[00:00:15] So, once again, we are with Dr. Cooper, our star. Dr. Cooper, let me begin by telling you that the first episode of The Care OACES has been crushing it. How do you feel about it? Dr. I feel fantastic. I mean, this is what we wanted. We want to get the message out there as a platform that can be a resource for people to access healthcare, health information.

[00:00:41] Access is a two-way street, quite frankly, because as a provider and a physician for over 30 years now, oftentimes I'm limited by recall and other issues, the lack of interoperability in healthcare. So, I think it's fantastic. So, it's exactly what I was hoping it would be. Dr. That's wonderful. And this is Breaking Barriers. This is episode two. We are going to talk about how to navigate healthcare challenges and access quality care.

[00:01:10] Dr. Cooper, I'm going to call you Dr. Cool. I feel like we're friends now. Dr. So, Ursula, you can call me whatever you like. I really feel that way. I mean, I connected with you so fantastically well in the first episode. I told the vet, I have to have Ursula every time we do these interviews because she and I, we're resonating. It's called resonance. And when you resonate with someone, that's very, very important in terms of your spirit and your intentions and your passion coming through. So, I feel you if I could say it that way.

[00:01:40] Thank you so much. That was really touching. Okay. So, I don't want to cry. So, let's go to the first question, Dr. Cooper. Access to care is an issue that is constantly in your work. Why do you think so many people struggle to find the care they need, even in today's world where medicine is so advanced? Dr. Yeah. You know, Ursula, that's a very good question. But despite the incredible advancements in medicine, systemic barriers persist.

[00:02:07] You know, they include disparities, geographic limitations, and complex health systems that overwhelm patients. Often, access to care depends on factors like insurance coverage, provider availability, and patients' ability to navigate these systems, which is not always intuitive. And in many cases, we prioritize innovation over accessibility. Innovation doesn't necessarily mean accessibility.

[00:02:34] And this leaves large populations underserved. As a healthcare professional, I see this not just as a systems issue, but as a call to action to make healthcare truly inclusive and accessible on many, many levels. So, I was going to ask, because you've seen this issue from both sides as a patient advocate and as a professional.

[00:02:58] So, what are the biggest barriers that patients face when trying to access quality care? Oh, yeah. I think cost is the first barrier. And it's not about whether or not they can come out of pocket, but whether or not I'm covered with my insurance or lack thereof, quite frankly. Next is availability. It's a significant issue.

[00:03:24] Provided they're so concentrated in urban, large cities that leaves sometimes rural and underserved populations with very few options. So, you imagine now, can I, even if I'm in a big city, can I afford it? We've got all these great, fantastic healthcare resources in my city, but if I can't afford it, you know, that's one issue. Now, just imagine if you're outside of these large MSAs across the United States in particular, for example,

[00:03:54] where, you know, there's few people in my little small rural part of America that have access to the, quite frankly, in a lot of cases, very basic healthcare services. And then we have to acknowledge the fact that there are inequities tied to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, beyond just geography that create significant gaps in healthcare delivery.

[00:04:20] So, these barriers are compounded by the fragmented nature of healthcare where patients have to navigate multiple systems that often don't communicate with each other. So, we have the issue, quite frankly, of interoperability. If I go to see a provider at my local Walmart, which is ubiquitous across rural America,

[00:04:42] but then is that information going to be transmitted to the big city where I may have to be treated later on for a much more serious condition because it's not available locally for me? So, these are some of the barriers that exist for patients as they try to access health and healthcare services. So, Dr. Koop, you know that many people talk against technology, but how do you see tools like telemedicine or apps,

[00:05:10] like the one you're building with Oasis Health, helping to break down these barriers that we were talking about? Yeah, so tools like telemedicine and apps like Oasis, the care Oasis and Oasis Health are game changers. Telemedicine removes the geographical barriers that allow us to connect patients and connect patients and providers from the comfort of their home, quite frankly.

[00:05:38] So, apps like Oasis Health go further by integrating patient records, wearable data, telehealth services into one platform. That's where we are going with this. So, this creates a seamless experience where patients can schedule appointments, access medical history, and even get second opinions all while eliminating much of the inefficiency and confusion that traditionally comes with access and care. So, you just imagine being able to pick up your phone, which 90% of us are tied to,

[00:06:08] and being able to hit that button on the Oasis app and basically get answers to your questions as well as access to the actual care that you need. That's where we're going with the care Oasis and some of the other initiatives that we're implementing with our platform. I am a fan of technology, but you know that some people feel uncomfortable and they think that the doctor is not going to be paying as much attention

[00:06:35] because they're not together and they feel it's not going to be as personal as it would be if they were together. How do we break those barriers? How do we explain to people that technology is a good thing and that you can have a great consultation, even though you're not with the doctor at his office? Yeah. So, just remember, we start again at the beginning.

[00:06:59] We have examples of how technology and this trust in technology can be developed. Just look at the financial industry. Right now, the vast majority of people in America actually access their financial data through their banks, which is something that all of us use every single day. And guess how you do that? You do that by simply putting your ATM card to pay for a burger at McDonald's. Think about that.

[00:07:28] There is so much information that's transmitted in that one transaction that would just make your, it would be mind-boggling. So, the reality is that we've created trust throughout our society and our cultures in other areas where we freely give up that information. Okay? But, unfortunately, what healthcare was so far behind the eight ball when it comes to building that trust.

[00:07:56] In fact, you know, we have to get back to the very simple fact that oftentimes people don't even trust the doctor. Okay? Because they've been mistreated or they've gotten, had bad outcomes. They've been told things that didn't happen. And, well, when you go to McDonald's, you know, you quite that card, you're going to get your happiness. Okay? It happens and it's very consistent. The taste is going to be very, very consistent. It's a consistency. Okay?

[00:08:20] And so, I think that technology, quite frankly, has the ability for us, and particularly as we layer artificial intelligence on top of this, the ability for us to create that consistency in an expectation and an outcome for what we do. Because oftentimes it's not that you need, for me, as a heart surgeon to open your chest or you've been given some serious diagnosis, like diagnosis that is a brain tumor or something like that.

[00:08:48] No, you want the basics. And the inconsistencies and the basics, they're just that. So, people come in and they don't trust. They have no idea what they're going to get. So, if we can use technology to create consistency as a foundation for building trust, then I think we've taken a major leap forward. But we have examples out there.

[00:09:13] The banking industry, quite frankly, the social media industry. People go out there and they create these profiles on social media every single day. And they have no idea that what they're giving up, quite frankly, is information. Okay? Information about them. Information about how they interact with the world. How they interact with their friends. Quite frankly, how they spend their money.

[00:09:37] But it's an intuitive trust because they know when they go to that, when they go on that social media site, that they control it. They can turn it on. They can turn it off. Okay? There may be inconsistency in terms of when they post something and somebody may not like it, but they already understand that. They've been trained.

[00:09:53] We have an opportunity in the healthcare industry to help people navigate this very, very discombobulated and disjoined system by creating trust through consistency of delivery of action, information, and access. Okay. Let's move to question number four. I did feel like that was something I had to ask you because many people. Thank you so much. I had no problem with that. I recognize it was not on there. So let me pull a question number four in.

[00:10:23] I thought that was fantastic, by the way. Okay. I'm glad. Okay. Let me see here. Okay. Coming with question number four now. Okay, great.

[00:10:49] So, Dr. Cook, you just mentioned the amount of information that we have in the world. And I think that a lot of patients do not know where to start because they hear so many things. They see so many things. So how can they use these tools effectively to actually take control of their healthcare journey? Yeah, I think that's a very good question.

[00:11:19] And, you know, to support what I was just saying and how I talked about creating and building that trust, I think we have to take it one step further. We have to get to the point where we're comfortable educating ourselves as well as our patients. So first, patients talk about familiarizing themselves with the tools that are available. Okay. Most apps or telehealth platforms offer some type of user guide or support.

[00:11:49] So they use features like appointment scheduling. They're very benign. Hey, I just want to go in and start using those things. Symptom track. Okay, I'm having a call for a headache and a fever. Should I be thinking about COVID or the flu or something else? Reminder. Okay. To stay proactive. Okay.

[00:12:07] So these are ways and these are tools and features of telehealth platforms and some of these new things that are perhaps foreign to you that you can begin to use in a very, very benign manner that may help you build that trust. But I'm a big believer in the fact that, you know, most people have no idea really about their healthcare history. And so we're working to move in that direction where we can help you keep all of your records in one place.

[00:12:37] That allow you to understand who you are and who you are from a healthcare history perspective. And so that when you go in and talk to your provider, you can ask the right questions. You can inquire about things perhaps that you forgot about that maybe happened to you five or six years ago, but quite frankly, could be very, very relevant today. Okay. So technology empowers patients, but it's to ask patients and healthcare consumers to engage with these tools.

[00:13:06] This is how you become empowered. And this is how you become and demand more importantly, Ursula. You demand that your providers partner with you and your health. So often it is a transaction. You go in the doctor's situation. He's looking up at the computer screen and he's typing. Those days are over. It's over because we now have the tools and technology to get us back to, quite frankly, a more personal. Although these things seem impersonal.

[00:13:34] No, they're very, they're actually, they're reinforcing the personal side of medicine because these are unshackling doctors from having to sit there and type and, and play around because now guess what? They're using technology to record the conversation. Okay. Using AI tools that can transcribe. Okay. And the fact that they have now, they have your entire healthcare life in front of them.

[00:13:57] That's in a secure fashion and a very readable format that they don't have to go clicking around all over the chart trying to figure out what was our x-ray last year in our lab two years ago. And, you know, no, those days are rapidly becoming passe because technology is bringing us now into an era where we have everything that we need, including the tools right in front of us to build that truck. Okay.

[00:14:23] But again, I recognize the fact that, you know, healthcare consumers, patients, as you become a patient, you have to begin to familiarize yourself with what's out there. Try these things out. It's okay. Okay. The reality is it's okay. You've already given up a whole lot more of your life than you think you have just by, quite frankly, using that, that mobile phone that's in your hand probably as we are talking about these issues right now.

[00:14:51] While listening to you, I'm thinking that it's also about taking responsibility because for many, many years, what patients thought is, so I'm going to put myself in the hands of the doctor and they're going to do what they have to do. And I have nothing to do with it. And this is about, hey, man, now you got to take responsibility on it and do something about it because it's not about just the doctor, but it's also about you. Awesome. Yeah. I mean, you know, Ursula, that's a very good point.

[00:15:19] I can't tell you the number of times that people come to my office and I say, hey, so, you know, Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so, whatever your name is, what brings you into that? She said, well, you've got my record. You read it. I said, yeah, you know, that's true. I do have it. I do have what I have of it because, quite frankly, those records are oftentimes very, very incomplete. I said, yeah, I got what, you know, why you're here and those things, but I want to hear the story from you. So that's the way that I break the ice on these conversations. You know what?

[00:15:49] Yeah, they said some really bad things about you. But I don't believe it. I want to hear it from you. And that oftentimes gives patients, you know, the way to create that human factor and it's a way to get them engaged and say, okay, you know, well, yeah, the doc, you know, he's read the story. But now I just want to hear what you have to say about it, okay? But you're absolutely right about that is that oftentimes patients and healthcare consumers have given so much trust. We have way too much trust in doctors like me, honestly.

[00:16:19] But just think about this. I'm taking care of literally hundreds in, you know, a primary care practice, perhaps even thousands of patients every year. There's no way, as much as I love you and would love to be able to, there's no way that I can put in my brain, this supercomputer, all of your information and lock it in and just tap into it whenever I want to. Now, we know that that's possible, but it's not a reality right now, okay? So therefore, we use technology to help us with these things, okay?

[00:16:49] And so, no, no, no, no, you cannot. And I say this to patients every single day. You have to be your own advocate, okay? And you have to look for healthcare resources within this discombobulated system that are going to want to partner with you to help you be the best advocate that you can be. Amazing.

[00:17:10] So, Dr. Cooper, we were talking about old school patients, but there are also some old school doctors that are not really good friends with technology. So, what role do you think healthcare professionals play in making these technologies successful? Oh, I think it's fantastic, Ursula. Great question.

[00:17:36] You know, healthcare professionals are the bridge between technology and patients. We have a huge responsibility to educate our patients about these tools and make them feel comfortable using that. Additionally, we must provide them feedback, okay? Provide feedback to developers to ensure that the technology to address real-world challenges.

[00:17:58] It can't just be about the fact that the healthcare administrators and the hospital want to become more, if you will, efficient and more cost-efficient. And they say it has to be about making and having an impact at the bedside. But, you know, we have to encourage collaboration between our patients and us, okay?

[00:18:21] But we also have to encourage collaboration between the tool developers, the healthcare systems and administrators who make their decisions to deploy a lot of these systems, unfortunately. Okay? We have to become active participants in the process, okay? Okay. I can't. I've been in healthcare for 30 years now.

[00:18:40] And I've always been one to be very open-minded, one to be accepting and curious about new technology, new developments, new ways of doing things. But I have to admit, that's not the majority of my colleagues, particularly my contemporaries that are at a generational level that I am in the healthcare industry. Perhaps not so much with the younger generation, okay?

[00:19:07] But the reality is that we're in this nexus right now where my generation is influencing to a greater extent, if you will, or to some extent, the actions and behaviors of younger physicians. I just read an article, and this is opt-up in a few forms that I'm a part of, where, you know, the young doctors come in, they don't want to take call and work long hours. And the old doctors say, oh, well, that's not what you signed up for. Well, you know what? That's not what they signed up.

[00:19:35] They signed up to have, to practice medicine, to have a great work-life balance, and to be responsible, contributing professionals to the profession and the institution of medicine. They didn't sign up to do the stupid stuff that we did 10, 15, 20 years ago. It doesn't make sense. That really, that really pulls me to hear physicians say that, because there again, gets into the, as you described it, sort of old school mentality. It's our way of that. Well, let me tell you some old school colleagues. You're dying.

[00:20:04] You're going away. If you can either, you can either decide to get on board, embrace innovation, embrace the future, or you can get out of the way. Because quite frankly, you are dying. You are literally becoming dinosaurs in an industry. Quite frankly, Elliot, look back and just look at all of the opportunities that providers miss to basically be a part of change, be positive part of change. But, oh, we said that.

[00:20:34] Oh, no, I'm not doing that. Oh, we did this 10, 15, 20 years ago. Yeah, okay. Guess what? I can give you one example. In my realm, in my specialty, cardiovascular surgery, aortic valve replacement. We can replace those valves through the leg now 95% of people. It eliminates the need for surgery. Now, we could argue about what age group and what patient population, but the reality is the technology is here. You no longer can do that.

[00:21:03] So, all of these doctors sat on the side like, oh, we're never going to do that. It's going to kill people. It's going to cause it. No, it didn't. Okay? And guess what? You're set over and you allowed yourself to fall into this, oh, me, me, me, me, me, me, me kind of attitude and you miss out. Don't miss out. Physicians is what I can say to my physician colleagues. Don't miss out on this.

[00:21:26] Get out of this ego-driven, oh, I'm the best thing that ever happened to medicine thinking and mentality. And quite frankly, I'll be honest with you, Ursula, it's so refreshing, quite frankly, to talk to the younger physicians. Because they embrace this. They're the most cell phone, social media. They think me a lot about all of these things. Okay? And I embrace that because that's their world and that's the world to come. We're not going back. We're only going to go forward.

[00:21:56] Well, you just said ego-driven and I have to ask you because I've heard many stories about patients that go see their physicians and they tell them, yeah, I think it might be this because I read something and I think my diagnosis might be different. And their physicians don't like it and feel like, hey, you read five things on the internet. I studied for 25 years.

[00:22:25] So how does a patient deal with that kind of reaction from a physician? Find another doctor. Find another doctor. Come to the Oasis. Come to us. We'll find you a doctor who can communicate with you and respect your agency. And I will tell you. So this happened to me, oh, probably 20 years ago, Ursula.

[00:22:54] I had a patient, and this was in the early days of Google. I'm not sure when Google started, but I think it was early 2000s or whatever. But I remember a patient coming in with like pages of stuff that they had pulled off Google. I mean, this was fantastic. The only problem with it is that the information that they brought to me had nothing to do with the condition for which I was staying at. And but I was okay with that. I didn't make them feel stupid. I didn't make them feel small. I said, you know what? This is great.

[00:23:22] Because what I had was an engaged patient. They were willing now to listen. Okay. And if physicians would get off the high horse. Okay. And you've got when people do that and they bring that information to you and they bring in what you've got to be respecting. Okay. First of all, of their humanity.

[00:23:46] Respecting of their willingness to go out and try to be engaged in the process for themselves. I'm always very open. I love that. In fact, those tend to be the longest conversations that I have. But guess what? It's not only an opportunity to create rapport. It's an opportunity to educate. Okay. And then I also know. It's really a blessing for me because I know what? I have an engaged patient.

[00:24:14] They're going to understand what I'm saying. They're going to trust me. They're going to allow me to do whatever that I was trained to do. So I feel in no way, absolutely, in no way threatened by that. So when I say go find another doctor, those doctors are insecure who come back with that kind of snide. Sometimes I do it, but I'll do it in a very fun kind of way just to get them engaged.

[00:24:44] I used to have this little cup that I would pull out of the microphone and say, oh, you know, your Google search, will I have a Google MD or whatever? But I would always say, oh, just kidding. Okay. It's okay. I appreciate you. All right. Great theot. But if you use that to create a defensive pot or to take a defensive posture, you've just lost the patient. Okay. And quite frankly, yeah, that's a tragedy in my opinion.

[00:25:13] So I use those opportunities, quite frankly, to elevate. And quite frankly, honestly, I've had people bring me stuff that I didn't know about. And I said, you know what? Never heard of that. I'm going to go and look this up because this may help me with somebody else and not you. Okay. And I'm okay with that. But you can only develop that if you are, if you're humbled and you're grounded in who you are. Okay. But I will tell you for a patient, and I'll just say it right out. If somebody comes out with that kind of response and you bringing in information that you've bought out in the research,

[00:25:42] run, find another doctor. They do not deserve to care for you. Okay. Because first of all, and first and foremost, they don't respect you. Okay. It's not that you didn't bring that in there to challenge their authority or to challenge their smarts or their degree. No, you brought that to them because you wanted to have them have the information that you have.

[00:26:08] So I would say to a patient who encounters that kind of a situation, run, call me, call Dr. Cooper, and we're going to find you someone who respects you and someone who's going to give you the kind of attention that you deserve. Loved the answer and loved the story. I think this is what it is all about. Dr. Cooper, let me tell you that I loved your answer.

[00:26:33] And I'm pretty sure many people that are listening to this podcast because they're letting, first of all, lots of people are listening to it. But I mean, this is like everyone's talking about it. So congratulations. Congratulations. We're just getting started, Ursula. And I'm so glad. I'm so blessed. You know, God puts you where you need to be. I mean, I will tell you, I have to keep saying this because, you know, when I told Vivek, and I said,

[00:27:00] Vivek, you got to make sure that Ursula is available to do every single one of these podcasts because we are going to rock the earth. And that's exactly what we're doing, Ursula. Let's keep going. I'm humbled. So people are listening and I know that many people feel stuck, whether it's with insurance or finding a provider or maybe understanding their options. So it's a lot of information.

[00:27:28] But what is the first step they can take? That first step that is going to actually change things. Yeah. You know, Ursula, that's a fantastic question because I and I thought about this for a while. Is there really one first step? What I want to be able to say and what I can say is that within the next few months, the one step you can take is reach out to us at Oasis.

[00:27:55] OK, because we're going to have the platform set up whereby this is no longer going to be an issue for you. But I do think that as it stands today, it's very, very important. First of all, that you try to work through the system in which you've been given. OK, and in the setting in which you've been given, you know, you play poker with the hand that you've been dealt. OK, and this is not poker. This is your life. I understand that. But you've got to try to work through that.

[00:28:23] Oftentimes in practices and in dealing with health care, there's going to be someone there who's really going to be your advocate. And I will tell you, quite frankly, from my experience as a practitioner for 30 years, I'll tell you, I have I have so much respect for the nurses and and advanced practice professionals that I work with. Those are the PAs and nurse practitioners. I mean, they are more committed, quite frankly, than most health care providers that I know.

[00:28:53] I have to say that they are really true. They have found their calling. They're there for you. And so I'm talking about, you know, it starts sometimes with the receptionist, the nurse or the MA who checks you into the office or the nurse who follows up with you about your test results or the PA who saw you instead of the physician or the nurse practice.

[00:29:15] Those are people, honestly, and I would say that, you know, tap into those resources because they, you know, I just hate to say this. I mean, doctors have been put in a very, very difficult position where they have to, if you will, or they have to, they have to see so many. It's almost like an assembly line.

[00:29:38] It's almost like a used car salesman, you know, sales, you know, sell more, sell more, do more, do more, more procedures, more this, more that. No, but the people that are there in the office, quite frankly, they're not bound by those same metrics. So they can take some time and they do take a lot of time. In fact, they take a lot of their own professional and even personal time to make things happen for you. So try to tap into those resources. There are community-based resources.

[00:30:06] There are a lot of online resources. If you have insurance, there are some, your insurance company, quite frankly, has resources. And if you're not happy with your provider, your insurance company sometimes will say, hey, why don't we try this? Okay. Those are resources. You can also put different government resources out there. Okay. They can help you kind of figure out a way to navigate.

[00:30:29] If it's a particular condition, diabetes or heart disease or heart cancer, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Diet. So these are resources that you can tap into if you're not getting the kind of results that you think you should be getting. And then again, like I said, in several months, in the few months to come, we'll have the resource open and available through our platform to help you navigate all of these things.

[00:30:57] Dr. Cooper, I'm going to move on to the next question because I feel that one of the main problems is that going to the doctor and finding out whether or not you have a disease is a very vulnerable moment for someone.

[00:31:29] Dr. Cooper, I'm going to move on to the next question.

[00:31:52] Dr. Cooper, I'm going to move on to the next question.

[00:32:22] You can take a deep breath. Um, you can take account, excuse me, of your own mortality and existence and the totality of whatever morbid, perhaps, diagnosis that you've been given. um i think it gets back honestly ursula at that point to fundamental okay it gets back to really

[00:32:51] thinking about the fundamentals of who you are some people want to hear this but i'm a very spiritual person and i told a friend earlier today um that you've got to fundamentally have a belief in who you are in your existence i really believe that in in fact i really believe

[00:33:14] that the essence of a lot of what ails people in in a lot of conditions is is that lack of belief and who we what our power is and what we who and what we really are but that had been said um um the perception of that reality is that it creates a lot of anxiety creates a lot of angst

[00:33:38] um you don't know where to turn you feel desperate and depending on what the condition is i think first and foremost you know take an assessment of what your surrounding brain okay and what i'm talking about there is uh a loved one a significant other family members perhaps um that you can reach out to and that you can trust a friend perhaps

[00:34:05] i can tell you one of the most beautiful things that i see is is on social media facebook in particular when someone's faced with something very very dire and they put it out there and you just look at the comments literally hundreds sometimes of people who are commenting with positive thoughts and prayers and encouragement i mean it's amazing it is truly amazing so i say you start

[00:34:29] with the very very basics okay and that includes your circle of friends uh trusted advisors orders and those things but secondly i think again back to what i talked about earlier depending upon what the condition is that you reach out to resources that are already out there available i mean diabetes cancer heart disease kidney problems brain issues whatever it may be there is a resource

[00:34:57] out there if you believe uh that can help give you that confidence that you are going to work through whatever it is um that you whatever challenge you've been faced and and i will tell you as a health care professional and provider those are the people who do the best when they come to us people will have

[00:35:17] the attitude um of positivity uh of courage of uh undefeatedness i'm not going to be defeated by whatever this is i'm going to win and that winning will be defined by me by frankly that that winning may mean that ultimately you leave the body but they still won because they won with an attitude of winning

[00:35:46] are they left here with an attitude of survival and winning and i and i won't be defeated in my heart and in my mind and my soul you may have defeated the body but you didn't defeat me so i think those are those are some encouraging words quite frankly but i think there are a lot of resources out there to help people navigate uh the health care system when they're faced with a very very difficult uh diagnosis

[00:36:10] problem that may that may quite frankly uh be a terminal type condition um you you give hope when you speak everything sounds really hopeful and i think that's something your patients and everyone who's listening

[00:36:29] now appreciate it because i mean it's important to find hope yes um so looking ahead what do you believe are the biggest opportunities to improve health care uh access and i'm talking about the next decade i mean we could talk about a few years but let's talk

[00:36:55] about the next decade um what do you think are the biggest opportunities to improve yeah i will tell you uh ursula that i i am i am all in on um artificial intelligence and uh predictive analytics for health care uh i started following um ai two years ago when chad vpt first came out and started looking for ways that

[00:37:24] uh we could potentially uh utilize artificial intelligence and that technology in our telemedicine business in our telemedicine platform and i will tell you that as i've gotten more and more involved in it and and and and looked at strategies and other ways that it's been deployed throughout the healthcare system i really believe that artificial intelligence quantum computing and the convergence of those two is going to

[00:37:53] fundamentally change so much about how not only we practice medicine but also quite frankly um diagnostics medications treatments biotech uh gene mapping gene therapy it's going to fundamentally change how we approach patients in the future that is here and now and it's happening but we are right there just

[00:38:20] what are now scratching the surface although artificial intelligence and machine learning has been around for decades it's now beginning to become mainstream because we now have the computing power to make it happen so i'm very very excited about possibilities it's okay and people talk about how these uh and of course we should be thinking in terms of how uh technology can be used can be used nefariously but i think and i see

[00:38:48] technology as a way perhaps for us to um to to to basically minimize disparities and uh and and to monitor nefarious types of of deployments of the technology in healthcare so i'm really excited about it because i i think you know and again here's one of those aspects that we talked about earlier in our prior discussion about how i think

[00:39:13] you know um uh practitioners that are in my generation have to get on board we have to embrace these because it is the future this is what's going to happen i talked to a friend of mine the other day um who was deeply involved with this in the military level um and with artificial intelligence and healthcare and he and i was in the same vein i mean we can screen one patient at a time with surgery

[00:39:37] in terms of what we do with our hands but these technologies have the ability to to basically impact air for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of millions of people with the push of a button that's tremendous so that's the future it's here and then but it's going to continue to evolve uh over the next five ten years or decades dr koop i have like 10 000 questions but i'm going to

[00:40:06] ask the last question for this episode um i know we're going to have plenty of more episodes so i'm going to go to the last question of this one which is how does oasis health fit into this vision that you're talking about and where can our listeners find more information on it yeah yeah so the care oasis.com

[00:40:28] and then oasishealth.com so uh those are our websites um and um how we fit uh so oasis is a play on the word oasis o-a-s-i-s is o-a-c-e-s is a play on the word omnipresent meaning available anytime anywhere all the time

[00:40:52] everywhere uh access a care healthcare healthcare experts physicians providers nurses and services laboratory imaging treatments whatever it may be so um our goal and our vision is to create a platform uh ai driven uh we have to be we'll be straight up transparent on that because

[00:41:17] this is the wave of the future ai driven platform that cannot then help uh patients and healthcare consumers navigate a very very very very confusing disjointed disorganized healthcare system even in 20 i mean it's kind of weird saying that i've been in healthcare for 30 years but it's very confusing and disorganized okay uh and even you know with the deployment of you know major ehr systems

[00:41:45] sometimes sometimes i sit in hospitals i look at the screen and i'm like wow i've got mrs jones and i'm just using that hypothetically in front of me and this is just a cacophony of you know these categories and that category but it doesn't tell the story of mrs jones okay it seems so inefficient even today and if you if you look at surveys of physicians who talk about

[00:42:13] uh healthcare and their frustration it's still about you know technology and how although it was put in place to make our jobs more efficient uh and it has i have to admit that okay but and it has made it more efficient but the fact of the matter is we have to now comply with standards before it was very very efficient but we weren't complying with standards you could barely read it i mean come on i mean i mean

[00:42:39] i'm the first to admit you it's hard to read my writing i have horrible penmanship so what i think is that oasis healthcare is there to is going to be the platform the go-to platform for patients to come when they have these questions we're unique and that not only are we just creating a mobile app website or and you know this you know there's no disrespect to them web md or some of these others no it's not that

[00:43:05] we are going to have real people nurses doctors on the other end of those conversations or those interactions saying hey maybe you maybe you need to do this maybe you should think about that uh or even if you want to engage with us uh directly um over a virtual platform we're going to allow you to be able to do that that's what's going to make us different um and and so that's what we're looking

[00:43:31] that's our vision for us is we can eliminate all of the this this disjointment and our interoperability of systems to help people get the kind of air that and access that they need to get i have to say that there's not just a patient act act i can tell you ever provide i've been in the game for 30 years practicing practicing at a very high level and yeah you know work at some biggest academic and

[00:43:59] private institutions in america but the reality is oftentimes i was practicing and working with a hairspring of information it shouldn't be that we're going to make a difference in that regard thank you earth for this is fantastic dr cool once again uh congratulations on the success of the

[00:44:25] our third episode i know everyone is and we'll see you again in the third episode of the car oasis sounds good ursula take care have a fantastic week ahead you too