Talking HealthTech

Talking HealthTech (THT) is Australia's leading media company for health tech conversations, connecting decision-makers, innovators and doers across the healthcare industry.

Hosted by Peter Birch, our weekly podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in healthcare innovation from around the world. Alongside the show, we run a newsletter, active social channels and a comprehensive glossary of digital health terms, so you've got one place to stay across the industry.

*THT+ Community*
Our safe space for the doers and builders in health tech to connect, learn and grow. Members get access to our community platform, live online meetups, exclusive content, partner discounts and other member-only benefits. Join at talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus

*THT Productions*
Our production arm helps healthcare organisations tell stories that spark real change, through customer testimonials, product showcases, workflow explainers and documentaries.

*Company Partnerships*
Want to get your organisation in front of the health tech community? Our partnership tiers include a feature podcast episode, directory listing, community seats and more. See what's included: talkinghealthtech.com/partners

*About Pete*
Peter Birch has spent his career in healthcare operations, from running GP clinics and global medical assistance centres to being first hire at multiple health tech startups. He now sits on the boards of industry groups and health tech companies, bringing that experience into every conversation on the show.

Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome to Talking HealthTech - podcast, newsletter, social and glossary
0:22 THT+ Community: our space for health tech doers and builders
0:41 THT Productions: video storytelling for healthcare
1:03 About Pete: from GP clinics to health tech startups
1:32 Real conversations that improve patient outcomes
1:47 Subscribe, follow and join the newsletter

🔗 Website: talkinghealthtech.com
🔗 Media kit: talkinghealthtech.com/mediakit
🔗 Join THT+ Community: talkinghealthtech.com/thtplus
🔗 Partner with us: talkinghealthtech.com/partners

#HealthTech #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #HealthcarePodcast #HealthTechAustralia

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Manuel Pérez Vallina, former CIO in the Spanish health system, Femi Ladega, Group Chief Digital Officer at Dedalus, and Dr Vinod Seetharaman, Chief Medical Officer for Dedalus in Australia and New Zealand.
The discussion covers the evolution of hospital command centres, the shift from using dashboards for retrospective data towards enabling proactive, real-time operational decisions, and how these changes impact clinical workflows and patient outcomes across different health systems.
Recorded live, the conversation draws on experience building one of Spain's first hospital command centres alongside lessons from health systems in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
The panel unpacks why familiar pressures such as underused operating theatres, growing waiting lists and bed shortages appear so consistently across borders, and what separates a command centre from a wall of screens.
Along the way, they examine the four principles that determine whether the model delivers real change, the cultural and governance work that sits behind the technology, the role artificial intelligence can play in filtering meaningful signals, and the practical first steps for organisations weighing up where to begin.
Key Takeaways
🚑 Hospital command centres enable real-time, actionable insights beyond traditional dashboards, improving operational efficiency and patient care.
🛠️ Implementing command centre solutions requires aligning technology, organisational culture, and governance to drive sustained change.
📊 Demonstrating value and securing investment means clearly defining the use case, limiting initial project scope, and engaging stakeholders early.
⚡ Effective change management and clinician engagement are crucial for successful adoption and maximising impact.
🌐 Challenges and solutions discussed are common globally, but must be tailored to local healthcare system maturity and needs.
Timestamps
00:00 - Episode introduction & topic overview
03:42 - Manuel Pérez Vallina on Spain’s command centre journey
05:55 - Femi Ladega: Global perspectives and data orchestration
08:29 - Dr Vinod Seetharaman on capacity management challenges
10:26 - Command centres vs. dashboards
19:02 - Clinical benefits and flow management
22:13 - Stakeholder engagement and return on investment
32:07 - Real-world impacts and cascading benefits
39:48 - Implementation challenges and change management
48:59 - Integrating AI, primary care, and data governance
53:45 - Final advice for hospital 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:
Sign Up to the Free Talking Healthtech Newsletter
Sign up to the free Talking HealthTech newsletter for weekly digital health news, events, jobs, partner updates and Pete’s take on what matters across the sector: talkinghealthtech.com/newsletter

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Steve Saunders, Healthcare Principle at RingCentral, about what is really at stake for Australian healthcare organisations still running on legacy phone systems and why the move to cloud-based communications is becoming increasingly urgent.
They cover the risks of relying on ageing PABX infrastructure, the barriers that slow down migration decisions and how a modular, evolutionary approach to modernisation can reduce risk and build confidence across an organisation.
The conversation also gets into the role of AI and automation in transforming how healthcare manages calls, appointments and patient interactions, as well as the critical importance of data sovereignty, privacy and security when moving to cloud-based platforms.
Steve shares why voice remains the most important communication channel in healthcare, why general-purpose tools are not built for clinical environments, and what healthcare leaders should look for when choosing a long-term technology partner rather than a one-off supplier.
For more information check out RingCentral at www.talkinghealthtech.com/ringcentral
Have a question about this episode? Reach out directly to Steve:
Steve Saunders
Healthcare Principle | RingCentral
📞 +61-2-9157-6831
✉️ Steve.saunders@ringcentral.com

Key Takeaways
📞 Voice communication remains the number one application in healthcare, with unique requirements compared to other sectors.
☁️ Healthcare is at a crossroads, moving away from legacy on-premise PABX phone systems towards resilient, cloud-based communications platforms.
🤖 AI tools are being used for pre-interaction triage, live transcription, translation, and post-call analytics to improve efficiency and patient experience.
🛡 Data sovereignty and security are top priorities, with strict compliance with Australian regulations and onshore data processing for AI.
🔄 Major barriers for adoption are fear of change and complacency, not just competition from other vendors.

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & guest background
00:37 - Why voice is critical in healthcare
03:41 - Unique challenges for healthcare phone systems
07:31 - Transitioning from legacy to cloud
11:25 - AI & efficiency in communications
16:25 - Data sovereignty & security
18:39 - Industry landscape & barriers to change
22:09 - Advice for healthcare providers

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:
Sign Up to the Free Talking Healthtech Newsletter
Sign up to the free Talking HealthTech newsletter for weekly digital health news, events, jobs, partner updates and Pete’s take on what matters across the sector: talkinghealthtech.com/newsletter

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Madhu Sasidhar, CEO and President of Apollo Hospitals, Luciano Bristia, Asia Pacific Business Lead at InterSystems, and Kym Chua, Executive Director of Messe Berlin Asia Pacific.
The discussion covers healthcare system challenges, digital transformation, AI adoption, workforce shortages, regional collaboration, and what it takes to drive innovation across Asia-Pacific health sectors.
The conversation explores how AI is easing pressure on clinicians, from assisting radiologists with scans to helping nurses pull up patient information faster.
It also touches on the urban and rural divide in access to care, Indonesia's push for a unified national health record, the importance of adapting solutions to local markets rather than adopting them outright, and how sustainability is shaping infrastructure decisions across the region.
This episode was recorded during Smart Health Asia in Singapore, an event that brought together over 3,000 participants from 18 countries.
It features interviews and observations captured during the event, highlighting perspectives from senior leaders, technology providers, and event organisers.

Key Takeaways
🩺 Access to healthcare and technology is a significant challenge in India and Southeast Asia, with urban-rural divides and workforce shortages affecting service delivery.
🤖 AI and digital technologies are being leveraged for efficiency gains, assisting with diagnostics (radiology, stroke, colonoscopy) and reducing clinician workload.
🌏 Regional health challenges and solutions differ greatly; mature markets like Australia and Japan contrast with fast-growing, young populations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
💡 Collaboration across healthcare providers, policymakers, and technology vendors is seen as essential for scalable, effective innovation.
🔥 Initiatives like Indonesia's "Satu Sehat" (One Health) aim to create nationwide health records, especially targeting preventive care as a strategy for future public health management.

Timestamps
00:00 - Event Introduction: Smart Health Asia
00:48 - Madhu Sasidhar, CEO Apollo Hospitals
08:23 - Luciano Bristia, InterSystems, Asia Pacific
23:02 - Kym Chua, Event Organiser and Executive Director, Messe Berlin Asia Pacific

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:
Sign Up to the Free Talking Healthtech Newsletter
Sign up to the free Talking HealthTech newsletter for weekly digital health news, events, jobs, partner updates and Pete’s take on what matters across the sector: talkinghealthtech.com/newsletter

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Jayden Rogers (CEO, Linear Clinical Research), Dr Stacie Calad-Thomson (Business Development Lead, Nvidia for Pharma Labs and Manufacturing), Arjun Bhat (Co-Founder, Clinrol), and Tran Le (General Manager, Hippocratic AI).
The conversations cover the changing landscape of clinical trials and drug discovery, the growing role of AI in patient recruitment and drug development, and innovations in technology and operational efficiency in life sciences.
The discussion covers why Australia has become an attractive destination for global clinical trials, from its regulatory environment and world-class clinicians through to the integrated networks that help international sponsors find the right partners.
It also looks at the practical realities of running a trial site, where regulatory approvals, staffing, patient engagement, and sensitive data all need to be managed at once, and how purpose-built platforms are taking on the repetitive work so research teams can focus on patient care.
This episode was recorded during the BIO International Convention in San Diego, featuring conversations with scientists, founders, investors, and healthcare decision-makers addressing challenges and opportunities across the biotech sector.

Key Takeaways
🧬 AI and automation are transforming clinical trial recruitment, streamlining patient matching, eligibility screening, and follow-up tasks
🚀 Australia’s reputation for clinical trials continues to grow, supported by a strong regulatory environment and quality healthcare ecosystem
💡 Open source tools and AI models are making computational drug discovery more accessible for non-specialists in science and medicine
🧑‍⚕️ Technology advancements allow clinicians and trial sites to focus more on patient care by reducing manual and repetitive efforts
🔗 Collaboration across pharma, biotechs, technology providers, and regulators is essential to tackle operational bottlenecks and accelerate drug development

Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:07 - Jayden Rogers, CEO, Linear Clinical Research
08:25 - Dr Stacie Calad-Thomson, Business Development, NVIDIA
17:55 - Arjun Bhat, Co-Founder, Clinrol
26:52 - Tran Le, General Manager of Life Sciences, Hippocratic AI

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:
Sign Up to the Free Talking Healthtech Newsletter
Sign up to the free Talking HealthTech newsletter for weekly digital health news, events, jobs, partner updates and Pete’s take on what matters across the sector: talkinghealthtech.com/newsletter