The DocBuddy Journal
How painful are the outdated, broken workflows you have to deal with everyday as a healthcare provider? Join host Erik Sunset for thought leadership from DocBuddy on ways healthcare providers and workers can streamline their workflows with technology, get the latest practical takeaways from the world of Health IT, and get updates from the leader in mobile workflow solutions for providers and their organizations, DocBuddy.
Episodes
127 episodes
The 2026 EHR Report Nobody Is Talking About
The numbers are in, and for once in American healthcare, some of them are good. Host Erik Sunset breaks down the KLAS Research Arch Collaborative Clinician EHR Experience 2026 report — 92 health systems, 121,000 clinicians, one year of data — a...
The Integration Mistake That Wrecks MSOs
Alex Fernandez, CEO of Synergy Orthopedic Specialists and a 30-year veteran of physician practice management, joins Erik Sunset and The DocBuddy Journal to talk about what actually makes or breaks a physician group integration — and it's not al...
Administrative Burden Is Breaking Medicine
The average American physician is now walking away from medicine at 48 years old. Not retiring. Not transitioning to leadership. Walking away entirely—nine years before the system expected them to. And the number one reason they cite? Not pay. ...
The Joint Commission's New AI Certification
In this episode, Erik breaks down what this certification actually means, why it matters, and what it signals about the maturity of AI in healthcare. This isn't about slowing innovation—it's about validating before deploying.Eighty-one ...
The Surgeon Shortage Nobody Is Talking About - And What You Can Do About It
A landmark study just tracked 224,629 surgeons over a decade, and the findings are a wake-up call for every surgery center administrator in the country. Nearly 10% of surgeons left clinical practice within an eight-year period — and in some spe...
Stop Treating Old Workflows Like the Status Quo
If your surgery center is still relying on transcription services, freehand dictation, or rigid EHR templates for operative reports, this episode of the DocBuddy Journal is worth your time. Host Erik Sunset makes the case that what many ASCs tr...
Michael McClain: How to Expand Your ASC
Michael McClain, founder of Left Coast Healthcare Advisors, returns to the DocBuddy Journal with Erik Sunset for a practical conversation about ASC expansion. Before jumping to blueprints and construction budgets, Michael argues that most surge...
Jeff Pfaff: Technology, Culture & the Future of ASC Operations
Jeff Pfaff, Senior Director of Business Operations at Inova Health Systems, joins host Erik Sunset to share hard-won lessons from scaling one of Northern Virginia's most active ASC networks — from a single center to five thriving multi-specialt...
Marc Ryan: Big News, Bigger Stakes
Marc Ryan, Chief Solutions Officer at Lilac Software, returns to the DocBuddy Journal with big news: Lilac Software has been acquired by Medisolv, combining payer and agentic AI expertise with Medisolv's established provider and quality measure...
Breaking the Technology Trap in Surgery Centers
In this solo episode, host Erik Sunset gives March updates for the DocBuddy team and tackles a common objection he hears from surgery center administrators: "I don't have all my surgeons on board yet. Is that a problem?" The answer might surpri...
Chris Caspar: Revenue Cycle Reality Check
Healthcare organizations are hemorrhaging revenue through preventable denials, documentation gaps, and front-office errors. Yet, many don't realize how much money they're leaving on the table. In this episode, host Erik Sunset sits down with Ch...
Op Note Rave Reviews + Cardio in the ASC
In this episode of the DocBuddy Journal, Erik Sunset shares a positive story straight from the field regarding one of our account managers at a recent Op Note go-live at a Florida multi-specialty surgery center.He also covers a major AS...
America's Looming Doctor Shortage: What the Numbers Really Show
The U.S. healthcare system is approaching a critical tipping point. By 2030, America will face a shortage of over 127,000 full-time physicians, representing more than 10% of the current workforce.In this episode of the DocBuddy Journal,...
Anesthesia Shortages Are Reshaping ASC Operations
Welcome back to the DocBuddy Journal in 2026! In this episode, Erik tackles the persistent anesthesia shortage crisis that's reshaping ambulatory surgery center operations. From drug shortages to workforce gaps, learn how rising anesthesia subs...
Breaking Burnout: How 30 Minutes Can Save Physicians 3 Hours
In this solo episode, host Erik Sunset explores two critical studies, the first on physician burnout and the second on practical solutions for ASC leaders. Discover how dedicating just one 20-30 minute appointment slot per day for administrativ...
Phil Sayles: Consigned Chaos - Automating the OR
In this episode, host Erik sits down with Phil Sayles, CEO of Summate Technologies, to discuss a critical yet overlooked problem in healthcare: the analog documentation process for surgical implants.Drawing on his 16 years as a devic...
Marc Ryan: The 2025 Government Shutdown’s Impact On Healthcare
We're three weeks into a government shutdown with no end in sight, and the healthcare industry is caught in the crossfire. Marc Ryan, Chief Solutions Officer at Lilac Software and author of The Healthcare Labyrinth, joins host Erik Sun...
The Future of Health IT Investments in 2025 & Beyond
In this episode, we explore 2025's healthcare IT investment landscape and what it means for overwhelmed providers. Learn which technologies are getting funded, why workflow integration matters more than flashy features, and how to evaluate solu...
How Surgery Centers Are Embracing Digital Transformation
Join DocBuddy Journal hosts Erik Sunset and Kiera Helms as they dive into the real-world experience of implementing new healthcare technology in ambulatory surgery centers. Kiera, one of DocBuddy's account managers, shares stories from her rece...
Greg DeConciliis: Physician Leadership, Staff Retention, and Smart Technology
Join host Erik Sunset, DocBuddy's Chief Revenue Officer, as he sits down with Greg DeConciliis, Administrator of Boston Outpatient Surgical Suites, to explore the winning strategies behind one of New ...
Happy National ASC Month!
All of us at DocBuddy wish you a happy National ASC Month!In this episode, we covered resources to help you celebrate + advocate on behalf of your surgery center and the industry at large. Visit our good friends at ASCA to get thei...
Sounding the Alarm On Block Time Inefficiency
ASCs are losing money every single day through poor block time utilization, but it doesn't have to be this way. In this episode, Erik Sunset, DocBuddy's Chief Revenue Officer and host of the DocBuddy Journal, breaks down the Becker's article th...
Jessica Bush: Building Trust and Culture At Your ASC
In this episode of the DocBuddy Journal, host Erik Sunset sits down with Jessica Bush, founder and CEO of Real Change RN, to explore what separates great healthcare leaders from managers.Jessica shares powerful insights on building authe...
Marc Ryan: The Big Beautiful Episode
Join host Erik and Marc Ryan, Chief Solutions Officer of Lilac Software, as they dissect the latest congressional budget reconciliation drama and the "Big Beautiful Bill's" impact on healthcare. With raz...
Rena Courtay: Addressing ASC Headwinds
America's surgery centers are caught in a perfect storm: physician shortages that have tripled anesthesia costs, a vanishing workforce of surgical technicians, and Medicare policies so out of alignment that patients pay more for outpatient surg...