So you want to build a healthtech company?
Amazing! What problem are you trying to solve?
You recite your elevator pitch you’ve been practicing for months in the mirror.
You ask “Any questions?”
Then it happens…they actually start asking questions and making statements.
One of them says “How will this work in our ecosystem. They’re already logging into too many apps.
The other says “your solution isn’t big enough”
The person in the back says “your solution is too big. Maybe niche down further.”
In your mind you’re thinking WTF is going on and what have I done to deserve this?
You got into healthtech…thats what you did to deserve this.
Big tech has tried and failed many times in healthcare so you shouldn’t feel too bad about it.
Why does healthcare hate tech?
Hate is strong word but its appropriate in this case. Not all of us hate technology. But even we have been slapped across the face with the bureaucracy and resistance to change. So don’t take it personally.
To understand why, we can look at recent history. The last great technological advance was Electronic Health Records (EHR). We all know how that went.
If you don’t know. It went terribly. To me it is one of the biggest reason why we don’t see innovation in healthcare. They hold all the data and do not like to share. But we can talk about that another time.
The EHR is sighted as one of the biggest reasons for burnout. I have been in the room where people are literally yelling at the computer. And, when it happens we all understand why. It was not built for clinical workflows. It was built for billing. I don’t care how many things you throw at us on the screen it is only making it worse.
You’re asking what does this have to do with me? You personally, nothing; your industry, everything. Many flock to healthcare because they see dollar signs. In healthcare we are driven by patient outcomes. We don’t care about the business side.
What technology usually means for clinicians is more work. Duplication of work. If you were told to use this brand new technology that will revolutionize everything but had to do your work twice and not get paid any more would you be happy? Probably not.
That is what has been happening in healthcare for the past decade. Outcomes aren’t really getting an better. Work has doubled and we are spending less time with our patients. It is moving in the literal opposite direction of where we want it to go.
How do you enter the circle of trust?
To sell to someone you have to know what motivates them. You have to solve a problem for them. So here are some things you can do to enter the healthcare circle of trust.
It should go without saying that if your pitch is to replace clinicians you will get mutiny. I am a big believer in AI and I see a great future in it. But, healthcare is about a human connection. Imagine you or a loved one just found out you have cancer. Would you want to be told by a machine? After you find out then what? Humans are emotional. Maybe one day a robot will be able to show compassion, ease someones pain, but we are no where close to that right now.
You really want clinicians to get excited about your AI solution then take care of the administrative tasks. Like writing notes, scheduling, insurance issues. The boring stuff. We get excited about solutions that minimize our administrative tasks, because it allows us to do what we were trained to do.
Like I mentioned earlier we are driven by patient outcomes not money. If money is a result of great patient care then great! Use ”do no harm” to your advantage. Anything that can help achieve that goal is always going to be looked at. Once you are through that door you can make the financial case, but lead with the patient first.
By doing these simple things you are showing true empathy. You show that you understand us. You see us and have identified what we need. Will you still get doors closed in your face? Yes you will, but you will also get some to open.
Thank you so much for your support! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or leave a comment.
You can connect with me on LinkedIn and I am trying to be more active on Twitter. Would really appreciate a follow there!
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I hope you have a great day!