Cybersecurity in healthcare is no longer just an IT issue. It is a leadership, operations, and trust issue that can disrupt care, expose sensitive data, and test whether an organization is truly prepared for a crisis.

In this episode, Zach Lewis, CIO and CISO at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, shares how AI is changing the cybersecurity landscape and reflects on the real-world ransomware attack that shaped his new book, Locked Up. He explains how threat actors are using AI to accelerate reconnaissance, sharpen phishing attempts, and exploit fundamental weaknesses more quickly, while defenders still need to focus on the basics: identity, access, data protection, patching, and segmentation.

Zach also walks through the moment his organization realized it was facing a LockBit ransomware attack, the decisions that followed, and the hard lessons learned from the response. He discusses why tabletop exercises matter, how security culture must be built through relationships rather than fear, and why data governance is becoming even more urgent in the age of generative AI. The conversation closes with a practical and hopeful look at where AI could create real value in healthcare, from smarter clinical support to more personalized health insights.

Tune in and learn why resilience in healthcare cybersecurity depends on strong fundamentals, transparent leadership, and a clear understanding of how people, data, and technology intersect.

Resources

• Connect with Zach Lewis on LinkedIn here.

• Visit the Homesteading CISO website.

• Get a copy of Locked Up: Cybersecurity Threat Mitigation Lessons from a Real-World LockBit Ransomware Response here.

The American healthcare system has extraordinary talent, advanced technology, and unmatched spending, yet it too often fails the very people it is meant to serve.

In this episode of Straight Outta Health IT, Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose at FINN Partners, bestselling author, healthcare strategist, and former combat medic, joins Christopher Kunney to discuss the urgent themes behind his new book, Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter. Drawing from his experiences in military medicine, family caregiving, health policy, and patient advocacy, Gil argues that the core problem in American healthcare is not a lack of innovation but a loss of humanity, trust, and connection. He explains why healing is more than science and why kindness, empathy, and service must be treated as essential components of care rather than optional extras.

Gil also explores how the system has become overly transactional, from insurance bureaucracy to rushed appointments and fragmented care delivery. He reflects on how patients are often treated like passengers instead of partners, while clinicians are burdened by incentives that reward volume over relationship-building. From social determinants of health and fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based care and patient experience, he makes the case that many of healthcare’s biggest failures are not technical problems, but human ones. He also highlights how leadership decisions, staffing models, and medical education shape whether care feels compassionate or cold.

The conversation also offers a hopeful path forward. Gil shares examples of healthcare leaders and clinicians who create trust-centered environments, treat staff as partners, and model a true service mentality. He argues that rebuilding the healthcare system begins with restoring the relationship between healer and patient, aligning incentives around outcomes and experience, and empowering wise leaders to make people-centered decisions. Ultimately, he calls on everyone in the healthcare ecosystem to remember that medicine is not just about treating illness, but about caring for human beings.

Tune in to hear why fixing healthcare starts with restoring trust, kindness, and humanity to the center of care.

Resources

• Connect with Gil Bashe on LinkedIn here.
• Follow FINN Partners on LinkedIn here and visit their website here.
• Check out Healing the Sick Care System: Why People Matter here.

AI could become the greatest equalizer in healthcare if we use it the right way.

In this episode of Straight Out of Health IT, Dr. Harvey Castro, a physician, entrepreneur, and CEO of 8 free-standing ERs, a medical billing and physician staffing company, and a strategic advisor to ChatGPT and healthcare, discusses how artificial intelligence is poised to transform global healthcare access and delivery. He shares how discovering ChatGPT in 2022 immediately convinced him that AI would reshape medicine. Drawing from his experience building more than 20 emergency rooms and launching multiple healthcare companies, he explains why bold innovation and acting on new ideas are critical. He also reflects on how entrepreneurs and clinicians must trust their instincts when they see transformative technology.

Dr. Castro also explores how AI, satellites, and wearable devices could dramatically expand access to healthcare worldwide. He explains how predictive analytics, combined with satellite connectivity, could remotely monitor patients and alert clinicians before life-threatening events occur. This infrastructure could help overcome the reality that geography often determines survival in medical emergencies. By enabling global connectivity, he believes AI-powered systems could bring care to underserved populations that currently lack reliable access to healthcare.

The conversation also tackles the challenges of adopting AI responsibly in healthcare. Dr. Castro discusses the cultural resistance within medicine and the need to train future clinicians to work alongside AI. He highlights the dangers of biased datasets and why AI systems must represent diverse populations to avoid reinforcing disparities. Ultimately, he argues that leaders, policymakers, and clinicians must work together to ensure AI improves equity rather than widening the healthcare gap.

Tune in to hear how AI, space technology, and bold thinking could reshape the future of global healthcare.

Resources

• Connect with Dr. Harvey Castro on LinkedIn here and visit his website here!

• Check out Dr. Castro’s TED Talks here!