Bridging the Gap

Highlights

• Introduction | Stacey and Callie welcome listeners back and tee up the return to a topic from Episode 1—digital access to health care services.

• 05:06 Roundtable part 1 | Ty and Rae from Advisory Board join the hosts to discuss the scope of digital inequity: much more than just internet access, the term encompasses digital literacy, connection speed and stability, and more.

• 15:09 Roundtable part 2 | From defining digital inequity and how it impacts health, the conversation turns to solutions. Both guests share examples of success stories of health care organizations taking new steps to accommodate different levels of connectivity.

• 20:21 Roundtable part 3 | Looking to the future, Rae and Ty talk about public initiatives that are making a difference and pitfalls to be wary of on the road ahead.

• 28:01 Interview: Dr. Turner Lee | Callie talks with Dr. Turner Lee of the Brookings Institution and author of the forthcoming book Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass. They discuss her research on the topic, current government efforts to invest in infrastructure and her hopes for a more equitable future.

• 38:48 Conclusion | Stacey and Callie leave us with their closing thoughts and a preview of what's coming next on Until It's Fixed.

Resources

• Advisory Board blog: The digital divide

• Pew Research Center: Mobile technology and home broadband in 2021

• Brookings Institution: Can Biden’s broadband infrastructure plan close the digital divide?

Guests 

Rachel (Rae) Woods has been leading and advising on research studies at Advisory Board since 2014, and she brings deep health care knowledge, strategic insight and operational expertise to her hands-on work with executives and frontline providers. Rae is also the host of Advisory Board’s five star-rated podcast, Radio Advisory.

Ty Aderhold is the Director of Digital Health Research at Advisory Board, where he leads research on artificial intelligence, digital strategy, telehealth and digital health equity.

Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation, and serves as Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank. Dr. Turner Lee researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world.

The views, opinions, and content expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of Optum.