Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Virtual Health
    • - Future of Healthcare Staffing
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Transformation Hub

Where healthcare challenges find solutions

  • Patients
  • Operations
  • Care Delivery
  • Payment
Operations
December 10, 2016 12:00 AM

Plan big, start small when developing clinical task automation software

Meeri Kim
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    Five years ago, Dr. Lyle Berkowitz and Jonathan Baran started Healthfinch with a simple yet ingenious idea. Why not use software applications to automate the repeatable tasks that keep doctors and nurses from working top-of-license?

    Today, the Madison, Wisc.-based firm supports over 2,500 physicians, has processed millions of routine tasks, and saved two million minutes of clinician time better spent on patient care. Health systems like UT Southwestern Medical Center and Scripps Health use Healthfinch's software applications to streamline clinic workflow and boost efficiency.

    One key to Healthfinch's early success was specialization. Co-founder and CEO Baran's advice to other start-ups is to start with one idea that health systems can easily understand, then branch out with other applications down the line.

    Lessons for entrepreneurs:

    1. Start with a single, specialized project

    2. Win key stakeholder support

    3. Use them as your internal champions

    4. Be flexible! Admit mistakes and adjust quickly.

    “The number one lesson learned from the early days of talking to health systems is that you really have to convince them that you are solving a problem they are having today,” he said. “Startups often try to do too much at the beginning and fail to convey the problem they are trying to solve.”

    While Berkowitz and Baran had the idea of an automation platform for clinics, they began with a very narrow niche — prescription refill requests. A tight focus allowed the company to attract customers that were looking to solve that specific issue, which happened to be a common pain point at clinics across the board.

    Once they captured the attention of system leaders, the crucial next step became identifying the stakeholders or executive sponsors willing to take a chance on an innovative product. Internal cheerleaders played an important role in taking Healthfinch's technology from pilot project to system-wide rollout.

    “Probably the most important aspect of pilot structure that ensures success is getting appropriate stakeholder buy-in and making sure they stay engaged through the life of the project,” said Baran. “It's all about finding those early adopters and innovators that have such a burning problem that they adopt the technology.”

    Implementation of Healthfinch's platform required a multistep process that eased staff into the new processes of working with automation software, including the creation of standardized protocols and a centralized team to ensure adherence. When encountering bumps in the road — such as resistance from staff or bugs in the technology — stakeholder engagement can mean the difference between success and failure.

    Though a start-up, Healthfinch benefited from Berkowitz and Baran's decision to locate in Madison, Wis. Epic, the nation's largest electronic health record software company, is headquartered nearby and has created a pipeline for new talent from the University of Wisconsin, enabling the start-up to recruit talented developers both from the university and the high-caliber health systems nearby.

    Lastly, Baran says new entrepreneurs in the healthcare technology space should under-promise and over-deliver. “Make sure that when you're selling, sell what you have confidence in and can execute on — even if you think you can do more,” he said.

    Vic Arnold, managing director at Huron Consulting Group, also advises health tech startups to work closely not just with executives but the physicians and nurses on the front line.

    “Take the time to actually work with more than one or two physicians, and have them really step you through a given workflow process,” said Arnold. “You'll have a much better product, and the adoption of that product will be much faster.”

    Meeri Kim is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

    Tags: Operations, Transformation, Operations, Transformation Hub
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    HCA Healthcare sign
    HCA, J&J strike wide-ranging partnership
    The Check Up: Dr. Alex Jahangir of Vanderbilt Medical Center
    The Check Up: Dr. Alex Jahangir of Vanderbilt Medical Center
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Virtual Health
        • - Future of Healthcare Staffing
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing