Talking HealthTech

Leading into 2020, there was already strong interest from the Australian investment community regarding healthtech solutions. Now moving into our new normal world, the use of technology in delivering better patient outcomes is no longer a novel idea, it's mission critical for Australia, and the rest of the world.  In this episode of the Talking HealthTech podcast, Peter Birch hosts a panel discussion with representatives from 3 top Venture Capital firms in Australia, who all have experience and interest in investing in health technology: - Niki Scevak: Co-Founder & Partner @Blackbird Ventures - Dan Krasnostein: Partner @Square Peg Capital - Jackie Vullinghs: Principal @AirTree Ventures Some of the topics discussed and questions answered: The Role Of Venture Capital In the healthcare ecosystem Differentiating pure healthtech versus life science-based companies Marketing healthtech products - avoiding common mistakes At what pace should healthtech companies generate investments & sales? How challenging

Athol Hann is a critical care and emergency nurse, and the founder of Fwards; an app designed to assist healthcare workers to control the fundamentals of shift work and off-load from the demands of working in healthcare.  In this episode of the Talking HealthTech Podcast, Athol speaks to Pete about the challenges facing clinicians on the coalface of healthcare today, and shares some first hand advice to fellow healthcare workers who might be experiencing burnout. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at AtholTech, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Kate Quirke is CEO and Managing Director at Alcidion. Kate has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare information technology She has been involved in large system procurements and implementations of healthcare information technology across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. Kate’s background involves holding leading management roles at some of the largest healthcare software firms where she has had an impact on strategic product direction across the health sector and believes astute application of information technology will support the transformation of healthcare delivery worldwide. In this interview, learn about Kate’s background in healthcare IT, as well as the 20 year evolution of Alcidion.   You will hear about their flagship product Miya Precision, and how it’s helping clinicians operate with more efficient workflows using their clinical decision support (CDS) tool. You will learn about the most important elements of what makes a good digital health strategy, as well as why it’s import

Ian Burgess is the CEO of the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), the national association representing companies in the medical technology industry in Australia.  In this episode, Ian chats with Pete about the collaborations, innovations and evolution we’ve seen within the Australian MedTech industry particularly in the past 12 months.  He also talks to the response to COVID from the medtech industry and the related impact and opportunities presented. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at MTAA, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Deana Scott is Founder and CEO of VMORE. Deana and VMORE helps medical specialists start and scale their practices, and she continues to re-design, apply new technologies, processes, and systems to improve the ‘virtual private practice’ model. In this episode you will hear about Deana’s career, and the evolution of virtual services within healthcare.   Deana also provides some helpful advice for healthcare providers about leveraging virtual services, as well as tips for implementing successful telehealth and remote monitoring services. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at VMORE, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Hootan Mohseni is the founder of Cliniq Apps, a company that helps practitioners create and manage patient recall, retention and reactivation campaigns simultaneously across multiple channels.  In this episode, Hootan talks about automation in a clinical setting - how it looks when it is done well, and what can go wrong when it fails. He also gives some super practical tips for anyone wanting to automate or streamline some processes and communication in their healthcare business right away. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at Cliniq Apps, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory listing here.

Hanya Oversby is Director and Healthcare Business Adviser for the company Specialist Consulting, and the company Health Business Network.     She is also the host of the Doctor Diaries Podcast, which takes listeners behind the scenes of the intriguing medical world.    In this episode, Hanya explores the challenges and opportunities facing the business of Australian GPs today, and the benefits of a “Business Reset” to get things back on track.   Hanya also covers some valuable lessons she has picked up in her career as an established consultant to the medical community. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at Health Business Network, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Mir Imran is a healthcare innovator and entrepreneur who has been developing and commercialising breakthrough medical innovations for more than 40 years.  He is founder and CEO of Rani Therapeutics,and he is focused on developing breakthrough technology that has the potential to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry by converting injectable medications into pills.  Tune into this episode of the podcast to hear all about the RaniPill, and how they made a robotic pill that injects medication into the intestinal wall. You will also hear Mir’s advice and reflections on his years of experience and wisdom in the medtech and life science industries, and get a taste of the exciting innovations ahead of us. Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at RaniPill, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Luke Fletcher is Co-Founder and CEO of Foxo, a global communication platform for enterprise Health. Foxo sets out to engineer modern solutions to today’s communication challenges, and they’re on a mission to connect a fragmented health system.  Hear Luke describe what Foxo does and the challenges it overcomes regarding communication in healthcare.  You will also learn about Luke’s experience with product design, and how these best practices need to be leveraged in healthcare.   Check out the episode and full show notes here. To see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at Foxo, visit their Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Mike Wenger is the Vice President of Patient Engagement at TrialScope, a company out of New Jersey who are unlocking clinical trial data superpowers.   They’re helping to make centralising, structuring and activating clinical trial information simple for use across an organisation at every stage of a study. Mike has made a career within the clinical trial space and helping patient advocacy groups support clinical trial awareness to their online communities. In this episode, hear the story of TrialScope and the work it does regarding clinical trial data.  You will learn about the challenges facing patients, sponsors and recruiters when it comes to clinical trial enrolment and recruitment. You’ll also hear about Mike’s personal story and health scare which motivated him to be where he is now. Full show notes and summary of the episode is available here. For more information about TrialScope check out their listing on the Talking HealthTech directory here.

Ali Besiso is Managing Director of iCIMS, creating technology to solve the problem of producing tailored information systems for clinical teams.  Ali is a passionate Health Informatician who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and a Master’s in Health Informatics from the University of Sydney. In this episode Ali talks with Pete about Clinical Information Systems, Process Redesign, and User Experience (UX).  He also takes a deep dive into health informatics, and the important work of health informaticians.   Check out the episode and full show notes here, as well as the iCIMS listing on the Talking HealthTech Directory here.

Tim Atkins is the COO of CancerAid, a digital health technology company that builds patient engagement solutions for people with a cancer diagnosis.  In this episode, you will learn about Tim’s unique career pathway that drew him to CancerAid, and his reflections and advice for others who want to enter into a career with a healthtech start up. Tim talks about the process of instigating behavioural change in cancer patients and the importance of patient engagement, as well as the challenges of delivering a hyper personalised healthcare solution at scale using technology.   He also provides his two cents on pitching for fundraising for healthtech startups.   Check out the episode and full show notes here. Visit CancerAid on the Talking HealthTech Directory here to see the latest information, news, events and jobs on offer at the company.

Robert Buehrig is the co-founder and CEO of Cogniom, a company that is empowering organisations to discover new truths through the collection and analysis of data.  Cogniom's TANDM Suite helps bridge the gap of understanding between executives and front line staff, ensuring decisions made create the best possible outcomes for clients, staff and business alike. In this episode, hear about how to best demonstrate your Return on Investment (ROI) as a healthtech start up, and how to engage with different buyers across healthcare.  Robert also shares his experiences and successes regarding raising funding via grants and other means to help kickstart his business. Check out Cogniom’s listing on the Talking HealthTech website here.

Mary Foley is the Managing Director of Telstra Health.   Telstra Health is one of the largest Australian owned health technology companies, and is a subsidiary of Telstra Corporation, which is Australia’s largest telecommunications company.   Prior to joining Telstra Health, Mary was Director General and Secretary of NSW Health for a five-year term. She has also previously held roles as National Health Practice Leader for PwC Australia, Chief Executive of St Vincent’s and Mater Health Sydney, and a senior executive of a major listed Australian healthcare company.    Mary was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to public administration in health and education in 2016. She’s received the Centenary Medal from the Federal Government for her business leadership in the private sector, and she is a former Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year.   In this interview, Mary reflects on her distinguished career in healthcare, and how she became Managing Director of Telstra Health.  You’ll

Bronwyn Le Grice is Founder, CEO and Managing Director of ANDHealth, a national digital health initiative established by commercial and government partners to facilitate and support the development & commercialisation of clinically validated digital health technologies across Australia.  Bronwyn has many years of executive experience in the life sciences sector spanning corporate and business development, transaction management, investor relations and industry advocacy. In this episode learn about ANDHealth and the impact it has on the digital health ecosystem down under.  Hear about insights from their recently released Digital Health landscape report, as well as subsequent insights into the current climate.   Bronwyn also shares some important tips for emerging digital health companies in Australia, as well as a glimpse into what’s to come from ANDHealth this year and next.   Check here for full show notes and more information.

Dr April Armstrong is a rural GP with a passion for business.  She is the CEO of Business For Doctors, a social network and business advisory firm for Australian clinicians to help them run a better business. In addition to that, she owns two medical practices and has won a bunch of awards and invested in various initiatives supporting health care.  She also actively supports medical students and overseas trained doctors during their transition into the Australian medical system. In this interview you will hear the April Armstrong story (a fascinating one filled with babies, farms and private investigators…) as well as the origins of Business For Doctors. April provides insights into the history of Medicare and shares her thoughts on the handling of telehealth billing.  She also covers the joys of providing a healthcare service in rural and regional Australia. More information and full show notes located here.

Dr Karen Price is a clinical GP, and Past Practice Owner. And up until recently she was the Deputy Chair, Victorian Faculty of the RACGP - she stepped down from this role as she is now a Candidate for the RACGP Presidential Elections. Karen is also the Co-Founder and administrator of GPs Down Under (GPDU) - a membership community featuring nearly 8,000 GPs focused on peer learning, peer advocacy, and peer support. In this interview, learn about the rise of social media and its role in clinician support and education.   You’ll hear about Karen’s bid to become the new RACGP President and what she will bring to the role. You will also hear of the impact of telehealth on the Australian GP community, and the benefits of patients taking a more active role in their healthcare. For complete show notes about this interview and many more resources for Australian healthcare providers about technology, check out the Talking HealthTech website.

RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon has passed away aged 57 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He died peacefully in his sleep nine months after first being diagnosed. Dr Nespolon was great advocate for General Practice in technology, and supporter of healthtech innovation in Australia. A wonderful clinician and businessman, taken from us way too soon.   When Pete from Talking HealthTech last with Dr Nespolon back in November 2019, the idea that Medicare funded telehealth would be a reality only 5 months later seems almost unthinkable, but it came to fruition thanks to his tireless efforts to instigate meaningful change at a policy level. Harry has paved the way for great developments within primary care for years to come. He will be missed.

With me today is Henrik Molin. He’s the CEO of Physitrack, a patient engagement technology company that he co-founded in 2012.  Physitrack was initially a side hustle for Henrik in parallel to a career in investment management.  He attributes the success he has had in life to the fact he has always had a side hustle.  In fact, he believes everyone should have one! During this interview, learn about the extreme rapid growth that Phystrack saw when COVID hit (200% of one year’s growth in only six weeks?!

Dr Chris Jones, Founder and Director of HosPortal, who are all about better management of healthcare staff by allowing better communication.    Chris is like the double threat of healthtech - a software developer / computer programmer turned doctor, which means that the software solutions we creates directly address the needs of clinicians and solve some genuine problems in healthcare.   In this episode you will hear all about Hosportal and the problems it solves for healthcare professionals and organisations.  You will hear Chris’ story and how he came into his passion for technology for healthcare.     You will also hear about the impact of COVID-19 on the hospital environment in Australia, as well as the adoption of technology within healthcare.    Click here full episode notes.