TDP 194: Becker’s 2025 Debrief: From Swag Bags to Note Bloat, What Health Tech Conferences should do Differently and the Most Interesting Ideas We Heard

Subscribe on: RSS | SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCAST | GOOGLE | BREAKER | ANCHOR

On this special episode of The Digital Patient, Alan and Josh recap their time at Becker's 10th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Annual Meeting. From trick-or-treat-style swag hunting and celebrity keynotes to hot takes on what health tech conferences should do differently in the future, they share the fun and frustrations of one of healthcare's best gatherings. Tune in to hear them reflect on the most interesting ideas they heard, hallway catch-ups with digital leaders, and why socks may just be the ultimate conference swag. Click the play button to listen or read the show notes below.
‍

Audio:

‍

Guest(s):

• Dr. Joshua Liu (@joshuapliu), Co-founder & CEO at SeamlessMD

‍

‍Episode 194 - Show Notes:

[00:00:12] Reflecting on Chicago and the Becker's atmosphere

[00:01:41] Comparing the exhibit hall swag to adult trick-or-treating

[00:02:56] Are the vendors really shackled in the dungeon?

[00:05:14] Discussing the celebrity presentations: Kurt Warner, Alex Rodriguez, and Simone Biles

[00:07:15] Why Josh left the conference early to present at UCSF's DocSF conference

[00:08:34] Why conferences over 2 days should eliminate the final half-day sessions since attendance drops sharply

[00:12:42] Insights from Dr. Bryan Frost and discussing Dr. Rebecca Mishuris' vision of the future EHR that delivers personalized summaries instead of traditional notes

[00:14:44] Learnings from Dr. Fernanda Polubriaginof, Sarah Pletcher, Dr. Karl Kochendorfer, Jason Szczuka, Dr. Juan Rojas, Dr.  Chris DeFlitch, Rachael Spooner

[00:30:30] Shout out to friends and former guests including Michael Mainiero, Brian Imdieke, Dr. Mark Townsend, Dr. Jim Blum, Dr. Gregg Nicandri, Dr. Michael Hasselberg, Dr. Rebecca Mishuris, Dr. Keith Woeltje, Dr. Albert Villarin, Dr. Judd Hollander, Dr. Deepti Pandita, Dr. Mike Han, Dr. James Solava, Dr. Kai Kao, Dr. Marcus Speaker, and Jason Burum

[00:31:59] Discovering an ice cream bar in the provider lounge

[00:32:54] How Josh and Alan lost a battle to a Chicago deep-dish pizza

[00:36:20] Sneaking into a sponsored lounge and getting an invite to a cocktail event hosted by Ambience Healthcare (shoutout Benjamin and Sara)

[00:37:34] Marveling at the discovery that Chicago’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the largest in the world

[00:39:58] Reflecting on vendor challenges—how cold pitches rarely work and why meaningful research matters more than mass outreach

[00:47:30] Why socks are the best conference swag

‍

The Digital Patient has been recognized as Feedspot's #1 Patient Engagement Podcast of 2025. Thank you to our listeners for making this happen!