Talking HealthTech

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dalibor Frtunik, CEO of Sorsix, about how their platform Pinga® is building the backbone for the future of digital healthcare.
The conversation covers Sorsix's origins in North Macedonia, where the company cut its teeth integrating an entire national health system from the ground up, through to the concept of a health operating system and what that means in practice for clinicians, administrators, and patients alike.
Frtunik unpacks how AI-powered digital pathways are being deployed safely within clinical workflows, why the balance between customisation and standardisation matters more than ever, and how Sorsix approaches compliance and governance using frameworks like ISO 42001.
The episode also explores the growing role of data in preventative care, the limitations of old-style integration, and what the next decade of digital health transformation will demand from platforms and health systems alike.

Key Takeaways
💡 Sorsix’s platform Pinga® acts as a health operating system, integrating different healthcare workflows from individual clinics to entire countries
⚙️ Pinga® supports both clinical and administrative workflows, including triage, long-term care management, screening programs, and preventative pathways
🤖 AI is already in practical use within Pinga®, supporting operational efficiency and improved clinical outcomes, but safety and compliance remain priorities
🔒 ISO 42001 certification for AI is a critical part of building trust and governance in healthcare platforms
🌏 Sorsix’s experience shows that future health systems will need interoperable, flexible, AI-enabled technology that adapts to local workflows and supports ongoing digital transformation

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction to Sorsix and Pinga®
05:22 - Concept of a health operating system
07:04 - Solving healthcare interoperability and scheduling
13:02 - Balancing customisation with compliance
17:04 - Building clinical and administrative digital pathways
31:36 - Certification, ISO 42001, and AI safety
37:11 - Looking to the future of interoperable, patient-centred systems

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch sits down with Cameron McBride, Divisional Director of Digital Technology Services at Western Health, Chris Fisher, Head of Solution Engineering for Asia Pacific and Japan at Island, and Jeroen Nguyen, Solutions Architect from Endpoint Focus to explore what it really takes to modernise digital workspaces in healthcare.
The conversation moves through the everyday challenges of implementing secure and efficient technology in hospitals, the flow-on impact on clinician workflows, the cybersecurity considerations that come with managing sensitive patient data, and the complexities of compliance in a global context.
The discussion also looks ahead to the future of AI integration at the point of care and what it will take for emerging technologies to earn the trust of clinicians and patients alike.
Recorded live at DHF26, the Digital Health Festival held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, this episode features a multi-guest panel discussion captured in front of a live audience at one of Australia's premier health innovation gatherings.
Drawing on real-world examples from Western Health and technology partners active in the Australian healthcare sector, the panel offers a grounded look at how digital transformation is unfolding on the ground, not just in theory.

Key Takeaways
🖥️ Legacy applications and insecure browsers create significant risks and challenges, addressing them simplifies IT service delivery and enhances security
🔒 Moving security controls into the browser provides more effective protection and flexibility compared to traditional network-based layers
⚡ Improving clinician access to critical systems, such as electronic medical records, directly impacts patient care by reducing wait times
📊 Enhanced analytics and visibility tools enable IT teams to better monitor user behaviour and application performance
🤖 Integrating AI-driven workflows and secure technology environments is paving the way for future innovations in healthcare delivery

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and guest backgrounds
03:04 - Challenges with legacy apps
04:08 - Island's place in security landscape
07:02 - Security at the browser level
09:01 - Clinician workflow improvements
11:36 - IT analytics and reporting benefits
12:57 - Implementing technology changes in healthcare
17:27 - Future plans and AI integration

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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Mentioned in this episode:
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Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Bettina McMahon, CEO of Healthdirect, clinical governance and digital health safety expert Chris Boyd Skinner, and Leon Young, founder of Cogniss and Ripple Scale, about the ongoing challenges and potential solutions in scaling the adoption of digital health tools beyond pilots and siloed deployments.
The conversation explores why so many effective tools in women's health, mental health, children's health, and long-term care struggle to reach the people who need them most.
The group discusses portfolio-based adoption models, the limitations of one-app-at-a-time procurement, and the growing case for a digital health publisher model that can validate, distribute, and maintain tools at scale.
The episode also covers clinical trust and regulatory frameworks, the risks of shadow IT, the barriers facing direct-to-consumer digital health, and how innovations such as Ripple Scale are working to address the gaps in app distribution and uptake.
Together, the guests make a compelling case for why collaboration, shared infrastructure, and smarter funding models are the next step forward for digital health.
Key Takeaways
🌐 Many digital health tools struggle to scale beyond pilots due to barriers in adoption by health providers.
🤝 Clinicians and researchers are often required to become startup founders to drive adoption, even if their expertise is in care, not business.
🏥 Health systems face challenges in assessing, procuring, and managing hundreds of separate digital health apps.
🔒 Clinical safety, regulation, and building trust are essential for the widespread uptake of digital health technology.
🚀 Portfolio-based models and digital publishers like Ripple Scale offer alternatives to fragmented app distribution, making it easier for providers to offer trusted digital solutions across key health areas.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introductions & background
03:21 - Cogniss mission and innovation
04:52 - The need for a digital health publisher
05:28 - Barriers to adoption: system and innovator challenges
12:37 - The perspective of Health Direct and large organisations
17:57 - Consumer vs. provider-facing digital products
19:00 - Clinical safety, trust, and governance
26:30 - "Shadow IT" and its impact
33:52 - Advice for digital health tool creators
36:15 - Next steps for Ripple Scale

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes
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Mentioned in this episode:
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.

Find out how Medcast is building trustworthy medical-grade AI in this episode of Talking HealthTech, recorded live at the Digital Health Festival 2026 in Melbourne, Australia's premier gathering for health innovation, technology, and policy.
Peter Birch sits down with Dr Stephen Barnett, CEO of Medcast, to explore what it genuinely takes to make AI safe, reliable, and fit for purpose in a clinical setting.
With a background spanning general practice, research, and digital health innovation, Barnett brings a grounded and practical perspective to one of the most talked-about topics in healthcare right now.
Together, they unpack the concept of knowledge translation, the persistent gap between cutting-edge AI and trustworthy clinical tools, and why large language models alone are not enough.
The conversation covers retrieval-augmented generation, the risks of AI hallucinations, the importance of curated and validated data sources, and the orchestration layer that sits between a powerful model and a safe medical answer.
They also discuss how clinical workflows are changing, the shift in how doctors use digital tools in front of patients, and the emerging conversation around patient-facing AI.

Key Takeaways
🧑‍⚕️ Knowledge translation in healthcare relies on getting the right information to the right person at the right time, impacting both clinician learning and patient outcomes.
🤖 Large language models require an orchestration layer and data curation processes to be considered "medical grade" and trustworthy for clinical use.
🔎 Retrieval-augmented generation and other governance measures help address hallucinations and bias in AI-powered healthcare solutions, supporting quality, safety, and auditability.
💡 Medluma, Medcast's AI platform, addresses compliance, standardisation, and onboarding within healthcare organisations, while empowering clinicians with trusted knowledge access.
📱 Patient-clinician trust depends on using validated, professional tools for information sourcing, and future AI integrations may also support patient self-service within set guardrails.

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and guest overview
00:44 - Medcast origins and purpose
02:54 - Obsession with AI and knowledge translation
03:49 - Medical safety in language models
06:13 - Techniques for trustworthy AI
10:01 - Adapting to rapid AI changes
13:32 - Knowledge translation across clinical and non-clinical roles
14:49 - Patient trust and professional boundaries
18:22 - Medcast and Medluma future roadmap

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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Mentioned in this episode:
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Suma Shivalingaiah, Chief Information Officer at Eastern Health, about the practical use, governance, and impact of AI and digital technologies in a large Victorian public health service.
The conversation covers the AI journey at Eastern Health, from addressing a significant cyber incident that reshaped the organisation's digital strategy to building internal capability, upskilling staff, and deploying AI across both administrative and clinical workflows.
Suma shares how Eastern Health approaches AI governance through a dedicated committee that assesses and manages risk across all tools and platforms, why cybersecurity remains the organisation's top priority, and how clinician buy-in is central to any successful implementation.
The discussion also touches on real-world pilots including GP referral triage systems, help desk and policy management agents, and Emergency Department wait time predictions, as well as the role of university partnerships in accelerating AI adoption.
This episode was recorded live at the Microsoft stand during the Digital Health Festival 2026, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in May 2026, as part of a series of conversations captured across the event.

Key Takeaways
🛡️ Governance and cybersecurity are foundational for AI deployment in healthcare, and a dedicated committee is needed to ensure safe use of digital tools
⚙️ Real-world AI success starts with addressing repetitive and administrative tasks for staff and clinicians, using agents like help desk and policy management tools
👨‍⚕️ Clinician and staff buy-in is critical. Adoption depends on early engagement and solving actual pain points
📊 AI in clinical workflow includes initiatives like triaging GP referrals and predicting ED wait times, always as a support tool, not a replacement for clinicians
🎓 Building AI literacy, continuous training, and partnerships with universities are essential for capability uplift and safe technology integration

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & Episode Setting
00:28 - Overview of Eastern Health
01:35 - Practical AI applications
02:51 - AI agents & support tools
03:57 - Importance of clinical buy-in
05:33 - Governance & cybersecurity foundations
06:30 - AI use case—triaging referrals
08:31 - Justifying AI adoption in public health
10:02 - Automating clinical notes & admin
11:16 - Multi-pronged strategy & advice
12:02 - Lessons for healthcare leaders

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
If you’re enjoying the show and want access to exclusive healthtech discussions, meetups, and member-only content, you can learn more about becoming a THT+ Solo Member here: talkinghealth.tech/solo_shownotes
And if this episode was useful, leaving a review or sharing it with someone in the industry always helps.
Mentioned in this episode:
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.
THT+ Company Partnership
Learn more about THT+ Company Partnership options for start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise digital health companies looking for visibility, content, community access and industry connection: talkinghealthtech.com/partners.