The Beat

Making Healthcare Technology More Human with Lisa Gulker, Chief Nursing Officer at Oracle Health and Life Sciences

Healthcare technology should quietly remove friction and reduce burden so clinicians can focus on what matters most: caring for patients in a more human way. In this episode, Lisa Gulker, Chief Nursing Officer at Oracle Health and Life Sciences, discusses how Oracle is rethinking healthcare technology by building AI directly into the foundation of its systems rather than layering it on as an afterthought. She explains how this approach can help clinicians spend less time in the chart, reduce workflow fragmentation, and make technology feel more seamless in the care experience. Lisa also shares how Oracle is applying these capabilities across providers, life sciences, and payers, creating opportunities to accelerate research, improve clinical trial matching, streamline prior authorization, and reduce administrative burden across the ecosystem. Throughout the conversation, she brings a nurse leader’s perspective to a central question in healthcare innovation: how do we use technology to make care feel more human, not less? Tune in and learn how embedded AI could reshape the healthcare experience for clinicians, staff, researchers, payers, and patients alike.  About Lisa Gulker: Lisa Gulker is Chief Nursing Officer at Oracle Health, where she helps bring the voice of clinicians into product strategy, innovation, and healthcare transformation. With a background that spans nursing, informatics, analytics, and clinical operations, she has spent her career helping health systems use technology more effectively to improve care delivery and workforce engagement. Before becoming Chief Nursing Officer, Lisa served as Vice President of Product Management and Strategy at Oracle, and previously held senior leadership roles at Cerner, Tenet Healthcare, and Detroit Medical Center, where she focused on clinical transformation, data stewardship, and value realization. She works closely with executive leaders, data science teams, and engineering groups to align innovation with the realities of care delivery. Lisa holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Wayne State University and brings a strong blend of clinical, strategic, and operational expertise to healthcare innovation.  Things You’ll Learn: * When AI is built into the foundation of healthcare technology, it can reduce the burden more effectively than tools simply bolted onto older systems.  * Seamless technology should help clinicians focus more on patients and less on screens, documentation, and fragmented workflows. * Life sciences organizations can use AI-enabled systems to accelerate research, improve access to studies, and surface insights more efficiently. * Payers still rely on slow, labor-intensive administrative processes that AI could help streamline, especially in areas such as pre-authorization and referrals. * Human-centered innovation depends on listening closely to end users and designing technology that reflects how clinicians actually work.  Resources: * Connect with and follow Lisa Gulker on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagulker/]. * Follow Oracle Health on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oracle/]and visit their website. [https://www.oracle.com/]

The Future of Personalized Healthcare Experiences Is Here: Inside the IBM and Adobe Partnership

As digital change accelerates across healthcare, payors face an urgent need to modernize how they communicate, educate, and engage. The AI-Orchestrated Experiences portfolio from Adobe and IBM represents a new paradigm where data, design, and intelligence work seamlessly together to improve outcomes for every stakeholder. In this episode of the AI at Health series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Melissa Geissler [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgeissler1], Partner for Healthcare and Life Sciences Strategy and Transformation at IBM [https://www.ibm.com/consulting/healthcare-services], and Ted Roman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoreroman/], Healthcare and Life Sciences Digital Strategy Principal at Adobe [https://business.adobe.com/], to unpack one of the most exciting partnerships in healthcare AI right now. Together, IBM and Adobe are building AI-orchestrated experience solutions that help payers deliver personalized, seamless, and scalable member experiences without the white-glove price tag. From helping members find the right health plan to automating prior authorization and appointment booking, this episode is a must-listen for any payer, provider, or health tech leader who wants to understand where consumer experience in healthcare is headed next.  IN THIS EPISODE, THEY TALK ABOUT: * Healthcare is data-rich, but still behind every major retailer when it comes to personalized member experiences * IBM and Adobe are combining platform capabilities, agentic AI, and change management into one integrated framework * AI agents can now handle health plan selection, appointment booking, and benefits navigation for members * Brokers serving small and mid-size employers are one of the most underserved audiences in healthcare technology * The best AI strategy starts with defining the business problem first, then building the technology around it * Social determinants of health data can now be integrated into personalized member recommendations * Organizations that feel under-resourced are the ideal candidates for AI-orchestrated experiences * The partnership is already live with clients and expanding into provider and life sciences use cases  A LITTLE ABOUT TED AND MELISSA: Ted Roman, PhD, brings over a decade of expertise in healthcare and life sciences research, management, technology, operations, and digital strategy to Adobe. He is a principal in the Digital Strategy Group, serving organizations globally pursuing more interconnected experiences. Prior to Adobe, Ted served the needs of Highmark Health and McKinsey & Company's clients. He holds a PhD in Computational Biology from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He also earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and mathematics from Case Western Reserve University. Melissa Geissle is a Partner at IBM, leading Public Market activities, where she applies experience strategy and service design to solve complex innovation challenges and leads a diverse team of designers, researchers, analysts, and strategists to help organizations create meaningful stakeholder connections while improving market outcomes. Over two decades, she has partnered with healthcare, life sciences, government, and nonprofit organizations to define and execute digital health initiatives, applying data-driven insights and ecosystem platform capabilities to redefine strategic marketing, service, and digital engagement functions. Melissa holds a BA in Economics from Bates College and an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, and has participated in global corporate citizenship initiatives across the UK, South Africa, and Poland.

Compliance Isn’t Security: The Biggest Cybersecurity Myth in Healthcare (HITRUST Explained)

In this episode of the Cybersecurity at Vibe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Shreesh Bhattarai [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreesh-bhattarai-cisa-ccsk-hitrust-ccsfp-chqp-5a052837/], Director of HITRUST at A-LIGN [https://www.a-lign.com/], for a candid and practical conversation about one of the most misunderstood topics in healthcare cybersecurity. With nearly a decade of experience building one of the highest-volume HITRUST assessment practices in the market, Shreesh breaks down the difference between checking a compliance box and actually being secure, walks through the three levels of HITRUST certification, and shares what organizations need to do right now to prepare for an AI-driven future. Whether you are just starting your compliance journey or managing nine certifications with a team of five, this episode has something for you. IN THIS EPISODE, THEY TALK ABOUT: * Compliance is the baseline, not the finish line, and treating it as a once-a-year exercise is a serious mistake * The biggest risk in compliance is not failing the audit, but passing it while still being insecure * HITRUST has three certification levels: E1 (crawl), I1 (walk), and R2 (marathon) * Organizations should choose the certification that matches their risk profile, not just go for the biggest one * The best audits are boring because everything is already embedded in day-to-day operations * HITRUST's "audit once, report multiple times" approach eliminates duplicative work across frameworks * AI governance plans are no longer optional; shadow AI is a real and growing risk * HITRUST now offers an AI cybersecurity assessment to help organizations put guardrails around AI use A LITTLE ABOUT SHREESH: Shreesh Bhattarai is Director and HITRUST Practice Lead at A-LIGN, where he works at the intersection of cybersecurity assurance, regulatory pressure, and business growth. Since 2017, he has led more than 500 HITRUST certifications and assessments across healthcare, digital health, and high-growth technology organizations. Shreesh partners directly with CEOs, CISOs, and executive teams navigating increasing scrutiny from regulators, customers, and third parties. He is known for challenging the “check-the-box” compliance mindset and reframing HITRUST as a strategic trust mechanism — one that strengthens security posture, accelerates enterprise sales, and reduces third-party risk friction. He leads a national team of security professionals within A-LIGN’s HITRUST practice and regularly speaks on the evolution of compliance in healthcare at forums including ViVE, Health and HITRUST Collaborate. Prior to A-LIGN, he was part of the audit practice at Ernst & Young, focusing on SOX 404 and SOC engagements.

Building Affordable, Transparent Consumer Healthcare with Dr. Myra Ahmad, CEO of Mochi Health

Consumer healthcare is entering a new phase where patients are no longer just looking for convenience. They are looking for affordability, transparency, and provider relationships that actually feel continuous and personalized. In this episode, Dr. Myra Ahmad, CEO of Mochi Health, discusses how her company is building a comprehensive care platform that goes well beyond GLP-1s and weight management. She explains how Mochi combines providers, pharmacies, and software infrastructure in a marketplace model that gives patients more treatment visibility, supports tailored care plans, and expands access to affordable medications with or without insurance. Dr. Ahmad also shares why price transparency matters more than ever as more patients move into high-deductible plans, how operational efficiency and AI can help keep care affordable, and why the next chapter of telehealth will belong to solutions that reduce friction while preserving the provider-patient relationship. Tune in and learn how consumer health platforms can make care more accessible, more transparent, and more aligned with what patients actually want.  About Myra Ahmad: Dr. Myra Ahmad is the CEO of Mochi Health, a telehealth and digital care platform focused on delivering personalized, accessible, and affordable care through certified providers. She earned her MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wellesley College. Before leading Mochi Health, Dr. Ahmad built a strong background in research through roles at UCSF, the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. Her experience spans clinical research, consumer behavior, and healthcare innovation, giving her a multidimensional perspective on how to expand access while improving the patient experience. Things You’ll Learn: * Patients increasingly want healthcare solutions that combine affordability, transparency, and continuity instead of forcing them through fragmented experiences. * A marketplace model can give providers more flexibility to tailor treatment plans while giving patients more visibility into medication and pharmacy choices. * Expanding beyond weight management became a natural step once both providers and patients began looking for broader, ongoing care relationships. * Operational efficiency, automation, and AI can help healthcare companies reduce administrative costs without sacrificing access or affordability. * The future of telehealth will likely favor solutions that make pricing clear and help patients understand exactly what they are paying for. Resources: * Connect with and follow Myra Ahmad on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/myra-ahmad-md/]. * Follow Mochi Health on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mochihealth/] and visit their website. [https://joinmochi.com/]

From Pipes to Platform: Building an AI‑Ready, Standards‑First Healthcare Backbone

In this episode of the Interop Now at Vibe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Adam Luff [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-luff/], VP of Product Solutions at Infor [https://www.infor.com/], and Jesse Evans [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessealanevans], Product Director for Infor FHIR Services, for a deep and practical conversation about why semantic interoperability is the make-or-break factor for AI in healthcare.  With decades of experience between them, Adam and Jesse explain why organizations that skip the data normalization step are building on a foundation that will eventually collapse. From prior authorization workflows to longitudinal patient records, this episode is essential listening for any healthcare leader who wants to understand what AI-ready infrastructure actually looks like. IN THIS EPISODE, THEY TALK ABOUT: * AI cannot make sense of data that is not semantically normalized * Integration wires things up; interoperability makes the data actually usable * A single patient can exist under multiple names and identifiers across dozens of systems * FHIR is not a replacement for HL7, it is the latest version of the HL7 specification * Poor data quality in EHRs is the rule, not the exception, even at well-resourced organizations * Event-driven architecture enables prior authorization workflows to run with no human intervention * Infor's longitudinal patient record viewer pulls data from up to 70 archival systems into one normalized view * The FHIR server is becoming the source of truth, replacing the EHR as the authoritative record * Bed turnover and discharge workflows are where providers are capturing real, measurable ROI right now * A well-governed, normalized data platform unlocks an almost unlimited number of AI use cases A LITTLE ABOUT ADAM AND JESSE: Adam Luff has been with Infor for six years and has spent about 20 years in the provider space. Before Infor, he worked at a company that manufactures large MRI and CT machinery. He focuses on business impact with provider organizations. Jesse Evans has been at Infor for about 10 years, first as a Principal Solutions Architect and now as Product Director for Infor FHIR Services. He has been in the healthcare enterprise industry for about 20 years, with deep expertise in integration engines, interoperability, and FHIR standards.