On Vital Conversations, Tim Coan sits down with healthcare leaders to talk through the operational challenges they’re dealing with and the decisions that have actually made a difference.
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The Unglamorous Side of AI: What Healthcare Organizations Get Wrong Before They Deploy
Everybody's talking AI. Fewer people are talking about what happens when healthcare organizations deploy it wrong. In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan sits down with Dave Haight, Principal of Synergy Consulting, to dig into the unglamorous reality of AI implementation in provider settings — messy data, runaway agents, HIPAA exposure, and the pressure to move faster than is safe.
Dave brings 20-plus years of healthcare IT experience across provider operations, revenue cycle, EMR implementations, and AI deployments. He makes the case for treating AI agents like new employees: onboard them carefully, give them defined roles and permissions, test iteratively, and never skip the QA.
They also cover where AI will actually move the needle by end of 2026 — autonomous coding, ambient documentation, and clinical decision support — and why Dave puts us at the top of the third inning.
Host: Tim Coan | Guest: Dave Haight, Principal, Synergy Consulting | Vital Conversations, presented by Focus
23 Apr 2026
Rural Dialysis Care: How TeleNeph Keeps Kidney Patients Close to Home
Rural dialysis patients often travel 400 miles or more for care — sometimes by plane. TeleNeph is changing that. CEO Ron Kubit explains how his company partners with rural and critical access hospitals to deliver nephrology care locally, complete with dedicated nephrologists on call 24/7, portable equipment, and nurse training programs built for rural realities.
In this episode: how one Arizona critical access hospital admitted 126 dialysis patients in year one — all previously transferred out — generating $1.5 million in net revenue. The 90-day startup process. The push toward home dialysis. And what urban healthcare leaders consistently miss about rural America.
Host: Tim Coan | Guest: Ron Kubit, CEO, TeleNeph | Vital Conversations, sponsored by Focus
25 Mar 2026
Your Google Ads May Be Violating HIPAA Right Now — Here's What to Do About It
Your Google Ads may be violating HIPAA right now — and most practice leaders have no idea.
Mara Pritchard, lead Product Manager of Fresh Paint, breaks down one of the most misunderstood compliance risks in healthcare today: the intersection of HIPAA and digital marketing. If your practice runs Google Ads, has a website with tracking pixels, or uses any form of online advertising to attract patients — this episode is not optional.
You'll learn:
Why HIPAA applies to your marketing efforts — not just your patient records
How Google already knows who your website visitors are, and why that creates legal liability for your practice
What a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is and why Google will never sign one
The real cost of turning off all your tracking to become 'compliant' — and why it means spending marketing dollars completely in the dark
How state regulations are now going further than HIPAA on behavioral advertising — and why multi-state practices need to pay attention
How to stay compliant, keep your marketing data, and still take advantage of Google's optimization engine
This isn't a scare tactic. Mara's take is that your compliance constraint is actually an opportunity to become a higher-performing marketing organization. This conversation will change how you think about your marketing stack.
If this episode helped you, please leave a review — it takes 30 seconds and helps other healthcare leaders find the show. And subscribe so you never miss a conversation like this.
Vital Conversations is presented by Focus Solutions.
13 Mar 2026
How to Get Physician Buy-In When You're Leading Change in a Medical Practice
Getting physicians to embrace change is the hardest part of the job. Here's how Andre Beach does it.
Andre Beach is the Chief Operating Officer of Denver Arthritis Clinic — Colorado's longest-standing rheumatology group. In this episode, he shares the practical, people-first framework he uses to lead change without losing his team.
You'll learn:
How to assess whether your team has the right tools before pushing for change
Why data matters more to physicians — and how to present it in a way they'll actually act on
How to handle the 'historian of record': the long-tenured physician who's resistant to every new idea
Why informal authority is more powerful than any title you're given
How to manage your own change fatigue tendencies so you don't drag your team behind you at 100mph
Whether you're a practice administrator, COO, or physician leader, this episode gives you a real-world playbook for moving your organization forward — without breaking it.
6 Feb 2026
Bridging the gap between data and patient care
Most clinicians don't need more data. They need data that connects to the patients in front of them.
Tim Coan sits down with Dr. Jill Goldenberg, an internal medicine physician, informaticist, and value-based care leader, to talk about what actually works when presenting data to clinicians.
What you'll learn:
Why numbers without patient stories are "just numbers"
The mistake of assuming every clinician understands your data
How to present financial data without losing your clinical audience
The documentation learning curve when shifting to value-based care
Generational differences in how physicians engage with data
Chapters:
00:55 Meet Dr. Jill Goldenberg: From hospitalist to informaticist
02:52 Speaking two languages: Clinical and data
03:35 Why numbers alone miss the mark
04:22 Don't assume every clinician reads the journals
06:08 Clinical data vs. financial data: Navigating the tension
07:51 What works in data presentation (pictures, graphs, and clear actions)
9:23 Value-based care and the data challenge for private practices
10:15 The documentation learning curve
11:51 Using data prospectively vs. retrospectively
13:49 Generational differences among physicians
9 Jan 2026
AI is bringing cardiac care closer to patients
Tim Coan and healthcare consultant Ron Guillot discuss the challenges of cardiac care access in the United States, highlighting technology's role in bridging gaps in underserved areas in this interview.
14 Aug 2025
AI in Healthcare Billing: The Untold Challenges of Automating Revenue Cycle Management
Host Tim Coan interviews Dena Langan, VP of Revenue Cycle at Frontier Dermatology, about the complex challenges and real potential of AI in automating healthcare revenue cycle management.
22 Jul 2025
How Healthcare Leaders Can Use AI To Improve Productivity From A Private Equity Engagement Director
Jeff Freedman, Private Equity Engagement Director, explores how healthcare leaders strategically implement AI to boost productivity and achieve operational improvements in this interview.
1 Jul 2025
How to Avoid Revenue Leaks as a Private Equity-Backed Practice: Advice from a 30-Year RCM Leader
Revenue Cycle Management Vice President Pete Martinez discusses how private equity deals disrupt revenue cycle processes and create revenue leaks in healthcare operations in an interview with Tim Coan.
10 Jun 2025
Navigating Pediatric Leadership Challenges with the CEO of Allied Physicians Group
CEO Kerry Fierstein discusses pediatric care challenges, including immunization hesitancy and practice finances, with host Tim Coan in an interview, highlighting community impact through Allied Foundation initiatives.
20 May 2025
Bringing People Together in Healthcare Leadership: Jim Haveman's Unique Healthcare Journey
In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan sits down with longtime friend and public health leader Jim Haveman for an extraordinary discussion that bridges domestic policy and international diplomacy. Jim recounts his unconventional journey from social work to leading Michigan’s $18 billion health department, and eventually serving as the acting Minister of Health in post-war Iraq. His stories go far beyond typical healthcare leadership—he shares how he rebuilt systems, empowered local leaders, and practiced humility while navigating both partisan U.S. politics and the volatile streets of Baghdad.
Listeners will gain rare insights into how to unite people with opposing agendas—whether negotiating Medicaid expansion in a divided legislature or rebuilding a healthcare system with no infrastructure. Jim’s leadership lessons are laced with wit, real-world strategy, and a human-centered approach that feels especially relevant today. Tune in to hear how listening, compromise, and walking the streets—not just sitting in boardrooms—can drive lasting impact.
29 Apr 2025
Navigating the Complexities of Multi-Location Healthcare
In this episode of Vital Conversations, Tim Coan sits down with Bill Duke, CFO of Connecticut Skin Health, to discuss the operational challenges of managing a multi-location dermatology practice. With 10 offices, over 100 employees, and more than 30 providers, Bill shares the complexities of staffing, onboarding, and maintaining consistent patient care across rural and urban locations. He emphasizes the critical role of thorough onboarding and the need for constant communication and coordination among staff to keep operations smooth. The conversation highlights the delicate balance between centralized systems and maintaining a local, familiar feel for patients, while tackling staffing shortages, retention struggles, and increasing demands for operational efficiency.
The discussion also dives into the role of technology and data in synchronizing patient demand, provider capacity, and staffing - revealing that while tools and automation (especially around eligibility verification) have helped, human oversight remains essential. Bill reflects on the financial implications of operational optimization, explaining that consolidating information and streamlining processes across locations significantly improves a practice’s financial health. The episode wraps up with insights on the importance of treating multi-location management as an interconnected system rather than isolated units, showcasing how even small improvements in efficiency can lead to major gains.
8 Apr 2025
Can Functional Medicine Fix Healthcare? Dr. Daniel Urcuyo Breaks It Down
In this conversation, Tim Coan interviews Dr. Daniel Urcuyo about functional medicine, exploring its principles, the shift from traditional medicine, and the challenges faced in the healthcare system. They discuss the importance of nutrition and lifestyle changes, the role of technology, and the impact of political influences on the field. Dr. Urcuyo emphasizes the need for a systemic approach to health and the challenges of the current business model in functional medicine.
20 Mar 2025
Doctors, Data, and the Future: How AI is Changing Healthcare
In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan dives into the future of AI in healthcare with Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, Dean of the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine. Together, they explore how AI is transforming the doctor-patient relationship, streamlining medical documentation, and reshaping clinical research and education. Dr. Jensen highlights AI’s potential to reduce burnout, improve diagnostic accuracy, and enhance medical training while addressing its challenges, such as ensuring evidence-based use. The conversation also touches on the evolving role of technology in patient empowerment and its implications for healthcare professionals. Tune in for a forward-thinking discussion on the intersection of medicine and AI.
6 Mar 2025
Automating Healthcare RCM: Lessons from Innobot’s CEO Natasha Schlinkert
In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan speaks with Natasha Schlinkert, CEO of Innobot, about revolutionizing healthcare revenue cycle management through automation. Natasha shares her journey from decades in the industry to founding Innobot Health, addressing the challenges of robotic process automation (RPA) in healthcare. She explains how combining domain expertise with advanced technology can transform operations, reduce inefficiencies, and improve outcomes.
The conversation delves into the nuances of RPA, its potential to optimize repetitive processes like claim status checks, and its limitations with tasks requiring human intuition. Natasha highlights Innobot’s unique approach to bridging the gap between operational workflows and automation, offering practical insights for organizations looking to enhance efficiency while maintaining human oversight.
18 Feb 2025
Reimagining EHRs for Collaborative Care: Healthie’s Innovative Approach
In this insightful episode of Vital Conversations, Tim Coan sits down with Erica Jain, CEO of Healthie, a groundbreaking ONC-certified EHR platform designed for virtual-first, longitudinal, and collaborative healthcare. Erica shares the personal inspiration behind Healthie, stemming from her parents' transformative health journey, and discusses why traditional EHRs fail to meet the needs of modern healthcare providers.
She dives into how Healthie empowers providers in behavioral health, nutrition, coaching, and women's health by offering intuitive tools for hybrid care, seamless patient-provider integration, and efficient documentation—solving the pain points of outdated systems. If you’re curious about how technology is reshaping healthcare beyond legacy platforms, this is a must-listen episode!
Listen now to discover how Healthie is redefining digital healthcare!
4 Feb 2025
House Calls Reimagined: Personalizing Senior Care with Meridian Health
In this episode of Vital Conversations, Tim Coan from Focus Solutions sits down with Dr. Chris Chumley of Meridian Health to discuss the evolving landscape of home-based medicine for at-risk seniors. Meridian Health focuses on providing primary care to seniors in their residences, whether in assisted living facilities or private homes, helping to manage complex chronic conditions. Dr. Chumley highlights the advantages of this model, such as improved patient compliance, longer face-to-face visits, and a more personalized approach that includes evaluating living conditions and even diet through what he calls a "fridge biopsy." The discussion underscores how home-based care reduces hospitalizations and ER visits, ultimately improving patient outcomes while lowering costs.
The conversation also delves into the technological and data challenges of this care model. Dr. Chumley explains how advancements like cloud-based EMRs, 5G connectivity, and interoperability tools help overcome hurdles in accessing and sharing patient data across multiple healthcare systems. However, he notes that the industry still has a long way to go in optimizing data utilization for improving patient care and scaling home-based medicine. The episode concludes with an optimistic outlook on the future of value-based care and innovations like hospital-at-home programs, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to refine healthcare delivery for the most vulnerable populations.
15 Jan 2025
Building Better Healthcare: Kelly Poole on Process Excellence
In this episode of Vital Conversations, Tim Coan is joined by Kelly Poole, a seasoned healthcare leader and innovator with a remarkable blend of clinical and operational expertise. The discussion dives into Kelly’s unique journey from bedside nursing to becoming a vice president of operational excellence and transformation, as well as the founder of her consultancy, The Improvement Space. Kelly shares insights from her two decades in healthcare, focusing on the intersection of clinical care, technology, and process optimization. Viewers will appreciate her dynamic approach to solving complex challenges in healthcare organizations.
Listeners will gain valuable perspectives as Kelly recounts her experiences leading technology and process improvement initiatives, including the critical role of aligning technology with real-life workflows. The episode explores key themes like optimization and standardization, addressing common pitfalls such as over-reliance on technology without a foundational process and the challenges of implementing best practices across diverse teams. With practical anecdotes, Kelly demonstrates how understanding the "why" behind processes and tailoring solutions to specific needs can drive meaningful outcomes for patients and providers alike.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, an organizational leader, or someone intrigued by transformative solutions, this episode is packed with actionable advice and thought-provoking dialogue. Tim and Kelly’s rapport, rooted in years of professional camaraderie, makes for an engaging and relatable conversation. Don’t miss the chance to hear Kelly’s expert guidance on navigating the complexities of healthcare operations while fostering innovation and excellence.
2 Jan 2025
Hawk Sindel: How a Collaborative Network Uses Shared Data to Improve Experiences
In this episode of Vital Conversations, host Tim Coan interviews Hawk Sindel, CEO of Urology Associates of Mobile and managing partner of Southeast Urology Management.
They discuss the Urology Alliance, a collaborative network aimed at improving urology practices without mergers or loss of autonomy. The conversation explores how the Alliance uses shared data analytics to enhance patient care, reduce costs, and tackle key initiatives, like advanced prostate cancer care.
They dive into the challenges of normalizing data across platforms, improving patient appointment adherence, and the role of pharma partnerships in closing care gaps.
Who has been a guest on Vital Conversations
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ron Guillot
Dena Langan
Jeff Freedman
Pete Martinez
Kerry Fierstein
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5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
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Social presence
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YouTube
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