1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,720 This is Laura Dirdo with the Becker's Healthcare 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,120 podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,919 Shah Edithin Pramco, who is the chief digital 4 00:00:07,919 --> 00:00:10,339 and information officer at Baptist Health South Florida. 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:11,519 Shah, it's a pleasure to have you on 6 00:00:11,519 --> 00:00:12,580 the podcast today. 7 00:00:13,919 --> 00:00:15,699 Thank you. Great to be here. 8 00:00:16,324 --> 00:00:18,964 Absolutely. Now I'm excited to talk with you 9 00:00:18,964 --> 00:00:20,484 because I know you've been some doing some 10 00:00:20,484 --> 00:00:22,644 really cool things at Baptist Health South Florida. 11 00:00:22,644 --> 00:00:25,125 So we'll talk through some of your perspective 12 00:00:25,125 --> 00:00:27,045 on what's going well, how you're thinking about 13 00:00:27,045 --> 00:00:28,585 the future, and really, 14 00:00:28,964 --> 00:00:31,750 what it means to continue to incorporate digital 15 00:00:31,750 --> 00:00:33,990 technologies, AI, and more into the broader health 16 00:00:33,990 --> 00:00:35,909 system. But before we do that, can you 17 00:00:35,909 --> 00:00:37,270 tell us a little bit more about yourself 18 00:00:37,270 --> 00:00:38,010 and your background? 19 00:00:38,630 --> 00:00:40,310 Oh, for sure. Thank you. Once again, thank 20 00:00:40,310 --> 00:00:41,450 you for having me. 21 00:00:43,244 --> 00:00:45,585 I've I've been in technology for 22 00:00:46,765 --> 00:00:47,265 over 23 00:00:47,645 --> 00:00:50,284 three decades at this point. I've worked in 24 00:00:50,284 --> 00:00:51,424 different industries, 25 00:00:52,604 --> 00:00:54,864 media and entertainment, financial services, 26 00:00:55,929 --> 00:00:57,469 travel transportation. So, 27 00:00:58,170 --> 00:00:59,229 this is my 28 00:01:00,809 --> 00:01:01,309 first 29 00:01:02,250 --> 00:01:04,109 gig in health care, if you will. 30 00:01:04,969 --> 00:01:05,930 So, you know, I 31 00:01:06,650 --> 00:01:08,569 at Baptist Health, which is a large faith 32 00:01:08,569 --> 00:01:10,795 based not for profit system, I have the 33 00:01:10,795 --> 00:01:13,774 privilege of leading our technology and digital transformation 34 00:01:14,634 --> 00:01:15,134 strategies, 35 00:01:15,754 --> 00:01:19,034 which obviously ensures that our physicians, nurses, and 36 00:01:19,034 --> 00:01:20,894 and all of the staff have the tools 37 00:01:21,194 --> 00:01:22,174 they need to deliver 38 00:01:22,709 --> 00:01:25,290 excellent patient care in, as you know, 39 00:01:25,590 --> 00:01:26,489 highly increasingly 40 00:01:27,109 --> 00:01:28,090 complex environment. 41 00:01:31,349 --> 00:01:33,829 Absolutely. And, you know, it's so critical to 42 00:01:33,829 --> 00:01:36,069 have that kind of vision in the health 43 00:01:36,069 --> 00:01:38,704 care space, especially knowing how, as you said, 44 00:01:38,704 --> 00:01:40,384 complex it is and how much it's going 45 00:01:40,384 --> 00:01:42,224 to change in the coming years. And so, 46 00:01:42,224 --> 00:01:43,984 you know, in thinking about that and from 47 00:01:43,984 --> 00:01:46,244 your vantage point as leader of the technology 48 00:01:46,384 --> 00:01:46,884 business, 49 00:01:47,424 --> 00:01:49,265 what opportunities and headwinds do you have your 50 00:01:49,265 --> 00:01:50,864 eye on right now? What's top of mind 51 00:01:50,864 --> 00:01:52,304 for you when you're thinking about the next 52 00:01:52,304 --> 00:01:53,444 twelve months or so? 53 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,760 Yeah. That's that's the core question for any 54 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,159 leader in health care industry today as we're, 55 00:01:59,159 --> 00:02:00,380 you know, facing 56 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,319 a mix of significant challenges and and and 57 00:02:03,319 --> 00:02:06,680 obviously incredible opportunities as well. On the headwinds 58 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,735 front, right, the financial press pressure is immense. 59 00:02:10,194 --> 00:02:10,694 Hospitals 60 00:02:11,715 --> 00:02:14,754 are are grappling with expenses for labor and 61 00:02:14,754 --> 00:02:15,254 supplies. 62 00:02:16,435 --> 00:02:18,775 All of this cost is increasing faster than 63 00:02:18,914 --> 00:02:20,914 inflation, but then you compare that or couple 64 00:02:20,914 --> 00:02:23,949 that with the Medicare and Medicare reimbursements that 65 00:02:23,949 --> 00:02:24,449 don't 66 00:02:24,750 --> 00:02:26,989 necessarily cover the cost of actual or the 67 00:02:26,989 --> 00:02:29,789 actual cost of care. So this squeeze on 68 00:02:29,789 --> 00:02:31,870 margins is a major concern. As you've seen 69 00:02:31,870 --> 00:02:34,509 last year, a number of hospitals closed or 70 00:02:34,509 --> 00:02:37,215 or otherwise had to deal with that situation 71 00:02:37,215 --> 00:02:38,115 in really tough, 72 00:02:38,495 --> 00:02:40,014 tough ways. And on top of that, we 73 00:02:40,014 --> 00:02:42,814 also have the persistent workforce shortage. Right? So 74 00:02:42,814 --> 00:02:43,555 this is, 75 00:02:44,094 --> 00:02:46,034 high levels of clinician burnout, 76 00:02:46,414 --> 00:02:48,435 which also impacts everything we do. 77 00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:51,439 But and last but not the least, the 78 00:02:51,439 --> 00:02:51,939 cybersecurity 79 00:02:52,319 --> 00:02:52,819 threat, 80 00:02:53,519 --> 00:02:55,680 is also an ever present and growing situation. 81 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,479 Right? It's not just a IT issue. When 82 00:02:58,479 --> 00:03:00,479 you have an event or a or a 83 00:03:00,479 --> 00:03:03,114 situation like that, what that, does is it 84 00:03:03,114 --> 00:03:03,775 it disrupts 85 00:03:04,235 --> 00:03:06,955 operations in in significant health care operations in 86 00:03:06,955 --> 00:03:09,534 in significant ways, and it becomes a patient, 87 00:03:10,155 --> 00:03:11,134 safety issue. 88 00:03:11,514 --> 00:03:12,014 So 89 00:03:12,634 --> 00:03:13,134 opportunities. 90 00:03:13,435 --> 00:03:14,235 Right? So, 91 00:03:15,114 --> 00:03:16,174 we've we've been 92 00:03:16,590 --> 00:03:19,389 monitoring closely the rapid sort of essential of 93 00:03:19,389 --> 00:03:21,490 artificial intelligence and adoption into 94 00:03:21,790 --> 00:03:24,430 all industries that health care traditionally has lagged 95 00:03:24,430 --> 00:03:26,689 in terms of adopting new technologies. But, 96 00:03:27,389 --> 00:03:28,930 I am glad to see that 97 00:03:29,905 --> 00:03:32,064 the, the adoption of AI in in health 98 00:03:32,064 --> 00:03:33,584 care has been, I think, close to I 99 00:03:33,584 --> 00:03:35,664 saw an article that said it's close to 100 00:03:35,664 --> 00:03:38,305 double the rate of of the broader economy, 101 00:03:38,305 --> 00:03:40,704 which is which is fantastic to see because 102 00:03:40,704 --> 00:03:43,185 the opportunities to apply, like we discussed earlier, 103 00:03:43,185 --> 00:03:45,530 all in in all of those headwinds or 104 00:03:45,530 --> 00:03:47,789 challenges that we're seeing. There are ways that, 105 00:03:48,330 --> 00:03:50,909 AI can and and other technologies, but specifically 106 00:03:50,969 --> 00:03:52,090 AI can, 107 00:03:52,490 --> 00:03:54,669 can help. So great to see that adoption. 108 00:03:55,129 --> 00:03:57,849 And this isn't just about efficiency. Right? So 109 00:03:57,849 --> 00:03:58,509 it's about, 110 00:03:59,594 --> 00:04:01,834 that it this this is a strategy to 111 00:04:01,834 --> 00:04:02,334 to, 112 00:04:03,354 --> 00:04:06,094 address a number of different things, everything from 113 00:04:06,394 --> 00:04:06,894 clinician, 114 00:04:07,354 --> 00:04:09,594 burnout as well as, you know, the bad 115 00:04:09,594 --> 00:04:12,155 actors are using AI to to to to, 116 00:04:13,979 --> 00:04:16,319 to attack health systems from a security perspective, 117 00:04:16,540 --> 00:04:18,240 and we need to be able to use, 118 00:04:18,860 --> 00:04:19,759 AI to, 119 00:04:20,139 --> 00:04:22,699 to to protect ourselves. So across the board, 120 00:04:22,699 --> 00:04:23,279 I think, 121 00:04:23,740 --> 00:04:26,459 as hype that as as AI is, and 122 00:04:26,459 --> 00:04:28,240 I think the hype is in many ways 123 00:04:28,574 --> 00:04:30,914 justified because it is a powerful and transformative 124 00:04:31,214 --> 00:04:32,834 technology, and I think that opportunity, 125 00:04:33,535 --> 00:04:35,615 sort of is is really broad within health 126 00:04:35,615 --> 00:04:36,834 care to be able to use, 127 00:04:37,615 --> 00:04:40,254 AI and associated digital capabilities to to make 128 00:04:40,254 --> 00:04:42,209 a meaningful impact. Not just from a health 129 00:04:42,209 --> 00:04:45,170 care operations perspective, but especially from a patient 130 00:04:45,170 --> 00:04:45,910 care perspective. 131 00:04:48,529 --> 00:04:50,129 That makes a lot of sense. And I 132 00:04:50,129 --> 00:04:51,910 I think it's so interesting, 133 00:04:52,290 --> 00:04:54,709 that you're talking about AI, how you can 134 00:04:55,004 --> 00:04:55,245 boost, 135 00:04:55,805 --> 00:04:57,884 clinical workforce as well as what it can 136 00:04:57,884 --> 00:05:01,085 do in order to ensure that, you're operating 137 00:05:01,085 --> 00:05:03,004 in a successful way, especially given some of 138 00:05:03,004 --> 00:05:05,745 the challenges that you mentioned looking at financial, 139 00:05:06,444 --> 00:05:06,944 inflation, 140 00:05:07,405 --> 00:05:08,465 additional pressures, 141 00:05:08,925 --> 00:05:10,589 coming down the pipe in the next couple 142 00:05:10,589 --> 00:05:12,750 of months here, and then, you know, also 143 00:05:12,750 --> 00:05:14,990 thinking about workforce shortages and, 144 00:05:15,470 --> 00:05:18,270 clinician burnout. So, you know, when when all 145 00:05:18,270 --> 00:05:19,170 of those things, 146 00:05:19,550 --> 00:05:21,629 are are brought together, are there any use 147 00:05:21,629 --> 00:05:23,915 cases that you've been really successful at at 148 00:05:23,915 --> 00:05:26,875 Baptist Health South Florida to incorporate AI in 149 00:05:26,875 --> 00:05:28,654 seeing some tangible results? 150 00:05:29,754 --> 00:05:31,915 Yeah. I I think on the, on the 151 00:05:31,915 --> 00:05:32,415 clinician 152 00:05:33,194 --> 00:05:34,875 or or provider side of, 153 00:05:35,274 --> 00:05:38,399 the house, ambient listening has been a significant, 154 00:05:40,139 --> 00:05:42,459 you know, new addition to the toolbox, so 155 00:05:42,459 --> 00:05:44,459 to speak. Right? It it's it's still being 156 00:05:44,459 --> 00:05:44,959 deployed, 157 00:05:46,139 --> 00:05:48,379 across all of our physician base, but, 158 00:05:48,699 --> 00:05:51,279 but it's it's it's already showing significant 159 00:05:52,435 --> 00:05:52,935 improvements 160 00:05:53,235 --> 00:05:54,274 in terms of, you know, 161 00:05:56,355 --> 00:05:58,834 the pajama time reduction, which is the time 162 00:05:58,834 --> 00:06:00,995 that physicians are are are having to spend 163 00:06:00,995 --> 00:06:03,875 after hours updating documentation, but also the cognitive 164 00:06:03,875 --> 00:06:05,975 load. Right? So we really want the physicians 165 00:06:06,035 --> 00:06:07,495 to be able to use their, 166 00:06:08,529 --> 00:06:10,370 sort of bandwidth to to care for the 167 00:06:10,370 --> 00:06:12,129 patients and diagnose and treat and so on 168 00:06:12,129 --> 00:06:14,610 as opposed to figuring out the documentation. So 169 00:06:14,610 --> 00:06:15,990 even the cognitive load, 170 00:06:17,490 --> 00:06:20,050 improvement is sort of very visible as we, 171 00:06:20,129 --> 00:06:22,125 I mean, as we are deploying this. On 172 00:06:22,125 --> 00:06:23,824 the operational side too, 173 00:06:24,444 --> 00:06:26,764 we have we've deployed a number of different 174 00:06:26,764 --> 00:06:27,264 capabilities, 175 00:06:27,884 --> 00:06:30,784 everything from, you know, tracking and following up 176 00:06:31,084 --> 00:06:34,524 on incidental findings or on the pharmacy side, 177 00:06:34,524 --> 00:06:35,584 being able to, 178 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,720 automatically detect and label things. So there's quite 179 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,300 a few of those capabilities that we are, 180 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,040 we've we've deployed or and are in and 181 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:46,500 then there's a very healthy, 182 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,360 road map of these new capabilities as well. 183 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:50,980 So we are very, very 184 00:06:54,375 --> 00:06:55,435 utmost about 185 00:06:55,814 --> 00:06:58,134 sort of being clear about the value of 186 00:06:58,134 --> 00:07:00,294 these projects upfront. So there is a you 187 00:07:00,294 --> 00:07:01,754 know, we we send it through 188 00:07:02,294 --> 00:07:04,394 a process where we look at, 189 00:07:05,254 --> 00:07:06,875 a, is this you know, is 190 00:07:07,789 --> 00:07:09,949 is the quality there? B, is this going 191 00:07:09,949 --> 00:07:12,189 to help in meaningful ways across all of 192 00:07:12,189 --> 00:07:14,430 those different things that opportunities and challenges that 193 00:07:14,430 --> 00:07:15,569 we talked about physician, 194 00:07:17,149 --> 00:07:19,149 as an example, physician burnout is does this 195 00:07:19,149 --> 00:07:21,149 help with that? Does this help with operational 196 00:07:21,149 --> 00:07:23,235 efficiency? Does this help with better care for 197 00:07:23,235 --> 00:07:24,435 patients? So we look at all of those 198 00:07:24,435 --> 00:07:26,455 things, but, but we have now, 199 00:07:26,915 --> 00:07:28,855 a road map that's, that's 200 00:07:29,475 --> 00:07:31,254 being methodically rolled out. 201 00:07:33,235 --> 00:07:34,754 That makes a lot of sense. You know? 202 00:07:34,754 --> 00:07:36,355 And I appreciate you taking us a little 203 00:07:36,355 --> 00:07:38,800 bit further behind the curtain there to see 204 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,800 how you're thinking about things and, you know, 205 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:42,740 what's really elevating the most importance. 206 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:45,680 And, you know, again, kind of keeping that 207 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,759 future focused, how are you looking at growth 208 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:49,759 and adding value over the next year or 209 00:07:49,759 --> 00:07:51,104 so? I I think especially, 210 00:07:51,485 --> 00:07:53,084 you know, getting that road map in place, 211 00:07:53,084 --> 00:07:54,764 I know is important. But then what else 212 00:07:54,764 --> 00:07:56,845 is coming down the pipe when you think 213 00:07:56,845 --> 00:07:59,485 about the most meaningful ways that AI can 214 00:07:59,485 --> 00:08:01,344 be incorporated into the organization? 215 00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:04,910 For a little bit now, I think, 216 00:08:05,470 --> 00:08:08,610 we we've we've seen that the, you know, 217 00:08:10,430 --> 00:08:12,689 care is expanding beyond the traditional, 218 00:08:14,189 --> 00:08:15,970 hospital walls. Right? So your 219 00:08:16,735 --> 00:08:19,454 systems across the board, across The United States 220 00:08:19,454 --> 00:08:23,235 are investing in improving their ambulatory footprint, 221 00:08:23,615 --> 00:08:24,115 developing 222 00:08:24,495 --> 00:08:26,894 hospital at program home type of programs in 223 00:08:26,894 --> 00:08:27,634 some cases, 224 00:08:28,014 --> 00:08:31,314 and definitely strength strengthening their virtual, digital, 225 00:08:31,620 --> 00:08:33,080 telehealth type of services, 226 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:36,419 to to to to meet patients where they 227 00:08:36,419 --> 00:08:38,600 are. Right? So that that does 228 00:08:39,460 --> 00:08:41,940 two things, both growth and value. Right? So 229 00:08:41,940 --> 00:08:43,799 it it allows us to grow seamlessly, 230 00:08:44,179 --> 00:08:46,419 especially in the context of the challenge of, 231 00:08:46,419 --> 00:08:47,975 you know, not having, 232 00:08:48,995 --> 00:08:52,034 enough people to whether it's physicians or other 233 00:08:52,034 --> 00:08:54,115 health care workforce, we have a shortage. So 234 00:08:54,115 --> 00:08:56,615 having being able to deploy these technologies 235 00:08:57,075 --> 00:08:57,575 alongside, 236 00:08:59,235 --> 00:09:02,355 building capabilities, care capabilities outside of the traditional 237 00:09:02,355 --> 00:09:05,389 walls through ambulatory and outpatient types of services. 238 00:09:05,850 --> 00:09:08,350 Putting that together, I think, is is certainly 239 00:09:08,809 --> 00:09:11,309 having a having a very positive impact, 240 00:09:11,769 --> 00:09:13,529 in terms of our growth plans and our 241 00:09:13,529 --> 00:09:15,790 ability to support the community that we serve. 242 00:09:18,295 --> 00:09:19,975 That makes a lot of sense. You know, 243 00:09:19,975 --> 00:09:22,855 it's really a helpful strategy when, you're looking 244 00:09:22,855 --> 00:09:24,615 at how you can bring care closer to 245 00:09:24,615 --> 00:09:26,455 the patients, whether it's at home or or 246 00:09:26,455 --> 00:09:27,274 those ambulatory 247 00:09:27,894 --> 00:09:31,740 facilities across the broader footprint, for the health 248 00:09:31,740 --> 00:09:33,120 system, I think, is critical. 249 00:09:33,659 --> 00:09:35,659 And and I'm curious. When you look at 250 00:09:35,659 --> 00:09:37,580 that as being an important aspect of the 251 00:09:37,580 --> 00:09:39,340 future and what you're doing as the health 252 00:09:39,340 --> 00:09:41,820 system strategy and then, you know, from the, 253 00:09:42,220 --> 00:09:43,600 IT department too, 254 00:09:44,605 --> 00:09:46,445 Is there anything that you are, 255 00:09:46,924 --> 00:09:49,565 needing more of from your teams or skills 256 00:09:49,565 --> 00:09:52,044 and technical abilities, to do that? Or, you 257 00:09:52,044 --> 00:09:54,285 know, really, what are are the types of, 258 00:09:54,285 --> 00:09:55,725 I guess, people who are gonna be top 259 00:09:55,725 --> 00:09:57,985 performers if you're looking at, you know, 260 00:09:58,340 --> 00:10:00,200 that from the technology perspective, 261 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:03,059 in in how you can really think about 262 00:10:03,059 --> 00:10:04,820 your teams differently in the next year or 263 00:10:04,820 --> 00:10:05,320 so. 264 00:10:05,779 --> 00:10:08,120 Yeah. That's that's actually a great question, 265 00:10:09,379 --> 00:10:11,300 because two things. One is, you know, we 266 00:10:11,300 --> 00:10:12,920 we were talking about growth, 267 00:10:13,379 --> 00:10:13,879 which 268 00:10:14,705 --> 00:10:15,925 typically means 269 00:10:16,305 --> 00:10:18,465 growth in cost as well. Right? So we 270 00:10:18,465 --> 00:10:20,225 we we need to add these capabilities. We 271 00:10:20,225 --> 00:10:22,725 need to have the people or the the 272 00:10:23,185 --> 00:10:25,524 the providers to support the patients and then 273 00:10:25,745 --> 00:10:28,545 everything else, supporting functions or administrative functions such 274 00:10:28,545 --> 00:10:31,330 as such as IT. Now if we don't 275 00:10:31,330 --> 00:10:33,490 manage the cost from an IT perspective, which 276 00:10:33,490 --> 00:10:35,809 tends to be a bit a meaningful portion 277 00:10:35,809 --> 00:10:37,429 of the overall cost of growing, 278 00:10:38,210 --> 00:10:38,950 the footprint, 279 00:10:39,330 --> 00:10:40,929 what what then happens is, you know, if 280 00:10:40,929 --> 00:10:43,325 the cost of IT grows linearly with with 281 00:10:43,325 --> 00:10:44,544 everything else, then, 282 00:10:45,325 --> 00:10:47,325 our you know, from a margin perspective, it 283 00:10:47,325 --> 00:10:49,884 becomes really difficult for health care systems to 284 00:10:49,884 --> 00:10:52,865 operate. So IT themselves has had to transform 285 00:10:52,924 --> 00:10:54,544 and evolve. Right? So all of these 286 00:10:55,245 --> 00:10:57,149 new capabilities, including AI and everything 287 00:10:58,190 --> 00:10:59,490 else that has come 288 00:11:00,110 --> 00:11:00,590 forward, we have to take advantage of it 289 00:11:00,590 --> 00:11:03,389 ourselves and be able to bring our cost 290 00:11:03,389 --> 00:11:05,830 down. So some of this growth or much 291 00:11:05,830 --> 00:11:08,370 of this growth can be addressed in 292 00:11:08,750 --> 00:11:10,910 a cost advantages or a cost neutral kind 293 00:11:10,910 --> 00:11:11,355 of a way. 294 00:11:12,074 --> 00:11:14,235 And that's been something that we've been very 295 00:11:14,235 --> 00:11:16,475 focused on here over the last year to 296 00:11:16,475 --> 00:11:17,054 two years, 297 00:11:17,434 --> 00:11:19,115 to make sure that we are we are 298 00:11:19,115 --> 00:11:22,095 making smart IT decisions as well, 299 00:11:22,554 --> 00:11:23,774 that keeps the overall 300 00:11:24,269 --> 00:11:24,930 cost lower 301 00:11:25,629 --> 00:11:28,269 or trend you know, bend the cost curve 302 00:11:28,269 --> 00:11:30,050 as we talk as we say internally, 303 00:11:30,830 --> 00:11:32,430 to to be able to support all this 304 00:11:32,430 --> 00:11:33,550 growth, but but, 305 00:11:33,870 --> 00:11:35,550 allowing at the same time to make sure 306 00:11:35,550 --> 00:11:37,870 that the the system has the margin to 307 00:11:37,870 --> 00:11:38,850 be able to operate. 308 00:11:40,695 --> 00:11:42,214 That makes a lot of sense. And, you 309 00:11:42,214 --> 00:11:44,634 know, that operating margin is so critical. 310 00:11:45,095 --> 00:11:47,254 I know every health care dollar is precious 311 00:11:47,254 --> 00:11:49,334 for sure. And so when you look at, 312 00:11:49,654 --> 00:11:51,575 where you're at today and then headed into 313 00:11:51,575 --> 00:11:53,195 the future where there's a lot of uncertainties 314 00:11:53,414 --> 00:11:54,235 and, you know, 315 00:11:54,629 --> 00:11:55,129 even, 316 00:11:55,990 --> 00:11:57,910 a lot of organizations are seeing some of 317 00:11:57,910 --> 00:12:00,070 their margins being compressed. And so if you're 318 00:12:00,070 --> 00:12:01,670 talking to your colleagues out there, what do 319 00:12:01,670 --> 00:12:03,670 you see as being really one risk for 320 00:12:03,670 --> 00:12:06,070 investment that's still worth making, you know, knowing 321 00:12:06,070 --> 00:12:06,389 that, 322 00:12:07,054 --> 00:12:09,454 there's gonna be potentially even more scrutiny on 323 00:12:09,454 --> 00:12:11,934 every cost or spending decision coming up in 324 00:12:11,934 --> 00:12:13,074 the next couple years? 325 00:12:14,574 --> 00:12:15,054 Yeah. 326 00:12:15,855 --> 00:12:18,194 Look. I mean, we we are in this 327 00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:19,970 phase 328 00:12:22,029 --> 00:12:24,850 or time where, you know, the the technology 329 00:12:24,990 --> 00:12:28,350 advancements are coming at us really, really fast. 330 00:12:28,350 --> 00:12:30,429 Right? So, I mean, when you if you 331 00:12:30,429 --> 00:12:32,909 look at the technology news and updates every 332 00:12:32,909 --> 00:12:34,129 week, there is a new 333 00:12:35,295 --> 00:12:37,795 AI development or capability that comes to market. 334 00:12:40,095 --> 00:12:40,595 So, 335 00:12:41,215 --> 00:12:43,215 you know, and that's just AI, but there 336 00:12:43,215 --> 00:12:44,894 are other things as well in the horizon. 337 00:12:44,894 --> 00:12:46,915 There is Qualcomm coming in, then there is, 338 00:12:47,375 --> 00:12:49,769 a number of other clinical technologies that are 339 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,809 coming forward as well. So the the 340 00:12:53,290 --> 00:12:55,149 there are two underlying, 341 00:12:57,450 --> 00:13:00,730 necessities, if you will, the core infrastructure from 342 00:13:00,730 --> 00:13:03,134 an IT or technology perspective as well as 343 00:13:03,134 --> 00:13:04,115 the cybersecurity, 344 00:13:06,174 --> 00:13:08,195 sort of system, if you will, which includes 345 00:13:08,254 --> 00:13:10,014 the the team as well as the tools 346 00:13:10,014 --> 00:13:11,315 and and the processes, 347 00:13:12,335 --> 00:13:14,035 everything including, you know, resilience 348 00:13:14,735 --> 00:13:17,955 capabilities and business continuity planning. So that underlying 349 00:13:18,254 --> 00:13:19,004 foundation, core 350 00:13:19,350 --> 00:13:22,089 infrastructure with all the processes as well as, 351 00:13:23,110 --> 00:13:25,750 security and and and everything else around that, 352 00:13:25,750 --> 00:13:27,289 I think a lot of our, 353 00:13:27,990 --> 00:13:30,570 when I look around in the industry, unfortunately, 354 00:13:30,870 --> 00:13:32,169 many systems or, 355 00:13:32,825 --> 00:13:35,304 many systems haven't had the opportunity for a 356 00:13:35,304 --> 00:13:36,445 number of different reasons, 357 00:13:36,985 --> 00:13:39,304 haven't had the opportunity to upgrade their systems 358 00:13:39,304 --> 00:13:40,524 or upgrade their infrastructure. 359 00:13:41,144 --> 00:13:43,884 So I think whether whether you invest in, 360 00:13:44,184 --> 00:13:44,580 you know, 361 00:13:45,139 --> 00:13:47,779 buying a new capability today or two years 362 00:13:47,779 --> 00:13:50,679 from now, that that foundation is absolutely, 363 00:13:51,620 --> 00:13:54,040 critical. In in the absence of that foundation, 364 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:54,759 two things, 365 00:13:55,220 --> 00:13:57,059 or three things are likely are gonna happen. 366 00:13:57,059 --> 00:13:59,000 A, it's gonna be difficult for you to 367 00:13:59,325 --> 00:14:00,545 implement these technologies, 368 00:14:01,165 --> 00:14:04,225 to take advantage of these transformative technologies. B, 369 00:14:04,285 --> 00:14:05,665 it will be more expensive, 370 00:14:06,605 --> 00:14:08,684 to to take care of, to to to 371 00:14:08,684 --> 00:14:10,925 take advantage of it. And then three, it'll 372 00:14:10,925 --> 00:14:13,004 take longer. Right? Because time to market has 373 00:14:13,004 --> 00:14:14,705 become a major, major, 374 00:14:16,019 --> 00:14:18,120 imperative for us. So investing, 375 00:14:19,059 --> 00:14:20,200 in the core infrastructure 376 00:14:20,580 --> 00:14:22,580 and and and the foundation, as I call 377 00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:24,679 it, which includes cybersecurity as well, 378 00:14:25,379 --> 00:14:27,159 I I think is going to be 379 00:14:27,774 --> 00:14:29,695 something that everyone must do. And there are 380 00:14:29,695 --> 00:14:31,455 many systems that are ahead of that curve, 381 00:14:31,455 --> 00:14:33,534 and that's great, wonderful. But there's a lot 382 00:14:33,534 --> 00:14:34,735 of others that are in it, and I 383 00:14:34,735 --> 00:14:37,134 think that's that's something that they should I 384 00:14:37,134 --> 00:14:40,034 would look at it as a, no regret 385 00:14:40,095 --> 00:14:42,914 investment investing in the foundation to upgrade and 386 00:14:42,975 --> 00:14:45,350 getting it, up to currency. I think that 387 00:14:45,350 --> 00:14:46,649 would be something that I recommend. 388 00:14:48,629 --> 00:14:51,430 That's great advice and, really critical to have 389 00:14:51,430 --> 00:14:53,350 that kind of foundation because I know there's 390 00:14:53,670 --> 00:14:55,029 like you said, there'll be so much more 391 00:14:55,029 --> 00:14:57,269 advancement and technology is just gonna get better. 392 00:14:57,269 --> 00:14:59,235 And so, you know, having the data and 393 00:14:59,235 --> 00:15:01,634 that infrastructure in place to take on whatever 394 00:15:01,634 --> 00:15:03,954 comes next, will be so, so helpful for 395 00:15:03,954 --> 00:15:05,735 health systems as they're trying to navigate, 396 00:15:06,355 --> 00:15:08,595 uncertainties on a variety of fronts. I think 397 00:15:08,595 --> 00:15:10,434 as you're wrapping up the conversation here, I 398 00:15:10,434 --> 00:15:11,970 I just wanted to take one more, 399 00:15:12,449 --> 00:15:14,209 look with you, you know, in the best 400 00:15:14,209 --> 00:15:16,929 opportunities for additional growth in the future, whether 401 00:15:16,929 --> 00:15:19,169 it's for yourself or your teams or or 402 00:15:19,169 --> 00:15:21,329 the health system at large. What, are are 403 00:15:21,329 --> 00:15:23,329 some of the big picture items that you're 404 00:15:23,329 --> 00:15:26,149 excited about and, are are really preparing for? 405 00:15:27,174 --> 00:15:29,595 Yeah. That also a great question. I think 406 00:15:29,654 --> 00:15:30,875 as I look ahead, 407 00:15:31,254 --> 00:15:33,894 perhaps not next month, next year, but in, 408 00:15:33,894 --> 00:15:36,134 you know, just a longer term road map. 409 00:15:36,134 --> 00:15:38,315 It's clear that people are starting to 410 00:15:38,695 --> 00:15:41,750 take their wellness more seriously than before, right, 411 00:15:41,750 --> 00:15:43,210 especially the younger generation. 412 00:15:44,310 --> 00:15:44,810 So, 413 00:15:46,149 --> 00:15:46,970 you know, we 414 00:15:47,590 --> 00:15:49,050 which which would mean, 415 00:15:50,070 --> 00:15:51,910 many different things to a lot of different 416 00:15:51,910 --> 00:15:54,004 folks. So as such, you see the the, 417 00:15:54,004 --> 00:15:56,805 you know, the the supplement industry exploding, which 418 00:15:56,805 --> 00:15:58,004 is expected to be, I don't know, a 419 00:15:58,004 --> 00:15:58,965 120 420 00:15:58,965 --> 00:16:00,404 or $130,000,000,000 421 00:16:00,404 --> 00:16:01,785 industry by 2030. 422 00:16:02,325 --> 00:16:06,345 But but people are making efforts to take, 423 00:16:06,940 --> 00:16:09,919 take care of themselves, take control or ownership 424 00:16:10,299 --> 00:16:11,360 for their own, 425 00:16:12,139 --> 00:16:13,519 their own health and wellness, 426 00:16:13,820 --> 00:16:16,220 which is wonderful to see. But I think 427 00:16:16,220 --> 00:16:19,179 where that goes is ultimately now we would 428 00:16:19,179 --> 00:16:20,000 need to, 429 00:16:20,654 --> 00:16:23,375 cater to the community or or or a 430 00:16:23,375 --> 00:16:24,595 population that is 431 00:16:24,975 --> 00:16:26,595 that that needs or wants, 432 00:16:27,134 --> 00:16:28,195 personalized medicine. 433 00:16:28,575 --> 00:16:30,495 Right? So there is we are also starting 434 00:16:30,495 --> 00:16:32,595 to see breakthroughs in genomics. 435 00:16:33,550 --> 00:16:36,190 Recently, there was news that using CRISPR, someone 436 00:16:36,190 --> 00:16:39,730 was able to, I think, address or or, 437 00:16:42,029 --> 00:16:44,450 take care of the cholesterol high cholesterol issue. 438 00:16:44,509 --> 00:16:45,730 So I think increasingly, 439 00:16:46,695 --> 00:16:49,274 personalized medicine using some of these highly advanced, 440 00:16:49,894 --> 00:16:52,075 technologies are are are going to start, 441 00:16:52,695 --> 00:16:54,774 they'll start playing a much, much, much bigger 442 00:16:54,774 --> 00:16:56,154 role or factor 443 00:16:56,535 --> 00:16:57,355 in in, 444 00:16:57,815 --> 00:17:00,394 in health care. Now, you know, as as 445 00:17:02,879 --> 00:17:05,200 as a in addition to that or, with 446 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,279 that, there's also, I think, with, 447 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,339 an opportunity for something like an ambient 448 00:17:10,799 --> 00:17:11,299 intelligence, 449 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,559 kind of an effort both inside the hospital 450 00:17:14,559 --> 00:17:16,875 environment, but as well as outside of it 451 00:17:16,875 --> 00:17:19,115 when when people are out and about doing 452 00:17:19,275 --> 00:17:21,035 you know, going about their life. And I'm 453 00:17:21,035 --> 00:17:21,855 being an intelligence 454 00:17:22,315 --> 00:17:25,035 agent or or an assistant, a health assistant 455 00:17:25,035 --> 00:17:25,535 that, 456 00:17:25,835 --> 00:17:27,835 both that both the providers and the patients 457 00:17:27,835 --> 00:17:29,730 or the consumers can rely on, 458 00:17:30,210 --> 00:17:32,210 to to take in take care of, 459 00:17:32,609 --> 00:17:34,069 you know, or a monitor 460 00:17:34,450 --> 00:17:37,329 the patients, anticipate some of those needs. But 461 00:17:37,329 --> 00:17:39,730 on the provider side of it, streamline clinical 462 00:17:39,730 --> 00:17:40,869 workflow workflows, 463 00:17:41,650 --> 00:17:43,429 without actually having to, 464 00:17:43,974 --> 00:17:45,815 do a lot of work manually. I think 465 00:17:45,815 --> 00:17:47,494 all of that, you know, from a from 466 00:17:47,494 --> 00:17:50,294 an ambient intelligence perspective or an intelligent AI 467 00:17:50,294 --> 00:17:50,794 agent, 468 00:17:51,095 --> 00:17:53,335 health care assistant, whichever whatever you wanna call 469 00:17:53,335 --> 00:17:55,274 it, I think that's going to be, 470 00:17:55,654 --> 00:17:57,434 a big piece of it as well. Ultimately, 471 00:17:57,575 --> 00:17:58,934 what all of this means is, you know, 472 00:17:58,934 --> 00:17:59,434 between 473 00:17:59,789 --> 00:18:02,590 technologies and the capabilities that support personalized medicine 474 00:18:02,590 --> 00:18:04,750 as well as, you know, Ambient Intelligence. All 475 00:18:04,750 --> 00:18:05,330 of that, 476 00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:07,789 what that fits into us, you know, is 477 00:18:07,789 --> 00:18:10,990 the integrated digital health ecosystem. Right? So this 478 00:18:10,990 --> 00:18:13,009 journey that we've been on for the last 479 00:18:13,545 --> 00:18:16,184 decade or two to to to assure in 480 00:18:16,184 --> 00:18:18,505 sort of this digital era into health care, 481 00:18:18,505 --> 00:18:20,424 I think that's going to now sort of 482 00:18:20,424 --> 00:18:22,505 take off in in major ways and and 483 00:18:22,505 --> 00:18:23,005 and 484 00:18:23,384 --> 00:18:25,884 and see really steep adoption 485 00:18:26,265 --> 00:18:28,045 and and growth. So that's my 486 00:18:28,559 --> 00:18:29,460 sort of view, 487 00:18:30,639 --> 00:18:32,639 for the future. I'm I'm really hopeful that 488 00:18:32,639 --> 00:18:35,759 comes through because then then it then it 489 00:18:35,759 --> 00:18:37,859 helps people as well as providers 490 00:18:38,319 --> 00:18:40,880 sort of do whatever that we have to 491 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:42,559 do to to get take care of people 492 00:18:42,559 --> 00:18:44,295 much, much better and faster. 493 00:18:46,934 --> 00:18:48,535 I love it. Thank you so much for 494 00:18:48,535 --> 00:18:50,134 joining us in the podcast today. This has 495 00:18:50,134 --> 00:18:52,134 been a really fascinating conversation, and I look 496 00:18:52,134 --> 00:18:53,914 forward to connecting with you again soon. 497 00:18:54,775 --> 00:18:56,215 Thank you. Thanks for having me. This was 498 00:18:56,215 --> 00:18:57,894 wonderful, and thanks for the great questions. I 499 00:18:57,894 --> 00:18:59,115 really enjoyed the conversation. 500 00:18:59,630 --> 00:19:00,130 Talk 501 00:19:00,509 --> 00:19:01,420 to you soon.