Heidi Unlocked: Takahisa Ogawa - Foot and Ankle Orthogeriatric Surgeon From Tokyo, Japan

Why It Matters

The case shows AI clinical tools can be adapted to offline, legacy EHR environments and scaled through targeted training, offering a pragmatic model for boosting efficiency and reducing documentation disparities in hospitals with strict IT constraints.

Summary

Takahisa (Taka) Ogawa, a Tokyo-trained foot and ankle orthogeriatric surgeon now working in Nagano, described how an AI scribe called Heidi transformed his clinical documentation after a fellowship in Sydney. Back in Japan he continues using Heidi despite on-premise, offline EHR systems by creating a custom QR-code text sender to transfer notes into the hospital system. He reports that grassroots training and role-play helped expand Heidi use among nursing staff from about 10% to 80%, reducing communication gaps and improving documentation quality. Ogawa highlighted both technical hurdles and practical adoption strategies discussed at the Heidi Unlocked event in Melbourne.

Original Description

"Our EHR system is in general not connected to open Internet, so it's quite difficult to use web applications.” 🏥

Takahisa Ogawa, an orthopaedic surgeon based in Nagano, Japan, shares his experiences moving between Japan and Australia, adapting technology to enhance patient care and navigating unique tech barriers along the way.

How do you integrate new digital health solutions when technology gaps exist in your hospital's infrastructure? What can role play and peer-led strategies do to close tech adoption gaps between healthcare staff? How does a hospital get from 10% to 80% nurse adoption of new health tech, and what challenges arise between junior and senior staff? And what lessons Takahisa is taking back to Japan from discussions at Heidi Unlocked in Melbourne.

Catch this conversation and many others recorded during Heidi Unlocked Live in Melbourne 2026, hosted by Heidi Health in a special playlist available here on YouTube under our channel as well as the Talking HealthTech Podcast on your favourite platform.

#digitalhealth #healthtech #ehr #clinicalinnovation