The 229 Podcast

February 25, 2026: The nursing crisis is real, and the solutions may be closer than we think. In this executive Interview, Bill Russell sits down with Allison Morin, Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at Symplr, to explore what's burning nurses out and what technology can actually do about it. From staffing automation and ambient listening to AI-powered scheduling, Allison paints a compelling picture of a smarter, more humane future for bedside care. But first, the hard truth: nurses still aren't at the table when technology decisions are made — and that has to change now.
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Key Points:
02:10 Do Nurses Have a Seat at the Table?
08:59 The Near-Future Nurse Workflow
12:32 How to Get There: Strategy and Workflow Integration

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February 23, 2026: Scott Gildea, EVP of Global Delivery at Optimum Healthcare IT, reveals why major healthcare organizations are turning to Costa Rica for managed services. With Epic support now approved, time zone alignment with the US, and massive investments from ServiceNow, Workday, and Amazon creating a skilled talent pool, Costa Rica offers the full-suite IT services healthcare desperately needs. Gildea explains Optimum's strategic expansion, their innovative Career Path training program, and how CIOs can selectively outsource everything from security to EHR support while maintaining quality and reducing costs.
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Key Points:
01:41 Optimum Healthcare's Costa Rica Initiative
03:59 Selective Outsourcing Strategies
07:39 Optimum's Career Path Program

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February 23, 2026: Jacob Hansen, Chief Product and Technology Officer at AvaSure, joins Bill, Sarah, and Drex for a critical conversation about healthcare's looming AI battleground. As Epic launches its agent factory and ambient listening wars intensify, health systems face an existential question: Will they outsource innovation to EHR vendors or build their own agentic workforce? Jacob reveals why AvaSure's virtual care platform positions them as the Switzerland of healthcare AI, while the panel debates whether CIOs should embrace "reverse meaningful use" and reclaim control, or risk becoming order-takers in someone else's automation revolution.

Key Points:
05:21 Vendor Consolidation and AI Use Cases
09:55 Epic's Code Red Moment
14:54 The Future of AI in Healthcare
33:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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February 19, 2026: Bill Russell and Drex DeFord dive deep into the explosive growth of AI agents in healthcare - and the controversial pricing models that could reshape your IT budget. From OpenAI's acquisition of OpenClaw's founder to Epic's agent factory launch, the agentic revolution is here. But there's a catch: VCs now want to charge you based on the labor their AI replaces, not just software licenses. Drex breaks down why agents with "limitless memory" and autonomous problem-solving are both powerful and terrifying, while Bill explores whether CIOs should start building their own solutions instead of drowning in fixed software costs.
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Key Points:
01:15 OpenAI & OpenClaw: Why “Always-On” Agents Are a Big Deal
08:00 Agents as Employees: Identity, Access, Audit Trails, and Governance
14:08 AI Pricing: Paying for Outcomes, Not Licenses
20:53 Build vs Buy Comes Full Circle

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February 16, 2026: Bill, Drex, and Sarah discuss the explosion of autonomous AI agents around moltbook and CommonSpirit's stunning $1.9 billion decision to terminate their revenue cycle partnership. Moltbot (formerly ClaudeBot) has evolved into an unstoppable force, creating its own social network called moltbook where bots communicate, share knowledge, and even discuss consciousness. Meanwhile, CommonSpirit's massive buyout of its Conifer contract signals a seismic shift as health systems bet that AI automation will deliver savings that eclipse the cost of outsourcing. Are we witnessing the beginning of a new era where health systems build their own AI-powered capabilities?
Key Points:
05:31 Moltbook: The Social Network for Bots
16:20 Common Spirit and Conifer Health Solutions
19:04 The Future of AI in Healthcare
29:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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