Healthcare Reimagined
On Healthcare reimagined, we speak with clinicians, entrepreneurs, and provider and payor executives who are innovating within US Healthcare.
We are sponsored by Covered Health, which is automating the most challenging and time consuming elements of appealing denied medical claims for providers. By streamlining access to diverse databases and inputs, Covered uses technology to helps RCM specialists identify denial root causes, and appeal them
Healthcare Reimagined
Bettina Hein - 4 languages, 3 companies, 1 vision for the future of chronic disease management
Bettina Hein is the co-founder and CEO of Juli (www.juli.co), Pixability and SVOX. She is a serial tech entrepreneur and has built successful tech companies in Europe and the U.S. She is a global leader at the World Economic Forum and a judge on the Swiss version of Shark Tank.
Juli is a chronic condition management platform that was developed to help people use their healthcare data to nurse themselves back to health. Juli has a consumer-facing app that ties in data from wearables with user generated data to help patients identify triggers for their conditions, and suggests “levers” to pull that can help them ameliorate their symptoms. Currently the platform is used for asthma, depression, migraines, chronic pain, and bi-polar disorder.
While most other chronic disease startups have a human component, like a call center, Juli reduces costs by using an AI-generated bot. Though Juli went live only 6 months ago, the app already has 6,000 consumers, and Bettina is launching her first clinical trial with the University College of London for consumers with asthma or depression.
Bettina is an optimist, and saw the silver lining of starting a company during a pandemic in the ability to recruit the best and most diverse team to develop her technology. It also allowed her to stay at home and be with her children while running the company. During COVID, consumers got more and more comfortable using their devices for health, which has helped accelerate Juli’s adoption.
We spoke about the challenges of being a female entrepreneur. Bettina fundraised twice while pregnant, and fielded questions about her commitment to her company that most men never have to deal with, even if they have kids. The second time she fundraised while pregnant, Bettina decided to use it to her advantage, and told investors that, “you get the pregnancy discount if you invest before this baby pops!” It worked!
According to Bettina, there are three things that make a startup founder successful:
- Naivety – You have to be naïve to embark on the adventure of starting a company, because if you knew what was really ahead, you would never start in the first place.
- Hutzpah – Having the guts to put yourself out there.
- Perseverance – Strap yourself in…it’s going to be a long road to success.
Bettina has high hopes for the future of chronic disease management. What gets Bettina particularly excited is the ability to get all different types of data about what people are experiencing in real time, which can then be correlated to symptoms to understand what is happening with their health. Bettina believes this is ultimately going to revolutionize the way we treat patients, as we will be able to determine with greater certainty who needs what treatment and when.
Finally, what do tinder, advertising, and Juli have in common? Listen to find out!
Please make sure to check out Society for HealthCare Innovation - SHCI's website (http://www.SHCI.org).