The 229 Podcast

January 19, 2026: Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson unpack OpenAI's two major healthcare announcements that could fundamentally reshape how patients interact with their health data—and how health systems govern AI. ChatGPT Health promises to finally deliver on the personal health record dream, letting patients aggregate everything from Apple Health to medical records in one secure place. Meanwhile, ChatGPT for Healthcare gives CIOs the governed sandbox they've been desperate for. Hear why patient data monetization, clinical trial recruitment, and the shift from provider liability to patient empowerment could make this time actually different.
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Key Points:
05:00 ChatGPT Health Announcement
17:40 Personalized GPT and Analytics in Healthcare
22:05 Wearable Health Tech and Personal Health Records
25:35 Community Events and LinkedIn Series

January 15, 2026: How do you lead 120,000 caregivers across seven states while maintaining a relationship-first philosophy? Providence CIDO, Cherodeep Goswami, reveals how his health system reduced patient wait times by seven days through disciplined innovation and the power of asking "why". From the unique practice of reflections in faith-based healthcare to navigating AI governance at scale, Cherodeep shares candid insights on what separates successful digital transformation from "lipstick on a pig." He discusses the challenges of training the next generation in a remote work era, why standards might be overused in healthcare, and his three-word framework for driving change: empathy, innovation, and impact.
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Key Points:
03:26 Scaling Personal Touch in Large Healthcare Systems
12:55 The Importance of Empathy in Healthcare
19:35 The Role of Standardization and Respecting Variations
22:09 Challenges and Strategies in AI Adoption
37:06 Lightning Round: Personal Insights

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January 14, 2026: When 50% of your urgent care patients walk in with zero medical history, how do you deliver quality care? Mike Cordeiro, Senior Director of Interoperability Market and Product Strategy at MEDITECH, and Joe Diver, Signature Healthcare’s CIO, discuss how they transformed fragmented records into a unified view that nearly 400 clinicians adopted in record time. One physician called it "the best technical change in years." Learn why interoperability isn't just about regulatory compliance anymore—it's becoming the lifeline that allows independent hospitals to survive, compete, and deliver coordinated care without sacrificing their autonomy.
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Key Points:
01:27 Signature Healthcare's Core Challenges
03:58 MEDITECH's Impact on Clinicians
06:25 Adoption and Advanced Features
12:18 Future of Interoperability and Conclusion

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January 12, 2026: Epic is defending three simultaneous lawsuits while CIOs grapple with vendors imposing staggering price increases—some as high as 600%. Bill, Sarah, and Drex tackle the uncomfortable truth about AI leadership: it's time to figure it out or risk getting left behind. They explore why AI with context is transformative while AI without it looks foolish, discuss whether board members know how to hire AI-savvy CIOs, and predict a major shift in how healthcare organizations approach their EHR relationships. Could we see a return to building custom solutions powered by modern AI?
Key Points:
02:44 Predictions for 2026
14:18 Staffing and Workforce Implications
21:10 Epic's Legal Troubles

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January 8, 2026: Dr. Michael Pfeffer, SVP and CIDO at Stanford Medicine, reveals how his team built a secure AI sandbox in just six weeks—and what they learned from analyzing thousands of user prompts. From ambient scribes that actually work to ChatEHR transforming clinical workflows in real-time, Michael shares the practical wins and honest challenges of deploying AI across an academic medical center. Discover why different AI models excel at different tasks, how Stanford approaches governance without slowing innovation, and why the future of healthcare might finally match the vision we've been promised for decades.
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Key Points:
05:14 The Green Button Initiative
09:29 Ambient Listening in Clinical Settings
15:32 Stanford's Unique Approach to Innovation
26:03 ChatEHR: A Game Changer
34:09 Capturing Patient Stories with Technology

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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer