Care Beyond Barriers

The Current State of the Healthcare System

Rising chronic disease, ageing populations, clinician burnout, and regulatory inertia are colliding in real time and putting healthcare systems around the globe under immense pressure. In this opening episode of Care Beyond Barriers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr Tom Kelly, Dr Hannah Allen and Dr Simon Kos to unpack what’s happening inside clinics and whether artificial intelligence can responsibly support clinicians without replacing them.
From the nostalgic “platonic ideal” of a single trusted GP to today’s cognitively overloaded, system-driven care model, the panel explores how the role of the doctor is evolving. They tackle uncomfortable questions around AI accuracy, human fallibility, regulation, autonomous prescribing, and what remains uniquely human in medicine.
Key Topics:
The global supply demand mismatch in healthcare
The cognitive overload of modern clinical practice
Why the role of the doctor has fundamentally changed
AI accuracy vs. human fallibility and the myth of perfection
Regulation, experimentation, and patient safety
Autonomous prescribing: inevitable evolution or ethical risk?
The future identity of the clinician in an AI-augmented world
Connect with us:
Find all things Heidi at heidihealth.com
Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn
Connect with Dr Tom Kelly on LinkedIn
Connect with Christina Farr:
LinkedIn
Second Opinion Media website
Lifers Podcast
Twitter/X
Instagram
Check out Christina’s book 'The Storytellers Advantage'.
Connect with Dr Hannah Allen on LinkedIn
Connect with Dr Simon Kos on LinkedIn
Resources:
Doctronic (Utah autonomous prescribing case referenced)
Utah & Doctronic Official Pilot (Regulatory Announcement): https://commerce.utah.gov/2026/01/06/news-release-utah-and-doctronic-announce-groundbreaking-partnership-for-ai-prescription-medication-renewals/
Doctronic Autonomous AI Evaluation (preprint): https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.22902
AI Prescribing Pilot in Utah (Politico): https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/06/artificial-intelligence-prescribing-medications-utah-00709122
Waymo (autonomous vehicle example discussed)
Company safety impact dashboard: https://waymo.com/safety/impact/
PubMed Autonomous Driving Crash Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39485678/

Care Beyond Barriers is coming March 4th

Care Beyond Barriers is landing in your podcast app from March 11th. Subscribe now -  so you don't miss an episode.