A mother. A healthcare executive. A near-fatal medication error.

Two hospital IT systems couldn't talk to each other — and it nearly cost Kristen Valdes her daughter's life.

That moment changed everything.Kristen left her secure career and founded b.well Connected Health — now the company powering health data connectivity for OpenAI's ChatGPT Health.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Kristen on the TechPulse Healthcare Podcast this week, and the conversation was extraordinary.

Here's what stuck with me:

🔹 Her daughter has a rare disease that costs $550,000/year to manage. The family imports one medication from another country to save $250K/year. This isn't theory — it's their daily reality.

🔹 b.well Connected Health has connected 2.4 million providers, 340 payers, and 600+ wearables into one platform — the largest connected health data footprint in the US.

🔹 Kristen helped change US federal law to give patients the right to access their full health record through any app of their choosing.

🔹 Her new initiative "Kill the Clipboard" lets patients push their medical records to any doctor via QR code. No more filling in forms at reception.

🔹 Her boldest prediction? "It will soon be negligent for doctors NOT to use AI when diagnosing and treating."

And here's what hit home for me personally — I went with my mother to an NHS appointment last week. In one department they had her details wrong. Different data in the same hospital. I'd assumed fragmented health data was a US problem. It isn't.

Whether you're in healthcare, tech, or just a patient navigating the system — this episode is worth 30 minutes of your time.