AI and Healthcare

What if medical scans we already collect contain signals that could predict cancer treatment response, reveal disease risk years earlier, or identify biological patterns the human eye cannot see? In this episode of AI & Healthcare, oncologists Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Doug Flora, speak with AI and biomedical imaging researcher Anant Madabhushi, PhD about the hidden information inside routine CT scans, retinal images, and pathology slides. They explore how AI could help predict treatment response, detect warning signs of disease, uncover meaningful signals in tumor vessels and surrounding tissue, and expand access in regions facing shortages of radiologists and pathologists. The conversation also examines explainability, automation bias, clinical validation, health equity, and the consequences of waiting too long to use potentially valuable technology. Anant Madabhushi, PhD is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Tech and Executive Director of the Emory Empathetic AI for Health Institute. His work focuses on AI, radiomics, computational pathology, and predicting treatment response from routinely collected medical images. Subscribe for conversations about artificial intelligence, oncology, clinical medicine, and the future of healthcare.

Medicine is becoming too complex for any one clinician to keep up with alone. AI may soon change that equation. Dr. Francisco Esteva joins Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Doug Flora to explain how physicians can use AI to research faster, communicate more clearly with patients, automate repetitive work, and build systems that extend their expertise. Francisco began learning these tools around age 60. Today, he's building AI-powered workflows for patient education, YouTube, research, quality control, and automation. You don't have to become an AI expert. But understanding how to use these tools may soon become an essential clinical skill.

CMS just proposed rules that could decide who gets paid for AI in healthcare, and that's a bigger deal than another “better algorithm” story. Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Douglas Flora talk with Jordan Johnson (radiation oncology, healthcare finance, compliance and law) about what's actually in the proposal and what happens once it lands. Topics: when does AI actually count as a billable clinical service. Why getting paid also means getting watched more closely. Hospitals leaning toward integrated platforms over one-off point solutions. What to do now, before the rule locks in. Still just a proposal, not law yet, so we should say that somewhere.

Eric Lefkofsky, Founder and CEO of Tempus AI, joins Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Doug Flora to explore how artificial intelligence, real-world data, genomic sequencing, and emerging technologies like organoids are reshaping oncology. From reducing diagnostic errors to matching patients with more effective therapies, AI is transforming how clinicians make decisions and how researchers develop the next generation of treatments. The conversation examines why healthcare adoption has lagged behind technological progress, the growing role of patient-driven intelligence, and how connected data may help eliminate thousands of preventable cancer deaths each year. Eric also shares his vision for AI-powered clinical decision support, digital twins, drug development, and the future relationship between physicians and intelligent systems.

What happens when artificial intelligence becomes a trusted partner in patient care? Healthcare leaders are increasingly exploring how AI can help clinicians make faster, more informed decisions while reducing administrative burden and improving patient outcomes. But deploying AI in medicine requires balancing innovation, trust, regulation, and clinical judgment. In this conversation, Dr. Scott Penberthy, Dr. Lindsey Cotton, and Dr. Doug Flora explore the future of cancer care, precision medicine, digital twins, physician adoption, implementation science, and the role of AI in supporting—not replacing—clinical decision-making. From cancer screening and treatment selection to workflow automation and predictive modeling, they discuss what healthcare may look like when every clinician has access to intelligence that helps them see what was previously invisible.

Cancer is often most treatable when it's found early—but what if we could detect it before symptoms ever appear? Advances in genomics, blood-based biomarkers, and artificial intelligence are giving researchers new ways to identify cancer earlier, understand disease at a deeper level, and move beyond one-size-fits-all treatment approaches. In this conversation, Dr. Scott Penberthy, Dr. Lindsey Cotton, and Dr. Doug Flora explore how emerging technologies are reshaping cancer detection, precision medicine, drug discovery, and clinical decision-making. They discuss the growing role of multimodal AI, the promise of next-generation sequencing, and why the future of healthcare may depend on finding patterns humans simply cannot see on their own. The goal isn't just better technology—it's earlier intervention, more personalized care, and better outcomes for patients.

Cancer treatment may be missing one of the body’s most important biological signals: circadian rhythm. In this conversation, sleep neurologist Dr. Anne Marie Morse explains how sleep timing, inflammation, immune function, and wearable data could fundamentally reshape cancer care. Emerging research suggests the timing of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and even sleep disruption itself may influence treatment response, survival, and recurrence risk. The discussion explores chronotherapy, circadian genes, microbiome interactions, and how AI-driven analytics may help clinicians move beyond episodic care toward continuous, personalized monitoring.

AI is transforming healthcare at an unprecedented pace—but the biggest risks aren’t clinical, they’re legal, operational, and systemic. From data center infrastructure and environmental impact to reimbursement shifts and agentic AI workflows, the stakes are rising fast. New models from major tech players are poised to influence care delivery—and even get reimbursed based on outcomes—raising critical questions about ownership, liability, and control. Where does responsibility fall when AI drives decisions? How should hospitals evaluate vendors, data sources, and infrastructure risks? And what happens when automation outpaces regulation?

AI is making remarkable progress in healthcare — but translating that progress into real clinical impact is more complex than it seems. In this episode, we break down the State of Clinical AI in 2026, separating signal from noise and exploring what’s actually working today.

AI is exploding in healthcare — but most startups still fail. In this episode of the AI & Healthcare Podcast, Dr. Sanjay Juneja speaks with innovation leaders Dr. Bernardo Perez-Villa and Dr. Peter Alperin about the reality of building successful medical technology in 2026. Hundreds of AI tools have FDA clearance, billions have been invested in digital health, and yet hospitals still struggle to adopt new technology. Why?

Care is delivered every day in American hospitals, but getting paid for that care has become a battle. Denials, prior authorization, billing complexity, and rising costs have created a financial crisis behind the scenes of modern medicine. Insurance companies use automation to control payments, while hospitals struggle to keep up. Now AI is entering the fight. Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Douglas Flora speak with Monique Lappas, Founder and CEO of Qualify Health, about the growing war over who pays for care and how intelligent automation is helping providers recover lost revenue, reduce patient debt, and keep hospitals from closing.

Mental health is now central to high-quality cancer care, yet access, diagnostic precision, and scalability remain major gaps. In this in-depth discussion, clinical and innovation leaders explore how artificial intelligence can shift mental health care from reactive support to precision-driven, proactive intervention. The conversation examines AI as a clinical signal amplifier that enhances human judgment without replacing it. Topics include objective diagnostics, functional brain mapping, digital phenotyping, therapeutic bots, longitudinal monitoring, and how AI can better match patients to the right level of care at the right time. The discussion also addresses real-world implementation challenges in oncology and health systems, including workforce shortages, equity, and clinical oversight.

AI in healthcare is accelerating fast—but adoption without governance is risk. In this conversation, oncology and health policy leaders break down how clinicians and health systems should evaluate emerging AI tools: what FDA clearance vs approval really means, why “not FDA-approved” doesn’t automatically mean unsafe, and how laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) are already embedded in everyday care. We also explore real-world evidence, model drift, and why implementation—not innovation—is the true bottleneck for safe scale. If you’re assessing AI in imaging, diagnostics, clinical decision support, or workflow automation, this is your framework for asking smarter questions and protecting patients.

Digital twins are moving from engineering into healthcare and the implications are profound. From oncology decision-making to clinical trials and personalized medicine, virtual human twins could reshape how clinicians predict outcomes, reduce toxicity, and tailor treatment. Dr. Sanjay Juneja and Dr. Doug Flora are joined by digital twin leaders Jim St. Clair and Professor James Fargason to explore how real-time data, AI, and system-level modeling can move medicine beyond population averages toward individualized care. This conversation unpacks what a true digital twin requires, why data quality and interoperability matter, and how digital twins may accelerate drug development, improve trial design, and reduce moral injury for clinicians.

Continuous monitoring is reshaping oncology. CEO of AION Biosystems, Sam Barend, joins Dr. Sanjay Juneja, Dr. Douglas Flora, and Dr. David Penberthy to explore how long‑term physiologic tracking, AI‑driven insights, and clinically validated wearables are improving outcomes for patients at high risk of complications. The conversation highlights FDA pathways, reimbursement realities, and the promise of simpler, signal‑focused monitoring that detects patterns earlier and supports safer treatment continuity.

Cancer care isn't what it used to be—and that's exactly why Dr. Douglas Flora just wrote a book about it. Are you ready to understand how AI is transforming oncology? In this episode of AI and Healthcare, host Dr. Sanjay Juneja and co-hosts Dr. Douglas Flora and Dr. Deborah Pat are joined by special guest Dr. Chadi Nabhan—author, educator, and passionate advocate for cancer education—to discuss Doug's newly released book on AI in cancer care, currently #1 in oncology on Amazon. Doug wrote it because he feels "desperate" to share how dramatically cancer treatment is changing. The physicians reflect on how far oncology has come from mixing chemotherapy by hand to AI-powered precision medicine. Whether you're a healthcare professional, cancer survivor, or curious about AI in medicine, this conversation offers an honest look at where oncology is headed. New episodes every two weeks.

AI is changing everything from policy to the patient room. In this AI&H roundtable, Dr. Doug Flora, a leading voice in oncology innovation, joins Dr. Sanjay Juneja, Dr. Debra Patt, and Mika Newton to tackle what’s really holding back AI adoption in healthcare. They explore Medicare’s AI prior auth model, the role of clinical decision support, and why strong change management is the linchpin of real progress. Dr. Flora shares leadership lessons and insights from the front lines.

Healthcare is shifting fast, and AI is at the center of the storm. In this powerful roundtable, Dr. Sanjay Juneja hosts xCures CEO Mika Newton, Dr. Debra Patt of Texas Oncology, and Dr. Jason Hill of Ochsner Health to break down how AI is already reshaping access, risk, and care delivery. From ambient scribes to open-source models, from liability concerns to mental health triage—this conversation covers what matters.

What is patient design, and why does it matter in modern healthcare? Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Director of The Medical Futurist Institute, explains why patient involvement is critical to innovation and trust. Patient-centered design shifts the model from making decisions for patients to making decisions with them. This co-creation approach ensures better outcomes and more effective digital health solutions.

Could AI soon become a required element of value-based care? Dr. Stephen Speicher from Flatiron Health explores a near-future scenario where insurers may require AI tools to be used in clinical workflows to qualify for reimbursement. In this forward-looking discussion, Dr. Speicher breaks down how AI could be both a cost burden and a quality catalyst—and why its integration into value-based care models might become non-negotiable.