Improving Outcomes & Efficiency Through Data Insight with Fred Wilkins

What happens when healthcare providers stop treating data as a reporting tool—and start using it as a strategic asset? In this Clarity Special Edition, recorded live from the fifth annual Clarity Summit in Laguna Beach, California, Asbel Montes sits down with Fred Wilkins, President of VLI Tech and a 35-year veteran of EMS operations, technology, and mobile healthcare leadership. Fred's journey is anything but typical. He started as an EMT—a way to pay for college—and never looked back. From the field to the emergency room to the C-suite, he has spent decades watching healthcare fragment itself with disconnected systems, siloed data, and outdated workflows. Today, he's building toward something different. This conversation goes deep on interoperability, AI-powered modernization, the political and policy side of healthcare transformation, and the leadership crisis quietly building inside EMS organizations across the country.   What you'll hear in this episode: Why EMS providers are still sending faxes in 2026 — and what it reveals about systemic fragmentation How hospitals with their own ambulance services are manually re-keying prehospital data just to bill — and what that costs Why AI is a bridge product, not a buzzword — and how it can eliminate data silos without replacing human judgment What true interoperability looks like at the bedside, in the dispatch center, and through the revenue cycle Why healthcare leaders must be at the policy table — not waiting to be served from someone else's menu The growing leadership fatigue and succession gap in EMS that keeps Fred up at night How grace, sustainable leadership, and knowing the power of "no" connect to the future of the profession The bottom line: Better healthcare outcomes require more than technology alone. They require connected data, engaged leadership, and the courage to rethink what's been accepted as normal for 20 years. Fred challenges healthcare leaders to stop refining broken models — and start building new ones. If you're a healthcare executive, EMS leader, policymaker, technology innovator, or revenue cycle professional navigating what modern healthcare should look like, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to The Leadership Lab for conversations at the intersection of healthcare leadership, finance, technology, and systems-level thinking.   Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634   Solutions Group Services: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices  Website -  ​​https://www.solutionsgroup.com/