Health Podcast Library
Episode 218

A Roadmap for Innovators and A Giant Leap for AI | Dr. Bob Wachter & Halle Tecco

Feb 16, 2026
34:04

Episode Description

In this episode (recorded live), Halle Tecco speaks with Dr. Robert Wachter, Chair of Medicine at UCSF, about their concurrently released books on healthcare innovation and AI.

They share thoughts on the dual challenge of innovation in healthcare and the role of AI, covering:

  • Why past waves of tech failed to change healthcare and why AI may finally break through
  • How AI is making a difference today in healthcare
  • Where AI-assisted diagnosis and prescribing could go next, and the risks of over-relying on humans “in the loop”
  • How EHR vendors (like Epic) hold the "poll position" for AI implementation due to workflow integration
  • Why innovators must become healthcare "anthropologists"; and clinicians must understand technology and AI


Plus, a surprise guest from Prenuvo joins us to chime in.

Order Halle’s new book, Massively Better Healthcare here

Order Bob’s new book, A Giant Leap here

—

About our guest:

Robert M. Wachter, MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Author of 300 articles and 6 books, he coined the term “hospitalist” in 1996 and is often considered the “father” of the hospitalist field, the fastest-growing medical specialty in U.S. history. He is a past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, past chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a Master of the American College of Physicians, and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. Modern Healthcare magazine has ranked him among the 50 most influential physician-executives in the U.S. more than a dozen times; he was #1 on the list in 2015. His 2015 book, The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age, was a New York Times bestseller. His new book is A Giant Leap: How AI is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future.



See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Proudly Supported by

Patrons of Health Podcast Library

Achieving Health
AAOS Career Podcast
AAOS Now Podcast
OrthoInfo
Aging Like a Pro
Who the Health Cares? with Prof Michael Sparer
Stronger After Stroke

Supporting Shows

HIT Like a Girl Pod: Empowering Women in Health IT
Healthcare for Humans
Speak Up For Your Health
Cuts and Consults
Faces of Digital Health
This Just In Radio Show
Thriving with Addiction with Dr. Jonathan Avery
Coffee Break: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying in Healthcare, One Cup at a Time
Hopeful Hints
Beyond The Paper Gown Podcast