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In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Steve Saunders, Healthcare Principle at RingCentral, about what is really at stake for Australian healthcare organisations still running on legacy phone systems and why the move to cloud-based communications is becoming increasingly urgent.
They cover the risks of relying on ageing PABX infrastructure, the barriers that slow down migration decisions and how a modular, evolutionary approach to modernisation can reduce risk and build confidence across an organisation.
The conversation also gets into the role of AI and automation in transforming how healthcare manages calls, appointments and patient interactions, as well as the critical importance of data sovereignty, privacy and security when moving to cloud-based platforms.
Steve shares why voice remains the most important communication channel in healthcare, why general-purpose tools are not built for clinical environments, and what healthcare leaders should look for when choosing a long-term technology partner rather than a one-off supplier.
For more information check out RingCentral at www.talkinghealthtech.com/ringcentral
Have a question about this episode? Reach out directly to Steve:
Steve Saunders
Healthcare Principle | RingCentral
📞 +61-2-9157-6831
✉️ Steve.saunders@ringcentral.com
Key Takeaways
📞 Voice communication remains the number one application in healthcare, with unique requirements compared to other sectors.
☁️ Healthcare is at a crossroads, moving away from legacy on-premise PABX phone systems towards resilient, cloud-based communications platforms.
🤖 AI tools are being used for pre-interaction triage, live transcription, translation, and post-call analytics to improve efficiency and patient experience.
🛡 Data sovereignty and security are top priorities, with strict compliance with Australian regulations and onshore data processing for AI.
🔄 Major barriers for adoption are fear of change and complacency, not just competition from other vendors.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & guest background
00:37 - Why voice is critical in healthcare
03:41 - Unique challenges for healthcare phone systems
07:31 - Transitioning from legacy to cloud
11:25 - AI & efficiency in communications
16:25 - Data sovereignty & security
18:39 - Industry landscape & barriers to change
22:09 - Advice for healthcare providers
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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