A cancer battle, AI, and starting healthcare companies: Our top podcasts of 2023

The Data Book podcast from Chief Healthcare Executive is designed to shed light on technology trends, innovation, and the transformation of healthcare.

And our podcasts featured some fascinating discussions about digital health, including AI, privacy, engaging patients and building companies.

But our most popular podcast featured a poignant story of a doctor’s battle with cancer.

Here’s a look at our most popular podcasts, with links to the episodes. If you missed some of them, here’s a chance to check out some fascinating conversations. Note: You can subscribe to Data Book wherever you get your podcasts.

1. Lessons from a doctor fighting cancer: ‘It’s scary being a patient’

Arti Masturzo is a board-certified physician in internal medicine. She’s also the chief medical officer of CCS, a provider of care programs and home-delivered medical supplies for patients with chronic conditions.

Arti Masturzo

Even with her vast experience, she has gained new insights into healthcare as a patient. Arti is battling breast cancer and she shared some of her experiences in a discussion for the Data Book podcast.

“From a healthcare executive standpoint, I would sum it up as: it is really scary to be a patient,” she says.

Beyond battling a serious illness, she says she’s gained more perspective on where healthcare can do better for patients. She spoke glowingly about her caregivers, but says some challenges patients shouldn’t be facing.

“The care is extremely siloed,” Arti says. “The incentives are not aligned for my best health. The people doing the work are burned out, exhausted. And there is no one reaching across the table from payer and provider, health system, patient, all the other supporting, ancillary things that you need. There's no connection.”

Arti's story clearly resonated with listeners and readers. Here’s wishing Arti a healthier and happier new year. You’re in our thoughts.

2. Joe Zabinski of OM1 on the potential and challenges of AI and ChatGPT

In a year where AI has been such a hot topic in healthcare, it makes sense that a discussion on artificial intelligence would land near the top of our list.

Joe Zabinski, the senior director of AI and personalized medicine at OM1, says AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare. And he says the future isn’t far away.

“In terms of how close we are to this having widespread adoption, I think we're closer than most people realize, because so much of it goes on behind the scenes,” he says.

3. James Quarles of Redesign Health talks about starting up healthcare companies

After previously serving as CEO of Strava, the social network for athletes, James Quarles is now a venture chair at Redesign Health, which has launched 50 healthcare startup companies in less than six years.

In a lively conversation, Quarles discusses what healthcare startup companies should be doing as they try to bring new solutions to market. He outlines the ingredients of successful startups, what founders should be doing, and some common mistakes that should be avoided.

Quarles stresses the importance of having a narrow focus and not attempting to bite off too much in the development of a young company.

“I always say startups die actually of indigestion, not starvation,” he says.

4. Conversation with Gregg Church of 4Medica

Gregg Church is the president of 4medica, a healthcare technology company that works to give organizations a more complete view of patient records.

He talked about the company’s work with hospitals, health systems, physicians and laboratories to exchange data and improve outcomes.

Church also sees progress in interoperability, the exchange of healthcare information between health systems, payers and patients. It has been talked about for many years, but Church said it is coming closer to reality. In a promising sign, hospitals are collaborating more often.

“Hospitals are starting to see they can’t hold their data hostage in their own silos,” he says.

5. Justin Norden discusses ChatGPT and AI in healthcare

Justin Norden talked with us about the emergence of ChatGPT and what it means for healthcare.

Norden is a physician who teaches about digital health at Stanford Medicine. He’s also a partner at GSR Ventures, an investment firm focusing on early stage digital health companies.

ChatGPT could be the fastest-growing consumer technology project ever. When asked about ChatGPT’s implication for healthcare, Norden says, “That is the million, if not billion dollar question.”

Look for more episodes of the Data Book podcast in January. Plus, look for new episodes of our podcast focusing on financial and management issues in healthcare: Healthy Bottom Line.