Today in.

Health it interviews from the health conference in Boston

My name is bill Russell.

I'm a former CIO for a 16 hospital system and creator of this week and

health it a channel dedicated to keeping health it staff current and engaged.

Just a quick reminder, I'm going to be dropping interviews

over the next couple of days.

And into next week from the floor of the health conference.

All right.

And we're joined by Derek Baird, who is the president of north

America first, since I know.

Welcome.

Yeah.

Thanks bill.

Waiting for it.

Yeah.

Looking forward to the conversation.

The last time we saw each other, you were actually, uh, with a different company

you're working with with Avia and he made the transition to, uh, to this role.

Tell us, tell us, let's start with, since I know.

About the

company.

Yeah, sure.

Uh, so I, yeah, I joined I health about 10 months ago, uh,

to build up the U S operation.

So the company actually has its roots in the UK, uh, specifically in Oxford.

So about what about the past four years?

We've been building up a clinical AI shop there in the UK, working

with the, uh, NHS hospital trusts and with life sciences company.

So we brought that model with the U S I came on to build out the team and

land our first set of partnerships here and, um, adapt the UK model

for, uh, for us quirky Americans.

And so far it's working well.

It's,

I mean, it's a, it's a data play, right?

So it's, it's using data for research using data to, I guess, at

the end of the day, help patients live healthier and better lives.

Talk about how the data is used.

What, what sets you guys

apart?

Yeah, that's right.

I mean, as a, as a clinical AI company, you need data on which to

do your, your machine learning work.

And so, um, so yeah, we apply our clinical AI magic in two markets.

One is for life sciences companies.

So they're the, you know, the, the benefit is to support.

Faster smarter, hopefully less expensive development of new medicines.

And then, uh, you know, given we've got 40 plus PhDs who love doing

machine learning work, um, and 15 health systems across the world,

who've entrusted us with their data.

It also makes sense that we're developing algorithms and predictive

models to support patient care as well.

So we're working in life sciences and healthcare with, uh, Clinical AI

foundation underpinning all that work.

So

what partnerships are you looking to develop?

Yeah, a few different types.

So if you look at the recent partnerships here in the U S so our,

our first, uh, partner was the Colorado center for personalized medicine.

And then, um, we announced, uh, St Luke's university health network.

Most recently, Sentara health care for them.

We're doing either one or both of the things I just.

So I'll, I'll use Sentara, which is the most recent announcement.

So they're entrusting us with de-identified clinical data

from their data warehouse.

Right.

We then use that data set to support the research work that we

do for pharma and biotech firms.

Uh, and you know, that's all done in a trusted, you know, transparent, ethical

environment, which I can tell you more.

Um, and so for Sentara, it's a way for their data to be used, uh, to

support my sciences development.

Um, we're also with Sentara co-designing new clinical algorithms to support

patient care within the health system.

So we're working with their physicians, their it leaders to develop new predictive

models, uh, in CKD and heart failure.

So again, it all rests on.

On the data that they're entrusting us with, uh, and then working on both sides,

uh, uh, health sciences and healthcare, or life sciences and healthcare.

So

where does, and I'm going to be here, but where's

the intellectual property lie.

So if you co-developed stuff with Sentara, does the intellectual property

lie with the software and the company, or does it lie with the health system?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, that's why, that's why I said co-design rather than co-developed so.

Um, so yeah, we're, we'll eventually commercialize and, and, uh, and

productize these, these algorithms and models, assuming it works.

And we're doing this with a set of design partners here in the us,

and that'll be, that'll be sense.

Those are send signed products and send sign IP.

Um, obviously there's some benefit to Sentara and the other design partners

and being able to participate in the design and the implementation.

Roll out of these models.

So where do people put this in their mind with say a true Veda

or, uh, an epic, uh, cosmos or something

to that?

Yeah, I mean, it's funny the, uh, you know, we're in a really hot space, right?

Real world data and to

be in a hot space and it's, it's not so great.

We'd rather be in a hot, noisy space than

a cold, lonely, quiet space.

So we are in a weird, a very hot, um, you know, uh, space where it's the competitive

landscape is a set of concentric circles rather than some nice clean quality.

Correct.

One of the things

I could see happening is an organization getting lost

in the true Veta ecosystem, right?

Yeah.

They're going to be developing things, but when things get big, it slows down.

Same thing with epic.

When things get big, they slow down for yours specific use cases that you want to.

And it would, it would appear to me, I'm not telling you what your business

is, but it would appear to me that your benefit is if I partner with you in

the us, I'm one of a handful you guys are going to come in and partner with

your 50, some odd, uh, data scientists, and really partner with me on my

specific use cases for my community.

That sounds

like a really smart strategy.

So you just go with the smart strategy.

I mean, yeah.

We're, we're, you know, Young, nimble hungry.

And you know, I think our model for engaging with health systems stands

out versus, well, it certainly stands out versus big tech, right?

It stands out versus the three guys in a garage in Paducah.

No offense to your Kentucky listeners.

And I think it stands out versus some of the other entities where you're

one of dozens of health systems.

I think you're absolutely right.

Yeah.

It's going to be interesting.

So this conference, you've been to a lot of different conferences.

What's what is this conference about?

I I'm trying to, you know, I did my first post this morning, I'm talking

to my listeners and I'm like, you know, this conference is mostly investors,

pharma, biotech, and, but not a lot of healthcare providers that I've seen here.

Um, why is that and how does that change your approach to.

Yeah.

I mean, you're right.

It's a different mix than some of the other conferences that are, you

know, where, where the bulk of the attendees are health systems or vendors

trying to sell the health systems.

Right.

So it's definitely a different mix here.

Um, although there, I mean, there are several hundred health system

attendees here, so I wouldn't say they're totally underrepresented.

Um, but,

but it's mostly their investment, their

deal-making arms and that.

Um, I, I find this conference interesting because in a lot of those

other conferences, they're so big, you don't, you don't see that ecosystem

at work, but it's a big ecosystem.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I, you know, I think this one for me stands out because of the investor

bent, you get to look around the corner a little bit more, right?

So some of the other conferences you're looking back at case studies

finally making its way up on.

Onto the stage here.

You're getting a lot more through the lens of people who are trying to

And I think that balances out some of the other views and news that we get.

So take me through the transition Avia to president of sensei.

So Avia you're essentially helping companies like yours.

Maybe it's maybe a little smaller, but you're helping companies like yours.

With their strategy, plugging into digital strategies at health system

menu, take this leap, but what does it look like from, from the other side?

Well, um, for me, I feel really fortunate because my time at ABI

had gave me a chance to get to know a lot of the senior executives in health

systems, yourself included at the time.

And, uh, And gave me a really great catbird seat on all things

going on digital health and, and, um, that's how I ended up in a

hot space within digital health.

I had a pretty good view of, of the

you, the pitch you got to, you got to pick the space that you're

like, Hey, that space is going to be high

and you were right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And, um, in the last 10 months, I've definitely borne that out.

I think what a lot of people thought was, oh, well, Derek's going to

immediately call the, you know, does.

Health system exacts that he knows and, and work the address

book as fast as possible.

And, and, uh, you know, when I came on board, I said, look, we've got,

uh, we've got, uh, uh, we need to find the right model in the us.

And we've got, uh, you know, we've got to go on an intentional road show

with health systems to figure out.

What they're comfortable with in terms of providing data to support pharma

research and what the right model is to work with them on clinical AI.

And that took six months to really dial in.

And now that I know we're really onto something now, you know, we're in

talks with, with many of my former former clients and just, you know,

friends in the industry and future.

Yeah.

Last question.

Roots in the UK.

I mean, there's obvious differences between the UK payment models and that

kind of stuff, but are there, it would seem to me from a clinical research

and that kind of stuff, that it would be pretty common between the two.

Yeah, it is.

And, and, uh, yeah, that was an unknown for me.

I didn't know, know whether the model here would need to be 80%

different than it was in the UK.

I knew it wouldn't I knew it wouldn't be identical.

And I think it's ended up being about 25% different and that's

in areas like, well, in the UK, we were working with a government

entity under the banner of GDPR.

Right.

Um, but I actually think starting there and having to work with the

government in it, in a, in a market where privacy protections and regulations

are, are more current and better established than they are here with.

When we did come to the U S we looked, you know, I think quite buttoned

up conservative and thoughtful about all these, all these issues.

So it ended up being a feature more than a bug for us, which, which has been nice.

Fantastic, Derek.

Great.

Sit down with you and, uh, best of luck.

Yeah.

Thanks bill.

Appreciate it.

Check back for Morris.

The, we continues.

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