The Agile Health System: Infrastructure, AI, and Leadership in Motion
05/16/25 • 37 min
Guest: Shane Rodabaugh, System VP of IT & Infrastructure, Baptist Health KY & IN
Host: Vik Patel
In this episode, Vik welcomes Shane Rodabaugh to discuss infrastructure modernization, cloud strategy, AI readiness, and leadership in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
They begin with a look at Baptist Health’s current infrastructure—a hybrid model with Epic EHR hosted on-premise and new efforts like Cogito Cloud moving to Microsoft Fabric. This transition lays the foundation for advanced analytics and future AI capabilities.
Vik and Shane explore the challenges of defining a “cloud strategy” in a world that evolves faster than any 3-year plan. Shane emphasizes the importance of flexibility and prioritization, especially when resources are limited but the demand for innovation is high. Vik introduces Tido CortexAI, an AI-ready data cloud, noting that CMIOs are often at the forefront of these initiatives. Shane mentions Baptist’s CMIO, Dr. Brett Oliver, and how he's helping drive AI strategy from a clinical lens.
As the conversation deepens, Vik asks about collaboration with clinical leadership. Shane explains that the dialogue is open and energetic—but sometimes he has to “hold the horses back.” Even with compelling ROI and excitement from clinicians, resource capacity often becomes the limiting factor. Still, the team focuses on staying agile, learning from fast failures, and pivoting quickly when needed.
They shift to discussing AI governance and risk. Shane underscores the importance of understanding the algorithms and data behind models before deploying AI solutions in clinical settings.
On the topic of build vs. buy, Shane shares insights from recent leadership discussions. While he's not opposed to building, he notes that Baptist isn't a development shop and scaling internal dev teams is a major investment. They view partners—like Epic—as their development engine for core platforms. Vik adds that a hybrid model often works best: internal teams guiding strategy while partners focus on execution. This balance helps mitigate key personnel risk and increases long-term sustainability.
The conversation rounds out with leadership and collaboration. Shane shares how closely he works with the CIO and PMO, including weekly meetings focused on project prioritization and transparent communication—something he says is a strength at Baptist.
They close the episode by talking about work-life balance. Shane shares a recent family vacation experience and how it’s important to model healthy balance from the top. Lastly, he offers a grounding reminder: no matter how complex the tech or fast the pace—it’s all for the patient.
Listen to all This Week in Health Tech episodes
Vik Patel - LinkedIn
Tido Inc. - Website
Tido Inc. - LinkedIn
Guest: Shane Rodabaugh, System VP of IT & Infrastructure, Baptist Health KY & IN
Host: Vik Patel
In this episode, Vik welcomes Shane Rodabaugh to discuss infrastructure modernization, cloud strategy, AI readiness, and leadership in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
They begin with a look at Baptist Health’s current infrastructure—a hybrid model with Epic EHR hosted on-premise and new efforts like Cogito Cloud moving to Microsoft Fabric. This transition lays the foundation for advanced analytics and future AI capabilities.
Vik and Shane explore the challenges of defining a “cloud strategy” in a world that evolves faster than any 3-year plan. Shane emphasizes the importance of flexibility and prioritization, especially when resources are limited but the demand for innovation is high. Vik introduces Tido CortexAI, an AI-ready data cloud, noting that CMIOs are often at the forefront of these initiatives. Shane mentions Baptist’s CMIO, Dr. Brett Oliver, and how he's helping drive AI strategy from a clinical lens.
As the conversation deepens, Vik asks about collaboration with clinical leadership. Shane explains that the dialogue is open and energetic—but sometimes he has to “hold the horses back.” Even with compelling ROI and excitement from clinicians, resource capacity often becomes the limiting factor. Still, the team focuses on staying agile, learning from fast failures, and pivoting quickly when needed.
They shift to discussing AI governance and risk. Shane underscores the importance of understanding the algorithms and data behind models before deploying AI solutions in clinical settings.
On the topic of build vs. buy, Shane shares insights from recent leadership discussions. While he's not opposed to building, he notes that Baptist isn't a development shop and scaling internal dev teams is a major investment. They view partners—like Epic—as their development engine for core platforms. Vik adds that a hybrid model often works best: internal teams guiding strategy while partners focus on execution. This balance helps mitigate key personnel risk and increases long-term sustainability.
The conversation rounds out with leadership and collaboration. Shane shares how closely he works with the CIO and PMO, including weekly meetings focused on project prioritization and transparent communication—something he says is a strength at Baptist.
They close the episode by talking about work-life balance. Shane shares a recent family vacation experience and how it’s important to model healthy balance from the top. Lastly, he offers a grounding reminder: no matter how complex the tech or fast the pace—it’s all for the patient.
Listen to all This Week in Health Tech episodes
Vik Patel - LinkedIn
Tido Inc. - Website
Tido Inc. - LinkedIn
Previous Episode
Doing More with Less: Candid Insights on AI, Team Culture & Trust
Guest: Lance Alston, Director of IT, Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home
Host: Vik Patel
On this episode, Vik welcomes Lance Alston, Director of IT at Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home, for a candid conversation on leading with resilience, trust, and innovation in a resource-constrained healthcare environment.
Lance shares how he’s successfully navigating the “do more with less” challenge, emphasizing the importance of trust — both within his team and with external partners. While vendor partnerships can be highly beneficial, Lance acknowledges they often require a culture shift. At Nathan Littauer, he’s worked to foster the right mindset and build trust with carefully chosen partners to reduce organizational risk, especially around key personnel dependencies.
The conversation also touches on leadership and well-being. Lance and Vik explore the importance of work-life balance in healthcare IT, a field often plagued by burnout. Lance emphasizes leading by example and ensuring team members feel supported in taking time off. This culture shift is backed by the full C-suite, including the CEO, who recognize that employee morale and well-being are essential for long-term success.
From there, the discussion transitions into more technical territory, including the organization’s current and future AI strategy. Lance highlights how having an enthusiastic and forward-thinking CMIO has been instrumental in exploring AI solutions that support clinical decision-making. Together, they’re laying the foundation for a future where AI becomes a practical, integrated tool — not just a buzzword.
Vik also introduces Tido CortexAI, an AI-ready data lake that transforms EHR, clinical, and operational data into clean, normalized, and interoperable insights. Whether it’s for predictive modeling, automation, or real-time trends, CortexAI provides the data foundation healthcare organizations need to make meaningful use of AI.
Finally, Lance offers insights into the importance of open communication across departments — even when the answer isn’t immediately clear. “It’s okay to say, ‘I’m not sure yet, but I’m working on a solution,’” he says. Fostering transparency, accessibility, and continuous communication is key. Because no matter how advanced the technology, without the right strategy and human connection, it won’t deliver its full value.
Closing thoughts from Lance: At the end of the day, IT is still IT — even in the age of AI. What truly makes a difference is effective communication, strong relationships, and trust. Especially when you're tasked with doing more with less, those human elements are essential.
Listen to all This Week in Health Tech episodes
Vik Patel - LinkedIn
Tido Inc. - Website
Tido Inc. - LinkedIn
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