January 15, 2025: When Heather Nelson stepped into the SVP and CIO role at Boston Children's Hospital from outside the organization, she knew she had to earn trust before driving change. Over the next few years, she led three major restructures, optimized their Epic environment, reduced third-party applications from 400 to 186, and delivered $14 million in cost savings. But her most powerful insight? "You can be the hero and the villain in the same sentence." In this conversation, Heather reveals how she balances authoritative decision-making with psychological safety, why she listened for six weeks before implementing her plan, and what it really takes to transform IT from an order-taker into a strategic business enabler at one of the nation's premier children's hospitals.

Key Points:

• 01:06 Building Trust and Establishing Reputation
• 08:25 IT as a Strategic Partner, Not a Cost Center
• 15:29 Succession Planning and Leadership Development
• 18:23 Speed Round and Final Thoughts

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

January 14, 2026: Identity has evolved from a back-office security concern into the foundation of healthcare's competitive strategy. Steve Gwizdala, VP of Healthcare at Ping Identity, reveals how health systems are rethinking identity to win patient loyalty in an era of unprecedented choice. With patients selecting care based on digital convenience and clinicians demanding frictionless access, the stakes have never been higher. From eliminating password fatigue to preparing for agentic AI threats, Steve unpacks the identity challenges reshaping healthcare delivery. Discover why smartphones made digital experience a requirement, not a nice-to-have, and what leaders should prioritize as identity becomes central to revenue growth and brand loyalty.

Golf Tournament Signups: https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/686801-ThisWeekHealth

Key Points:

• 02:15 Challenges and Solutions in Identity Management
• 05:58 Modernizing Identity for Better Outcomes
• 10:55 Preparing for the Future of AI Identity in Healthcare
• 18:52 Speed Round and Closing Thoughts

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

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

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

January 8, 2026: Three powerhouse executives tackle healthcare's most complex sourcing decisions in this essential conversation. Lisa Davis, former CIO and Founder/CEO of Lisa Davis Advisory; Janet Malzone, Former CEO and Board Member; and Kristine Jarvis, Organizational Transformation Leader, reveal what leaders get wrong about offshore, nearshore, and automation strategies. From the pre-mortem technique that prevents million-dollar failures to the cultural metrics most organizations ignore, they expose why technical fluency without leadership maturity creates chaos. Discover how to rebuild trust after transformation missteps and why projects with the highest team disagreement deliver the strongest ROI.

Golf Tournament Registration: https://carahevents.carahsoft.com/Event/Details/686801-ThisWeekHealth

Key Points:

• 03:59 Challenges of Offshoring and Automation
• 09:41 Preparing for AI and Future Technologies
• 25:36 Leadership and Technical Capabilities
• 31:58 Holistic Transformation and Systems Thinking
• 43:06 Global Workforce and AI Myths

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

January 5, 2026: ServiceNow's $7 billion acquisition of Armis signals a major shift in healthcare IT consolidation strategy. Jason Rose, CEO of Clearsense dives into what this deal means for health systems juggling overlapping security tools and bloated app portfolios. The conversation shifts to bold predictions for 2026, including a massive wave of multi-billion dollar health system mergers and the rural hospital crisis. Jason reveals how Trinity Health eliminated $100 million in operational costs through strategic app archiving, while the panel explores why AI implementation will finally move beyond hype into real-world deployment.

Key Points:

• 01:39 ServiceNow Acquisition of Armis
• 07:26 Application Consolidation in Healthcare
• 17:10 Predictions for 2026
• 30:39 Closing Remarks and Subscription Information

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

December 29, 2025: As 2025 draws to a close, Drex, Sarah, and Bill gather to reflect on a year of struggles and triumphs. From unprecedented CIO turnover among top talent to the stark reality of workforce exhaustion, this candid conversation reveals why even quality leaders are finding themselves displaced. They explore how fear has stifled innovation, why AI advanced faster than expected with synthetic media, and how organizational culture emerged as the true differentiator in digital transformation success. They also share personal highlights from their year of summits and dinners, proving that even in challenging times, community and purpose remain paramount.

Key Points:

• 00:50 Reflecting on 2025: Surprises and Challenges
• 06:25 What We Got Right in 2025
• 13:22 Personal Reflections and Key Takeaways
• 18:55 Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Initiatives
• 22:47 Conclusion and Community Engagement

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

December 23, 2025: The AI revolution swept through healthcare in 2025, but did it deliver on its promises? Bill Russell, Drex DeFord, and Sarah Richardson pull back the curtain on what really happened in AI this year—from North Korean deep fakes infiltrating hospital workforces to the sobering reality of billion-dollar AI investments with ROI timelines stretching to 2030. They reveal why ambient listening became the breakout use case, which organizations are actually making progress, and the critical mistake most health systems are making with endless pilots. If you're wondering whether your organization is behind on AI or just getting started right, this honest end-of-year reflection delivers the answers healthcare leaders need heading into 2026.

Key Points:

• 02:38 2025 Reflections and Predictions
• 11:21 Deep Fakes and Digital Trafficking in Healthcare
• 17:50 Balancing Tech Debt and Innovation in Healthcare
• 19:22 Enhancing Physician Efficiency and Satisfaction
• 25:09 Future AI Trends

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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

December 19, 2025: CMS has unveiled its new ACCESS Model—an ambitious 10-year initiative aimed at expanding digital, tech-enabled care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In this discussion, Laura O’Toole, CEO of SureTest, joins Bill and Sarah to unpack how outcome-based reimbursement could finally accelerate innovation in remote monitoring and chronic disease management. They explore what this shift means for CIOs, including the need for stronger data interoperability, integrated analytics, and secure pipelines to support continuous digital care. The conversation also highlights risks, from digital literacy gaps to patient privacy concerns as de-identified data gains value across the industry. From wearables and home health devices to the challenge of building a true digital front door, this episode examines how ACCESS could reshape care-in-place models—and why commercial payers may soon follow Medicare’s lead.

X: This Week Health

LinkedIn: This Week Health

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