#58 - Leading at scale in the medical imaging business - Simon Rost - GE Healthcare

One third of all data generated globally comes from the healthcare sector, yet a staggering 97% of it remains unused, trapped in siloed systems.

This "big crime" of wasted potential is exactly what Simon Rost and his team at GE Healthcare are determined to solve.

As the Global Marketing Officer for Enterprise Imaging, Simon sits at the helm of a business that touches over a billion patients a year.

In a world where medical imaging is the bedrock of diagnosis, the challenge isn't just about capturing the image anymore—it’s about what we do with the intelligence hidden within it.

In this episode, Simon breaks down the transition from "Big Iron" hardware to the invisible power of enterprise medical imaging software. We dive into the rise of Agentic AI—AI that doesn’t just analyze but takes action—and how GE Healthcare is moving toward a future of autonomous imaging to free up clinicians for what matters most: the patient.

We also explore the critical shift in commercial models from CapEx (capital expenditure) to SaaS (software-as-a-service), the necessity of an open ecosystem over "walled gardens," and why interoperability must be the innovation of the decade.

Simon even shares a personal anecdote about how GE’s technology bookended the birth of his son, bringing the scale of MedTech down to the most human level.

Whether you are a radiologist, a healthtech entrepreneur, or a data enthusiast, this conversation is a masterclass in how a global giant is retooling for the AI-first era of medicine!

Timeline:

00:00:00 - Simon’s journey in MedTech and enterprise imaging software at GE Healthcare

00:05:50 - The trends of AI in healthcare from Simon’s perspective

00:12:04 - Where AI and hardware meet in medical devices

00:14:35 - Positioning GE Healthcare’s portfolio along the end-to-end patient journey

00:20:27 - How GE Healthcare builds the value proposition and commercial models of its enterprise imaging software

00:28:15 - GE Healthcare’s philosophy regarding partnerships and building ecosystems

00:33:37 - Simon’s predictions for the future of medical imaging

What we also talked about with Simon:

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

GE Healthcare’s Hello AI Program

We mentioned with Simon some of the past episodes of the series:

#16 - Making ultrasound portable to transform medical imaging - Ohad Arazi - Clarius

#32 - Accelerating radiology with AI - Amine Korchi - Radiologist

#36 - Turning healthcare preventive with full-body MRI scans - Andrew Lacy - Prenuvo

#47 - Pushing responsible AI in health - Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite - HealthAI

As mentioned by Simon during the episode, you can have a read at Ground Truths by Dr. Eric Topol and his recent book Super Agers, offering exhaustive and evidence-based insights on the science of longevity, and the role medical imaging in it.

Simon also recommends checking out The Medical Futurist website by Dr. Bertalan Meskó, a bible for everything around medical technology and the latest innovations in the space.

You can get in touch with Simon via LinkedIn, and follow GE Healthcare’s activities on their website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

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