Data Book Podcast: Rediscovering Healthcare's 'Why' With Rasu Shrestha

Over the course of hours, weeks and years, meeting after meeting and paycheck after paycheck, it’s easy to lose sight of what drove us in our professional directions, all those years ago.

The “Why” of it all.

The Inside Digital Health™ podcast Data Book has a special treat for you — a philosophical tete-a-tete with one of the best-known innovators in the digital health space, Rasu Shrestha, M.D., MBA.

Shrestha is currently the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Atrium Health in North Carolina. That follows a long stint at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

But his story starts off on the other side of the world entirely — in Nepal.

“I observed early on the elements of poverty in a country like Nepal,” Shrestha told Data Book. “I observed early on the elements of striving for life and livelihood.”

The philosophical underpinnings of healthcare need to be constantly in mind, said Shrestha over the course of a short conversation with our hosts, Tom Castles and Jack Murtha.

We can — and will – do better, said the trained radiologist. He talked about some of the initiatives at Atrium which are promising to strategically advance the role of technology to make better lives for patients – and their doctors.

“We as an industry in healthcare still grapple with the challenges of interoperability,” said Shrestha. “We’re very focused on the plumbing layer and I think it’s really important for us to elevate ourselves to really looking at the experiential layer, well beyond the plumbing layer.”

Along the course of this week’s episode, Shrestha’s story may challenge you to find your own “Why” amid another work week.

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