10-15% of the Beds Cannot Be Scheduled. | Newsday with Venkat Kavarthapu and 229Project

UnHack with Drex DeFord · Oct 5, 2026 · 28m

October 5, 2026: Venkat Kavarthapu, CEO of Symplr, joins Bill Russell and Drex DeFord. The argument is about where AI time goes. Bill cites a study that put individual productivity up about 20 percent, and asks whether a faster IT administrator sees another patient. Drex's sticking point is the missing link to the CFO: less spend, or more revenue.

Venkat's picture comes from a CFO at a large system. Ten to 15 percent of the beds sit unused, on lock, unable to be scheduled. He puts the cause upstream. Credentialing a physician takes 120 to 180 days. Shrink that, and the capacity can open…