Can a nurse who doesn't code still build an AI tool that shapes federal policy?

On this episode of the Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast, hosts Marion Leary, PhD, MPH, RN, and Rebecca Love, RN, MSN, FIEL, sit down with Sharonda Davis, MSN, RN, health tech strategist and futurist, and a PCU nurse at a Level I trauma hospital who built Nurses Voice Matters, an AI-enabled platform that helped nurses submit public comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on how AI should be reimbursed in clinical care.

The three talk about why Sharonda shifted her stance on AI after sitting through the CMS workshops, how she built a working comment platform using Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex, and GitHub without a software background, and what she means by responsible AI, from resource use to patient privacy to a prompting discipline grounded in clinical reasoning. They also get into FHIR, the standard that lets outside tools talk to Epic and other EHRs, and what it opens up for nurses who want to build small tools for the problems that eat their shifts.

Sharonda, who comes from more than a hundred years of nurses in her family, makes the case that nurses have to be the ones writing the tools, writing the comments, and shaping the standards that will decide how AI shows up at the bedside. If you've been waiting for permission to start, this episode is it.

Listen to the Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast at nurse.org/news/love-n-leary-nursing-podcast or search Love n' Leary Nursing Podcast on all podcasting players.

Article:

Jump Ahead:

• 00:58: Welcome and guest introduction.
• 02:20: What drew Sharonda in: the workshops on CPT codes and AI reimbursement, and why they made her rethink her position on AI in healthcare.
• 03:18: Introducing Nurses Voice Matters, the platform Sharonda built for nurses to submit public comments.
• 05:30: Why the platform worked for nurses: it prompted them to put their actual clinical skills and knowledge into the comment.
• 07:50: "Prompt from a problem": Sharonda's rule for using AI responsibly, plus water consumption and getting called out by Gen Z at home.
• 11:10: How she built it without coding: Claude Code, ChatGPT Codex, GitHub. The earlier nurse prompt hub, shadow AI tracking, and why Nurses Voice Matters was deliberately the safer build. 50 clicks, 30 submissions, and why she held back on promotion.
• 14:03: Rebecca on nurse-led innovation and integrity, and why Sharonda should see herself as a forefront voice in this space.
• 16:10: Sharonda's background: founding NurseBlock, five years in Atlanta's blockchain community, and more than 100 years of nurses in her family.
• 19:22: FHIR, Epic, Oracle Health, and the open door for nurses to build EHR-integrated tools. "If it's irking you at work, build it."
• 22:13: Sharonda's final thanks: "keep trying, eventually something has got to give."

Guest links:

• Connect with Sharonda on LinkedIn
• Nurses Voice Matters on GitHub
• eCQI Resource Center - FHIR: Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources
• Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs & Leaders: SONSIEL.org

🎙️ About The Love & Leary Podcast

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🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/lovenleary for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
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👥 Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn

Stay connected, network, and join the conversation with us professionally:

• Connect with Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing
• Connect with Marion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionleary

Why should nurses care about policy?

Nurse anesthetist and policy expert Angela DiDonato, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, joins Marion and Rebecca to answer that question with stories from the front lines of nursing advocacy. She shares how frustration with Pennsylvania legislators inspired the Amplify Nursing podcast, how CRNAs won formal recognition in Pennsylvania after more than a decade of advocacy, and why understanding healthcare as an industry gives nurses a tool to change it.

Plus: why she calls compassion fatigue "crap," how a three-minute surgical huddle won over hospital finance, what she teaches her policy students at Penn, and why every nurse should submit a public comment on the CMS proposed payment rule before the September 14 deadline. Whether you have never touched policy or you are ready to lead, this episode shows you where to start.

Article: Why Every Nurse Should Care About Policy, From a CRNA Who Helped Change State Law

Jump Ahead:

• 0:58 - Welcome and guest introduction: Angela DiDonato
• 2:18 - The Amplify Nursing origin story: "Aren't you just the assistant?"
• 5:53 - Why policy feels boring, and how podcasts translate it for nurses
• 7:40 - The Pennsylvania CRNA designation fight: one of only two states without recognition
• 11:39 - Nursing reimbursement, AI billing codes, and the CMS public comment window (closes September 14)
• 15:04 - "Your voice matters": healthcare as an industry, and the surgical huddle story
• 20:24 - What Angela teaches her policy students at Penn
• 25:30 - Why you should get involved even if you never touch policy: you're a constituent
• 26:59 - Closing thoughts and how to start local

Guest links:

• Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA): https://www.pana.org/
• Connect with Angela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-didonato-a0929826/

Take action: Submit a public comment on the CMS proposed 2027 physician payment rule (file code CMS-1848-P) at regulations.gov before September 14.

Related reading on Nurse.org:

• Nurses Have Waited a Century for Billing Codes. AI May Get Them First: https://nurse.org/news/ai-billing-cmaa-cpt-codes-nursing-reimbursement/
• ANA Responds to Nurses' AI Billing Concerns: https://nurse.org/news/ana-statement-ai-billing-codes-cpt-medicare/
• Nursing Excluded as a Professional Degree by the Department of Education: https://nurse.org/news/nursing-excluded-as-professional-degree-dept-of-ed/

Listen to more episodes: nurse.org/lovenleary

🎙️ About The Love & Leary Podcast

Thank you for tuning in to The Love n' Leary Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/lovenleary for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Love n' Leary Podcast YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights

👥 Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn

Stay connected, network, and join the conversation with us professionally:

• Connect with Rebecca: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing
• Connect with Marion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionleary