Designing for Health

Hosted by Craig Joseph MD, FAAP, FAMIA

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Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Designing for Health is a podcast for healthcare leaders and builders who want practical, real-world ways to improve care through better design. Each episode explores how teams can design safer workflows, smarter digital experiences, and more human-centered services across clinical operations, patient experience, data, and health IT. Expect candid conversations with clinicians, operators, technologists, and designers, plus clear takeaways you can use to reduce friction, strengthen adoption, and deliver measurable impact.

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60 recent

April 29, 2025Episode 6734 min

Designing for Health: Melissa Welch, MD | Chief Medical Officer at Sprinter Health | Personalized and data-driven care

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Melissa Welch, MD, chief medical officer at Sprinter Health. They discuss Melissa’s professional journey, Sprinter Health’s mission and its use of technology and data-driven care. They also discuss the importance of leadership and team building, and how shared accountability, listening, and valuing diverse perspectives drives innovation and program success.Show Notes: [00:00] Intros [00:06] Melissa’s early influences and career [06:21] Starting her role at Sprinter Health [08:14] Sprinter Health’s mission and care [12:05] Who are the “Sprinters” [15:18] The importance of support and training [18:02] Personalized, data-informed care [22:02] Closing the care loop [25:18] Leading through empowerment [28:00] Melissa’s favorite well-designed thing [32:07] Outros For a full transcript, click here

April 1, 2025Episode 6538 min

Designing for Health: Mark Mabus, MD | CMIO and Vice President of EHR at Parkview Health | Changing and improving EHR workflows

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Mark Mabus, MD, chief medical informatics officer and vice president of EHR at Parkview Health. They discuss Mark’s healthcare journey, EHR documentation and efficiency with the use of AI, and the challenges of "note bloat" within patient records. They also discuss a project that improved vaccine reminders in the EHR, which resulted in boosted immunization rates and enhanced provider efficiency. To hear and learn more from Mark, check out his work at http://www.youtube.com/@doctrmk and https://on.soundcloud.com/v6xqNQCraD8MpbfTAShow Notes: [00:00] Intros [02:00] From pharmacist to physician [06:30] Clinical informatics and technology in medicine [09:00] The role of technology in healthcare [12:04] Reducing “note bloat” in EHRs [18:28] Hesitancy to change in EHR workflows [19:27] Collaboration with coding teams [21:21] Integrating AI [28:00] Vaccine reminder improvements [33:31] Mark’s favorite well-designed thing [36:57] Outros For a full transcript, click here

March 18, 2025Episode 6436 min

Designing for Health: Spencer Dorn, MD | Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine at UNC | Balancing technology, data overload, and patient-centered care

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Spencer Dorn, MD, Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine at UNC. They discuss Spencer’s career path, changes in medical note writing, and the value of slowing down to create better decision-making and deeper patient connections. They also talk about AI, its growing involvement in medicine and how AI could present opportunities to rethink and innovate in clinical documentation and workflow. Show Notes: [00:00] Intros [00:55] Spencer’s background [02:44] Technology’s role in healthcare [07:04] Benefits and challenges of electronic health records [10:04] Importance of concise notes [16:12] Thinking fast and slow [19:22] Balancing efficiency with creating space in healthcare systems [22:04] AI in medicine [29:12] How AI could change clinical documentation [33:17] Spencer’s favorite well-designed thing [35:02] Outros For a full transcript, click here

March 4, 2025Episode 6338 min

Designing for Health: Stefanie Simmons, MD | Chief Medical Officer at Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation | Addressing the mental health stigma involving healthcare professionals

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Stefanie Simmons, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation. They discuss Stefanie’s background, the impact of mental health stigma involving healthcare professionals, and the WELL-OPS approach which provides strategy for improving healthcare worker’s well-being. They also talk about the foundation’s work to reduce burnout and foster collaboration among healthcare organizations to improve workforce wellness. To learn more about the foundation and become more involved, visit the website at drlornabreen.orgShow Notes: [00:00] Intros [01:01] Stefanie’s background [04:56] Dr. Lorna Breen’s story [07:58] The impact of mental health stigma [10:50] Improving transparency and communication with mental health-related questions [15:26] Burnout vs. mental health[21:56] The importance of including the frontline healthcare workforce [23:07] The WELL-OPS process and resources for healthcare leaders [33:31] Stefanie’s favorite designed thing [34:15] Outros For a full transcript, click here

February 18, 2025Episode 6258 min

Designing for Health: Doug Turner | UCI Health | The importance of adaptability in healthcare IT

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Doug Turner, vice president of enterprise applications at UCI Health. They discussed Doug’s career path, managing growth and system standardization, and utilizing basic system design to improve efficiency and future developments. They also talk about the importance of adaptability in healthcare IT, while balancing the demands of technology and operations. Show Notes: [00:00] Intros [00:07] Doug’s background and career journey [07:10] UC Irvine's expansion [09:00] Challenges with Epic implementation [16:30] Cultural differences and expectation management [20:47] New leadership roles and organizational growth [22:02] Service-oriented IT approach [26:14] Future of IT services [37:21] Balancing family, IT, and humor [49:12] Doug’s favorite well-designed product [56:18] Outros For a full transcript, click here

December 17, 2024Episode 5937 min

Designing for Health: Brian Urban | Best Buy Health | Advancing hospital at home

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Brian Urban, head of population health at Best Buy Health. They discuss Brian’s background in public health, how he became interested in the intersection of health and technology, and what goes on inside a clinical command center. They also talk about technological tools from outside of healthcare that can help diagnose or alert clinicians from afar, the importance of digital literacy in rural environments, and the lessons that a consumer electronics retailer can teach a health system. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:43] Brian’s background[07:20] The mission of Best Buy Health[12:38] The difference between providing care and enabling care[14:47] Hospital at home[22:05] Best Buy Health’s place in the healthcare ecosystem[25:02} What’s new in remote patient monitoring[30:28] Incorporating design into clinical workflows[33:14] Design that brings Brian joy[36:15] OutrosFor a full transcript, click here

November 19, 2024Episode 5844 min

Designing for Health: Scott MacDonald, MD | CMIO at UC Davis | Leveraging AI for physician well-being

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Scott MacDonald, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer at the University of California Davis Health. They discuss his background and how he became a CMIO, how he’s changing professional development for physicians, and the integration of large language models into workflows. They also talk about how to leverage AI’s ambient listening capabilities, reducing note bloat, and why tech adoption can sometimes be uneven across medical specialties. Show Notes[00:00] Intros[01:29] Dr. MacDonald’s background[03:57] The PEP squad[12:42] The results of the PEP squad[16:51] The AIScribe[27:24] Leveraging AI to improve doctor’s notes[34:14] Epic’s new message prompt tool[39:13] Dr. MacDonald’s favorite well-designed thing[42:45] OutrosFor a full transcript, click here

November 8, 2024Episode 5650 min

Designing for Health: Graham Walker, MD | ER Doctor and Entrepreneur | Simplifying healthcare workflows for clinician satisfaction

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Graham Walker, MD, physician and co-founder of MDCalc. They discuss his background in the emergency room, how he came to co-create a clinical support decision tool, and what’s next for him in the entrepreneurial realm. They also talk about small inefficiencies that lead to wider problems, the threat of an IT ticket blackhole, and the new trend of rounding for clinician well-being. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:06] Dr. Walker’s background[07:29] The beginnings of MDCalc[14:13] Dr. Walker’s next company[22:00] EHR steering committee and other tech responsibilities[25:03] In-person rounding for clinician well-being[31:20] Inefficiencies within the health system [38:34] Overcommunicating with physicians[45:19] Dr. Walker’s favorite well-designed things[48:44] OutrosFor a full transcript, click here

October 15, 2024Episode 5538 min

Designing for Health: Bryan Vartabedian, MD | CMO at Texas Children's Hospital | Creating memorable experiences within healthcare

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Bryan Vartabedian, MD, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Hospital. They discuss his beginnings in pediatrics, the current state of physician burnout, and why the rise of technology and algorithmic care has created a disconnect between doctors and patients. They also talk about the future of telehealth, what key performance metrics don’t capture, and the power of suboptimization in healthcare. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:30] Dr. Vartabedian’s background[06:20] Evolving medicine towards empathy[10:04] Addressing physician burnout[14:59] The power of suboptimzation[20:56] The people margin[24:10] What key metrics don’t show[28:38] Combatting pajama time for physicians[32:35] The future of telehealth appointments[35:07] Well-designed things that bring Dr. Vartabedian joy[37:04] OutrosFor full transcript and shownotes, click here

October 1, 2024Episode 5344 min

Designing for Health: Zeev Neuwirth, MD | Physician executive and author | Reframing healthcare for disruptive change

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Zeev Neuwirth, MD, author of “Beyond the Walls” and “Reframing Healthcare: A roadmap for creating disruptive change.” He’s also the founder of the #HRL community and hosts the popular podcast series “Creating a new healthcare.” They discuss using AI and other technologies to humanize healthcare and the ongoing platform war. Dr. Neuwirth also offers his thoughts on the future of hospital at home.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:41] Dr. Neuwirth’s background[09:50] How AI and digital health can humanize healthcare[21:48] The ongoing platform war within healthcare[25:08] ChenMed and how its clinician brainwashing is humanizing healthcare[33:49] Hospital at home and its future[36:49] The #HRL (humanistic rebel leader) community and its purpose[42:26] Things that are so well designed, they bring Dr. Neuwirth joyFor more information, including a full transcript, click here.