In this episode of The Dish on Health IT, host Tony Schueth, CEO of Point-of-Care Partners (POCP), is joined by colleagues Brian Dwyer, POCP’s Business Strategy Lead, and Seth Joseph, Managing Director at Summit Health Advisors, to unpack their takeaways from the HLTH25 conference in Las Vegas. Together, they reflect on the energy of the event, the conversations shaping the future of health IT, and interviews recorded live from Podcast Row.
In this episode of The Dish on Health IT, host Tony Schueth, CEO of Point-of-Care Partners (POCP), is joined by colleagues Brian Dwyer, POCP’s Business Strategy Lead, and Seth Joseph, Managing Director at Summit Health Advisors, to unpack their takeaways from the HLTH25 conference in Las Vegas. Together, they reflect on the energy of the event, the conversations shaping the future of health IT, and interviews recorded live from Podcast Row.
The trio kicks off by comparing notes on how HLTH has evolved from a flashy innovation show to something more grounded, a space where serious conversations about interoperability, investment, and operational impact are starting to take hold. Seth notes the event’s “coming-of-age” moment, where hype gave way to maturity. Brian agrees, adding that the buzz of startups pitching and investors circling was balanced by a sense of realism about implementation and outcomes.
AI dominated every conversation, but with a more pragmatic tone than in years past. The hosts discuss how AI is shifting from novelty to necessity, moving from “AI for AI’s sake” to purpose-driven use cases. Interview clips from leaders like Taha Kass-Hout with GE Healthcare spotlight “agentic AI,” where autonomous systems could act as trusted colleagues in care delivery, even participating in tumor board decisions to help extend expertise to rural or underserved regions. The group connects this to the ongoing challenge of ensuring data quality and interoperability as the foundation for any AI success story.
Laurie McGraw of Transcarent and Kyle Kiser of Arrive Health bring different but complementary perspectives. Laurie underscores AI’s potential to bend the cost curve only if applied safely and effectively, while Kyle highlights the growing complexity of affordability and the need for intelligent systems to help patients and providers navigate fragmented benefits and prescription pricing. Seth and Brian note that the shift toward patient empowerment, fueled by AI and transparency, could signal a broader cultural change in healthcare where consumers wield more influence.
The discussion expands into value-based care with insights from McKesson’s John Beardsley, who questions whether the industry has truly cracked the code after two decades of running at value-based care and interoperability. John also raises an important tension: small innovators are doing exciting things with AI, but scaling those solutions across full workflows remains the real test. The hosts debate whether new payment models, potentially powered by AI-driven insights, could finally make value-based care viable.
Policy and regulation also take center stage as Christopher Chen, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at the Washington State Health Care Authority, shares how state and federal efforts are aligning to accelerate interoperability, reduce provider burden, and modernize prior authorization processes under CMS-0057. The hosts reflect on the importance of federal leadership to align incentives across payers, providers, and technology vendors, echoing lessons learned from the early days of ePrescribing.
Other memorable interview moments include John Beardsley’s commentary on the CMS Interoperability and Patient App Pledges and how better understanding how NCPDP and FHIR standards bridge pharmacy and clinical data silos could help move the needle. Brian and Seth build on that theme, envisioning a future where agentic AI and patient-facing apps work together to drive true engagement and accountability for health outcomes.
In the final stretch, the hosts revisit recurring topics such as physician burnout, administrative burden, and structured data chaos, tying them back to the industry’s broader need for smarter implementation and aligned incentives. From Christopher Chen’s relaying an anecdote about seeing structured data turned into unreadable images that are faxed in to Arrive Health’s use of AI to prevent unnecessary transactions, the episode surfaces a consistent theme: technology alone won’t fix healthcare, but when paired with aligned incentives, collaboration, and business transformation, it can finally make measurable progress.
The episode closes with optimism. Tony, Brian, and Seth agree that while the system is strained, it’s also full of momentum, from maturing AI applications to government action and renewed industry alignment. As Tony puts it, “There’s a lot to be hopeful about and a lot of work left to do.”
Listen to the full episode to hear interviews from the HLTH25 floor, including thought leaders discussing interoperability, agentic AI, and the real-world changes needed to make healthcare innovation stick.
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