In celebration of the 10th anniversary of National Health IT Week, a collaborative forum and virtual awareness week that assembles key healthcare constituents dedicated to working together to elevate the necessity of advancing health through the best use of information technology. We’ve compiled five quotes from healthcare CEOs about why they got into the health IT industry.
Jeff Margolis, chairman and CEO Welltok:
“As a kid in Boulder, CO I had aspirations to start or lead a business, but I was unclear of where and for whom. The healthcare industry ultimately found me, and you could say there are no coincidences. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in college, which led me to have seven major surgeries. As a direct response to my own health issues, I closely track my health and wellness in an effort to live a balanced and optimized life. Not only do I bring the perspective of an entrepreneur and executive to the healthcare industry and the boardroom, but I also bring the perspective of someone who has been deeply entrenched in the healthcare system as a consumer and patient.”
Daniel Perez, president and CEO FSH Society:
“I have FSHD and it runs in my family. My mother died of FSHD from respiratory complications in 2012. My entire life, I’ve had a strong interest in science and curiosity about the way things work. This includes FSHD. The first wake-up call came as my disease began to progress; I felt the impending losses and recognized that if I did not act now, “today, in the present” to understand how FSHD works, it would be too late. My lifelong interest led me to another patient working to solve FSHD. Solving and treating a genetic neurological disease is a hard problem on so many different levels, but I stay with it, not shying away as the curiosity keeps me going forward.”
Ahmed Albaiti, CEO and founder Medullan:
“At my core I am a technologist and an engineer, a person who enjoys diving into a problem to understand the best and most efficient ways to build and improve systems that move us forward. When family and friends encountered serious health issues and weren’t getting the care or support they needed, I did what I do best – I started looking at the systems and technology that were supporting the caregiver network – and it was clear that much needed to be fixed. It was then and there that I realized that I could combine my experience and passion for technology with making a greater and tangible impact in something that affects us all – our health.”
Andrew Hurd, CEO of MedeAnalytics:
“I got into healthcare because it’s a mission-driven business that impacts everyone at some point in their lives. In some ways, healthcare is very fast-paced as we can see from the medical and scientific advances of the past five years. Yet, at other times it lags far behind other industries because it is a highly regulated environment. It’s this interesting push-pull that often attracts a very talented and driven workforce. And I love the people it draws in – many that I have collaborated with in the industry have true passion and vigor for what they do. It’s that refreshing energy that keeps me here and drives me to keep pushing forward the creation of better technology today so that we can improve the healthcare system of tomorrow.”
Jim Lang, CEO, Decision Resources Group (DRG):
“I have always believed, ‘if it’s to be, it’s up to me’. I was trained as an engineer, decision scientist, and business person. Early in my career, I got exposure to medical decision making, particularly applied to high risk treatment options, and end of life care. I got a firsthand look at how our current approaches in healthcare, lag significantly behind the value and data centric approaches used in other industries. These approaches lead to suboptimal resource allocation for the healthcare system. I am blessed that my DRG colleagues and I are helping to change this.”
