Becker’s Healthcare Podcast – Episode Summary

Guest: Dr. Dave Newman, Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care, Sanford Health
Host: Will Riley, Becker’s Healthcare
Date: February 4, 2026
Duration: ~6 minutes

Overview:

This episode spotlights Dr. Dave Newman’s work as Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Sanford Health, with a focus on innovation in rural healthcare delivery. The discussion centers around how virtual care and AI-driven technologies are transforming patient access and the implementation hurdles and opportunities in deploying these solutions in underserved communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Reimagining Rural Healthcare

• Dr. Newman’s Role

  • Leads interdisciplinary teams (clinicians, educators, technologists) to redesign care delivery (00:55).
  • Key projects include AI-assisted workflows, advanced virtual care, and establishing one of the nation’s first virtual hospitals.

• Bridging Access Gaps for Rural Patients

  • Meeting expectations shaped by other industries: “People want things to be easy. When I'm ordering something online, if it takes me more than three or four clicks, I get frustrated... Healthcare needs to be the same way.” — Dr. Newman (01:34)
  • Example: Pediatric pulmonology via virtual care.
    • Dr. James Wallace provides virtual specialty care (including digital stethoscopy and multidisciplinary clinics) eliminating patient burdens of travel and logistics (01:40–02:50).

Embracing Technology & AI in Healthcare

• Shifting the Pace of Innovation

  • Healthcare is accelerating its adoption of new technologies, “kind of out of necessity.” (03:04)
  • Every AI tool is evaluated with the same rigor as new medications: focus on trust and safety for both patients and providers (03:10).

• Operationalizing AI: Lessons and Challenges

  • Building trust is essential: direct communication with specialists, involving them in evaluation (03:20).
  • Chronic kidney disease predictive modeling case study:
    • Difficulty was not in building models but “figuring out what our doctors wanted and getting the right people in the room.” (04:27)
    • Real breakthrough: integrating tools into the EMR and focusing on prevention upstream, particularly for rural patients who struggle with access to dialysis.

Recommendations for Executives Implementing New Tech

• Key Takeaways from Dr. Newman:
  • “Have a champion and the champion should be somebody that is trusted in the clinical space... if you don’t have somebody that can vouch for the product, they’re not going to follow along with it.” (04:54)
  • Use peer-reviewed evidence as with any vetted medical therapy or procedure.
  • Establish appropriate governance: Separate clinical and operational AI/data governance, as each requires different guardrails (05:20).
  • “Collaboration has to be your catalyst for progress. You can't do this alone... it’s got to be incorporated into almost every single area of healthcare.” (05:43)

Final Thoughts

• Technology and AI are essential for healthcare’s future; standing still is not an option.
  • “If you’re not innovating, you’re going to be left behind.” — Dr. Newman (06:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Consumer Expectations:

  • “Healthcare needs to be the same way. We need to be able to make an appointment with a mental healthcare provider from your phone.” — Dr. Newman (01:40)

• On Building Trust with AI:

  • “There is a huge, huge trust component. ...We have to vet this. We have AI governance, we have data governance to make sure these are safe and effective.” — Dr. Newman (03:10)

• On Lessons Learned:

  • “The hardest part was figuring out what our doctors wanted and getting the right people in the room.” — Dr. Newman (04:27)
  • “Collaboration has to be your catalyst for progress. You can’t do this alone.” — Dr. Newman (05:43)

Important Timestamps

• 00:55 — Dr. Newman explains his role and Sanford Health’s communities
• 01:34 — Expectations for convenient care and real-world virtual care example
• 03:04 — Speed of tech innovation and building trust in AI
• 04:27 — Operationalizing predictive tools and engaging stakeholders
• 04:54 — Key considerations for healthcare executives deploying new tech
• 06:00 — Concluding advice: Innovate, or be left behind

Takeaways

Dr. Dave Newman’s insights emphasize that virtual care and AI hold enormous promise in addressing rural healthcare’s greatest challenges, but success hinges on trust, collaboration, evidence, and deeply understanding clinical needs. Change is accelerating—organizations must adapt to keep pace or risk obsolescence.