shout-out: SpermSearch.AI extends their global reach: Australian startup NeoGenix Biosciences’ AI tool for the hardest IVF sperm searches is now registered in the UK and heading to clinics in Great Britain (disclosure: NeoGenix is a Medical Angels portfolio company). Resources: Patrick Stewart dies: how Captain Picard inspired today’s science leaders – Nature LinkAMA governance framework for agentic AI LinkHealthed GP poll on patients using AI LinkZanda: The State of AI Adoption in Allied Health 2026 – Pulse+IT LinkAustralian Healthcare Index, October 2026 –LinkThe anatomy of a personal health agent – Nature LinkNeoGenix Biosciences – SpermSearch.AI Link Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  2. Oct 29

    Finally, the Australian Data: Over a Third of #PatientsUseAI, but They Still Back Their GP, with Dan Stinton and Dr Nick Coatsworth

    For years, we've been talking about how patients are using AI for healthcare. Now, finally, we have Australian data — and the findings are fascinating. In this episode of Pulse Amplify, Louise and George are joined by Dan Stinton, CEO of Healthengine, and Dr Nick Coatsworth, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Australia and Ambassador for Health Reform at Patients Australia, to unpack the eighth Australian Healthcare Index. Drawing on the experiences of more than 6,000 Australians, the report reveals that 36% have already used or encountered AI in healthcare. Yet GPs remain the most popular first port of call for health advice, and satisfaction with Australia's healthcare system is rising — even as affordability pressures continue to affect healthcare decisions. The conversation explores whether AI is becoming healthcare's new front door, the risks of a two-tier system where those who can't afford a doctor rely on a chatbot instead, why AI's promised productivity savings aren't necessarily reaching patients, and what transparency and consent should look like when AI is used in clinical care. Resources: Australian Healthcare Index, October 2026 – Healthengine and Patients Australia Link Follow our guests on LinkedIn: Dan Stinton, Nick Coatsworth Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  3. Oct 22

    AI Scribes, Your Brain Data and the Sh*t Tech Bros Say

    This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George ask  Can AI cure cancer before smoking kills you? Should we worry if NVIDIA's CEO thinks basic maths no longer matters? Louise and George introduce a new segment exploring the extraordinary things tech leaders say - and the consequences of believing the hype. In this week's Hot Topics, they examine Australia's TGA review of AI scribes and the UK's ambitious plans to regulate healthcare AI throughout its lifecycle. They explore fascinating research allowing people with epilepsy to converse with their own brain-monitoring data, and revisit the controversy surrounding Palantir and the NHS Federated Data Platform. Plus, a FemTech roundup covering Google Health and Flo, new approaches to breast cancer detection, and a rather unconventional device being marketed for menopause symptoms. Resources TGA finds 8 of 12 scribes likely medical devices Pulse+IT Govt backs recommendations of NHS doctors-led AI Commission Link Human–artificial intelligence collaboration for comanaging epilepsy in real time. Nature Medicine Feminai pilots at home breast exam kit with Midi Health Femtech Insider Mammograms can miss cancer in dense tissue Inc MenoPulse Boots UK Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  4. Oct 15

    It’s the Humans That Get Us: AI, Existential Risk and Healthcare’s Control Problem –with Enrico Coiera, Lucy Orr-Ewing & Guy Tsafnat

    Is artificial intelligence an existential threat to humanity? Or is the greater danger what humans choose to do with it? In this special episode of Pulse, Louise and George are joined by Professor Enrico Coiera, Dr Guy Tsafnat, and Lucy Orr-Ewing of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) for a provocative discussion about AI safety, superintelligence and the future of healthcare. From rogue AI and malicious actors to systemic failures and the growing power of technology giants, the panel explores what could go wrong - and whether we're building the safeguards needed to prevent it. They debate whether regulation can keep pace with AI, whether human-in-the-loop oversight is becoming theatre, and what healthcare leaders should be doing now to ensure AI delivers benefits without compromising patient safety. The central question: Will AI be our greatest threat, or will human decisions be our undoing? Resources: Don’t Walk. Run. AI in Healthcare – The 3rd National Policy Roadmap (Australian Alliance for AI in Healthcare) CHAI AI Governance Playbooks From principles to practice: an actionable framework for AI governance in healthcare organisations, BMJ The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian Follow our guests on LinkedIn: Enrico, Lucy, Guy Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  5. Oct 8

    Who Gets to Deliver Healthcare? AI Agents, Grindr, Apple and France's Telehealth Queue-Jumpers

    This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George ask who gets to deliver healthcare, as AI agents, a dating app, Apple and online platforms all push into territory that once belonged to clinicians and health services. Agentic AI moves into healthcare — Heidi's new agents can now complete referrals, recalls and follow-ups across EHRs, inboxes and patient portals, joining Epic, Oracle and ARPA-H in a shift from AI that advises to AI that acts. George draws on James Reason's Swiss cheese model and Goodhart's Law to ask who is accountable when agents get it wrong. Is Grindr becoming a front door to healthcare? — Grindr's US$250 million purchase of PrEP telehealth provider Freddie will bring HIV prevention, testing, prescriptions and medication delivery inside the app, a sign that healthcare is moving to where communities already gather. Apple pushes further into healthcare — Apple's redesigned Health app adds a Health Age score, at-home movement assessments and, in the US, lab tests you can buy straight from the app. That raises questions about validation, equity, and who has the conversation when your watch says you're older than you are. Telehealth grows up — France has given teleconsultation platforms until 1 October to stop charging patients to skip the queue. Meanwhile Australia is preparing its first national safety and quality standards for virtual care, along with rules requiring online prescribers to share medicines information to My Health Record by default. Plus, Louise reviews Eliza at Melbourne Theatre Company, the story of Joseph Weizenbaum and the world's first chatbot, and pays tribute to her PhD supervisor, the late Professor Graham Pervan. Resources Heidi launches AI agents for clinical admin, Pulse+IT Link Oracle outlines healthcare AI roadmap, Pulse+IT Link Online prescribing Share by Default consultation Link Recommendations: Join the ACSQHC Webinars for the public consultation on the Draft National Safety and Quality Standards for Virtual Care (19, 21 and 23 October) Go see Melbourne Theatre Company Eliza, showing until 31 October Watch Silenced documentary Aging Research and Drug Discovery Annual Meeting YouTube Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  6. Oct 1

    Tech Is the Tail Wagging the Dog – OpenAI's Medicare Breach, AI Scribes in Court and the Push to Pay AI Doctors

    This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George break down: OpenAI's Agent Breaches a Medicare Portal – An OpenAI agent that "didn't accept no for an answer" pulled non-public files from a legacy Medicare statistics portal, turning a benign research task into a wake-up call for healthcare's ageing legacy systems. AI Scribes Meet the Law – A Washington State court ruled a patient had no right to the ambient AI recording of her own consult, while an Australian legal analysis warns scribes may concentrate liability on the doctor who signs the note. The Medicare Pipeline Nobody Designed – An Auditor-General's report shows software increasingly marketed to optimise Medicare billing with AI, while the Health Department switched off its own AI fraud-detection model because staff couldn't keep up with what it flagged. The US Prepares to Pay AI Doctors – A New York Times investigation finds US health officials fast-tracking AI that diagnoses, prescribes and treats, including reported discussions about paying AI doctors 60 to 80 per cent of what human doctors earn. And a huge thank you to our Pulse Poddies: we've passed 25,000 downloads! Resources: Pulse+IT: PM alleges 'unauthorised access' of Medicare portal LinkThe Conversation: Australia's legacy systems were already a cyber risk. AI agents are raising the stakes LinkAMA: Patients don't have right to ambient AI recordings, court says LinkKirkpatrick, Porter & Freckelton, "Current and Emerging Medico-Legal Issues Related to AI Scribes in Healthcare Across Australia", (2026) 32 Journal of Law and Medicine 823Coiera & Fraile-Navarro, AI Scribes: Are We Measuring What Matters?, JMIR Medical Informatics LinkSeuren, Williams & Cresswell, BMJ Digital Health & AI LinkANAO, Artificial Intelligence and Medicare Benefits Integrity LinkThe New York Times: U.S. Health Officials Move Quickly to Deploy Medical A.I. Despite Concerns LinkARPA-H ADVOCATE program Link Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  7. Sep 24

    The Case for AI to Retain Clinicians, Not Replace Them, with Prof Daniel Baumgart

    Healthcare faces a global workforce crisis - but what if we’re asking the wrong question about AI? Professor Daniel Baumgart joins Louise and George to argue that AI’s greatest opportunity may not be replacing clinicians, but helping us keep them. They explore where AI is genuinely reducing workload, who should benefit from the ‘productivity dividend’, and why layering AI onto dysfunctional workflows may simply accelerate the problem. Daniel also warns of an emerging risk: clinicians becoming deskilled as they increasingly rely on AI, creating a divide between those who understand and can challenge these systems and those who simply depend on them.  Plus: what tomorrow’s clinicians need to learn, why clinical judgement must remain human, and the two questions every health service should answer before buying an AI tool.  Read Daniel’s paper in The Lancet: Global advances in health artificial intelligence: a workforce imperative Link Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

  8. Sep 17

    Above the Loop: Has AI Earned the Right to Make Decisions? With Dr Andrew Rochford

    “Human in the loop” has become one of healthcare AI’s favourite safety assurances. But what happens when AI is making decisions at a speed and scale no human can realistically oversee? Dr Andrew Rochford joins Louise and George to discuss Above-the-Loop Governance, his proposed approach to continuously measuring AI decision-making against independent professional benchmarks. They explore how AI could earn, and lose, the authority to make consequential decisions, what happens when AI performs differently or even better than humans, and where accountability ultimately sits when an AI makes the call.  Andrew also discusses Trakkked.ai, his attempt to put the framework into practice. Learn more about Trakked.ai Read Andrew’s paper on Above the Loop Governance Link Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news. Follow us on LinkedIn Louise | George | Pulse+IT Follow us on BlueSky Louise | George | Pulse+IT Send us your questions pulsepod@pulseit.news Production by Octopod Productions | Ivan Juric

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5
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3 Ratings

About

PULSE, the podcast, produced by Pulse+IT and hosted by digital health legends Louise Schaper and George Margelis, is an enlightening, entertaining look at global digital health trends and current debates with our hosts’ deep takes on all the latest news in digital health.

Information

  • Creator
    PULSE+IT
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    ©PULSE+IT
  • Show Website
    PULSE

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