HealthBiz with David E. Williams

I had a great experience with my inguinal hernia surgery this summer, so I just had to invite my doctor, Nora Fullington and her partner, Dr. Michael Reinhorn from Boston Hernia onto the podcast! A few takeaways: The vast majority of hernia repairs are performed by general surgeons in hospital operating rooms. But better outcomes, lower cost, and greater convenience are possible if you can find a specialized practice like I did and go to an ambulatory surgery center. (Only 3% of i...

Advance Care Directives are great in theory, but often fail in practice. The result: patients' wishes aren't respected and their families end up fighting. Dr. Ferdinando Mirarchi has built a whole medical practice and business around Advance Directives. HIs company, MIDEO enables patients to create video-based plans either with or without a physician's help. I went through the process myself in preparation for this interview and learned a lot about the nuances of what to put in the di...

Bradley Bostic, the visionary CEO and founder of hc1, shares his journey from the plains of South Dakota to the cutting-edge world of healthcare data innovation. We explore how a childhood fascination with technology and a stint on the football field at Indiana University laid the groundwork for his groundbreaking work in healthcare. Our conversation uncovers Bradley's early career experiences at Ernst & Young, where he first glimpsed the complex inner workings of the healthcare industry,...

Hadassah Backman, founder and CEO of GuardDoc Health shares her personal story, from growing up in New York as a family caretaker, influenced by her father's illness and her grandmother's survival of the Holocaust, to her initial career in literature and writing. Discover how her path took a pivotal turn after a personal caregiving experience, leading her to pursue nursing. As a single mother, Hadassah navigated the challenges of nursing school and built an impressive career at Northwell, gai...

Explore the fascinating journey of Bo Holland, a pioneering figure in healthcare innovation. Growing up in Houston and Austin, Texas, Bo was inspired by his family's entrepreneurial spirit, which led him to pursue an entrepreneurship program at Baylor University. From running small businesses to becoming a pivotal player at Citrix Systems, Bo shares his early experiences and the lessons he learned along the way. We uncover how his ability to recognize opportunities and his passion for technol...

Shan Sinha is confronting the urgent issue of workplace violence in healthcare. Delving into the alarming rise of aggression against healthcare workers, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic, Shan discusses pioneering solutions like Canopy's wearable safety buttons that empower staff with connectivity and protection. Shan shares his extraordinary journey through the fast-paced world of technology and innovation. We embark on a captivating exploration of Shan's upbringing in Texas, h...

In this episode I welcome back Mohan Giridharadas, CEO and founder of LeanTaaS, who shares his journey in revolutionizing healthcare capacity through AI and prescriptive analytics. Mohan provides insights into LeanTaas's evolution since pivoting to healthcare in 2015, tackling pressing challenges such as increased demand, financial pressures and staffing shortages. With innovative solutions now optimizing a third of the U.S. chemotherapy capacity and enhancing 15% of the nation's surgic...

Join me in exploring value-based care with George Aloth, co-founder and CEO of Chamber. George shares his inspiring journey from his upbringing in Baltimore to his pivotal role in shaping healthcare. With a unique educational background in accounting and law, he honed his expertise in Medicaid and Medicare through early career experiences at CMS and Cigna. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found a Medicaid insurance startup and eventually become CEO of CareFirst's Medicaid division. Ge...

As a physician and healthcare CEO, Russ Richmond already knew a lot about healthcare. But when a bad accident put him into the hospital for three months he developed a much more profound understanding of caregiving. In particular, he learned that many of the nurses and therapists who provided him with such great care were thinking of quitting their jobs! Once he was released he did some research and discovered that a root cause of burnout was a lack of effective management and high administ...

Richard Kellner is on a mission to end polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a leading cause of kidney failure in younger people. The key is combining pre-implantation genetic testing with in vitro fertilization to prevent the disease from being passed from parent to child. The PKD Outreach Foundation, run by Richard is raising awareness so that physicians and parents-to-be know about this option. PKD Outreach is also making testing and IVF more affordable and accessible through a partnershi...

Explore the life and career of Brett White, CEO of Weave, an AI-powered platform designed to support small and mid-sized medical practices. Brett shares his formative experiences growing up in Northern California, working on a farm, and benefiting from his father's career as an airline pilot. These early influences instilled in him a strong work ethic and an appreciation for the value of hard work and simple living, shaping his approach to leadership and innovation in healthcare. ...

PatientPay and ClearGage are merging. I interviewed CEO Tom Furr to get his take. The combined offering is intended to deliver a comprehensive billing and payment platform that includes estimation and eligibility along with streamlined patient payments. Doctors offices are generally set up to bill insurance, but patients are now responsible for a lot more of the bill. Offices that manage patient payments effectively perform much better financially and reduce friction. That's what PatientPay ...

Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Sarah Iselin is a great asset for Massachusetts. I admired her work when she ran the Department of Healthcare Finance and Policy and then the BCBS Foundation, and was grateful for her rescue of Massachusetts' implementation of the Affordable Care Act. After a decade-long sojourn to Florida and California she's come back to Massachusetts just in time to address some big challenges. Among the topics we discussed: The Steward Healthcare bankruptcyAccess to care ...

Jeff Greenfield's journey is fascinating. As a child he was enchanted with magic, fell in love with Disney, and was transformed by a year in Israel during high school. Jeff shares how his early experiences shaped his career path, from studying biochemistry at the University of Maryland to becoming a chiropractor, all the while nurturing his passion for close-up magic. A car accident meant he had to stop practicing, but ultimately led him to embrace the burgeoning internet era of the mi...

Most people living with chronic conditions have more than one, yet digital health is full of point solutions for specific conditions. Dr. Tryggvi Thorgeirsson transformed that insight into Sidekick Health, which takes a platform approach to addressing a patient's complex needs. The company is growing fast, both organically and through acquisition. The latest addition, PINK! specializes in cancer care and women's health. Tryggvi is from Iceland, and I enjoyed uncovering his fascinating journ...