InteropNow! at ViVE Podcast

Why 5G Is the Infrastructure Healthcare Didn't Know It Needed

In this episode of the InteropNow! at ViVe series on The Beat Podcast, host Sandy Vance sits down with Ray Sabourin [http://linkedin.com/in/ray-sabourin], Healthcare Vertical Subject Matter Expert at Ericsson [https://www.ericsson.com/en], for a fascinating and surprisingly accessible conversation about the connectivity infrastructure that will determine whether healthcare's AI ambitions actually succeed. Ray has spent 30 years in wireless technology and brings a clear-eyed, no-hype perspective to a topic most CIOs have not fully thought through yet. From autonomous vehicles in mines to HoloLens in operating theaters in Singapore to the simple frustration of losing a call in a hospital elevator, this episode makes the case that 5G is not a luxury upgrade for healthcare. It is the foundation that everything else depends on.  In this episode, they talk about: * Ericsson powers roughly half the world's cellular infrastructure and is now bringing enterprise-grade 5G directly to hospitals * Wi-Fi was built for location-based general use; 5G is built for mission-critical, mobile, clinical performance * Hospitals can now own their own private 5G network using CBRS spectrum without relying on carriers * Private 5G is far more secure than Wi-Fi because SIM-based encryption protects both the device and the network simultaneously * The neutral host approach, bringing the carrier signal indoors via distributed radio rather than a distributed antenna, is the recommended first step * Cleveland Clinic and Tampa General are among the early US health systems building out private 5G infrastructure * Deploying AI at scale in healthcare requires infrastructure that can handle massive, continuous data collection from sensors, cameras, and devices * AI is a Ferrari on a gravel road: buying cutting-edge AI tools without upgrading connectivity infrastructure is a recipe for poor performance * Physical AI, including autonomous nurse carts and hospital robots, is already on the horizon and requires mobile, seamless connectivity that Wi-Fi simply cannot guarantee A Little About Ray: Ray Sabourin is a healthcare technology strategist focused on helping hospitals and large health systems design wireless environments that can support the next decade of digital care delivery. At Ericsson, Ray works closely with provider organizations at the intersection of IT, clinical operations, and infrastructure to improve reliability, reduce operational risk, and prepare for AI‑driven workflows. Ray’s background spans wireless infrastructure, healthcare operations, and large‑scale digital transformation in complex clinical environments. His work centers on helping health systems move from “good enough” connectivity to must‑not‑fail wireless performance that clinicians and care teams can depend on.

Hart Helps Change Data Chaos to Data Clarity in Healthcare

AI may be the hottest topic in healthcare, but most organizations still aren’t ready to use it at scale.  In this episode, host Sandy Vance chats with the CEO of Hart [https://hart.com/], Dominique Gross [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquegross/]. Together, they break down the real barriers holding healthcare back: from fragmented data and legacy EHR systems to inconsistent standards and limited access. Dominique shares how building a semantic data layer is helping organizations unlock their data, scale innovation safely, and move from pilot projects to real enterprise impact. In this episode, they talk about: * Many healthcare organizations are eager to adopt AI, but they struggle to scale beyond pilot programs due to foundational data challenges. * The most immediate barrier to innovation is simply gaining access to all relevant data across fragmented and legacy systems. * Data quality is just as critical as access, as organizations must normalize and clean their data before it can be used effectively. * Legacy electronic health records often contain valuable historical data, even if organizations are hesitant to use it due to inconsistencies. * Patients ultimately benefit when their full medical history is accessible, rather than only recent encounters. * HART has developed a semantic data layer that acts as a “translation system” across different EHRs, enabling consistent data use. * This approach allows organizations to aggregate, migrate, and stream data more efficiently across dozens of systems. * One health system successfully scaled from connecting a small number of affiliates to centralizing more than 60 data sources over time. * The same organization was able to complete a major EHR migration in under 12 weeks by extracting, normalizing, and preparing data for a new system. * Proprietary data models within EHR systems create significant barriers to interoperability and data portability. * Despite increasing regulation and improved standards, accessing complete and meaningful data remains a challenge across vendors. * Market consolidation is likely to continue, as organizations seek fewer vendors that can handle multiple data needs. * Clinical research remains an underutilized opportunity, with many organizations still relying on manual processes to identify eligible patients. * Improving data accessibility could dramatically accelerate patient recruitment and engagement in clinical trials. * Simple improvements in data completeness and standardization can have immediate impacts on reimbursement, efficiency, and patient care. A Little About Dominique: As CEO of Hart since 2023, Dominique Gross provides healthcare data leadership, guiding the company’s mission to eliminate healthcare data fragmentation and empower organizations to achieve true interoperability. With more than two decades of experience driving health IT innovation and go-to-market strategies, Dominique has shaped Hart’s focus on making the impossible possible every day, ensuring that every innovation at Hart advances both operational efficiency and equitable patient care.  Prior to joining Hart, Dominique led strategy and growth initiatives at multiple firms, working as one of the industry's prominent healthcare technology executives to launch connected care solutions for veterans and major health systems. Her leadership philosophy centers on collaboration and integrity, guiding Hart to serve as both a technology provider and a trusted partner for healthcare’s most complex data challenges. Dominique is a frequent speaker on the future of healthcare data ecosystems and a strong advocate for patient empowerment through healthcare data accessibility.

How DirectTrust Is Vetting Health Apps, Accrediting AI, and Gaps HIPAA Didn't Address

In this episode, host Sandy Vance welcomes back Kathryn Ayers Wickenhauser [http://linkedin.com/in/kathrynayerswickenhauser], Chief Strategy Officer at DirectTrust [https://directtrust.org/], for her third time on the show. This time the conversation goes deeper than ever, covering three major developments: DirectTrust's role in vetting apps for the new CMS Medicare App Library, the launch of a groundbreaking AI accreditation program built on the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and the urgent but widely misunderstood gap in HIPAA coverage that leaves millions of consumers thinking their health data is protected when it really isn’t. If you work anywhere in the health tech ecosystem, this episode is essential listening. In this episode, they talk about: * HIPAA only covers covered entities and business associates, meaning most consumer health apps have little obligation to protect your data * The CMS Medicare App Library is a vetted directory of trusted digital health apps, and DirectTrust is helping validate which apps earn a spot in it * When CMS moves, the rest of the industry follows, making this app library a trust signal far beyond Medicare beneficiaries * DirectTrust's AI accreditation program is built on the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and assessed by independent third-party reviewers * The program will offer two tiers: a foundational version for organizations early in their AI journey and a comprehensive version for those with greater maturity * The four pillars of the AI accreditation program are governance, management, mapping, and measurement * AI is unlike any other technology implementation because it touches every aspect of an organization simultaneously * DirectTrust's annual conference is October 20th and 21st in Kansas City at the Oracle Innovations Campus A Little About Kathryn: Kathryn Ayers Wickenhauser, MBA, FACHDM, CHPC, is Chief Strategy Officer at DirectTrust®, the national non-profit alliance and accreditor building trust in healthcare technology and secure information exchange. With nearly two decades of advancing interoperability, identity, privacy, and technical trust, she leads community engagement, communications, and strategic partnerships, shaping national standards and policy. Kathryn is a recognized thought leader featured in outlets like Healthcare IT Today and Health IT Answers, and under her leadership, DirectTrust has earned multiple HITMC awards, including Marketing Team of the Year in 2025. She has been named among the Top 50 Women Chief Strategy Officers and Becker’s 100 Women in Health IT to Know.

From Data Chaos to Data Confidence in Healthcare

Healthcare has more data than any industry in the world—but without trust in that data, it’s almost useless. In this episode, Clay Ritchey [http://linkedin.com/in/clay-ritchey-3160782], Chief Executive Officer of Verato [https://verato.com/], breaks down why identity is the missing foundation behind interoperability, AI, and better patient experiences. From fragmented records to failed digital transformation promises, Clay shares how solving “who is who” unlocks everything from improved clinical outcomes to lower costs—and why now is the moment healthcare can finally get it right. In this episode, they talk about: * Why healthcare generates massive amounts of data but struggles to use it effectively * The core problem: lack of trust in data due to poor identity resolution * What it means when one patient exists as 10 different records across systems * How fragmented identity impacts patient experience and clinical outcomes * The connection between clean data and successful AI adoption * Why consumers are driving change with higher expectations for digital experiences * The role of identity in enabling true interoperability across organizations * How Verato creates a single longitudinal view of patients across thousands of data sources * The impact of identity on reducing duplicate tests, costs, and delays in care * Why this moment—AI + regulation + consumer demand—is a tipping point for healthcare A Little About Clay: Clay Ritchey is the Chief Executive Officer of Verato. Clay brings more than 20 years of experience driving growth and innovation in market-leading healthcare technology organizations to Verato. As CEO, Clay is passionate about working with healthcare, life science, and government organizations across the care continuum to transform the way that consumers and patients engage with them to build deeper relationships resulting in improved outcomes and sustainable growth for our customers.

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.