Amy Chang

This 👂 podcast episode and insight’s from a16z Bio + Health's Julie Yoo spoke so clearly to the fundamental challenge facing both 🩺 clinicians and 🏥 healthcare systems.  There is a huge disconnect between supply, in the availability of clinicians, and demand, in the increasing volume and complexity of healthcare needs. -     36% of physicians plan to reduce their hours next year according to the AMA -     48% of physicians reported feeling burned out in a 2024 Medscape survey At the same time, the demographic baby boomer bubble and steady increase in the prevalence of major chronic disease, which consumes up to 90% of healthcare expenditures according to some estimates, is driving demand. With this context, Yoo points to a major opportunity for AI adoption in healthcare in 2025. Yeah, a VC hyping a wave of new AI companies that will replace the decades of training and experience of clinicians, the skeptic would say.  But Yoo is thoughtful in pointing to the role AI can play, and is already playing, through solutions such as ambient, autonomous scribe solutions (of which local star Abridge is leading the pack) in not replacing, but freeing up productivity for clinicians. There is so much unstructured context in both the complexity of disease and treatment options and the social/emotional considerations that we shouldn't be looking for AI to *replace* clinicians. But companies are getting better at finding the structured, repetitive and time-consuming places where AI tools can *help* clinicians. Nearly two-thirds of doctors cited bureaucratic tasks as the leading contributor to burnout. Rigorously trained-AI driven solutions can be a force multiplier for clinicians, and I’ve seen several interviews where nurses and doctors go as far as to say some of these solutions are ”restoring their joy in practicing medicine”. Our health is precious; and we rightly want any technology engaging with it to be developed thoughtfully and thoroughly tested. This requires top AI talent and diverse and realistic training data. Pittsburgh’s strengths in both areas is why we are an emerging hub for data-driven healthcare. #AIinhealthcare #clinicianburnout #healthinnovation #digitalhealth

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Another large funding round in the virtual behavioral health space. It's interesting to note Talkiatry's focus on a physician-centric care model with W-2 providers, as opposed to most of the other players who are delivering care with 1099 mid-level therapists. However, it's still not clear to me how they are measuring care quality and outcomes, which is the foundation of true value-based care.

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🎥 Exciting update: I recently joined Jody Tropeano Greene to discuss the DiMe Seal, a milestone in building trust and accountability in digital health. Check out our conversation here: https://lnkd.in/epMHYU5x 🌟 Launched at HLTH 2024, the DiMe Seal recognizes high-quality, trustworthy digital health software products. Since its debut, we’ve seen incredible momentum: 🏥 Healthcare systems and payers across the US are looking to the DiMe Seal to help de-risk their digital health software purchases 🌍 Digital health software developers across the world are recognizing the value of the DiMe Seal to distinguish their products in a crowded market 👉 Are you a developer of digital health software products? Pursue the DiMe Seal and join the leaders setting the standard for quality and trust in healthcare innovation. Register today and use the code HLTH25 for a 25% discount https://lnkd.in/eTb6rRbj Let’s continue to raise the bar for digital health together! 🚀 #DigitalHealth #DiMeSeal #HLTH2024 #Innovation #TrustInHealth

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Imagine swallowing the competition whole. That's what many players in tech do via roll-up strategies, gobbling up smaller firms to deliver richer solutions and amass greater market share. Where else are roll-up strategies common? // HEALTHCARE Picture being a patient at a medical practice that’s been part of a roll-up in Healthcare Services. It's an industry ripe for roll-ups due to its fragmented nature and potential for greater efficiency. // CONSUMER SERVICES Or let's say you needed your HVAC serviced, and notice your local repairman is now part of a bigger Consumer Services entity? Centralized management and scale economy turn these localized businesses into roll-up targets. // FINANCIAL SERVICES Think about your insurance agent or wealth management advisor. They're working in complex, highly regulated environments. In the Financial Services sector, roll-ups offer an effective way to consolidate expertise, streamline operations, and enhance customer offerings. // MANUFACTURING Now, imagine driving past factories under a new name — the result of Manufacturing and Industrial Services roll-ups. Bulk purchasing reduces costs, enhances production capabilities, and expands geographical footprints. // REAL ESTATE Lastly, envision your real estate brokerage firm. The industry sees roll-ups as a strategic move to increase market penetration, enhance service offerings, and hike up portfolio value. Roll-ups play a huge role in most industries, rather like a snowball rolling downhill, gaining momentum, and size. Are you seeing roll-ups in your sector or considering M&A?

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Lee Shapiro with 7wireVentures and I are both passionate about driving more investment in integrated care. For Healthcare Business Today, we shared our thoughts about why including oral health in overall health care technology and investment is integral to creating more unified care and achieving better patient outcomes. Read more of our perspectives on the importance of increased investment for integrative care solutions, and why we believe the time is now for digital health investors to jump on the medical-dental care bandwagon. #oralhealthVC #digitalhealthinvesting

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Still trying to make sense of Walmart pulling back from healthcare delivery? 3 quick thoughts: 🏥 Healthcare delivery is hard, even for companies where it's a primary focus. Navigating reimbursement and competition is extremely challenging. 💸 The patient may be a customer, but they are never the payer. 📊 No matter a company's stature, cooperation and reimbursement from health plans—both nationally and locally—are still critical for building profitable businesses. For a deeper dive, check out our full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/eXTeugKD

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🚨🚨 Thoughtful Analysis Alert 🚨🚨 Why are we seeing significant pullbacks in healthcare services from major retailers like Walmart and Walgreens. This strategic shift underscores the real challenges in healthcare delivery today. Our latest blog post talks about why these pullbacks are happening, the implications, and more. #HealthcareInnovation #RetailHealthcare #StrategicInsights #HealthcareTrends https://lnkd.in/gfW5aX3n

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I had the honor of moderating a panel of three hospital Presidents/CEOs at Laudio's inaugural Leadership Innovation Exchange (LINE) conference. We discussed “Future-Proofing Health Systems” and what is required for the next generation of hospital leadership to effectively manage the healthcare workforce. We didn’t have a crystal ball, but we had the next best thing -- insights from these three impressive leaders. Quick takes: 💡 Mark Slyter, DSc, FACHE of Dignity Health: High reliability organizations are the way of the future. When implemented correctly, retention is the output and not the goal. 💡 Bill Santulli, FACHE formerly of Advocate Health: When looking for his successors, he looked for leaders who are effective at change management…it’s ultimately all about culture. 💡 Joseph Mitchell of Franciscan Children’s: It took a strong arsenal of leaders who were resilient to complete the integration with Boston Children’s and ultimately to bring attrition down from 35% to 18%. Heard throughout the day were these fascinating tidbits from C-level leaders on what is improving their workforce culture and satisfaction: 🐕 Geisinger: ‘Paws to Reflect’ program that brought in dogs for healthcare workforce, not for patients 🤖 El Camino: Robots for patient wayfinding – an idea that stemmed from their nurses when they saw the robots delivering specimen 💻 Stanford: Being discerning about not automating processes that are terrible, but only the ones that are deserving Hats off to the Russ Richmond, CJ Floros, Emma Smith, Ashley N. and the whole Laudio team on this fantastic LINE-up!

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Which founders fit the mold for success in healthcare? I spoke with Anne DeGheest, Founder and Managing Director at HealthTech Capital, about the key characteristics of successful #healthtech entrepreneurs. Listen to the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eqwUCkPx

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💡Are outdated practices still holding healthcare back? The pandemic was a wake-up call. It revealed that despite advancements, many of healthcare’s practices are built on outdated infrastructure. In Data Nerds in the OR, Dr. Bruce Ramshaw reflects on these challenges, sharing his journey from witnessing both triumphs and flaws in surgery to uncovering the true potential of real-world data and collaboration. This podcast is a reminder that the future of sustainable healthcare lies in using data to measure outcomes and continuously improve them. I highly recommend you tune in! #FutureOfHealth #DataDrivenCare #HealthcareInnovation #Caresyntax

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Healthcare is highly suited for AI automation, with many opportunities to improve accessibility, affordability, and outcomes. AI can drive efficiencies across various functions, though it will inevitably reduce the need for some human roles. #higherorder #ai #automation #healthcare #healthtech

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Cofounders Capital Fund II is on a roll! Another huge announcement, this time from Pattern Health on its merger with Greenlight Health Data Solutions, Inc.

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Taking stock of primary care today and looking ahead.... Increasing presence, market share for non-traditional providers - payers, advanced primary care providers, primary care enablers. Question marks over retail's presence in primary care and what care models and patient populations they might need to focus on to be a force. #VBC #populationhealth #primarycare #caremodels

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Congrats to Sana on the $55M Series C! We were the first fund to invest several years ago and have continued to invest in every round. Joel Hellermark and Jon Lexa have built an incredible team & product, with a rapidly expanding list of marque customers who love the product (see data below). Great to see New Enterprise Associates (NEA) - Scott Sandell & Philip Chopin making a high conviction bet and more than doubling down after leading the previous round. "Sana customers are seeing the business value across multiple use cases, including: 95% time savings from finding complex product information and up to 90% productivity gains from automating complex workflows for industrial companies; more than 60% in time savings from automating legal admin and 200% increased efficiency for legal firms; and more than 10 hours per week time savings in new hire onboarding for internal HR teams." Menlo Ventures EQT Ventures Matthew Weinberg Max Ventures #SeriesC #Investment #StartupSuccess

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https://lnkd.in/gB_-yi-f Sharing a few thoughts on our Computational Care thesis, with a particular focus on the importance of clinical validation in building empathetic software solutions in a complicated environment. Based on the quality of conversations with founders and CEOs recently at HLTH and in the wild, now is a great time to build, deploy, and scale great software against hard problems in healthcare. We are seeing real progress, and we want to see even more bravery.

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What does the future hold for retail medicine and virtual care? Walmart is the latest to announce their health center closure. https://lnkd.in/geZpMTkS. This following Optum news, VillageMD closing in Nevada, Teladoc Health problems, etc. What comes next? This is another in a long line of examples that technology and even consumer willingness are not enough when the reimbursement environment does not support particular care models. Are we getting ready to lose all the lessons painfully learned during the pandemic? Or will new virtual care models emerge following this round of closures?

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I always read Rock Health's digital health reports as they give a nice pulse feel for what is happening in the digital health funding space. Good to see funds raised in H1 2024 suggest funding in the sector seems to have stabilized at 2023 levels. Its no surprise the report emphasis the buzz around AI and healthcare. There have been clear winners in the AI healthcare space in the area of process and cost optimization and the R&D space. The impact of AI in care and treatment delivery is so far much more muted. One area I never though to look at AI was in its ability to bring together multiple healthcare pathways and digital point solutions into a more holistic seamless experience for the patient. There is a clear trend away from using stand alone digital health point solutions, and could AI address this challenge by facilitating the efficient integration of disparate processes and technology into unified care programs. I can see this happening with digital health products but this will be more tricky to do with physical care programs involving clinicians and HCPs. “AI is helping us combine multiple parts of the care journey, across all care experiences. In the future, benefits navigation, clinical guidance, and care delivery won’t be delivered by separate companies or point solutions within the healthcare ecosystem. They’ll be features that work in concert within products, and they’ll happen in under 90 seconds for a seamless patient experience.” – Glen Tullman, CEO, Transcarent and Managing Partner, 7wireVentures

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