Talking HealthTech

Dan Schulte is the Senior Vice President of Healthcare at HGS Inc, a global business processing outsourcing firm. Dan has decades of experience specialising in healthcare financial management, helping companies of all sizes find vulnerabilities, change processes, and realize immediate returns in bottom-line cash. 

In this episode we will explore the complexities of the US healthcare funding model and take a deep dive into revenue cycle management, as well as some of the technology that supports the process. 

Medtronic is one of the world's largest medical technology companies, but it came from humble beginnings over 70 years ago.

Their first life-changing therapy — a wearable, battery-powered cardiac pacemaker — was the foundation for many more Medtronic therapies that use their electrical stimulation expertise to improve the lives of millions of people.

Over the years, Medtronic has developed more core technologies, including the first battery-powered pacemaker, a number of implantable mechanical devices, drug and biologic delivery devices, and powered and advanced energy surgical instruments. Today, their technologies are used to treat nearly 70 medical conditions.

The concept of meaningful innovation is at the heart of everything that happens at Medtronic.  In this episode, Peter Birch speaks with a few different guests to get the full picture on Medtronic, innovation and the medtech industry. 

You’ll learn about the history of Medtronic, how it maintains it's position as a pioneer of medtech, and how it fosters a culture of innovation internally.  You’ll hear about their Eureka Live program and how the company engages with the medtech industry to maintain its reputation as a lead innovator. You will also hear from Dr Buzz Palmer, CEO of the MedTech Actuator, as he reflects  on the challenges and opportunities facing the medtech industry today.

First up is Andrew Whiltshire.  He is Senior Director, Market Access, Public Affairs & Policy for both Australia and New Zealand at Medtronic.  He is also sits on the Board of the Medical Technology Association of Australia. 

Andrew has been with Medtronic for over 24 years, and he is responsible for Health Economics, Market Access, Policy and Government and Stakeholder Relations at Medtronic, as well as coordinating Government Affairs for the APAC region.  

Pete spoke with Andrew first, to get to know a bit more about the background of Medtronic and how they bake innovation into everything they do.

Next up Pete spoke with Prajni Sadananda.  Prajni is the Business Development & Corporate Strategy Manager at Medtronic, where her key focus is on investment opportunities and partnerships that can help accelerate business growth.

Prajni is also responsible for Medtronic’s Eureka Live program - where they are on the hunt for innovative companies that are keen to scale up and collaborate with Medtronic from across Australia and New Zealand.

Check out Prajni’s interview to learn a bit more about the Eureka Live program.

Lastly, Pete spoke with Dr Buzz Palmer - one of Australia’s leading and most visible voices in entrepreneurship and MedTech innovation. 

He’s the CEO of the MedTech Actuator, founding partner in Dialectica Group, serial entrepreneur and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Monash University.

He’s had a lot of entrepreneurial success in medical technologies. He’ mainly focused on the translation of next-generation tech - which is all around creating and leading innovative solutions into new markets. 

He has a background in orthopaedic regenerative medicine and microsurgery, So he is well positioned to strategically drive innovative medical technology solutions that provide a significant impact on society. 

Listen to Buzz to learn more about the MedTech space more broadly, and understand the opportunities and challenges that face companies playing in that arena today.

Yianni Serparnos is a health-tech innovator, digital health advocate, podcaster, and founding CEO of Coreplus, an Australian digital health practice management software for Allied Health providers, clinics and private practices.  

He is inspired and motivated to modernise healthcare and achieve a vision of a world of integrated digital health empowerment for all people. 

Coreplus's Mission is to connect, help and grow Allied Health providers, with the right tools and empowerment so that the delivery of modern healthcare services can better fit into the lives, schedules, goals and aspirations of healthcare consumers whilst supporting the clinicians and practitioners to practice in a happier way.

Check out this episode to learn about the background of Coreplus, and a bit of a pulse check on technology in Allied Health. 

Also in this discussion, Yianni talks about his broader connection with the healthtech industry with Healthtech X, exploring the evolution of digital health, and the future for our evolving ecosystem.

Dr Marcus Tan is the Founder, CEO and Medical Director of HealthEngine, one of Australia’s largest online healthcare marketplaces, helping millions of patients connect with thousands of healthcare providers nationally. His vision for HealthEngine is to be a global leading platform that revolutionises the access and experience of healthcare for patients and providers.

Marcus is a University of Western Australia medical graduate with an executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.  He is an experienced GP, healthcare executive and company director with over 20 years of clinical and commercial experience. His diverse career spans the health, technology, investment and philanthropic sectors.

In this episode Marcus chats with Pete about the history and evolution of Health Engine, their response to COVID-19 and telehealth.  Marcus also shares some wisdom for founders as they scale their digital health startup and look to raise capital.

Dr Ginni Mansberg is no stranger to Australian television and other media - she is a Sydney GP, and has been on shows like Embarrassing Bodies Down Under on Channel 9, Sunrise & the Morning Show on Channel 7, Medicine or Myth on SBS, Things You Can't Talk About on TV on Audible, as well as featuring in a bunch of magazines, radio shows and podcasts. 

In addition to this and a heap of other responsibilities, Dr Ginni is also a successful businesswoman, with her own cosmeceutical and beauty-related business, ESK - Evidence Skin Care.

Pete and Dr Ginni spoke via livestream video with a live audience, and the audio recording was converted into an episode of the Talking HealthTech Podcast.  Attendees engaged in chat, asked questions, participated in polls, and generally shaped the conversation.  

In this episode Pete and Ginni talk all about entrepreneurship - from idea to execution.  Ginni talks about her background, the impact of COVID-19 on General Practitioners, and the story of her own business.  Dr Ginni provides her insights on starting your own business, running your own company while balancing family and kids, as well as how and when to spin up a side hustle, plus much much more. 

Matt Bardsley is the CEO of MedicalDirector, one of Australia’s leading practice management systems for healthcare practitioners.

In the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic and the impact it has had on our global healthcare system, technology providers have been searching for ways to add more value to their existing products, create new offerings and enable practitioners to deliver patient care safely and effectively.

One of those technology providers in Australia is MedicalDirector.  Their fearless leader Matt Bardsley has been on the Talking HealthTech Podcast once before, and I recommend you also go and check out episode 15 back in August 2019 once you’ve listened to this one.  Click here to check that one out.  

Fast forward to today, Matt and the team have a lot of different things going on at MedicalDirector at the moment, but he made time to talk through how they’ve responded to the crisis at hand. 

Check this one out to learn how MedicalDirector is supporting clinics during COVID-19, the uptake of telemedicine, the broader technology and infrastructure requirements of performing healthcare at the moment, and the broader observation about how humanism is outpacing darwinism in these unprecedented times.