Podcast Summary: Risk Never Sleeps #158

Episode Title: The Path To Faster Medicines Starts With Better Trial Access
Guest: Chris Brigham, Founder of Smart Medical History AI
Host: Ed Gaudet (with guest co-host Saul Marquez)
Date: December 10, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ed Gaudet and guest co-host Saul Marquez sit down with Chris Brigham, the founder of Smart Medical History AI (SmartMed HX AI), during the AIMED 25 conference. The conversation centers on how AI-driven patient history tools can transform medical trials and everyday healthcare by providing faster, more comprehensive, and more accessible clinical trial access and improved patient-provider interactions. Chris shares stories from his storied career in both IT and medicine, and the group explores the opportunities and challenges in digitally reinventing patient history taking.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Chris Brigham’s Personal & Professional Journey

• Early Beginnings in Tech and Medicine

  • Chris describes his start as a self-admitted “nerd,” leading his high school’s first computer club and working in IT roles from a young age.
  • He studied computer science at Princeton before moving into medicine and developing a career at the intersection of the two fields.
  • “I was really intrigued by IT and how it could be applied to medicine… My path has been: how do we improve what we do in healthcare through innovative approaches and use of technology.” (03:01, Chris Brigham)

• Accomplishments

  • Over 300 publications, editor of several AMA journals, and authoring multiple books.
  • “I actually prefer not to talk about myself.” (03:48, Chris Brigham, showing humility despite deep credentials)

The Critical Role of Patient History

• Challenges with Current State

  • Modern clinical encounters are time-constrained, often only 16 minutes, with providers interrupting patients in as little as 7 seconds.
  • “We’ve lost the ability to listen because we don’t have the time… we tend to interrupt patients within 11 seconds. Although Anthony Chang corrected me yesterday, he said it was seven seconds.” (03:54, Chris Brigham)

• Limitations of Current AI Tools

  • Scribe tools like ambient scribes are passive and not designed to drive deep, adaptive patient history collection.

Smart Medical History AI: Rethinking Patient Interviews

• Concept & Functionality

  • Patients converse in advance (via voice or text, in any language) with an AI “historian” that collects, clarifies, and organizes detailed medical histories.
  • The AI reviews the information with the patient and then generates a comprehensive, adaptive report for clinicians, including a case summary, timelines, diagnostic cues, and behavioral insights.
  • “Why not have a process of doing AI driving that?... Now, half a century later… develop an AI-based system where a patient in advance of a visit would have a conversation with a caring, thorough, detailed historian interviewer who’s AI.” (04:28, Chris Brigham)

• Benefits

  • Much richer, patient-driven histories instead of relying solely on EMR or chart review. Faster, more thorough intake—and inclusivity for non-English speakers or those with various health literacy levels.
  • “If we improve quality of information, that gives a better understanding of the patient and we give an opportunity to really listen to patients and have them tell their stories.” (06:41, Chris Brigham)
  • “The response has been very positive… They’re getting information they otherwise would not get. And it’s an incredible timesaver.” (06:40, Chris Brigham)

• Clinical Workflow Improvements

  • Physicians and staff are freed to spend more appointment time on meaningful interactions rather than rote data collection.
  • “Instead of spending the time going over, getting all the information, you can now relate as a healthcare provider.” (07:29, Chris Brigham)
  • “Less burnout, more efficiency.” (07:39, Chris Brigham)

• Adaptability and Reliability

  • The AI adapts to patient responses—exploring mentioned issues in depth, varying complexity based on the individual’s health and digital literacy, and identifying inconsistencies.
  • “It’s very adaptive... And it also adapts to the healthcare literacy of the individual.” (09:06, Chris Brigham)
  • “Is this somebody who was reliable or inconsistent or emotional?” (08:24, Chris Brigham)

• Potential for Global and Behavioral Health Applications

  • Technology provides access to underserved communities and could be valuable in behavioral health to collect deeper background and context.
  • “I want to provide care to those that are not able to access care… go out globally.” (09:19, Chris Brigham)
  • “What a great application for behavioral health as well, right?” (09:32, Saul Marquez)

• Billing and Motivation

  • Chris’s focus is legacy and impact, not profit.
  • “The whole issue of billing is a different thing… We should look at the value of what we’re providing.” (09:50–09:56, Chris Brigham)
  • “Maybe I can provide a legacy.” (10:03, Chris Brigham)

Embracing AI & Driving Change

• Call to Innovate
  • “Embrace AI. Recognize that there are challenges, but we need to innovate… reinvent what we do in a way that’s much more effective.” (17:51, Chris Brigham)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Time Constraints:

  • “We have an average of 16 minutes with a patient and we tend to interrupt patients within 11 seconds… although Anthony Chang corrected me yesterday, he said it was seven seconds.”
    — Chris Brigham, (03:54)

• On AI’s Impact:

  • “We dramatically save the time; the physician doesn’t have an hour in the additional hour to document that. We actually get that information beforehand.”
    — Chris Brigham, (05:44)

• On Providing Global and Inclusive Care:

  • “I want this to go out globally because I want to provide care to those that are not able to access care.”
    — Chris Brigham, (09:19)

• On Motivation & Legacy:

  • “I’m trying to give back. I’ve had experiences over a lifetime that maybe I can provide a legacy.”
    — Chris Brigham, (10:03)

• On the Future of Healthcare AI:

  • “Recognize that there are challenges, but we need to innovate. We need to improve, we need to get better outcomes, we need to decrease costs.”
    — Chris Brigham, (17:51)

Personal Anecdotes & Human Moments

• Chris’s Musical Taste

  • “Cat Stevens, Beatles, Peter Paul and Mary… James Taylor, Nora Jones.” (10:38–11:03, Chris Brigham)
  • Hosts joke about his musical and social history from the '60s and his “nerd” status.

• Faith & Philosophy

  • “Live life fully. And my faith is also very important, so my relationship with the Lord…” (11:48, Chris Brigham)
  • “My whole purpose here is to glorify my Lord and to live a life that reflects that.” (12:10, Chris Brigham)

• Sailing Stories

  • Chris recounts a risky sail from Maine to Hilton Head, facing treacherous 15-foot waves (12:51), and the conversation deepens around boats, near-misses, and classic “sailor survival” tales.

Key Timestamps

• Background & Origins: 01:28–03:54
• Importance of Patient History & AI’s Role: 03:54–06:41
• Smart Medical History AI – How it Works: 04:28–09:19
• Adaptability, Benefits, and Global Vision: 06:41–09:19
• Behavioral Health and AI: 09:26–09:44
• Motivations & Legacy: 10:03–10:11
• Desert Island Records & Faith: 10:30–12:21
• Personal Reflections & Sailing Tales: 12:51–17:13
• Closing Insights on AI & Innovation: 17:44–18:11
• Contact & Outro: 18:18–18:36

Final Takeaways

Chris Brigham’s vision through Smart Medical History AI is bold and heartfelt: to use adaptive, inclusive AI to fill critical gaps in patient history-taking, fundamentally improving clinical care and trial access—while reclaiming time, focus, and relational depth for both patients and providers. As Ed and Saul note, it’s not just about technology: it’s about legacy, access, and honoring the patient story.

Contact for more info:

• smartmedhx.ai or cbrigham.com (18:22)

Memorable Closing Quote:
“Embrace AI. Recognize that there are challenges, but we need to innovate. We need to improve, we need to get better outcomes, we need to decrease costs. So just reinvent what we do in a way that's much more effective.”
— Chris Brigham, (17:51)