Join host Eve Cunningham, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cadence, in conversation with Brian Stein, MD, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Rush University System for Health.

Rush is a leading academic health system in Chicago with a national reputation for quality — ranked in Vizient's top 10 among academic medical centers for 13 consecutive years and a six-time U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll honoree. In this episode, Drs. Eve and Brian explore how Rush has embedded quality into its organizational identity, what it takes to maintain consistent care in an academic medical center, and why remote patient monitoring became a strategic priority.

Their conversation focuses on:

• How Rush treats quality as a brand differentiator rather than a compliance exercise — and the operational principles that make that sustainable
• Why academic medical centers face a unique quality challenge with trainee turnover every 2–4 years, and how tight processes compensate for that churn
• What made Rush an early adopter of remote patient monitoring, and the three-part filter Dr. Stein uses to evaluate any new technology
• Why patient retention on RPM surprised him more than the clinical outcomes — and what's driving long-term engagement
• How to think about short-term clinical wins versus long-term cost savings, and the payer misalignment that makes proving ROI difficult
• Where patient stratification is heading — matching the intensity of remote intervention to individual patient needs
• Where Rush is placing its bets on AI, from diagnostic radiology and pathology to virtual nursing and operational efficiency

Dr. Stein is a partner of Cadence and not compensated for this podcast.

Segments:

• [00:05] Introduction — Eve welcomes Dr. Stein to Cadence Conversations
• [00:39] Origin story — How research on administrative claims data led to a career in quality
• [04:02] Crew resource management — Team-based training and hardwired safety tools at Rush
• [05:46] Blood administration errors — How barcoding through Epic reduced a recurring safety issue
• [07:47] Quality as brand — Why Rush treats quality as a competitive differentiator, not a compliance exercise
• [09:47] Telling the quality story externally — CMS star ratings, US News rankings, and public credibility
• [11:36] Quality in an academic medical center — The trainee turnover challenge and why tight processes matter
• [14:52] Innovation and new care models — Why care beyond the walls became part of Rush's strategy
• [17:28] The case for RPM — Better outcomes, easier provider workflows, and not breaking the bank
• [20:34] What surprised him — Patient retention and engagement exceeded expectations
• [22:13] Evaluating the data — Blood pressure control, goal-directed therapy, and the cost-effectiveness question
• [24:30] Patient stratification — The future of high-touch vs. lighter-touch remote interventions
• [28:05] Research priorities — Short-term clinical wins vs. long-term cost savings and the payer challenge
• [31:50] Chronic disease as a lifetime journey — Why sustained engagement matters
• [33:09] AI at Rush — Augmented intelligence in radiology, pathology, virtual nursing, and access centers
• [36:23] Closing — Optimism grounded in a strong quality culture

Key Takeaways:

• Quality becomes sustainable when it's treated as organizational brand identity, not a regulatory requirement — and when you make it easy for clinicians to do the right thing.
• Academic medical centers face a unique challenge: trainee turnover every 2–4 years means quality can't rely on individual education alone — it must be embedded in process and systems.
• The most surprising outcome of Rush's RPM journey was patient retention — patients stayed engaged for years in a program category where attrition is typically high.
• The future of remote care delivery is patient stratification: matching the intensity of the intervention (high-touch human + tech vs. lighter-touch tech-enabled) to the patient's needs.
• AI's near-term impact in health systems will be augmented intelligence — creating efficiency in diagnostics, operations, and access — not replacing clinical judgment.

Join host Eve Cunningham, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cadence, in conversation with Crystal Broj, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at MUSC Health.

MUSC Health is a leading academic health system serving patients across South Carolina, with a growing footprint and a strong focus on digital innovation to expand access and improve outcomes. In this episode, Eve and Crystal explore what it really takes to drive transformation inside a complex health system—and why success depends far more on workflows and behavior change than on any single technology.

Their conversation focuses on:

• Why leading with problems and not tools is essential to meaningful digital transformation
• How MUSC is approaching access as its top priority, from digital front door to integrated patient engagement
• What it takes to evaluate, implement, and scale new technologies while navigating core systems, IT constraints, and vendor noise
• How AI and automation can reduce workforce burden without simply trying to “hire your way out” of demand
• Why measuring outcomes and continuously reassessing technology performance is critical to long-term success
• How health systems can balance speed, scalability, and real-world operational impact when adopting new solutions

For more information on Cadence, visit https://www.cadence.care/

Health systems are entering a new frontier, one where innovation isn’t optional, and meaningful change requires creativity, flexibility, and the willingness to rethink how care is delivered. Across the country, forward-thinking organizations are experimenting, adapting, and building new models inside some of the most complex environments imaginable.

Join moderator Chrissy Farr, CEO, Second Opinion in conversations with Dr. Rima Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Ambulatory Care/Population Health, Corewell Health; Tom Jackiewicz, President, University of Chicago Health System; and Cadence’s Chief Medical Officer and host of Cadence Conversations, Dr. Eve Cunningham.

This conversation spotlights what that kind of leadership actually looks like on the ground and what others can learn from it:

• Build vs. buy: When it makes sense to develop in-house, and when partnering is the faster, more durable path
• The unglamorous work: What real clinical, technical, and operational infrastructure is required to support change at scale
• Change agents: Who inside health systems actually drives transformation and why influence often matters more than title
• Signal vs. noise: How to tell which organizations are truly evolving versus experimenting at the margins
• The road ahead: What the future of healthcare delivery looks like and how AI may expand, support, or reshape care models

Cadence was a sponsor of this conversation. Dr. Rima Shah is a partner of Cadence and not compensated for this podcast.

For more information on Cadence, visit

https://www.cadence.care/

Join host Eve Cunningham, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cadence, in conversation with Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt, MD, MBA, Chief Medical and Quality Officer for Texas Health Physicians Group and Chief Quality Officer for the hospital channel at Texas Health Resources.

Texas Health Resources is one of the largest and fastest-growing health systems in the country, serving a diverse and rapidly expanding population across North Texas. In this episode, Eve and Sunita explore what it really takes to lead clinical quality at scale in an environment overflowing with data, constrained by workforce realities, and under increasing pressure to deliver better outcomes without adding burden to clinicians.

Their conversation focuses on:

• How clinical training in electrophysiology shapes a leadership mindset built around signal, noise, and actionable data
• Why health systems must prioritize clinical credibility, workflow simplicity, and scalability when evaluating remote care and digital health solutions
• What frontline physicians actually need from new technology
• How quality, safety, patient experience, equity, and cost are deeply interconnected
• Where AI is already delivering real value by reducing administrative burden and improving clinician experience
• Why operational design is often the root cause of burnout and system failure
• What it looks like to lead systemwide transformation while staying grounded in evidence, outcomes, and day-to-day clinical realities

Dr. Koshy-Nesbitt is a partner of Cadence and not compensated for this podcast.

For more information on Cadence, visit https://www.cadence.care/

Join host Eve Cunningham, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Cadence, in conversation with Dave Newman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Sanford Health.

Sanford Health is the largest rural health system in the United States, serving more than two million patients across a multi-state region in the upper Midwest. In this episode, Eve and Dave explore what rural healthcare reveals about innovation that actually scales, and why some of the most advanced care models in the country are being built far from major urban centers.

Their conversation focuses on:

• Why rural health systems are often the best environments for scaling innovation
• How Sanford has leveraged virtual care to extend specialist access across vast geographies and address workforce shortages
• What it looks like to lead digital transformation while continuing to practice medicine, and why staying close to the bedside matters
• How technologies like ambient documentation and AI-enabled workflows are changing clinician experience and patient connection
• Why innovation without workforce strategy fails, and what sustainable virtual care actually requires
• The myths the industry still gets wrong about rural patients, technology adoption, and access

Patient examples in this episode are anonymized or illustrative. Metrics discussed may be internal.

For more information on Cadence, visit

https://www.cadence.care/

Join host Eve Cunningham, Chief Medical Officer at Cadence, in conversation with Krista Drobac, one of the most influential architects of modern telehealth and care-in-the-home policy. As the Rural Health Transformation Program enters its first year of funding, the two explore how policy, payment reform, and technology are converging to reshape rural care delivery.

Their conversation focuses on:

• Why outcomes and evidence, not innovation alone, are now the currency of health policy
  How states are approaching Rural Health Transformation funding and what they’re prioritizing first
• The role of coalition-based advocacy in unlocking care-at-home, RPM, and workforce flexibility
• How payment models like ACCESS, APCM, and RHTP must align to avoid siloed innovation and provider burden
• What success looks like over the next decade for rural health systems, clinicians, and patients

Krista Drobac is a partner of Cadence and not compensated for this podcast.

For more information on Cadence, visit

https://www.cadence.care/

Join host Dr. Eve Cunningham in conversation with Dr. Shayan Vyas, pediatric intensivist, health-tech leader and Chief Medical Officer at Quadrivia AI, as they unpack the most meaningful shifts in healthcare in 2025 and what those changes signal for the year ahead. From early telemedicine to AI-enabled clinical support, Dr. Vyas has spent more than a decade building technology that actually works for clinicians, making him one of the most experienced physician innovators in the field.

Their conversation dives into:

• How ambient AI finally moved from pilots to enterprise adoption
• Why clinicians’ trust in AI is accelerating faster than expected
• The growing imbalance between patient demand and clinical workforce supply
• How technology can reduce friction, extend reach, and improve access to care
• Predictions for 2026 – from reimbursement instability to the next wave of AI in clinical workflows
• Practical advice for clinicians entering digital health, from “falling in love with the problem” to protecting the art of medicine

Dr. Vyas is not compensated for this podcast.

For more information on Cadence, visit https://www.cadence.care/

Join host Dr. Eve Cunningham in conversation with Dr. Anuj Mehta, Regional Chief Clinical Officer for the Southern Region of Hackensack Meridian Health’s Physician Enterprise, as they discuss his journey from inner-city hospitalist work in the Bronx to senior system leadership. With over 15 years of experience leading crisis response, EHR transitions, operational turnarounds, and major quality improvement initiatives, Dr. Mehta shares how clinicians can grow their impact, build leadership capabilities, and shape the future of care delivery.

Their conversation focuses on:

• How Dr. Mehta’s definition of “impact” has evolved, and the core leadership skills clinicians need as they scale
• Why physicians should “test-drive” leadership before pursuing an MBA, and how to choose the right path
• Building trust, earning buy-in, and spending political capital wisely amongst clinicians
• Fixing access as demand outpaces clinician supply, and using technology to augment rather than replace clinicians
• The future of care delivery, from eliminating the “stupid stuff” that drives burnout to deploying ambient documentation, virtual nursing, and EHR optimizers

The views expressed by Dr. Mehta are his own, and not associated with Hackensack Meridian Health. Hackensack Meridian Health is a partner of Cadence. Dr. Mehta was not compensated for this podcast.

For more information on Cadence, visit https://www.cadence.care/