Talking HealthTech

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Simon Taylor Cross, Chief Commercial Officer, and Dr Daniel Stiglitz, Director & Co-Founder at Atidia Health.
Together, they explore the realities of perioperative care today, including the challenges created by variability in pre-surgery patient management and what that means for both patient safety and system performance.
The conversation looks closely at how Atidia Health’s Patient Optimiser Platform (POP) uses clinical decision support and AI to identify risk earlier, support more consistent care, and help clinicians make better-informed decisions without disrupting existing workflows.
It also unpacks what it actually takes to implement technology in real hospital settings, from change management and clinician engagement to aligning stakeholders across complex health systems.
Along the way, the episode highlights a broader question facing healthcare today: how can we reduce preventable harm while systems grow more complex and clinicians face increasing pressure?
This discussion offers practical insights into the intersection of clinical practice, digital health, and real-world implementation, highlighting how smarter, evidence-based approaches can support safer and more reliable patient outcomes.

Key Takeaways
🔍 Variability in preoperative care leads to inconsistent patient outcomes, with a significant proportion of complications being preventable
🤝 Embedding clinical expertise with technology and commercial strategy is essential for building effective solutions like POP
⚙️ POP is designed to work within existing healthcare workflows, ensuring support rather than disruption for clinicians and staff
💡 Early identification and intervention using data-driven decision support can prevent adverse events and system inefficiencies
🚀 Effective change management, cross-disciplinary partnerships, and clear return on investment are critical for successful technology adoption in health settings

Timestamps
00:01: Introductions & Atidia Health overview
03:23: Preventable complications in perioperative care
09:57: Example: Patient risk identification with POP
12:29: Integrating technology with clinical workflows
16:35: Role and limits of AI in healthcare
25:43: Large-scale implementation & change management
32:28: Lessons in partnership for healthcare leaders

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Shelley Thomson, Co-Founder and Director of the Patient Experience Agency and host of the Consumer Health Partnerships podcast.
They explore what genuine consumer engagement looks like in healthcare and digital health, why it is often missing, and how organisations can move beyond basic feedback towards meaningful, ongoing partnerships with patients and consumers.
The conversation unpacks the gap between how healthcare is designed and how it is actually experienced, highlighting how patients move across multiple services and touchpoints while systems often remain siloed.
Peter and Shelley discuss why many digital health solutions still miss the mark by focusing on workflows and technology rather than lived experience, and why honest, open feedback is both essential and difficult to capture in practice.
They also examine the difference between consultative feedback and true collaboration, and why engagement must be continuous rather than treated as a one-off activity.
This episode offers a grounded look at how healthcare organisations can build consumer engagement as a core capability, creating more connected, effective care that better reflects what matters most to the people it serves.

Key Takeaways
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Consumer engagement is about genuine partnership, not just surveys or one-off feedback.
🧭 Building organisational capability is needed—consumer engagement is an ongoing practice, not an add-on.
🌏 Digital health solutions often focus on workflows or tech and miss the lived experience of patients.
🔑 Honest feedback requires safe environments for open conversations with all stakeholders.
🗺️ Patient journey mapping helps identify real issues that sit between services, not just within them.

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:12 - Shelley Thomson’s background & role
02:21 - Defining consumer engagement
04:02 - Why it’s often missing
06:16 - Measuring what “good” engagement is
09:30 - Recruiting the right people
13:12 - Common challenges in engagement
18:05 - How to start: practical strategies
19:59 - Real-world example: dementia journey
22:35 - About Consumer Health Partnerships podcast

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Jakomi Mathews, founder and CEO of Goto.health, about the role of technology in improving price transparency, payment workflows, and access to healthcare services for both patients and clinics across Australia
The conversation explores how gaps in pricing visibility and payment processes continue to shape patient behaviour and clinic operations, and why these challenges persist despite broader conversations around health system reform.
The discussion delves into the origin story behind Goto.health and the real-world experiences that highlighted the need for a more transparent and predictable approach to healthcare payments.
It also examines the growing impact of affordability pressures on patients, including delayed care and the risk of bill shock, as well as the operational inefficiencies faced by clinics in managing cancellations, no-shows, and inconsistent cash flow.
Beyond these challenges, the episode looks at how digital payment models inspired by other industries can streamline booking and payment processes across different care settings.
It also considers broader implications for the healthcare ecosystem, drawing on insights from both Australian and international approaches, and highlights emerging innovations that aim to create a more connected, efficient, and patient-centred healthcare experience.

Key Takeaways
🩺 Price transparency and accessibility remain major barriers to healthcare; nearly 50% of Australians delay or cancel care due to affordability
💳 Goto.health uses a model similar to Uber for healthcare payments, guaranteeing clinic payments and reducing cancellations or no-shows
📈 The current healthcare SaaS booking incumbents are still only capturing a small fraction of medical appointments in Australia
🦷 The Australian healthcare landscape has significant cost variance, especially in dental care, driving some patients to seek treatment overseas
🌏 Regulatory trends are pushing for mandated price transparency, both in Australia and in the US, influencing Goto.health’s roadmap

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction & background
00:47 – Goto.health origin story
02:05 – Clinic workflow challenges
03:18 – Price transparency impact
07:41 – Out-of-pocket healthcare costs
12:02 – Benefits for clinics and patients
15:13 – Goto.health’s product in action
18:07 – Scaling the model & group implementations
21:08 – Payment integrations and industry challenges
23:29 – Roadmap and international expansion
25:45 – Market context and platform growth

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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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Tim Ferris, Vice President of Healthcare Practice for Intersystems, Dr Tom Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Heidi Health, and Hal Wolf, President and CEO of HIMSS, about the evolving role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in addressing challenges in healthcare delivery, data integration, and system efficiency.
The conversation explores how real-world pressures such as workforce strain, rising demand, and fragmented systems are shaping the way technology is adopted across healthcare.
It looks closely at what makes digital tools succeed in practice, from easing clinical workflows to improving access to meaningful data, and why many past solutions have struggled to deliver on their promise.
The episode also dives into the growing impact of AI in clinical settings, including its role in reducing administrative burden and supporting better decision-making.
Alongside this, it examines the importance of trust, patient expectations, and the need for systems that are not only innovative but practical, reliable, and built to support care where it matters most.
This episode was recorded during HIMSS 2026 in Las Vegas and features conversations Talking HealthTech had on the expo floor with industry leaders and innovators.

Key Takeaways
🧑‍⚕️ Technology’s evolving role: AI and large language models are poised to transform healthcare delivery by addressing supply and demand imbalances and supporting frontline clinicians.
🔑 Practical implementation challenges: Real-world adoption depends on solving specific clinical problems, ensuring seamless data aggregation, and focusing on user-friendly tools.
💸 Funding and adoption incentives: Different healthcare systems (such as the NHS vs the US) adapt AI and technology for cost, efficiency, and clinician satisfaction, affecting the pace and nature of adoption.
🤝 Data, trust, and usage: The growth of agents and AI in healthcare introduces new complexities around data ownership, patient trust, and security, requiring new ways to manage access and responsible use.
🌏 Innovation across the industry: Global perspectives sync on the value of integrating AI into workflows, from documentation to communication, showing both opportunities and hesitations among clinicians and patients.

Timestamps
00:00 - Peter Birch: Episode intro
02:56 - Tim Ferris, Vice President of Healthcare Practice, Intersystems
15:17 - Dr Tom Kelly, CEO & Co-Founder, Heidi Health
23:36 - Hal Wolf, President & CEO, HIMSS
39:42 - Peter Birch: Episode wrap-up

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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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Dr Rowland Illing, Chief Medical Officer for Amazon Web Services, about how cloud technology is reshaping healthcare and what that means for the people working within it.
They explore the rapid rise of AI and software agents, and how these tools are beginning to change the daily experience for clinicians, patients, and health system operators.
They unpack AWS’s dual role as both a global cloud provider and an increasingly active contributor to healthcare solutions, sharing practical examples from health systems and life sciences organisations around the world.
The discussion also looks at how infrastructure decisions made today are enabling new models of care, from streamlining administrative workflows to improving how patients access and navigate services.
The conversation offers a grounded look at where healthcare is heading, what is already changing behind the scenes, and how technology can support better, more human-centred care when applied with purpose.
This episode was recorded during the HIMSS26 conference and captures the latest conversations and innovations at the intersection of healthcare and cloud computing.

Key Takeaways
🧬 AWS underpins global healthcare and life sciences, supporting drug discovery, health systems, and tech vendors worldwide
💻 AI and cloud services enable faster, more scalable solutions in drug discovery, imaging, and genomics
🔗 Modular, standards-based services like AWS HealthLake and HealthOmics foster interoperability and innovation for vendors and clinicians
🤖 The emergence of AI agents is automating admin tasks, streamlining scheduling, patient interactions, and clinical workflows
🙋 Patient education and transparency around AI use remain essential to build trust and improve care delivery

Timestamps
00:00 – Episode intro & guest overview
01:16 – AWS’s healthcare ecosystem role
05:21 – AI in drug discovery and life sciences
07:27 – Modular services: HealthLake, Imaging, HealthOmics
12:22 – AI agents in patient engagement & admin
18:10 – Human element: clinicians and patient care
21:01 – AI, uncertainty, and patient education
27:16 – Advice for CIOs, CTOs, and next steps

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.