Analyzing Healthcare

Summary

How PDS Health is linking dental care, oral-systemic health, Epic data sharing, and value-based care to improve whole-person outcomes.

In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Jason Schifman speaks with Daniel Burke, Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer at PDS Health, about dental-medical integration and the mouth-body connection. Daniel explains how PDS grew through de novo expansion, dentist ownership, and innovation, while using Epic data sharing to connect oral health with broader medical outcomes. The conversation explores periodontal disease, diabetes, payer interest, value-based care, and how dental practices can support whole-person, preventive healthcare.

What You’ll Learn

• ✅ Why PDS Health built through de novo growth

• ✅ How dentist ownership supports alignment

• ✅ Why oral health matters in chronic disease

• ✅ How Epic enables dental-medical collaboration

• ✅ Why payers are watching integrated care

• ✅ How PDS Health structures innovation at scale

Key Timestamps

• (00:02) Introduction to Daniel Burke and PDS Health

• (01:52) Pacific Dental’s history and founder-led culture

• (04:14) Owner-doc model, alignment, and dentist-level accountability

• (05:20) Why PDS stayed independent and invested in innovation

• (09:13) De novo growth, under-leverage, and financial discipline

• (14:59) Why PDS views healthcare as relational, not transactional

• (22:53) Why PDS moved into integrated dental-medical care

• (23:27) The science behind the mouth-body connection

• (25:35) Gum disease, diabetes, and medical cost reduction

• (29:28) Epic, data sharing, and virtual collaboration

• (31:15) Partnership models with medical groups

• (33:40) Why co-located medical and dental care improves follow-through

• (40:30) Patient reception to integrated care

• (41:32) Why payers are interested in dental-medical integration

• (43:25) Value-based care and risk-sharing opportunities

• (44:35) A1C testing in dental practices

• (48:23) Physician fee schedule and oral health referral incentives

• (51:35) How PDS structures innovation at scale

• (55:16) Final takeaway: oral health as better healthcare

Key Takeaways

• 💎 PDS Health grew through dentist ownership, de novo expansion, and long-term alignment.

• 💎 Oral health should not be separated from medical care.

• 💎 Periodontal disease can affect chronic conditions and medical utilization.

• 💎 Epic helps connect dental and medical teams through shared data.

• 💎 Payers see oral health as a lever for better outcomes and lower costs.

• 💎 Integrated care may scale through co-location, partnerships, data sharing, and value-based reimbursement.

• 💎 Innovation at PDS Health is supported by dedicated teams, structure, and disciplined testing.

Guest Bio

Daniel Burke is Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer at PDS Health, where he helps lead enterprise strategy across one of the country’s most innovative dental and integrated care platforms. PDS Health, formerly PDS, supports more than 1,000 dental practices and is advancing a model that connects oral health, medical care, data sharing, and whole-person outcomes. Daniel’s work focuses on growth strategy, dental-medical integration, payer engagement, innovation, and building scalable care models that support better patient health.

Resource Links

Guest: Daniel Burke – Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer, PDS Health

Host: Jason Schifman – President & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare

Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community

SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

PDS Health, PDS, Daniel Burke, Roy Bejarano, SCALE Healthcare, SCALE Community, Dental-Medical Integration, DSO, Dental Support Organization, Integrated Care, Oral Health, Mouth-Body Connection, Periodontal Disease, Diabetes Care, Epic Healthcare, Value-Based Care, Healthcare Innovation, Preventive Care, Payer Strategy, Dental Practices, Healthcare Strategy, Healthcare Podcast

Nursing leadership, workforce shortages, nurse education, COVID’s impact, pay equity, licensure, prevention, and AI- Dr. Beverly Malone and Roy Bejarano unpack the future of nursing and its central role in U.S. healthcare.

In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Roy Bejarano, CEO at SCALE Healthcare, speaks with Dr. Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing, former President of the American Nurses Association, former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health, and former General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in the UK.

Dr. Malone reflects on decades of nursing leadership, discussing the profession's evolution, COVID's impact, workforce challenges, advanced practice, and how prevention and technology are shaping the future of nursing.

What You’ll Learn

✅ Why nurses remain one of the most trusted professional groups

✅ How COVID reshaped the nursing workforce emotionally and operationally

✅ Why nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses are critical to access

✅ Why nurse pay is often misunderstood in healthcare inflation debates

✅ What global nurse recruitment means for both U.S. care and source countries

✅ Why licensure compacts could improve workforce mobility across states

✅ How prevention, research, AI, and virtual care could expand nursing’s impact

Key Timestamps

• (00:01) Introduction to Dr. Beverly Malone and her leadership background

• (03:33) What has stayed constant in nursing

• (05:05) Trust, appreciation, and nurses as healthcare leaders

• (09:09) How COVID impacted nurses and the healthcare workforce

• (13:02) Nurse practitioners, CRNAs, and filling access gaps

• (19:08) International nurse recruitment and ethical workforce strategy

• (24:10) Nurse educator shortages and funding challenges

• (33:15) Nurse pay, hospital inflation, and undervalued care

• (39:30) Why nurses do not take strikes lightly

• (44:57) What nurses are most excited about next

• (47:42) Multistate licensure compacts and workforce mobility

• (50:57) AI, technology, and more hands-on nursing care

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Nursing is rooted in caring, integrity, inclusion, excellence, and patient trust.

• 💎 COVID deeply affected nurses because they could not provide care in the human way they were trained to deliver it.

• 💎 Nurse practitioners, CRNAs, and advanced practice nurses are essential to closing access gaps.

• 💎 The nursing shortage is also a nurse educator shortage.

• 💎 Nurses are not the main driver of hospital inflation, yet their value is often under-recognized economically.

• 💎 Ethical global recruitment should support both receiving countries and source countries.

• 💎 Licensure flexibility can help nurses deliver care across state lines.

• 💎 AI should reduce hands-off work so nurses can deliver more hands-on care.

Guest Bio

Dr. Beverly Malone is CEO of the National League for Nursing, one of the leading organizations advancing nursing education and workforce development in the U.S. She previously served as President of the American Nurses Association, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health, and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in the UK. Her leadership spans nursing policy, education, workforce advocacy, global nursing, equity, and the future of patient-centered care.

Resource Links

Guest: Dr. Beverly Malone – CEO, National League for Nursing

Host: Roy Bejarano – CEO & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare

Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community

SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

Nursing, Beverly Malone, National League for Nursing, NLN, Roy Bejarano, SCALE Healthcare, SCALE Community, Nursing Workforce, Nurse Shortage, Nurse Education, Nurse Educators, Healthcare Workforce, Nurse Practitioners, CRNA, COVID Healthcare Impact, Nurse Pay, Healthcare Inflation, Nursing Leadership, Health Equity, Preventive Care, AI in Nursing, Virtual Care, Healthcare Podcast

Maryland’s all-payer model, value-based reimbursement, health system scale, AI, rural care, and health equity- Mark Shaver and Roy Bejarano unpack what makes the University of Maryland Medical System one of the most unique healthcare platforms in the U.S.

In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Roy Bejarano, CEO at SCALE Healthcare, speaks with Mark Shaver, Chief Strategy Officer at the University of Maryland Medical System, about how Maryland’s regulated reimbursement model changes the economics, strategy, and mission of care delivery.

A strategic conversation for healthcare veterans, payors, investors, health system leaders, and U.S. healthcare enthusiasts interested in what sustainable care delivery could look like beyond traditional fee-for-service economics.

What You’ll Learn

✅ Why Maryland’s all-payer model is unlike any other state healthcare market

✅ How global budgets change hospital margin, growth, and access strategy

✅ Why value-based care is built into Maryland’s reimbursement structure

✅ Why Medicare Advantage adoption is much lower in Maryland

✅ How UMMS balances public-private partnerships, mission, and scale

✅ Why advanced therapies must also address health equity

✅ How AI and virtual care are moving from hype to practical systemwide use

✅ Why rural workforce development is central to healthcare transformation

Key Timestamps

• (00:03) Introduction to Mark Shaver and UMMS

• (01:42) “For-profit mindset and nonprofit heart”

• (03:41) Why nonprofit healthcare needs business discipline

• (06:36) Maryland’s all-payer reimbursement model

• (08:53) Value-based care built into the system

• (12:39) Global budget: stability vs. innovation capital

• (22:30) Low Medicare Advantage adoption

• (40:22) Specialty care closer to the community

• (45:42) CAR-T therapy, multiple myeloma, and health equity

• (48:03) AI, virtual care, and workflow value

• (50:04) Rural workforce development

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Maryland’s all-payer model changes how hospitals think about margin, access, and growth.

• 💎 Value-based care in Maryland is not a pilot—it is built into reimbursement.

• 💎 Global budgets create stability but can limit surplus capital for innovation.

• 💎 Low Medicare Advantage adoption changes primary care and payer strategy.

• 💎 UMMS is focused on bringing specialty and advanced care closer to communities.

• 💎 AI and virtual care are becoming practical tools, but leaders must separate hype from real workflow value.

• 💎 Workforce development is a major lever for rural healthcare transformation.

Guest Bio

Mark Shaver is Chief Strategy Officer at the University of Maryland Medical System, where he leads enterprise strategy across one of Maryland’s most important healthcare platforms. With experience across nonprofit health systems, Welltower, Johns Hopkins, and earlier Wall Street roles, Mark brings a unique mix of growth strategy, operating discipline, and mission-driven leadership. His work spans systemness, ambulatory strategy, rural transformation, academic partnerships, AI, virtual care, and care delivery innovation across Maryland’s all-payer healthcare environment.

Resource Links

Guest: Mark Shaver – Chief Strategy Officer, University of Maryland Medical System

Host: Roy Bejarano – CEO & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare

Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community

SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

Healthcare Strategy, University of Maryland Medical System, UMMS, Mark Shaver, Roy Bejarano, SCALE Healthcare, SCALE Community, Maryland Healthcare, All-Payer Model, Value-Based Care, Global Budget Healthcare, Medicare Advantage, Rural Healthcare, Healthcare AI, Virtual Care, Telemedicine, Ambulatory Strategy, Academic Medical Center, Health Equity, Healthcare Leadership, Healthcare Podcast

How can independent health systems compete in a consolidating market? Ben Wade shares strategies for outpatient growth, partnerships, and community access.

Hospital strategy, outpatient growth, healthcare partnerships, and community access are becoming critical priorities for independent health systems. In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare Jason Schifman, President at SCALE Healthcare, sits down with Ben Wade, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Stamford Health, to discuss how independent providers can compete in increasingly consolidated markets.

Ben shares why Stamford Health has prioritized ambulatory care, physician alignment, strategic partnerships, and consumer-focused access, with outpatient services now accounting for nearly 70% of revenue. The conversation explores partnerships with HSS and Dana-Farber/Brigham, the role of ambulatory surgery centers, and the growing impact of Medicaid eligibility changes on community health systems. Ben also explains why cultural alignment is often the deciding factor behind successful healthcare partnerships.

What You'll Learn

✅ How Stamford Health competes as an independent health system
✅ Why outpatient services drive nearly 70% of revenue
✅ The role of physician alignment in long-term growth
✅ What makes healthcare partnerships successful
✅ Why cultural fit matters as much as economics
✅ How ambulatory surgery centers improve access and affordability
✅ The impact of Medicaid eligibility changes on community care
✅ Strategies for protecting access amid rising uncompensated care

Key Timestamps

• (00:01) Introduction to Ben Wade and Stamford Health
• (00:56) Market position and uncompensated care challenges
• (04:11) Stamford Health's strategic framework
• (06:50) Why outpatient care drives growth
• (10:26) Ambulatory surgery centers and physician alignment
• (12:33) Stakeholder response to outpatient expansion
• (14:53) Partnerships with HSS and Dana-Farber/Brigham
• (19:48) Why cultural fit matters in partnerships
• (23:02) PE-backed physician groups as partners
• (25:15) Medicaid eligibility changes and community access

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Independent systems can stay competitive through focused strategy and local relevance
• 💎 Outpatient care is central to health system sustainability
• 💎 Successful partnerships require meaningful integration, not just branding
• 💎 Ambulatory investments can strengthen access, affordability, and physician relationships
• 💎 Cultural alignment is a major predictor of partnership success
• 💎 Community health systems must prepare for coverage disruptions and rising uncompensated care

Guest Bio

Ben Wade is Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Stamford Health, where he leads strategy, ambulatory growth, partnership development, and market positioning. His work focuses on helping independent health systems remain competitive through physician alignment, outpatient expansion, and community-centered innovation.

Resource Links

Guest: Ben Wade
Host: Jason Schifman
Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
SCALE Community:www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

Healthcare Strategy, Hospital Strategy, Outpatient Growth, Ambulatory Care, Health System Partnerships, Stamford Health, Ben Wade, Jason Schifman, Independent Health Systems, Physician Alignment, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Medicaid Eligibility, Community Health, Healthcare Leadership, Healthcare Innovation, Hospital Growth Strategy, Healthcare Podcast, Healthcare Industry Insights, SCALE Healthcare, SCALE Community.

Healthcare accreditation, telehealth accreditation, AI governance, and healthcare quality are reshaping modern care delivery. In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Roy Bejarano, CEO of SCALE Healthcare, speaks with Shawn Griffin, MD, CEO of URAC, about how accreditation builds trust, improves quality, and supports accountability across healthcare.

Shawn discusses URAC’s evolution from utilization review into a leading accreditation organization with programs spanning telehealth, specialty pharmacy, credentialing, health plans, and AI. The conversation explores what makes accreditation meaningful, how quality standards are developed, and why consistent oversight matters. They also examine telehealth quality, global access challenges, and the growing need to distinguish credible healthcare organizations from poor performers.

The episode concludes with a discussion on healthcare AI, including privacy, bias, governance, and accountability, and why URAC launched one of the industry's first AI accreditation programs.

What You'll Learn

✅ How URAC fits into the healthcare accreditation landscape

✅ Why accreditation matters for trust, quality, and credibility

✅ How URAC differs from facility-based accreditors

✅ The role of reviewer consistency in accreditation outcomes

✅ What telehealth accreditation evaluates

✅ Why telehealth quality standards matter globally

✅ How URAC approaches healthcare AI accreditation

✅ Key AI governance considerations, including privacy and bias

✅ How accreditation can become a strategic differentiator

✅ Why quality standards may grow in importance as innovation accelerates

Timestamps

• {00:00} Introduction to Shawn Griffin and URAC

• {00:45} URAC and the accreditation ecosystem

• {02:18} Origins in utilization review and governance

• {04:09} How accreditation programs are developed

• {06:14} URAC's scale and reviewer model

• {13:28} Reviewer independence and conflict avoidance

• {15:24} How URAC differs from other accreditors

• {22:20} Telehealth, access, and quality assurance

• {35:00} Why URAC launched AI accreditation

• {38:10} Evaluating AI developers and users

• {41:27} AI oversight in patient care

• {50:54} The practical realities of AI accreditation

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Accreditation creates trust where risk and complexity are high

• 💎 Quality oversight goes beyond basic compliance requirements

• 💎 Consistent review processes strengthen accreditation outcomes

• 💎 Telehealth growth increases the need for trusted standards

• 💎 AI adoption requires governance, oversight, and accountability

• 💎 Demonstrating best practices is more valuable than simply claiming them

• 💎 Accreditation can help distinguish credible organizations from opportunistic ones

• 💎 Standards may become increasingly influential as healthcare innovation accelerates

Guest Bio

Shawn Griffin, MD, is the CEO of URAC, a leading independent healthcare accreditation organization. A physician executive with experience in clinical practice, hospital leadership, health information technology, and healthcare quality, Dr. Griffin has dedicated his career to improving patient outcomes through accountability and innovation. Under his leadership, URAC has expanded its accreditation programs across telehealth, specialty pharmacy, credentialing, digital health, and artificial intelligence, helping healthcare organizations demonstrate quality, trust, and operational excellence.

Guest: Shawn Griffin, MD – CEO, URAC

Host: Roy Bejarano – CEO, SCALE Healthcare

Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community

SEO Keywords: Healthcare accreditation, URAC, Shawn Griffin, Roy Bejarano, telehealth accreditation, healthcare quality, healthcare AI, AI governance, utilization review, healthcare standards, credentialing, specialty pharmacy, patient safety, digital health, healthcare trust, healthcare oversight, healthcare podcast, SCALE Healthcare.

Health system turnaround, payer pressure, ambulatory growth, diversified revenue, partnership strategy, and AI-enabled transformation- Sameer Badlani, MD, and Jason Schifman unpack what it takes for health systems to survive in today’s margin-constrained environment.

In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Jason Schifman, President at SCALE Healthcare, speaks with Sameer Badlani, MD, Chief Strategy and Digital Officer at Fairview Health Services, about navigating healthcare inflation, concentrated payer dynamics, operational turnaround, and long-term sustainability.

The conversation explores throughput improvement, physician alignment, joint ventures, specialty growth areas, interoperability, and why healthcare leaders must move beyond endless pilot programs toward scalable execution.

What You’ll Learn
• ✅ How payer concentration pressures health system margins
• ✅ What drove Fairview’s turnaround — and what nearly derailed it
• ✅ Why nonprofit systems still need strong margins to survive
• ✅ How Fairview decides what to own, partner on, or exit
• ✅ Why behavioral health, pharmacy, and home health require different models
• ✅ How consumer expectations are reshaping healthcare growth
• ✅ How Fairview approaches payer, pharma, medtech, and AI partnerships
• ✅ Why healthcare must move beyond endless pilot programs

Timestamps
• (00:01) Meet Sameer Badlani
• (00:31) Fairview's footprint and the Minnesota market
• (01:54) Why Minnesota is innovative but hard on providers
• (08:40) The turnaround and return to operating profit
• (10:57) Throughput, length of stay, and operational discipline
• (14:26) Service line exits, pivots, and new partnerships
• (17:49) Specialty pharmacy as a diversified revenue engine
• (18:33) Behavioral health, JVs, and the EMPATH model
• (21:23) Strategic priorities today
• (21:40) Women's health and consumer-led growth
• (27:44) Physician strategy and flexible partnership models
• (32:42) Payer, medtech, pharma, and AI partnerships
• (35:25) How Fairview decides what to pursue — and what to walk away from
• (38:28) Biggest opportunities in the next 24–36 months
• (40:38) Interoperability: the difference between data and insight

Key Takeaways
• 💎 Margin pressure in healthcare is often structural — not just operational
• 💎 Sustainable turnarounds require alignment across operations, labor, analytics, and finance
• 💎 Nonprofit systems still need strong margins to reinvest and remain stable
• 💎 Leading health systems focus on core strengths and partner for the rest
• 💎 Not every service line should be owned — JVs and exits can create more value
• 💎 Revenue diversification is becoming essential for long-term resilience
• 💎 Strong strategy requires focus and discipline, not endless experimentation

Resource Links
• Guest: Sameer Badlani, MD – Chief Strategy and Digital Officer, Fairview Health Services
• Host: Jason Schifman – President, SCALE Healthcare
• Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
• SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

Guest Bio
Sameer Badlani, MD is Chief Strategy and Digital Officer at Fairview Health Services, where he leads strategy, digital transformation, partnership development, and innovation across one of Minnesota’s major integrated health systems. His work focuses on how health systems can improve sustainability, diversify revenue, modernize care delivery, and use data, partnerships, and disciplined execution to navigate a difficult healthcare landscape.

SEO Keywords
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Physician shortages, board certification, medical monopolies, residency bottlenecks, telemedicine policy, and healthcare regulation—this episode with Dr. Paul Teirstein explores why parts of U.S. healthcare may be structurally broken by design. Drawing from his experience as a cardiologist and founder of a competing physician certification board, Dr. Teirstein discusses physician frustration with maintenance of certification, residency bottlenecks, telemedicine restrictions, and how monopolistic structures across healthcare can drive higher costs, reduced access, and clinician burnout.

What You’ll Learn• ✅Why many physicians are pushing back on maintenance of board certification• ✅ How the American Board of Internal Medicine became a gatekeeper in medicine• ✅ Why Dr. Paul Teirstein launched the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons• ✅ How certification requirements may contribute to burnout and early retirement• ✅ Why physician shortages stem from broader structural and funding challenges• ✅ How telemedicine restrictions continue to limit access to care• ✅ Why monopolies in healthcare often drive higher costs and weaker service• ✅ Why continuing medical education may matter more than repetitive testing• ✅ How policy and regulation continue to shape physician supply in the U.S.

Timestamps• (00:04) Introduction to Dr. Paul Teirstein and Scripps Health• (01:43) Why Dr. Teirstein challenged the American Board of Internal Medicine• (03:12) How board certification became a de facto requirement to practice• (05:28) Revenue growth, maintenance requirements, and physician frustration• (07:12) Why Dr. Teirstein started the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons• (09:25) Payers, hospitals, and the barriers to alternative certification• (11:37) What initial certification gets right—and where ongoing requirements fail• (15:37) How AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT expose weaknesses in board testing• (18:52) Is maintenance certification a real quality measure—or just a tax?• (20:32) Physician shortages, burnout, and unnecessary administrative burden• (22:27) Medical schools, residencies, and the supply bottleneck• (26:57) Why residency funding remains central to physician supply• (31:41) Telemedicine, regulation, and access to care• (36:07) The broader problem of monopoly power in healthcare

Key Takeaways• 💎 Board certification requirements have become a major pain point for many physicians.• 💎 CME may do more to keep doctors current than repetitive testing.• 💎 Physician shortages stem from broader structural barriers, including residency limits.• 💎 Telemedicine can expand access, but policy hurdles remain.• 💎 Healthcare monopolies often drive higher costs and poorer service.• 💎 Reducing administrative burden could improve physician retention and care access.

Resource LinksGuest: Dr. Paul Teirstein – Cardiologist, Scripps HealthHost: Roy Bejarano, CEO & Co-founder at SCALE HealthcarePodcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE CommunitySCALE Community: ⁠https://www.scale-community.com⁠Guest BioDr. Paul Teirstein is a Chief of Cardiology at Scripps Health in San Diego, where he leads within the cardiology division and performs minimally invasive heart procedures including coronary stents and transcatheter valve interventions. In addition to patient care, training, and research, he is also the founder of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, created in response to growing physician frustration with the maintenance of certification processes. His work sits at the intersection of clinical excellence, medical policy, and physician advocacy.

SEO KeywordsHealthcare, U.S. Healthcare, Physician Shortage, Board Certification, Maintenance of Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine, ABIM, National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, NBPAS, Paul Teirstein, Scripps Health, Telemedicine, Residency Funding, Medical Education, Physician Burnout, Healthcare Regulation, Medical Monopolies, Healthcare Policy

Health Systems Innovation & Vendor Strategy | Analyzing Healthcare Podcast

In this episode, Jason Schifman interviews Jason Szczuka—Chief Digital Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health and President of Acrete Health Partners—on vendor evaluation, digital transformation, and scalable partnerships in healthcare.

Szczuka, drawing from Cigna, Brighter, and Bon Secours experience, warns innovators: Start with operator pain points, not products. He covers the need-vs-demand gap, trusted relationships over cold outreach, and Bon Secours' investment-plus-implementation model for real-world testing. Essential for founders, providers, operators, and leaders driving health system adoption.

What You’ll Learn

• ✅ Why health systems should start with operator pain points, not shiny products
• ✅ The difference between a health system’s need and actual demand
• ✅ How Bon Secours and Acrete evaluate vendors beyond price and security
• ✅ Why management team quality matters in healthcare innovation
• ✅ Who vendors should build relationships with inside a health system
• ✅ Why cold inbound outreach rarely works in enterprise healthcare sales
• ✅ How Bon Secours sources, tests, and scales innovation faster than most health systems
• ✅ How the internal acceleration fund helps projects move without waiting for the next budget cycle

Timestamps

• (0:02) Introduction to Jason Szczuka and Bon Secours Mercy Health
• (2:22) Jason’s background across payer, startup, and care delivery
• (5:19) How Bon Secours evaluates vendors and innovators
• (8:14) Why health systems must start with real pain points
• (10:31) What separates strong vendors from the rest
• (14:49) Why intimate partnerships matter in healthcare innovation
• (22:07) Who vendors should build relationships with inside health systems
• (25:07) Why Bon Secours does not rely on digital RFPs
• (29:19) How Bon Secours shortens the path from introduction to implementation
• (31:34) The acceleration fund and how Bon Secours moves faster

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Health systems adopt solutions faster when operators are already motivated to solve the problem
• 💎 Great products still fail if they do not earn real operational demand
• 💎 Vendor selection is about team quality and execution fit, not just the product itself
• 💎 CEO support alone is not enough—clinicians and operators must believe in the solution
• 💎 Trusted introductions beat blind outreach in health system sales
• 💎 Bon Secours combines investment and implementation to accelerate innovation
• 💎 Internal funding mechanisms can remove one of the biggest barriers to adoption
• 💎 The best partnerships start focused, prove value quickly, and then scale

Guest Bio

Jason Szczuka is Chief Digital Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health and President of Acrete Health Partners, where he leads digital transformation, strategic partnerships, and venture-backed innovation. Previously, he served as Chief Digital Officer at Cigna and co-founded Brighter, a digital health platform later acquired by Cigna. With experience spanning payer, startup, and care delivery environments, he brings a rare cross-sector perspective on healthcare innovation and implementation.

Resource Links

• Guest: Jason Szczuka – Chief Digital Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health; President, Acrete Health Partners
• Host: Jason Schifman – President and Co-founder, SCALE Healthcare
• Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
• SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

SEO Keywords

Healthcare innovation, digital transformation, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Acrete Health Partners, Jason Szczuka, Jason Schifman, healthcare partnerships, vendor strategy, health system innovation, digital health, healthcare leadership, healthcare implementation, service provider strategy, healthcare operators, Scale Healthcare, SCALE Community, healthcare podcast

AI in healthcare, clinical research, and pharma data science- how real-world data, biobanks, and AI are transforming drug development and patient outcomes. In this episode of Analyzing Healthcare, Roy Bejarano sits down with Angeli Moller, a global pharma data scientist and founder of Sequoia Growth.

Drawing on leadership roles at Bayer and Roche, Angeli shares how data, AI, and clinical research are converging to reshape drug development, healthcare delivery, and global innovation ecosystems.

From the importance of longitudinal data to the realities of biobanks, decentralized care, and global clinical research expansion, this conversation breaks down what actually drives outcomes- not just hype- in healthcare transformation.

What You’ll Learn

• ✅ Why AI fails without clinical and operational foundations
• ✅ How real-world data can reduce drug development timelines
• ✅ The importance of longitudinal datasets in healthcare innovation
• ✅ Why biobanks like UK Biobank create national advantages
• ✅ How data integration across research, manufacturing, and real-world use drives better outcomes
• ✅ Why duplicating analytics infrastructure is inefficient and costly
• ✅ The rise of decentralized care and remote patient monitoring
• ✅ How India and China are emerging as global clinical research leaders
• ✅ Why informed consent and data governance are critical for innovation
• ✅ The evolving role of CROs and federated learning in pharma analytics

Key Timestamps

• (00:00) Introduction to Angeli Moller and her global data leadership
• (03:47) Why AI fails without clinical foundations
• (06:01) What actually drives adoption in healthcare systems
• (07:41) $6B drug development and the role of data
• (13:38) Why “data for data’s sake” fails
• (15:21) Longitudinal data vs. speed in clinical research
• (16:33) UK Biobank, Mayo Clinic, and data advantages
• (18:16) Informed consent and secondary data use
• (24:26) Global competition for clinical research infrastructure
• (30:50) Hospital digitization and operational efficiency
• (34:12) Are we overbuilding analytics in healthcare?
• (37:23) The next 5-year transformation: decentralized care & global research

Key Takeaways

• 💎 AI is only as powerful as the clinical foundation it’s built on
• 💎 Longitudinal data matters more than short-term speed
• 💎 Biobanks and national data infrastructure create competitive advantage
• 💎 Healthcare analytics is becoming overbuilt and inefficient
• 💎 Decentralized care is inevitable—and accelerating
• 💎 Emerging markets are becoming innovation hubs, not just participants
• 💎 Data governance and consent will define the future of healthcare AI
• 💎 Integration across the pharma value chain unlocks exponential value

Resource Links

Guest: Angeli Moller – Founder, Sequoia Growth
Host: Roy Bejarano – CEO & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare

Organizations Mentioned:
• Bayer
• Roche
• UK Biobank
• Mayo Clinic

Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
SCALE Community: https://www.scale-community.com

Guest Bio

Angeli Moller is a pharma data scientist who worked in leadership positions at Bayer, Roche and Zühlke who two years ago launched a boutique consulting firm, Sequoia Growth. , a consulting firm focused on life sciences analytics and clinical innovation. With leadership experience at Bayer, Roche, and Zürcher, she has led global data integration, clinical analytics, and informatics initiatives across pharma, medtech, and healthcare systems. Her expertise spans clinical trial design, real-world data, AI applications, and global healthcare strategy across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

SEO Keywords

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In this episode, Jason Schifman talks to Mark Townsend, Chief Clinical Digital Ventures Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health, about digital transformation. Mark discusses how Acrete Health Partners drives operator-led solutions, successful tech adoption, and examples like agentic AI and nursing ambient documentation. They also cover AI risk, EHR limits, and distinguishing true innovation from trends.

What You’ll Learn

• How Bon Secours Mercy Health structures its venture and digital innovation strategy
• Why BSMH shifted from investing in “solutions seeking problems” to operator-led problem-solving
• Why Mark measures digital success through one word: profitability
• Why health systems should frame initiatives as projects, not pilots
• How executive accountability and P&L ownership improve implementation success
• What “grow your way to success” means in a health system context
• How BSMH evaluates Epic vs. third-party AI solutions
• Why omnichannel appointment scheduling became a key system-level AI use case
• How nursing ambient documentation differs from physician ambient tools
• Why governance, human oversight, and informed consent matter in AI adoption

Key Timestamps

• (00:00) – Introduction to Mark Townsend and Bon Secours Mercy Health
• (00:52) – Mark’s journey from congenital cardiology to digital ventures
• (03:35) – Inside BSMH’s venture model and Acrete Health Partners
• (06:21) – Why BSMH now focuses on operator-led problem statements
• (10:55) – The real rules of technology adoption in health systems
• (12:16) – Why Mark rejects the word “pilot”
• (13:44) – Accountability, operational ownership, and project champions
• (14:44) – The acceleration fund and matching operator investment
• (16:52) – “Grow your way to success” and run-rate improvement
• (18:23) – Fail fast, fail forward, and design for scale
• (20:12) – Agentic AI for appointment scheduling: success and failure in one story
• (23:39) – Epic, MyChart, and why the EHR cannot be all things to all people
• (26:42) – Co-development, Brado, and the “big smelly onion” of implementation
• (28:47) – Nursing ambient documentation with Epic and Abridge
• (30:47) – AI governance, human-in-the-loop, and risk mitigation
• (32:39) – Using AI for quality and compliance at scale

Key Takeaways

• Health system innovation works best when operators bring the problem, not vendors
• Strategic investing loses credibility if the health system never uses what it funds
• In Mark’s framework, margin is the mission—profitability is the baseline test
• “Project” signals commitment; “pilot” signals optionality and weak accountability
• Executive sponsorship matters more than enthusiasm from the technology vendor
• The best digital initiatives are tied to strategic priorities and measurable scale
• Epic remains central, but third-party tools still fill critical workflow gaps
• Healthcare AI adoption requires governance, informed risk acceptance, and humans in the loop
• Clinical AI use cases are moving beyond physicians to nurses and broader care teams
• Real implementation is messy, bespoke, and deeply dependent on operational readiness

Resource Links

• Guest: Mark Townsend – Chief Clinical Digital Ventures Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health
• Host: Jason Schifman – President & Co-Founder, SCALE Healthcare
• Podcast: Analyzing Healthcare by SCALE Community
• SCALE Community: SCALE Community Website

Guest BioMark Townsend is the Chief Clinical Digital Ventures Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health, leading digital transformation at one of the largest U.S. health systems. With expertise in clinical practice, health system operations, and digital innovation, he focuses on scaling practical, ROI-driven solutions across the organization.

SEO Keywords
Healthcare AI, Digital Health, Health System Innovation, Bon Secours Mercy Health, BSMH, Mark Townsend, Jason Schifman, Healthcare Ventures, Epic, MyChart, Ambient Documentation, Nursing AI, Agentic AI, Appointment Scheduling, Healthcare ROI, Digital Transformation, Healthcare Operations, Clinical Innovation