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TalTech Digital Health

TalTech Digital Health

TalTech Digital Health podcast is for current and future health care change managers and healthcare enthusiasts in general. We talk about digitalisation of healthcare, which goes hand-in-hand with smart change management. We ask, how to implement positive change in healthcare? We discuss change at system, organisation and individual level. Our guests are innovators, clinicians, scientists, regulators from the digital society of Estonia and around the world. The podcast is hosted by Priit Kruus and is in both, Estonian and English, depending on the scope of the topic.

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  • 20 episodes
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  • Estonian

Episodes 20

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  • May 29 · 56 min

    #28 Sigvards Krongorns: State of Baltic HealthTech II

    In this special State of Baltic HealthTech episode, Priit Kruus and Sigvards Krongorns look at where health tech and digital health stand across the Baltic region. Priit covers Estonia. Sigvards takes us south of the Gauja River, covering Latvia, Lithuania and the wider regional picture. They discuss the mood in each market. Are new companies starting? Are they growing? Are they raising money? Are exits happening? The episode looks at the differences between Baltic markets and asks whether the region can produce real global medical “rocketships” from the many new early-stage companies now emerging now by the 100s. Priit and Sigvards also talk about what founders need to understand: how to stay realistic, keep their eyes open, and know whether they are building a unicorn with a less than 1% chance of success (but with huge upside) or something more traditional with much higher odds but a smaller outcome. Also asking the question, which we need more? A practical discussion for founders, investors and everyone following Baltic health tech.

  • April 28 · 1 hr 20 min

    #27 Panel discussion: What does AI really mean in healthcare today?

    In this episode Priit Kruus moderates a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in healthcare, recorded during the North Estonia Medical Centre Science Week. The discussion brings together clinical, technical, cybersecurity and healthtech perspectives: Georgio Francis from Gleamer, Mart Kull from Viljandi Hospital, Jaagup Saare, e-hospital manager at North Estonia Medical Centre and Kristjan Hinn, information security manager at North Estonia Medical Centre. Together, they explore what AI already means in healthcare today, from radiology AI and clinical decision support to shadow AI, ambient scribing, hospital workflows, data quality, cybersecurity, regulation and the everyday reality of implementing new technologies in clinical practice. We learn that AI is exposing how inefficient our workflows already are. While at the same time reminding us that its biggest risk isn’t replacing doctors, but confidently getting things almost right. The conversation asks practical questions: where can AI genuinely improve care, where are the risks still too high, and how should hospitals balance innovation, patient safety, data protection and regulation? A timely and grounded discussion on how AI is moving from hype into real healthcare work.

  • #26
    February 19 · 59 min

    #26 Kerli Luks: Building the First Wearable for Continuous Female Hormone Monitoring

    Priit Kruus sits down with Dr. Kerli Luks, physician and founder of Muun Health, a startup developing what aims to become the world’s first wearable device for continuous female hormone monitoring. The technology seeks to provide real-time insight into ovulation, fertility, and broader reproductive health - an area of medicine that has long remained difficult to measure continuously and objectively. Drawing on her clinical experience as ER and primary care doctor, Kerli shares how years of treating patients with hormonal and fertility challenges revealed a fundamental gap in women’s health: despite rapid advances in digital health and biosensing, reliable tools for monitoring female hormones have remained limited. This realization became the starting point for Muun Health’s ambitious mission. Together, Priit and Kerli explore the realities behind building breakthrough medical technology - from biosensor development and physiological complexity to MDR regulation, fundraising, and the long innovation cycles typical of healthcare startups. The conversation offers an honest look at both the promise and the challenges of bringing deep-tech medical innovation from idea to clinical impact.

  • #25
    Nov 11, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min

    #25 Erkki Karo: Could Creative Destruction Happen in Healthcare?

    In this episode, Priit Kruus talks with Professor Erkki Karo, Director of TalTech’s Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance. The discussion was inspired by this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics, awarded for research on creative destruction - Schumpeter’s innovation theory widely taught and applied at Nurkse. Priit and Erkki ask: Is creative destruction needed, happening, or even possible in healthcare? They explore how change unfolds in a complex and tightly regulated system. Erkki explains how innovation takes place at different levels and through many interacting actors. They discuss why timing and framing are crucial for reform. Regulation and incentives can both enable and hinder transformation. The conversation concludes with reflections on why healthcare is so hard to change, how measuring real outcomes remains a challenge, and why payment models must evolve to strengthen primary care and value-based innovation.

  • #24
    Aug 11, 2025 · 52 min

    #24 Elli Valla: How can handwriting help detect Parkinson’s disease?

    In this episode, Priit Kruus talks with Elli Valla, a recent TalTech PhD graduate, about her research using AI and microkinematic analysis to detect Parkinson’s disease through fine motor skill assessment & handwriting on tablet devices. With 96.6% accuracy achieved through synthetic data and deep learning, Elli shares how this method could transform remote diagnostics. We also dive into the realities of healthcare AI—regulatory hurdles, real-world implementation, and the promise of digital twins in personalized medicine.

  • #23
    Jun 17, 2025 · 45 min

    #23 Panel Discussion: How Do Data Standards Solve Health Data Challenges?

    Live from the Health Data in Motion conference, a panel of leading experts explored one critical question: Can data standards actually fix the mess in healthcare data? Moderated by Priit Kruus, the discussion featured Grahame Grieve (FHIR), Kerli Linna (TEHIK), Hanna Pohjonen (openEHR), and Sulev Reisberg (University of Tartu). From HL7 v3 and CDA to FHIR, openEHR, and OMOP, the conversation went far beyond formats. Panelists tackled the limitations of Estonia’s document-based system and the pressure to move toward event-based, API-driven architectures. They questioned whether Estonia’s centralized approach is a powerful asset—or a growing bottleneck. AI readiness was a hot topic: can we really train useful healthcare algorithms with imperfect, siloed data? The discussion also hit on the true cost of transformation—not just in money, but in shifting mindsets across the system. Everyone agreed: the challenge isn’t choosing a standard, it’s agreeing on how and why to use it. Whether you’re a policymaker, developer, or clinician, this episode unpacks the real-world complexity.

  • S1 · E22
    May 21, 2025 · 53 min

    #22 Karmen Joller: Arst ei vaja ilusat haamrit, vaid tööriista, mis päriselt töötab

    Kust tuleb arstitarkvarasse nupu tellimus – kas praktiseerivalt arstilt või hoopis ministrilt? Sotsiaalminister Karmen Joller avab ausalt tervishoiusüsteemi kitsaskohti, räägib sellest, miks digiarendus ei tohi toimuda arstist mööda minnes. Juttu tuleb ka tervishoiu rahastusmudelite kohatisest absurdsusest ja sellest, kuidas süsteem võib premeerida mõttetuid uuringuid, aga ei toeta piisavalt ennetust ja tulemuslikkust. Lisaks arutleb saatejuht Priit Kruus Karmen Jolleriga meditsiinieetikast, regulatsioonidest ja inimese motivatsioonist püsida terve.

  • S1 · E21
    Apr 2, 2025 · 57 min

    #21 Sigvards Krongorns: It’s not just about the product—it’s about the fit

    🎙️ #21 Sigvards Krongorns: It’s not just about the product—it’s about the fit. Kicking off our first-ever special episode on Baltic Health Tech with Sigvards Krongorns, Associate at Verge HealthTech Fund and ex-founder who dared to 3D-print a smarter cast (yes, like Iron Man, but for broken bones) and shake up a system that doesn’t like being shaken. He’s battled the three-headed beast of clinical inertia, regulation hell, and scale-up chaos—so you don’t have to. 💡 Sigvards shares the highs, lows, and “did-that-just-happen?” moments from his startup journey, and how those lessons shape his work now backing early-stage founders at Verge. In this episode, Sigvards and Priit get real about: What it really takes to get innovation into the hands of doctors (spoiler: it’s not just building cool stuff) Why the Baltic health tech scene is quietly cooking up some serious magic. How Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania differ in the approach to health tech landscape. How cross-border collabs might be the secret sauce to making it all scale. 👉 👀 P.S. This is just the beginning. More Baltic stories coming soon. Follow-up episodes will dive deeper into the ecosystem—because one episode ain't enough!

  • S1 · E20
    Dec 19, 2024 · 54 min

    #20 Jaarika Järviste: Hospitals could try out different digital solutions inside today’s payment models

    Our 20th episode dives into policy, as our guest is Jaarika Järviste, Head of Development at the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. In addition, Jaarika shares her experience of working in a hospital and the deeply rooted hierarchy in healthcare as compared to other fields. Jaarika and Priit also talk about what is the government’s role to incentivize the emergence of publicly procured and privately owned digital solutions. The episode is wrapped up with a discussion about the importance of a product manager’s skillset and how to acquire it. In addition to her work at the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, Jaarika contributes to the development of the Digital Health Master’s programme as a member of the Programme Council.

  • S1 · E19
    Dec 4, 2024 · 43 min

    #19 Panel discussion “Healthcare Innovation in Estonia – Bridging Gaps Between Professionals and Technology”

    For the second time, Tartu Biotechnology Park hosted a week focused on innovation, technology, and digital transformation in healthcare - the Estonian Health Tech Week. In terms of the event TalTech Digital Health curriculum hosted a panel discussion on bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and technological transformation, moderated by Kadi Lubi from TalTech. The panel members were Member of the Estonian Parliament Andres Sutt, Deputy Chancellor of the Ministry of Social Affairs Nele Labi, family doctor Laura Prett and Priit Kruus from Dermtest. The recording is now available for the listeners of the TalTech Digital Health podcast.

  • S1 · E18
    Oct 18, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min

    #18 Riina Sikkut: Eksperditaustata ma poliitikas ei olekski

    Seekordseks külaliseks Digital Health podcastis on Eesti terviseminister Riina Sikkut. Podcastis räägivad Priit Kruus ja Riina Sikkut sellest, mis tervishoius toimub ja kuidas minister oma tee tervishoidu leidis. Saates arutatakse selle üle, kas digilahendused välistavad inimkesksuse ning kas innovatsioon ja avalik sektor kuuluvad kokku. Kuulda saab ka sellest, mis peaks juhtuma, et me saaks riigina jätkata 7% SKP suurust tervishoiu rahastust.

  • S1 · E17
    Aug 28, 2024 · 51 min

    #17 Erki Mölder: From founder to investor

    Erki Mölder is the name that always comes up when anyone in Estonia or the Nordics say “Healthcare” and “Investing.” About 25 years ago Erki jumped into the business of healthcare via coincidence and has not looked back since. In this episode of Digital Health Podcast, Priit Kruus welcomes Erki Mölder to talk about his founder journey, how he has developed a systematic approach to business and investing and what should current health tech founders keep in mind to tackle this difficult yet also intellectually rewarding path

  • S1 · E16
    May 30, 2024 · 58 min

    #16 Doris Kaljuste & Peeter Ross: We need more digital health experts

    Is digital health about just another app development or collaboration methodology? In this episode of the TalTech Digital Health podcast, host Priit Kruus talks with digital health curriculum program manager Doris Kaljuste and e-health professor Peeter Ross about the early days of the curriculum and its current role in the healthcare landscape. The discussion highlights the need for specialists who can mediate the collaboration between IT and healthcare. Doris Kaljuste comments about the program's impact and the need to train more specialists who can advance the digitalization of healthcare. Additionally, we ask whether and how AI should be taught, and why it is necessary to discuss financial incentives to adopt digital solutions. EST Kas e-tervis on äpiarendus või koostöö-õpe? Miks õppekava loodi? Selles TalTech Digital Health podcasti episoodis räägib saatejuht Priit Kruus e-tervise õppekava programmijuhi Doris Kaljuste ja e-tervise professori Peeter Rossiga õppekava algusaegadest ja tänapäeva rollist Eesti tervishoiumaastikul. Arutelus tuleb välja vajadus spetsialistide järele, kes suudavad vahendada IT ja tervishoiu koostööd. Doris Kaljuste räägib programmi mõjust ja vajadusest koolitada rohkem spetsialiste, kes suudavad edendada tervishoiu digitaliseerimist. Veel küsime, kas ja kuidas peaks AI-d õpetama ning kuidas ja miks on vaja rääkida finantsstiimulitest.

  • S1 · E15
    Nov 7, 2022 · 1 hr 4 min

    #15 Mariliis Öeren ja Kadi Lubi: kriitilise mõtlemise oskuse arendamisega tuleks alustada juba varakult

    Taskuhäälingu viieteistkümnendas episoodis keskendume ennetusele ning selle rakendamisele innovatsiooni ja tehnoloogia abil. Külas on e-tervise magistriprogrammi juht, Kadi Lubi ning Praxise tervise programmi juht, Mariliis Öeren. Küsime kui suur peaks olema inimese enda vastutus oma tervise eest hoolitsemisel ning milline peaks sealjuures olema riigi roll. Kas ennetuse mõju võib olla ka kahjulik ning miks on oluline allikakriitilisus? Ühtlasi arutleme, kuidas hinnata digilahenduste mõju ning milline võiks selles protsessis olla teadusasutuste roll.

  • S1 · E14
    Mar 14, 2022 · 59 min

    #14 Kadri Haljas: Tehnoloogia rakendamisel vaimse tervise toetamiseks on olemas vajadus, kuid puudub valmidus

    Taskuhäälingu värskes episoodis keskendume vaimsele tervisele. Saate külaliseks on Triumf Health tegevjuht Kadri Haljas. Arutame, milline roll võiks olla tehnoloogilistel lahendustel vaimse tervise toetamisel. Miks on rakenduse välja arendamisel oluline lõppkasutaja kaasamine ning kuidas läbi mängustamise kutsuda esile käitumuslikke muudatusi? Vaatame lähemalt, miks on innovaatiliste lahenduste loomisel oluline teadus- ja tõenduspõhisus ning mis lihtsustaks vaimse tervise lahenduste turule jõudmist ja kättesaadavust? Taskuhäälingu neljateistkümnes episood on salvestatud 16. veebruaril.

  • S1 · E13
    Dec 21, 2021 · 1 hr 13 min

    #13 Julius Juurmaa: Meil on valida, kas usaldame teadmisi või protsessi, mis need meile toob

    Taskuhäälingu kolmeteistkümnendas episoodis on külas Ida-Tallinna Keskhaigla radioloog ning TalTech külalisõppejõud Dr. Julius Juurmaa. Arutame, milline on arstlik mõtlemine ning miks tuleks teadmistest rohkem usaldada protsessi. Küsime, kas mõtlemisprotsessi erinevaid etappe on võimalik lihtsustada tehnoloogiliste lahendustega. Miks on meditsiinis oluline süstemaatiline lähenemine ning kas tulevikus võiks arsti asendada tehisintellekt?

  • S1 · E12
    Nov 4, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min

    #12 Ants Nõmper: Seaduste ja riigi ülesanne on eelkõige inimest õiges suunas nügida

    Uues episoodis vestleme Ellex Raidla juhtivpartneri ning vandeadvokaadi Ants Nõmperiga. Ants on Eesti üks tunnustatumaid meditsiiniõiguse eksperte ning Eesti ainukese meditsiiniõiguse õpiku autor. Taskuhäälingu kaheteistkümnendas osas arutame, kui paindlik on Eesti õigusruum tervishoiuinnovatsiooni suhtes. Kuidas võiks süsteem anda inimesele tõuke oma tervisekäitumise muutmiseks ja parendamiseks? Mis on mittesüüline vastutuskindlustus ning miks ei ole seda seni Eestis rakendatud? Vaatame ka lähemalt, milline võiks olla usaldusele suunatud tervishoiusüsteem ning millised võimalused on üleeuroopaliste tervishoiuintegratsioonide loomiseks.

  • S1 · E11
    Oct 12, 2021 · 1 hr 11 min

    #11 Kerli Linna: Selleks, et saada ülevaadet inimese diagnoosidest, ei peaks läbi käima kümmet dokumenti

    Taskuhäälingu uues episoodis on meil külas Tervise ja Heaolu Infosüsteemide Keskuse andmekorraldustalituse juhataja Kerli Linna. Räägime terviseandmete tähtsusest ning milline mõju oli andmekasutusele COVID-19 kriisil. Mis on andmekvaliteet, kuidas andmeid kogutakse ning milliseid standardeid selleks kasutatakse? Arutleme, kuidas hõlbustada tervishoiutöötajate andmete kasutamist, tagades sealjuures lõppkasutaja mugavus. Ühtlasi vaatame lähemalt, milline nägi välja COVID-19 sertifikaadi loomisprotsess nii Eesti kui ka Euroopa tasandil.

  • S1 · E10
    Oct 5, 2021 · 1 hr 18 min

    #10 Arvamusfestival: HealthTech ja Eesti tervishoiuinnovatsioon

    Eestist on välja kasvanud juba 7 ükssarvikut – idufirmat, mille hinnatav väärtus ületab 1 miljard eurot. Meie idusektor õitseb ja kasvab mühinal. Kus aga asub maailma innovatsiooni kontekstis Eesti tervishoid? Toome teieni 13. augustil toimunud Arvamusfestivali paneeldiskussiooni salvestuse. Vestlust juhib Dermtesti tegevjuht ja TalTechi lektor, Priit Kruus. Paneelis osalevad Taavi Einaste - Nortali partner ja tervishoiutehnoloogiate juht, Karl-Henrik Peterson - Haigekassa juhatuse liige, Erki Mölder - Health Founders tervisetehnoloogiate ärikiirendi üks asutajatest, Terje Peetso - PERHi juhatuse liige, dr Diana Ingerainen, perearst.

  • S1 · E9
    May 3, 2021 · 1 hr 8 min

    #9 Priit Tohver: Change management is not only a question of resources and regulations, it is about getting people on board

    In this episode Priit Tohver, the Head of Quality at North Estonia Medical Center, talks what is the meaning behind quality in healthcare. We discuss how to manage change in a hospital environment and implement new processes for quality improvement. Who should be involved and what are the first steps that need to be taken to implement any kind of change processes at a hospital? Priit also shares his thoughts on current financing models as well as the importance of research in regards to innovation at hospitals. We take a look at how to create a better safety culture at a hospital and whether we have enough data to measure quality in healthcare. As Priit's prior role was at the Ministry of Social Affairs, we also explore his position as an Advisor for Digital Service Innovation and Development as well as his experience in developing the Estonian contact tracing app HOIA.

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