Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: AI and Informatics Transforming Cardiovascular Care
Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Erica Spicer Mason, Becker’s Healthcare
Guests:
- Dr. Jagmeet Singh (Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Massachusetts General Hospital)
- Dr. Sanjay Gandhi (Interventional Cardiologist; Chief Medical Officer, Philips Informatics)
Episode Overview
This episode explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and informatics on cardiovascular care. Dr. Singh and Dr. Gandhi, both eminent cardiologists, discuss the current challenges in cardiac care, the promise of wearables, sensors, and AI, risks around adopting digital tools, and their visions for cardiology in the age of AI.
Guest Introductions & Their Perspectives on Cardiology
(00:47–03:21)
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Dr. Jagmeet Singh:
- Cardiac electrophysiologist (“the electrician”)—focuses on devices like pacemakers and defibrillators, blends patient care and research, including AI innovations.
- Past clinical chief at Mass General Hospital, driving interest in sensor-based AI to enhance clinical pathways.
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Dr. Sanjay Gandhi:
- Interventional cardiologist (“the plumber”), 20 years in clinical and operational roles, now drives innovation globally via his role at Philips.
- Moved to industry to impact care delivery at scale.
Key Challenges & Opportunities in Cardiovascular Care
(03:22–07:29)
Dr. Singh:
- Healthcare delivery is “fragmented, inefficient, and inequitable” and “very reactive.” (04:00)
- Sees a “culture change” needed in medicine: leaders must inspire, align incentives, and mold a data-driven strategy.
- “There are opportunities to really make this reactive care more proactive, make it more individualized, enhance access, [and] really create it to be more equitable.” (04:22)
Dr. Gandhi:
- Highlights staff shortages, especially after the pandemic, and the “administrative burden” that keeps clinicians from patients.
- Growing demand for cardiac care due to chronic disease and aging populations, even as reimbursements fall.
- Emphasizes the need to leverage technology to “remove those non essential tasks” and move from “sick care to health care.”
- On patient expectations: “If I can order something on Amazon at midnight… why can't I go see my clinician when I need to see them?” (07:07)
- Calls for embracing digital tools to bridge access and efficiency gaps.
Exciting Tools and Technological Innovations in Cardiology
(08:20–13:40)
Dr. Singh:
- Details current use of sensor-equipped devices (heart rate, activity, impedance, respiratory monitoring)—enabling “continuous care.”
- Enthusiastic about wearables: “I'm wearing a ring, I'm wearing an Apple watch and an Oura ring. I'm excited about these technologies because they help us transcend from wellness... towards chronic disease.” (09:03)
- Most interested in patch monitors integrating PPG and ECG for non-invasive, hemodynamic monitoring.
- Goal: Empower patients for self-management, support closed-loop systems for addressing workforce shortages, and shift toward prevention and early detection.
Dr. Gandhi:
- Notes explosion of data from consumer and clinical devices—challenges clinicians’ ability to process it all.
- AI's growing role: “We have over 1000 FDA approved algorithms...” used in imaging, automated positioning, and report generation.
- Predictive analytics in ECGs: “...use machine learning and AI algorithms to really predict whether somebody will have low ejection fraction [or] amyloidosis.” (12:17)
- Highlights need for multimodal data processing for clinical decision support: “So you can get clinical decision support at the point of care... right at your fingertip when you need to make that critical decision for your patients.” (13:24)
Barriers and Risks to AI and Informatics Adoption
(14:39–17:59)
Dr. Singh:
- Worries about dataset bias and lack of diversity in data used for AI.
- Need for transparent, “explainable” and thoroughly validated algorithms.
- “There's always the risk of having false positives, and that can alarm not just the patients, but also the clinicians.” (15:04)
- Highlights risks with privacy, security, and data governance.
- Stresses seamless workflow integration and clinical outcomes evidence for clinician buy-in:
“Clinicians don’t change their practice on a dime. They need data to really help drive their change.” (16:13)
Dr. Gandhi:
- Emphasizes building trust—AI must empower, not replace, clinicians.
- AI must not undermine patient-physician relationships.
- Calls for a platform approach to integrate multiple vendor applications into hospital workflows.
- Need for increased technical literacy/training for clinicians to effectively use AI and digital tools.
The Future of Cardiology in the Age of AI
(18:39–21:50)
Dr. Singh:
- Care will evolve: “...from becoming what is transactional to something that's more continuous.” (18:51)
- Remote monitoring platforms will enable end-to-end, individualized care across the disease lifecycle (wellness, chronic, and complex care).
- Predicts more emphasis on prevention and wellness, greater patient self-management, and shift to outcome-based reimbursement.
- “Much of our care will be focused on the wellness and the midstream chronic disease care.” (19:45)
Dr. Gandhi:
- Anticipates shift from in-hospital to community and home-based care.
- AI will first reduce administrative burdens, eventually enable more personalized, predictive care.
- “So that pyramid that you described… wellness then becomes a bigger chunk of that pyramid and we reduce the sick care and the complex care... to very little.” (21:41)
Final Thoughts
(22:19–23:57)
Dr. Singh:
- Envisions evolving job descriptions: many tasks, now performed by clinicians, will increasingly be managed by AI-driven tools and other healthcare roles.
- “All of us clinicians are going to be practicing medicine in a different light, in a different vein, in a different way.” (22:25)
Dr. Gandhi:
- AI will change—not replace—the way care is delivered:
“...it's not so much about as a cardiologist worrying about if AI will open up any blocked arteries in the middle of night, but it is so much about how can I use AI to really make that life simple for me and maybe... prevent that patients from coming to the cath lab.” (23:15)
- Urges focus on practical, responsible, and trustworthy AI implementation.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- “Patients don’t get sick on schedules… They need care when they need care.” —Dr. Gandhi (07:18)
- “The solution lies in the fact that we not only have to make this generalizable, we have to make it explainable.” —Dr. Singh (15:28)
- “We need to move from sick care to health care.” —Dr. Gandhi (06:37)
- “The care will become more personalized. I see us leveraging data for that personalized and predictive care.” —Dr. Gandhi (21:33)
Key Takeaways for Healthcare Leaders
- Proactively seek equity: Leverage digital tools to reduce fragmentation, inefficiency, and inequity in cardiac care.
- Adopt with caution: Ensure AI tools are explainable, validated, and integrated seamlessly into clinical workflows.
- Build trust and literacy: Train clinicians for digital fluency; prioritize AI tools that empower rather than replace people.
- Prioritize prevention and wellness: Use data and AI to shift focus upstream from sick care to proactive, personalized, and community-based health.
- Embrace evolution: Job roles, platforms, and care delivery models are changing—leaders must strategically guide this transition.