Jeff Birkeland

Can't wait to join Alice Murphy at HLTH Inc. for this juicy conversation today! In an era of advancing artificial intelligence, the realm of mental health support is witnessing a convergence of traditional therapy and AI-powered chatbots. As these digital companions become increasingly sophisticated, offering 24/7 availability, personalized interactions, and data-driven insights, a provocative question emerges: Could #AI chatbots ever rival or replace human therapists? Looking forward to discussing more with providers, pharma, AI experts and more: https://lnkd.in/gXkcXw-j

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In a recent article, Mary Frankham and I discussed how AI has the potential to transform healthcare, especially in cancer care, where significant AI investments are already making a real difference. Speeding up cancer diagnosis and treatment directly leads to better patient outcomes. AI is now beginning to support & augment doctors capability with the launch of new AI enabled tools like Color Health's Copilot, helping speed up collation & analysis of cancer patient histories, results, etc to recommend treatment plans. These technologies are poised to drive efficiencies and improve patient outcomes. Their ultimate success depends on effective training for healthcare professionals, balancing AI's powerful data insights with a comprehensive human oversight and validation frameworks. #AI #Healthcare #CancerCare #ChangeMangement #HealthData #HealthTech

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Presenting at the Senate as part of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) "Day on the Hill" wasn't on my 2024 bingo card, but I'm feeling energized by the bipartisan discussions on healthcare AI. The numbers tell a compelling story: while nearly 2,000 healthcare AI startups have received funding over the last two decades, only 1 in 20 provider-facing companies reach late-stage maturity. Beyond natural market dynamics, two critical barriers are holding back AI's full potential in healthcare: unsustainable payment models and inadequate evaluation infrastructure – only 5% of research studies on LLMs in medicine utilize real patient care data, and studies advancing our understanding of performance beyond medical licensing exam benchmarks remain anemic at best. At CHAI, we're advocating for essential foundations: • Rigorous technical model performance evaluations • Comprehensive bias assessments across diverse patient populations • Thorough pre-deployment simulations and prospective studies • Robust ongoing local monitoring The path forward demands strong reporting infrastructure, advanced healthcare AI benchmarks, and meaningful public-private partnerships to drive real-world AI deployment in healthcare. Stay tuned for CHAI's upcoming initiatives in 2025 as we expand our engagements with the startup and investment ecosystem. https://lnkd.in/enw-GQcA

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The (Healthcare) Ground Beneath Our Feet… This year it is likely that over $10 billion will be invested in the digital health sector – a robust amount, no doubt, but inconsequential when compared to the amount of capital tied up in healthcare real estate assets, which is estimated to be $1.2 trillion by Jones Lang Lasalle. Of that amount, approximately $790 billion is in the hospital sector while the remaining $490 billion is in medical office assets. It is estimated that there are 48.6k facilities with 3.4 billion square feet of healthcare real estate, 42% of which are owned by REITs and another 33% held by other private investment vehicles. Much of the digital health investment is meant to make the physical healthcare infrastructure more productive: greater operating efficiencies, greater patient throughput, more relevant personalized care models with better outcomes. As the healthcare system is being pushed to be more distributed to lower cost sites of care, accelerated now by the rapid proliferation of automation and AI capabilities, the potential impact on healthcare infrastructure assets will be profound. Thoughts on what that might look like... https://lnkd.in/eTfAdUbS #digitalhealth Flare Capital Partners

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I used to spend 2-3 hours daily on clinic notes, skeptical of AI scribe technology. However, I've been impressed with RevMaxx, a generative AI company transforming clinical note creation by listening to physician-patient conversations and automatically generating comprehensive notes. This platform accurately captures crucial ICD-10 codes, saving valuable time ⏰. 👉 Why This Matters: - **Reducing Physician Burnout:** Administrative tasks are a significant contributor to physician burnout. Innovations like RevMaxx alleviate this burden effectively. #HealthcareInnovation #AI #PhysicianBurnout #MedicalDocumentation #HealthTech #RevMaxx

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Interesting to see that digital health funding is relatively stable. Only a couple of exits. I think we'll see more deals like DarioHealth's acquisition of Twill, since from a sales perspective, the narrower the solution, the more difficult it is to acquire customers. This difficulty has nothing to do with the quality of offerings, but with the data management and administrative complexity on the customer side.

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Here’s your recap of last week’s health IT news 🗞️ 👇 🤖 AI Products • Emergency Services, Inc. + Augmedix Go ED: The emergency medicine group adopted the new ED-specific AI ambient scribe solution.    • Color + OpenAI: The cancer care tech company partnered with the GenAI giant to build a AI clinical decision support copilot.    • AKASA Medical Coding: The AI RCM vendor known for its AI prior auth tool AKASA Authorization Advisor released a new GenAI medical coding solution.    • Humata Health: The AI prior auth for providers vendor closed a $25M funding round led by healthcare org-backed funds The Blue Venture Fund and LRVHealth.    • Wellsheet + Concord Hospital Health System: The AI-enabled Smart EHR UI solution announced a client-reported 16.3% reduction in length of stay and 40% decrease in time spent in the EHR via its partnership with Concord Health, as well as the release of its new LLM-generated handoff summary feature. 🍎 VBC • BSIM Healthcare Services + Innovaccer: The healthcare provider—embarking on its first VBC contract—adopted the pop health data platform for analytics. 🩼 Durable Medical Equipment • Parachute Health: The DME e-prescribing and ordering solution released an update that integrates prior authorization. ⚕️Clinical Staffing • Matchwell + Indiana Hospital Association: The clinical staffing service partnered with the hospital member org to create the first state-wide resource pool for temp staffing. 🧑‍💻 Virtual and At-Home Care • Deaconess Health System + KeyCare: The Indiana-based health system adopted the Epic-based virtual care provider for around-the-clock virtual urgent care.    • UC Davis Health + Current Health: The health system launched a new RPM program for high blood pressure in partnership with Best Buy Health’s care-at-home platform. 🧠 Food for Thought: We came across a couple of good resources this past week on the current state of healthcare data information exchange: • This article in Health Affairs from Deven McGraw and Tina Grande provides a comprehensive overview of some of the patient health data abuses we've seen come to light in recent months, as well as a number of policy recommendations to improve the health information exchange landscape for all participants. https://lnkd.in/e_GEQ-JJ  (h/t Alya Sulaiman)    • This episode of Health Gorilla's InteropTalk gives a helpful update on the current state of affairs, with a particular focus on the state of trust across the health data exchange community and how the definition of "Treatment" may evolve. https://lnkd.in/e96AJG-5 (h/t Brendan Keeler) --- Reminder: you can sign up for the Elion Briefing to get the latest healthcare tech news delivered to your inbox each week 📬 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2UJ3ckP

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Today’s healthcare policymakers are focused on their favorite boogeymen: physician compensation, biopharma, and new medical technologies. The real villains are ‘benefit managers’ and administrators’ who lurk in the shadows extracting 25 cents of every healthcare dollar. The reality is, in fact, in plain view if you look: administrators have grown 3200% while physicians have grown 200% over the last two decades; physician compensation is down, net of inflation. Admin comp is up, way up. PBM (pharmacy ‘benefit’ ‘management’) revenue has outstripped Pharma revenue growth in the last 20 years. Pharma extends life and improves quality of life, and extends working lives of taxpayers. PBMs - who knows… People grasp onto things they understand like doctors and drug companies. ‘Administrators’, ACOs, VBC, VBC, PBMs, spread pricing are more challenging to grasp and are allowed to obsfucate people about what they do from the shadows. America’s healthcare landscape is burdened by ‘administrators’ and ‘managers’ who extract rents from an otherwise highly innovative system. https://lnkd.in/gK3mCme4 https://lnkd.in/gPC9vKB9 DocVader puts it aptly: ‘thoughts and prayers’ https://lnkd.in/gUfnSXGV Technology is one answer. Physician and nurse leaders are another. If your company is about literally decimating administrative costs in the back office or front office of healthcare, I applaud you. As Americans we need this. Return care to the people and shrink administration and management bloat across the system. Medicare deserves this and so do the commercially ‘insured’.

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Some VC investors believe that brick and mortar - referring to a physical presence of some kind - should be avoided at all costs. Yet, the track record of clinic and hybrid care businesses in health care indicates otherwise. ==> One Medical (sold for $3.9 billion to Amazon), Oak Street (bought by CVS for $10.6 billion), Lifestance (IPO at $7.5 billion market cap), and PE-backed Premise Health (acquired by OMERS Private Equity for $1.1 billion) If a clinic is indicated as the optimal way to deliver care for that patient population, there are creative ways to build and operate them. Full article below with advice and strategies on how to build and operate hybrid clinics from my teammate Anarghya Vardhana from Maveron, Amir Dan Rubin from OneMedical Group, Steven Eidelman from Modern Animal and more!

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With today’s AI advances, it’s arguably the most exciting time in software history – and it’s been fun to be along for the ride (even more fun for my four-year-old). Yet any tech tool stops and starts with implementation. AI use has to land with our members, care teams, and customers to improve outcomes, and increase ease of use. We’ve had a long and extended journey here. Learn more about how Omada Health has implemented AI through the years: https://buff.ly/4c33haM

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Here’s your recap of last week’s health IT news 🗞️ 👇 🤖 AI Clinician Assistant • Suki is partnering with Zoom to generate clinical notes as well as other integrated AI features.    • Net Health announced it would integrate AI ambient scribe Tali AI. • Aidoc is partnering with NVIDIA to create a guideline to accelerate AI adoption, the Blueprint for Resilient Integration and Deployment of Guided Excellence (BRIDGE). 📞 AI Contact Center • Authenticx released a new AI assistant that helps users uncover business insights from their data. • Infinitus Systems, Inc. closed a $51.5M Series C with participation from Memorial Hermann Health System and others.   🏥 AI Facility Management • Cognosos, Inc. acquired Cox Prosight. 🌡️ AI Remote Patient Monitoring and Triage • Biofourmis has merged with CopilotIQ. 📈 Data & Analytics • Avandra Imaging launched out of stealth; it plans to sell to biopharma, medical research, and AI companies. • Gradient Health acquired DataAppraisal. • HealthEx launched and announced $14M in Seed and Series A funding. 📋 Patient Administration • Notable released Flow Builder, which allows users to develop their own AI agents for operational workflows within EHRs and other systems. • MIla Health Inc released its flagship AI solution of the same name, and announced implementations at provider organizations including Aayu Clinic, MIMIT Health, and Best Practices Inpatient Care. 🔁 RCM • Oracle’s patient accounting solution has been integrated with FinThrive, which enables improved functionality, performance, and a unified login experience. • Blue Shield of California and Salesforce are partnering on a solution that promises to give patients prior auth responses within the course of their appointment. ⚙️ Clinical Operations • Dyania Health closed a $10M Series A, including participation from Cleveland Clinic Ventures. 📱 Patient Support & Communications • Psych Hub released a new solution designed to support patients seeking mental health support, directing them to both non-clinical and clinical resources, thereby assisting behavioral health providers to reach new patients. • Mayo Clinic has partnered with Lin Health to support patients after treatment for fibromyalgia.   🍎 VBC • WellSky acquired Bonafide Health, allowing it to provide a more integrated platform for providers to run their businesses. 🧠 Food For Thought • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀? Andrew Hines, CTO at Canvas Medical, shared a breakdown (plus some hot takes) on all of the many entities currently vying for market share in the AI governance space https://lnkd.in/eMNpXw4t --- Want the latest healthcare tech news delivered to your inbox each week? Sign up here 📬 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2UJ3ckP

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Looking forward to discussing how changing demographics and culture norms are affecting investment opportunities in longevity, health and well-being at The Care Summit today Alongside Cake Ventures' Monique Woodard, Ziegler's Dan Hermann, Oak HC/FT's Billy Deitch and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jennifer Edwards, we’ll dive into the trends shaping how we are investing in the space: - Last year marked one of the most significant social and economic moments in modern times: The number of older adults—those aged 50 and over- surpassed the number of children under the age of 15 for the first time. - In 2020 the 50 plus population contributed $45 trillion to global GDP, or 34% of the total. That equates to about 3x the revenue of the world’s 100 highest- earning companies in 2020. - The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group. - Women around the world and across all ages drive 64% of consumer spending

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🚀 Navigating Health Tech Strategy: Who’s Responsible For What You Solve? During a strategy session with a health tech company, a recurring question surfaced—one that I encounter often in my work: Who’s actually responsible? Who owns this area, and more importantly, who’s going to pay for it? This isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It’s a complex issue that varies from company to company, and it’s something I delve deeply into in my course. But let me give you a quick insight: 🔍 Key Questions to Consider: Who’s Responsible for Operational Delivery? – Who’s being commissioned or funded to execute this? Who Owns the Outcome? – Not just delivery, but who truly holds the responsibility for the result? Sometimes, these responsibilities overlap, but increasingly they span both a provider and the local system. For those creating clinical outcomes, making a case to an ICB (Integrated Care Board) can be a challenge. ICBs are often cash-strapped and juggling multiple priorities, so understanding the dynamics of WHO SUPPORTS (and could make the case upward) before you approach them is essential. Tip: Identify who will support and fund your initiative before making your case. Cold approaches to an ICB can be tough, but with the right backing by a provider, you’ll be in a stronger position. 💡 Want more insights? Stay tuned—details on my upcoming course will be available soon! Waiting list link in comments 👇 #HealthTech #Strategy #ICB #Leadership #HealthcareInnovation

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To “cross the chasm” from Early Adopters to Early Majority in the Health Tech adoption lifecycle, startups must often survive long enough to benefit from unpredictable events (e.g. new reimbursement, public health crisis). Don’t believe me? Let’s look at 4 major examples: 1️⃣ EHRs Epic, Cerner and MEDITECH were all founded before 1980, but just 30 years later in 2008, only ~10% of hospitals had adopted EHRs. It wasn’t until the HITECH Act was passed in 2009 to create financial incentives for adopting EHRs that the category “crossed the chasm”. In 2019, just 10 years later, hospital adoption of EHRs skyrocketed to 80-90%. 2️⃣ Telemedicine Telemedicine was invented in 1959 at the University of Nebraska and billing codes for telemedicine first became available in the 1990s. After decades of slow, steady growth, still in 2019 only 15% of providers were using telemedicine. Just one year later, due to the pandemic, telemedicine adoption soared to 90%. 3️⃣ Digital care journeys This one is very personal to me and SeamlessMD for digitizing patient care journeys with automated reminders, education and symptom monitoring (e.g. pre/post surgery, oncology, pregnancy, chronic care, etc.). We started in 2012 and for many years we were doing most of our business in the U.S. and very little work in Ontario. Even though we had developed tons of clinical evidence, there were just no financial or quality incentives for hospitals to adopt our solution in Ontario for a long time. In 2019, after seven years, still less than 10% of 300+ bed hospitals in Ontario had adopted SeamlessMD. Then in 2020, the pandemic changed everything, as the government started providing funding to hospitals to adopt tech for digital care and remote monitoring to safely discharge patients sooner and cut the surgery backlog. By 2023, almost 70% of 300+ bed hospitals in the province were using SeamlessMD. 4️⃣ AI medical scribes Many folks might think AI medical scribes came into being after ChatGPT was announced to the world in 2022. But actually today’s market leaders like Nuance DAX, Abridge, DeepScribe, Nabla, Suki, Heidi Health, etc. were all founded between 2017-2020. Yet adoption of AI medical scribes only started taking off in 2023… AFTER the ChatGPT moment brought Generative AI into global awareness. In all of these examples, you find that proven benefits and clinical evidence often isn’t enough to drive mass adoption. The friction created by the status quo and misaligned incentives make it a very steep hill to climb. You need a public health crisis, government incentives or some other unpredictable event to “cross the chasm”. I’m not saying Health Tech startups should depend on an unpredictable black swan event to be successful. But what I am saying is that sometimes the best thing you can do to win is just be resilient and survive. Because you never know when your own ChatGPT moment might just be around the corner. #digitalhealth #healthcareinnovation

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He fell in love with an AI chatbot; then built a $24M healthtech company from scratch. Now clinicians are champions of his product. (but he had 0 healthcare experience) Alex LeBrun, Nabla's CEO, shared a fascinating story with me: Years ago, he was captivated by an AI chatbot named Cybele. This "online dating" experience sparked his passion for AI. Here's how he did it with 0 prior experience and connections in healthcare: 1. Started his own clinic ↳ Invested heavily in creating a learning environment ↳ Operated in two countries to avoid cultural bias ↳ Observed real healthcare processes firsthand ↳ Gained credibility in the industry 2. Found the right partners ↳ Looked beyond conventional healthcare thinking ↳ Avoided those fixated on minor EMR improvements ↳ Built relationships with forward-thinking clinicians 3. Learned from your mistakes ↳ Acknowledged the high cost of building a clinic ↳ Used the experience to gather crucial initial data ↳ Leveraged it to build a strong clinician network 4. Focused on distribution, not just product ↳ Made the product accessible to individual doctors ↳ Let users become product champions 5. Made his product frictionless ↳ Created a simple Chrome extension ↳ Enabled instant trial without complex setup ↳ Designed for overwhelmed, time-poor doctors ↳ Prioritized ease of use over feature overload 6. Adapted the product to individual needs ↳ Recognized diverse documentation styles ↳ Allowed personalization down to user level 7. Built a community of champions ↳ Focused on delighting individual users ↳ Encouraged word-of-mouth promotion ↳ Leveraged doctors' influence in hospitals The key to disrupting healthcare as an outsider is to stay curious, adapt quickly, and solve real problems. PS: Are you an outsider with a bold idea for healthcare? Your fresh perspective might be exactly what the industry needs. Listen to the fascinating episode here: Apple Podcasts: https://hubs.la/Q02CS_300 Spotify Podcasts: https://hubs.la/Q02CTkn60 #CharmHealth #DigitalHealthDisruptors #HealthcareAI #ClinicalAI #AIInnovation #Nabla #AlexLebrun #HealthcareRevolution #Podcast #AIChampions #MedicalTechnology

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🌐 Unlocking AI’s Potential in Healthcare! 🌐 🌟 We're incredibly honored to join, learn from these visionary leaders at ABAIM’s annual meeting—true rockstars in the field! 🌟 We've been diving deep into the most urgent questions around adopting AI and LLMs, connecting with dozens of top leaders in the field through Trustworthy Technology and Innovation in Healthcare Book Series Consortium (TTIC). If you're attending AIMed, don't miss this exciting panel! 🩺💻 📅 Monday, November 18, 2024 🕛 12:00 - 12:30 PM 📍 From Data to Delivery Breakout Stage Panel: "IT is from Mars and Clinicians are from Rome" Amid escalating cyber threats targeting healthcare systems nationwide, there is hunger for AI-driven innovation. But to leverage AI effectively, they need a solid roadmap. 🛤️ Our panel brings together insights from health system execs, physician leaders, and IT experts to bridge the gap between IT and clinical teams like never before. Here's what you'll learn: 1️⃣ Establish teamwork & governance for AI success 🤝 2️⃣ Match the right #AI tech to solve specific challenges 📊 3️⃣ Avoid wasting time and resources on hype 🚫 4️⃣ Anticipate and incorporate challenges into a strategic plan 🗺️ Meet the Panel: 👤 Moderator - Sherri Douville, CEO, Medigram, Inc. 👤 Panel Team - Anahi Santiago, Chief Information Security Officer, ChristianaCare Joshua Tamayo-Sarver, MD, PhD, FACEP, FAMIA, Vice President of Innovation, at Vituity and Inflect Health Shaun E. Garcia, Chief Quality, Data, and Analytics Officer, Brevard Health Alliance, Inc. Steven Ramirez, CISO/CTO, Renown Health 🚀 Why the host organization, the American Board of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (ABAIM) is poised to transform Healthcare 🚀 The ABAIM is on a mission to empower physicians and more with cutting-edge AI knowledge and skills. With AI rapidly reshaping #healthcare, it is poised to become one of the most influential physician specialty societies. Board societies like ABAIM in medicine for medical technology play a crucial role in setting professional standards, advancing education, and guiding the ethical and effective integration of new technologies to improve patient care. ✨ Last year's AIMed meeting was an incredible opportunity to connect, learn from, and stay engaged including with FDA staff—driving relevant, informed AI for medicine development for us at Medigram, Inc. This year’s lineup promises even more insights, with most speakers bringing with them a robust foundation of high-quality, peer-reviewed literature, a critical standard in advancing medical technology. 💡 Join us to be part of the future of AI in healthcare! 📝 Register Today: https://lnkd.in/euD4nqHn Don’t miss out on practical insights that could transform your health system’s AI journey! Thanks to Anthony Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS ABAIM founder and team, Gemma Lovegrove, Rebecca Wiedemer (image credit), Debra Beauregard and more #AIMed24 #AIinHealthcare #TTIC #Medigram #HealthcareInnovation

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Telemedicine is dead. Or is it? 📉🩺 We've seen the meteoric rise and fall of giants like Teladoc and other telemedicine companies. The pandemic era sparked unprecedented growth in virtual care, but what happened next? Declining stock prices, wavering investor confidence, and questions about the sustainability of this healthcare model. Don't equate a failed business model (Teladoc was cozy under the sheets with insurance companies and forget to take care of doctors) with a failure of telemedicine. So let's shift gears. 🚀 Telemedicine isn't just a trend—it's a powerful tool that should be synonymous with modern healthcare. 🌟 **The Benefits**: - **Accessibility**: Reach patients in remote areas with ease. - **Convenience**: Eliminate the need for travel and reduce wait times. - **Efficiency**: Streamline processes, from booking to billing. Imagine this: providing guidance to patients, offering second opinions, and educating the masses—all without the friction of traditional office visits. 🏥💡 Telemedicine is here to stay, evolving to meet the needs of our digital age. As we navigate its integration, we must focus on: - **Technology access**: Ensuring everyone can connect. - **Regulatory clarity**: Harmonizing laws across regions. - **Data security**: Keeping patient information safe. Let’s lead the charge in embracing telemedicine as a vital part of healthcare’s future. The fact remains we have an asymmetry between where doctors live and where patients have access to care. Until we train more doctors, make living and working in rural America more attractive, we are going to have to embrace alternative ways of providing care. Telemedicine is one of the solutions. Regardless of Teladoc's stock price. Together, we can create a more connected, efficient, and equitable system for all. 🌍💼 #Telemedicine #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCare #FutureOfHealthcare #telehealth #healthcare

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Platforms are in, point solutions are out as the healthcare AI category leaders come into focus this year. In conversation with Shelby Livingston at Endpoints News, I shared: 1. Why AI-first companies have the greatest platform potential and heuristics for identifying these opportunities at the earliest stages, 2. How companies are differentiating through co-development and distribution partnerships with leading healthcare institutions, and 3. Strategies for navigating anemic budgets and constrained market sizes through business model innovation such as AI-enabled services and pay for performance models Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dJWqv_zC Bessemer Venture Partners Abridge #healthcare #lifesciences #AI #generativeAI

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