🎧 Episode Summary:In this episode of NerdMDs | Efficiency Unlocked, host Dr. Adam Carewe welcomes the trailblazing Dr. Jay Parkinson, founder of Automate Clinic. Known for pioneering digital-first healthcare models, Jay shares the origin story of his unconventional journey—from launching one of the first iPhone-powered house call practices to building platforms supporting AI in clinical workflows. They delve deep into how AI can meaningfully integrate with physician expertise and reimagine primary care delivery. Listeners will come away inspired by Jay’s visionary thinking and grounded perspective on technology’s role in healthcare’s future.

🔹 00:00 – Intro & Jay’s Career BeginningsAdam introduces Jay Parkinson, reflecting on his influence in digital health and primary care innovation. Jay recounts how his medical journey began with a passion for visual design and tech, which led to the creation of a pioneering iPhone-enabled house call practice in NYC.

“What if health care was a process and we designed it really well? You could make it pretty elegant for people.”

🔹 07:21 – Thinking Differently in MedicineJay shares how his preventive medicine training at Johns Hopkins and natural curiosity drove him to question traditional models. His approach has always centered on systems thinking and embracing nonconformity within healthcare.

🔹 11:22 – Building the First iPhone House Call PracticeJay describes the practical innovations behind his early tech-driven clinic—embedding calendars, collecting symptom data online, and forming curated specialist networks—all before the App Store existed.

“The job of a doctor isn’t always to treat and heal. It’s to navigate you to the right place.”

🔹 16:34 – Introducing Automate ClinicJay introduces his latest venture, Automate Clinic, designed to connect doctors and engineers to improve AI models. He explains how doctors interact with flawed outputs from AI scribes to train models through smart, conversational prompts.

“It’s not about fancy tech. It’s about connecting the right experts to the right data problems.”

🔹 24:46 – Behind the Scenes of AI TrainingJay discusses the internal mechanics of Automate Clinic, emphasizing how their platform mimics attending physicians challenging residents to enhance data quality through natural interaction—turning passive labeling into meaningful engagement.

🔹 30:32 – Tech vs. Sales: The Real Healthcare ChallengeThe conversation explores how success in health tech often hinges more on sales and distribution than raw innovation. Jay stresses the importance of connecting product development with real-world physician needs.

🔹 41:37 – Rethinking Primary Care as Project ManagementJay proposes a shift from episodic visits to project-based care, especially for conditions like pneumonia. He advocates for models that support patients continuously through their healthcare journey, not just during appointments. He even plugs to newest healthcare startup General Medicine.

“Healthcare issues should be looked at as projects to be managed over time by a team.”

🔹 46:58 – Nerd Alert Round: Jay’s Personal SideJay shares personal anecdotes—from his first Public Enemy concert to his admiration for archery and photography. He reflects on his grandfather’s influence and the challenge of maintaining deep relationships across time and space.

🎧 Overall Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Jackie Gerhart, VP of Clinical Informatics and Chief Medical Officer at Epic, joins Adam and Dale to discuss how Epic is transforming healthcare through generative AI, interoperability, and data-driven tools like Cosmos. She shares her journey from family medicine into health tech and offers an inside look at how Epic is using technology to reduce clinician burden, personalize care, and shape future healthcare policy.

🔹 The Person – Dr. Jackie Gerhart’s Journey to Epic (00:00–09:50)

Jackie shares her path from biomedical engineering into medicine, driven by a passion for solving problems with people rather than machines. She practiced full-scope family medicine for 7–8 years before transitioning into informatics at Epic to make broader system-level impact. She continues to practice urgent care to stay grounded in real-world clinical needs.

🔹 The Company/Product – Epic’s Physician Role, Mission, and Evolution (09:51–21:15)

Jackie outlines how Epic physicians evolved from demoing software to becoming strategic partners and informaticists influencing product development, R&D, and customer support. She emphasizes Epic’s commitment to usability, patient-centered design, and building tools that are meaningful, efficient, and clinically impactful.

🔹 Under the Hood – GenAI, Ambient Tech, and Smart Integration (21:16–35:55)

Jackie dives into how Epic is using generative AI across the healthcare stack. Applications include AI-powered ambient charting, inbasket automation, clinical summarization, and decision support. She emphasizes the need to match tech with organizational problems and to avoid jumping on “shiny object” solutions without a clear use case.

🔹 The Data Behind the Product – Cosmos and Precision Care (35:56–48:50)

Cosmos, Epic’s collaborative dataset of 293 million patient records, is now powering decision support at the point of care. Tools like Best Care Choices for My Patient and Lookalikes allow providers to tailor treatment plans or diagnose rare conditions by comparing patient-specific data to nationwide trends. Future aspirations include patient-facing tools to promote shared decision-making and personalized guidance.

🔹 Policy, Interoperability & TEFCA (48:51–56:50)

Jackie shares Epic’s historical commitment to interoperability, sparked by a tragic story that led to the creation of Care Everywhere. She explains Epic’s leadership role in TEFCA, which aims to establish common data standards across EHR systems, and how this framework will bring long-tail providers and digital health vendors into the fold.

🔹 The Future of Healthcare & What Excites Jackie (56:51–59:30)

Jackie envisions a world where empowered patients and AI-informed clinicians collaborate with precision data to make truly personalized medical decisions. She wants medical education to reflect this dynamic and constantly updated reality.

🔹 Lightning Round – Nerd Alert (59:31–End)

Jackie shares:

* Favorite productivity hack: Using ChatGPT and Copilot; clinically, she loves chart search and Epic’s secure messaging.

* Last book/podcast: Good to Great, Brotopia, and a STAT podcast on JPM 2024.

* Comfort food: Popcorn, pasta, matzo ball soup, and nostalgia for Blue Moon ice cream.

* Surprising fact: She was once bitten by a penguin in South Africa!

* Must-have tech (non-phone): Podcasts and online learning platforms—critical for lifelong learning in medicine.