On this episode of Tell Me Where IT Hurts, host Dr. Jay Anders sits down with Chuck Tuchinda, MD, MBA, a physician leader at the intersection of data, artificial intelligence, and clinical innovation. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hearst Health and Executive Chairman of First Databank (FDB), Dr. Tuchinda brings a unique perspective on how trusted clinical data and emerging technologies are shaping the future of healthcare.
Dr. Tuchinda shares how FDB has evolved from a paper-based drug pricing reference into a high-performance platform for medication decision support, now enhanced with APIs, artificial intelligence agents, and e-prescribing capabilities.
He also explores how FDB is applying Six Sigma standards to protect and improve data quality, supporting public resources such as RxNorm, and developing AI-enabled workflows to improve everything from medication reconciliation to allergy documentation.
“The development of the quality systems and error measurement around the deployment of AI becomes critical to healthcare.”
Chuck Tuchinda, MD, MBA
EVP and COO of Hearst Health and Executive Chairman of FDB
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Tuchinda underscores the importance of data standardization, the risks of information blocking, and the potential for artificial intelligence to eliminate administrative burden while improving clinical safety. He also emphasizes the need for trustworthy frameworks to validate artificial intelligence outputs, especially when used to support patient care.
Finally, when handed the proverbial magic wand, Dr. Tuchinda does not hesitate. He would use it to improve access to healthcare anywhere and for everyone.
Show Notes
Among the topics covered:
- Evolution of FDB from paper drug pricing to an AI-powered medication database
- Six Sigma approach to clinical content and data accuracy
- APIs and e-prescribing expanding FDB’s reach across workflows
- Operational AI tools delivering more than 30% gains in productivity across Hearst Health, with some tasks six to eight times faster
- Use of artificial intelligence for medication reconciliation, prior authorization, and patient interaction
- FDB contributions to RxNorm and the National Library of Medicine to advance interoperability
- Need for standardized terminology and precise clinical concepts in data exchange
- Artificial intelligence applications for electronic health record data cleanup, including allergy normalization
- Importance of trust, transparency, and quality validation in clinical artificial intelligence
- “If you could change one thing…”
- And more…
Show Links
- Hearst Health
- FDB (First Databank)
- Dr. Chuck Tuchinda on LinkedIn
- Dr. Jay Anders on LinkedIn
- Tell Me Where IT Hurts on Healthcare NOW Radio