This is from a talk I gave at the Madison Health Tech Meetup on 5/17/12 about my experiences in the healthcare startup accelerator Blueprint Health and my top take aways from the mentors.

1. Three Months
in a Healthcare
Accelerator
Tom Black / @blacktm Madison Health Tech Meetup
about.me/tomblack May 17, 2012 / Madison, WI

2. The Blueprint Health loft in NYC.

3. In January 2012, I joined
Blueprint Health’s inaugural
class as a “floating founder,”
which is like a tech founder
in residence. (TechStars calls
them “HackStars”)
Check them out: www.blueprinthealth.org

4. As a coder (and part
designer), I built lots of
things for the teams
during the program: web
sites, apps, graphics, etc.
I also learned a lot about
healthcare from the many
mentors that came in to
talk with us.

5. Here are some of the most
memorable take aways during
our discussions with leading
healthcare innovators.

6. “You’re solving
meaningful problems.
Don’t forget that.”
Micah Rosenbloom
CEO, Sample6 Technologies
Founder & Partner, Founder Collective

7. “Healthcare in the U.S.
is unsustainable.”
Jonathan Gordon
Director of Strategy
NY Presbyterian Hospital

8. Reform = Access, Quality, Cost
Enhance collaboration
Invest in IT, access to data
Standardize processes
Jonathan Gordon, Director of Strategy, NY Presbyterian Hospital

9. or service
“Bring a solution,
not a technology”
Jason Gorevic
CEO, Teladoc

10. “The market isn’t
waiting for reform.”
Peter M. Hotz
Group VP & President
Take Care Health Systems
Walgreens

11. Worries About:
Scaling EMRs
Backend analytics
Not enough PAs or NPs
Clinicians needing technology support
Peter M. Hotz, Group VP & President, Take Care Health Systems, Walgreens

12. On Selling:
Know the buying process
Don’t force, must be a good fit
Manage client expectations
Don’t delay bad news
Focus on the client’s goals
Be face-to-face when you can
Scale to the entire organization
Peter M. Hotz, Group VP & President, Take Care Health Systems, Walgreens

13. “Be disruptive on the
service side. Shift risk to
the patient and provider.
Change the cost curve.”
Aran Ron
Partner, Bessemer Ventures

14. “It’s never been a better
time for... whatever this
space is called.”
Tom Rodgers
Partner, ATV

15. The golden age for HIT, many tailwinds
Generational shifts in health professionals
An industry invested in workarounds
No continuity of care, broken hand-offs
No shortage of entrepreneurs to fund
“Not so much about the business model,
but who will pay and why?”
“Who loses, and do they have political
capital? They can slow you down.”
Tom Rodgers, Partner, ATV

16. What’s hot?
Delivery models
(communication platforms/tools)
Moving data
Helping docs get paid, grow revenue
Tom Rodgers, Partner, ATV

17. “Healthcare defies logic.”
Amir Kishon
CEO, Wellness Layers

18. “The holy grail:
medication adherence.”
Todd Pietri
Partner, Milestone Ventures

19. What’s hot?
Clinical decision support
Analytics
Continuity of care, workflow
Cost transparency
Todd Pietri, Partner, Milestone Ventures

20. “Outcomes depend on
the journey.”
“Be religious about
automation.”
John de Souza
Founder, MedHelp

21. “There are big egos
in healthcare.
Play on them.”
Michelle Snyder
Former SVP, Epocrates

22. Build a network, then monetize
Do one thing really well
Trust is the #1 thing
Simplicity is critical
Michelle Snyder, Former SVP, Epocrates

23. “Healthcare is where
financial services was
10 years ago.”
Andrew Dunn
Humana Innovation Team

24. “The goal: deliver the right
care, at the right time, by
the right person.”
Ben Wade
Director, Strategic Planning
Montefiore

25. Looking for help from entrepreneurs:
Coordinating care
Patient access (e.g. ZocDoc)
Service and satisfaction
MD practice management
Decision support analytics
Also: “Healthcare is where financial
services was in the 1980’s.”
Ben Wade, Director, Strategic Planning, Montefiore

26. “If it’s valuable,
charge for it.”
Chaim Indig
Founder, Phreesia

27. Make your product small and simple
Master one area before moving to another
(e.g. ZocDoc)
Focus on the playbook
“Your product will suck in the beginning.
It just has to do the core thing.”
Chaim Indig, Founder, Phreesia

28. “Small companies (like
yours) will be solving our
health problems.”
Michael Monson
SVP of Performance & Innovation
The Visiting Nurse Association of NY

29. What’s hot?
Informatics
Behavioral science
(getting people to do stuff)
Workflow management
Referral relationships
Low-tech devices (consumers, seniors)
Alternative care models
Michael Monson, SVP, The Visiting Nurse Association of NY

30. At the Early Progress Dinner
with the mentors:
“Healthcare is where financial
services was in the 1980’s.”
Yea...we know.
“I thought I was the only one
saying that!”
Nope, you’re not.

31. “Healthcare is where financial
services was in the 1980’s.”
What the hell does
this mean anyways?
Oh, thanks!
Lots of unstructured data
Fragmented systems
Nothing talks to anything else
Lots of potential

32. “Adherence and
compliance.”
Puneet Sapra
Director, Biz Dev & Innovation
Pfizer

33. On average, only 30% – 40% of patients
adhere to prescription regiments
HUGE revenue opportunity moving from
just 20% – 30% to a 40% adherence
Why such a low rate?
Cost, safety, feelings about the drug
Much more than just forgetting
Puneet Sapra, Director, Biz Dev & Innovation, Pfizer

34. What's hot?
Heath IT
Analytics
Efficiency
Adherence
Compliance
Behavior
Puneet Sapra, Director, Biz Dev & Innovation, Pfizer

35. “Get it live quick. Test
and see if it’s viable.”
Ben Wolin
CEO & Co-Founder
Everyday Health

36. Determine if there’s a market
You can always optimize later,
but you have to know first
(easier on the consumer side)
Distribution is always hard
Ben Wolin, CEO & Co-Founder, Everyday Health

37. “This is the future of
the economy.”
Alan Blaustein
Founder, CarePlanners

38. “Solve the problem
at the smallest
possible scale.”
Oliver Kharraz, M.D.
Founder & COO, ZocDoc

39. If it’s measurable, measure it
Team flatness = strength
Prototype at the lowest possible level
“If you’re writing code,
you will throw it out.”
Don’t build things people don’t want
Oliver Kharraz, M.D., Founder & COO, ZocDoc

40. “We focus on networks
of engaged users.”
Andy Weissman
Partner, Union Square Ventures

41. No explicit verticals,
but we can work within them
Healthcare is the next vertical
(Started with media, then
education, now healthcare)
Read anything from Yochai Benkler
Andy Weissman, Partner, Union Square Ventures

42. “Right patient,
right setting,
right information.”
Rachel Winokur
Head of Strategic Diversification
Aetna

43. Fastest growing business for Aetna?
Accountable care solutions
(Tools and analytics to manage it)
“Analytics are only as good as the data.”
Rachel Winokur, Head of Strategic Diversification, Aetna

44. “Pharma is the early
adopter.”
Isaac Ciechanover, M.D.
Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

45. Three big areas:
1. Telemedicine (e.g. Teladoc)
2. Engagement (adherence)
3. Analytics
Isaac Ciechanover, M.D., Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

46. Oh, and...
“KPCB has more IPOs
than any VC fund.”
Isaac Ciechanover, M.D., Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

47. ...and we’ve been on stage
at an Apple keynote.

48. So there.

49. “Don’t be afraid of good
junior people. They will
fight for you.”
David Tisch
Managing Director, TechStars NYC
Investor via BoxGroup

50. Time is always on the investor’s side
Get good at logistics:
email, meetings, scheduling
“Don’t star fuck. It’s common in NYC.”
David Tisch, Managing Director, TechStars NYC; BoxGroup

51. “Show me the product.
I want to touch it.”
Ben Chodor
CEO, Happtique

52. “Free doesn’t work in healthcare.”
Charging is the way you make them use it
Ben Chodor, CEO, Happtique

53. Phew!
That’s a lot
of mentors.
Now to just make
it through demo
day, raise a seed
round, acquire
customers, hire
developers, build

54. Suggestion:
If you want
to learn how
to innovate in
health care,
read this!
(click book
to view on
Amazon)

55. Another view of innovation...
source: ideo.com/about

56. Thanks!
Tom Black / @blacktm
about.me/tomblack