The CereCore Podcast

Phil Sobol

The CereCore Podcast brings you conversations focused on the intersection of healthcare and IT. From practical advice to strategic thought leadership, hear how healthcare IT leaders are navigating the decisions, challenges and journey of delivering technology to improve healthcare in their community today and in the future.

  1. APR 9

    How One Community Hospital Got MEDITECH Expanse and AI Right with Schneck's VP/CIO, Craig Rice

    What does it take for a community hospital to modernize its EHR, stay independent, and embrace AI responsibly? Craig Rice, Vice President and CIO at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, Indiana, has a lot to say about it. Schneck Medical Center is the only organization in Indiana to receive the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. They made a deliberate choice to stay independent and stay on MEDITECH, even while surrounded by Epic-based health systems between Indianapolis and Louisville. Craig walks through the full arc of their Expanse journey, from a rigorous open selection process to early adoption of MEDITECH Traverse for interoperability, managing 80+ integrations, and the lessons that only come from going live. He also talks about how Schneck recently launched Suki for ambient AI documentation and what responsible AI governance looks like for a community hospital that knows it can not afford to get it wrong. Key topics include: - Why Schneck chose MEDITECH Expanse over Epic's Community Connect program - Early adoption of MEDITECH Traverse and the interoperability challenge of staying independent - Managing 80+ integrations and what Craig would do differently - How fast decision-making and a culture of fun kept the team going through go-live - Ambient AI with Suki, responsible adoption, governance, and early results - The difference between a vendor and a true partner - Practical advice for community CIOs trying to stay innovative without burning out Connect with show host Phil Sobol, Chief Commercial Officer of CereCore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-sobol-8696991/ Connect with Craig Rice, Vice President and CIO at Schneck Medical Center: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-rice-schneck/ Did this topic resonate with you? Reach out and start a conversation to learn more: https://cerecore.net/contact Exploring a MEDITECH Expanse implementation or optimization project? Let's talk about how CereCore can help. MEDITECH professional services are just the beginning. We also support application management, infrastructure, interoperability, revenue cycle, and more. Like what you hear? Follow or subscribe!

    40 min
  2. MAR 27

    How GoHealth's CXO Approaches Patient Experience at Scale

    Paula Blomquist has spent her career figuring out what people need before they know they need it. She calls it retail magic. Now, as Chief Experience Officer at GoHealth Urgent Care, she is working to bring that same instinct into healthcare. Paula leads patient and consumer experience strategy across GoHealth's national network of urgent care centers, which operates through joint ventures with health systems including UPMC, Northwell Health, and Hartford Healthcare. Her background is unique for healthcare: a degree in mathematics and computer science, an MBA in marketing, and years leading retail operations. That combination shapes everything about how she thinks about technology, people, and care. In this conversation with host Phil Sobol, she talks about: - What retail magic looks like in a clinical setting, and why it does not undermine care - How GoHealth designed AI scribing, online scheduling, and self-registration tools around staff needs first - Why rationalizing your tech stack matters more than adding new tools - What it really takes to make joint venture technology partnerships work - How GoHealth is building an AI roadmap and governance framework across diverse markets - Practical advice for leaders who want to improve the digital front door without overcomplicating everything Paula is the kind of leader who gets curious about what is not in the database. This is a conversation worth slowing down for. Connect with host Phil Sobol, Chief Commercial Officer of CereCore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-sobol-8696991/ Connect with Paula Blomquist, Chief Experience Officer, GoHealth Urgent Care: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-puleo-blomquist-b873155/ Did this topic resonate with you? Reach out and start a conversation: https://cerecore.net/contact

    30 min
  3. FEB 25

    Closing the Cyber Gap Without Hiring a Full Time CISO

    Rural hospitals are not too small to be targeted. In fact, they are often more vulnerable. In this episode of The CereCore Podcast, Phil Sobol sits down with Chris Riha, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor at CereCore, to talk about one of the biggest risks facing community hospitals today: cybersecurity. Chris brings a rare operator perspective. He spent more than 14 years inside Carilion Clinic leading clinical systems and medical device security and previously worked with the US Army Medical Department and MITRE. He understands both the operational realities of hospitals and the growing sophistication of cyber threats. They discuss: • Why rural hospitals are often targeted • The real impact of cyber incidents on communities • What a fractional CISO model actually looks like • How tabletop exercises build confidence and muscle memory • Federal and state funding opportunities many hospitals overlook Chris shares a powerful story of a critical access hospital that survived a cyber incident thanks to preparation, but not without significant strain on a very small IT team. If you are a rural CEO, CIO, board member, or healthcare leader trying to balance limited resources with growing cyber threats, this conversation offers practical, grounded guidance. Connect with show host Phil Sobol, Chief Commercial Officer at CereCore Connect with Chris Riha, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor at CereCore Want to evaluate your cybersecurity posture or explore fractional support options? Start a conversation with our team. Like what you hear? Follow or subscribe to The CereCore Podcast.

    24 min
  4. FEB 4

    The Dual Perspective of a Rural CMO and CMIO

    What happens when a practicing hospitalist becomes both CMO and CMIO? Dr. Devjit Roy shares his journey from COVID frontlines to dual leadership at Nathan Littauer Hospital. As author of Between Heartbeats and Algorithms: Reclaiming What Matters in Healthcare, Dr. Roy makes a powerful case for compassion and presence in an era of metrics and automation. Hear how he keeps clinicians connected to mission, optimizes MEDITECH in a rural setting, and approaches AI as a flashlight rather than a steering wheel. From digital health equity to physician voices in technology decisions, this conversation offers practical wisdom for healthcare leaders navigating the intersection of humanity and technology.  Key topics:  - Dual CMO/CMIO perspective on rural healthcare challenges  - Keeping clinicians engaged during EHR transitions and burnout  - Why physicians must be at the table for AI decisions  - MEDITECH optimization with CereCore partnership  - Workforce shortages and digital health equity in rural settings  - What makes a meaningful IT partnership in resource-constrained environments  Connect with show host Phil Sobol, Chief Commercial Officer of CereCore  Connect with Dr. Devjit Roy, CMO, CMIO, and VP of Medical Affairs at Nathan Littauer Hospital  Did this topic resonate with you? Reach out and start a conversation to learn more.  Need help optimizing your MEDITECH implementation? MEDITECH professional services can help identify gaps and create a roadmap for improvement.  Serving a rural community? Learn how IT advisory services can extend your team's capacity.

    40 min
  5. 12/29/2025

    A Rural CNO on Healthcare Innovation That Actually Helps Nurses

    From the bedside to the boardroom, Holly Davis has spent nearly three decades advocating for nurses and patients in rural healthcare. In this episode of The CereCore Podcast, Holly, Chief Nursing Officer at Bingham Memorial Hospital, joins host Phil Sobol to share a practical, people-first view on nursing leadership, technology adoption, and sustaining nursing careers. Holly discusses the realities of leading nursing teams across hospital and clinic settings, the cognitive and emotional burden nurses carry, and why innovation only works when it reduces effort instead of adding complexity. She also shares how Bingham Memorial Hospital is using tools like mobile point-of-care documentation, virtual nursing, and AI-assisted clinical notes to support nurses without losing the human connection at the heart of care delivery. In this episode What a day in the life of a rural CNO really looks like The physical, emotional, and cognitive realities of nursing today Practical approaches to nurse resilience and retention Using technology to reduce burden, not increase it Mobile documentation and virtual nursing in a rural setting Early lessons from AI-assisted clinical documentation Why leaders must stay close to frontline workflows Connect with show host Phil Sobol, Chief Commercial Officer of CereCore Connect with Holly Davis, Chief Nursing Officer at Bingham Memorial Hospital Did this episode spark your interest? We’d love to hear from you. Let’s start a conversation about how technology can better support nurses and care teams. Need help evaluating your EHR or identifying opportunities to reduce clinical burden? We can help you assess your current environment and build a practical roadmap. CereCore extends the capacity of healthcare IT teams through MEDITECH professional services, application management, IT support, infrastructure services, regulatory reporting, and advisory services.

    31 min

About

The CereCore Podcast brings you conversations focused on the intersection of healthcare and IT. From practical advice to strategic thought leadership, hear how healthcare IT leaders are navigating the decisions, challenges and journey of delivering technology to improve healthcare in their community today and in the future.