Reimagining Healthcare: Tech Leaders on HealthTech’s Role in Disruption
For millions of Americans, navigating healthcare is a journey defined by anxiety—of surprise medical bills, of month-long waits for a specialist, and of inconsistent care from one provider to the next.
Behind these personal stories are the systemic failures of a $6.8 trillion industry struggling with access, quality, and cost.
A new generation of innovators, however, believes technology can rewrite this narrative.
HealthTech is promising to simplify byzantine processes, empower patients with their own data, and extend the reach of quality care.
To understand where these efforts are needed most, the Techronicler team posed a question to the leaders on the front lines of this movement:
“Innovations in HealthTech are targeting improvements in patient outcomes, efficiency, and access within the vast U.S. healthcare system. In your opinion (professional or personal), which specific area of the U.S. healthcare system urgently requires positive disruption by HealthTech? Why?”
Their answers reveal a shared vision for a system that puts the patient, not the process, at its center.
Read on!
Joel Ferman
Pharmaceuticals are a “target rich environment” for innovation within MedTech.
Something is deeply wrong when 70% of Americans are taking prescription medication, 76% of patients walk out of doctor visits confused, and nearly one-third can’t afford their prescriptions.
While pharmaceutical companies pour $30 billion into marketing annually, patients get just minutes with physicians who couldn’t possibly analyze thousands of medication options and how it could uniquely impact each patient.
This goes beyond inefficiency—it’s dangerous. Medication errors claim over 125,000 American lives annually through preventable reactions and poor drug choices, not counting those living with permanent side effects. Desperate for answers, patients turn to Google, gambling with their health using incomplete information.
We need smart technology that puts medical expertise within everyone’s reach. AI-powered platforms can cross-reference patient data with medical databases in seconds, spotting safer, more effective options that physicians can’t possibly analyze during rushed appointments.
Joel Ferman
Co-Founder & CEO, Get a Second Opinion
Ali Yilmaz
One area that urgently needs HealthTech disruption is early-stage mental health support.
The current system is reactive, people often wait weeks for appointments, pay out-of-pocket if uninsured, or never seek help due to stigma. This leaves millions struggling in silence.
Tech-enabled tools can bridge this gap by offering accessible, evidence-based support at the moment someone is ready to reach out.
While these tools aren’t a replacement for therapy, they can serve as a first step, building emotional literacy and resilience while easing the burden on an overwhelmed clinical system. This early intervention can prevent escalation and reduce costs system-wide.
It’s time we treat mental health not as an emergency service, but as a continuous part of daily well-being—and that requires tech to meet people where they are.
Ali Yilmaz
Co-founder & CEO, AI Therapy
Dr. Gerda Maissel
Like most physicians, I am frequently asked to recommend a doctor for someone’s specific medical issue.
Finding the right fit is more complicated than the “I got a guy” approach we all use when recommending a good car mechanic.
It is a combination of clinical need (often much more specific than people realize), personality, geography, wait times, payment mechanism/insurance accepted, and sometimes degree (DO or MD) or gender.
With so much publicly available data, including rating systems from both consumer and peer physician perspectives, I’m waiting for the technology that allows for much cleaner, consumer-originated searches for the right physician match.
Dr. Gerda Maissel
President, My MD Advisor
Omar Alvarez
The US healthcare system urgently needs to address the crisis of social disconnection. The Surgeon General has called it a public health threat on par with smoking, linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression, and dementia.
The current scenario is that this essential component of healthcare is still being tagged as a “nice to have,” not a core part of care.
At KINNECT, we believe connection is care. We’re building a platform that helps families capture and share personal stories—through voice, video, and writing—so people can feel closer, even across distance and generations.
It’s not about content. It’s about meaning.
When you hear someone’s story in their own words, you remember what matters.
We’re not solving loneliness with features. We’re changing how people relate to each other. That’s the kind of disruption this moment calls for.
Omar Alvarez
Founder & CEO, KINNECT
Tanner Gish
One of the most urgent areas in the US healthcare system that demands positive disruption through HealthTech is home-based care and remote patient monitoring, especially for the aging population and chronic disease management.
With over 6 million Americans receiving home health services annually, and chronic conditions accounting for nearly 90% of healthcare costs, integrating advanced HealthTech solutions can dramatically improve patient outcomes by enabling continuous monitoring, timely interventions, and personalized care plans.
These innovations not only enhance patient safety and comfort but also reduce hospital readmissions and healthcare expenses.
Furthermore, expanding access through telehealth and wearable devices addresses geographic and mobility barriers, making healthcare more equitable.
In my experience working with homecare providers, these technologies empower caregivers and families alike, ensuring better quality of life and peace of mind.
Tanner Gish
Director of Operations, Loving Homecare
Christopher Migliaccio
I believe the area of the US healthcare system most urgently in need of positive disruption by HealthTech is care coordination and patient data interoperability.
Currently, fragmented records across providers create inefficiencies, delays in diagnosis, and increased costs—patients often undergo redundant tests or miss timely interventions.
HealthTech innovations that seamlessly integrate medical records and enable real-time communication between providers would not only improve patient outcomes but also reduce administrative burdens.
Enhanced interoperability could empower patients with more control over their healthcare journey, cutting down costly mistakes and improving treatment accuracy.
This disruption would drive both better care and system-wide cost savings, addressing two critical challenges simultaneously.
Michael Michelis
In my view, one of the most urgently overlooked areas in the U.S. healthcare system is preventive nutrition.
Despite diet being a leading driver of chronic disease (accounting for more deaths than smoking) nutrition remains largely untracked, misunderstood, and disconnected from clinical care.
That’s why we built Qalzy: the world’s first AI-powered kitchen scale that recognizes food, weighs it, and logs calories and macros automatically. It brings the power of lab-grade nutrition tracking into everyday homes with zero manual entry.
We believe tech like these represent a new layer of HealthTech, consumer-first clinical nutrition, bridging the gap between diet and data. It empowers people to make better eating decisions daily, while also creating a rich, accurate nutritional record that can be shared with dietitians, fitness coaches, or even synced with other health systems.
Gerardo Zampaglione
The stop-loss reinsurance market for self-insured employers needs more innovation to address persistent gaps in coverage and improve the funding of high-cost claims.
Many current policies are rigid and reactive, often failing to provide timely financial support when unexpected medical expenses arise. This creates cash flow challenges for employers and leaves them exposed to significant financial risk.
Innovation is needed to create more responsive stop-loss solutions that align with actual claim patterns, offer partial or tiered reimbursements, and bridge delays in carrier payments.
Additionally, smarter product design can close coverage gaps—such as aggregating lower-frequency, high-cost conditions or addressing exclusions—that traditional contracts overlook.
A more flexible, transparent market would better support employers’ fiduciary duties while enabling sustainable self-funding strategies.
Gerardo Zampaglione
Founder and Chief Product Officer, Aegle Capital
Aspen Noonan
Telehealth access for low-income and rural patients needs immediate change. Too many people still face delays, transportation issues, or high costs just to get basic care. HealthTech can close that gap by putting care in the palm of a patient’s hand. What’s missing is real investment in systems that make these services easy to use for people with limited time, money, or tech skills.
At Elevate Holistics, we built our platform for patients who can’t afford to wait weeks for a doctor’s appointment. Many of them live hours from the nearest clinic. By streamlining online evaluations and automating the backend, we made it possible for them to get what they need fast. The same approach applies to behavioral health, prescriptions, or chronic disease check-ins. You don’t need massive budgets to create better access. You need clarity, consistency, and platforms that serve patients instead of systems.
The gap between urban and rural healthcare access widens every year. If HealthTech focuses on intuitive tools with fast service times, patient outcomes will improve without adding costs. The opportunity isn’t in adding more features. It’s in removing complexity so patients get care without barriers.
On behalf of the Techronicler community of readers, we thank these leaders and experts for taking the time to share valuable insights that stem from years of experience and in-depth expertise in their respective niches.
If you wish to showcase your experience and expertise, participate in industry-leading discussions, and add visibility and impact to your personal brand and business, get in touch with the Techronicler team to feature in our fast-growing publication.
