Digital health startups can incorporate clinical expertise into business models – here’s how

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Digital health startup funding fell so much in the fourth quarter of the year that they are close to what they were last year.

The whole story isn't told by the dollar amounts. The growth of a digital healthcare company is just as important as the growth of any other business.

Clinical experts should be part of the leadership of a company that is built for the long term to ensure that care is always based on the patient's medical needs.

Digital health companies can consider this framework.

Bring clinicians into senior leadership

Bringing on a clinician as a co-founder is the best-case scenario.

I have experience speaking from it. My co-founder is a triple-board-certified Psychiatrist. Her contributions are important to the health and direction of the company.

Dedicating resources and space to full-time providers allows them to focus more on patient care — the reason they got into medicine.

It's important to hire clinicians as senior leaders with responsibilities outside of clinical practice. Ensuring clinicians know they will report to another person is the key.

The C-suite executives should practice what they preach. Even if they don't have an obvious clinical impact, they should keep in touch with their clinical partners.

The main advantages of this approach are listed.

• The clinical and non-clinical partnership is more active from the jump;
• Other team members and clinical staff will see and respect the inclusion;
• Clinicians may uncover something that has an indirect but important clinical impact.

In addition to hiring clinicians in-house, startup should invite clinicians to join their board of directors. They help guide a company towards becoming an ethical and sustainable medical practice by being on the board.

Every working level of a digital health startup should be dedicated to patient outcomes.

Celebrate providers’ dedication

The reason they got into medicine was because of dedicating resources and space to full-time providers.