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Care Shift

Care Shift

Written by: vik.bilakanti
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Care Shift, hosted by Sathvik Bilakanti, takes you inside the real world of healthtech innovation, venture capital, and company-building. Each episode features unfiltered conversations with the founders and investors shaping the future of care—breaking down how they raised capital, found product-market fit, navigated failure, and built companies that endure. Listeners learn exactly what top VCs are looking for in healthtech startups, along with tactical, step-by-step insight that early builders can immediately apply. The Care Shift also opens the doors to the venture ecosystem itself, with leavik.bilakanti Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How Assort Health Automated 190 Million+ Patient Calls (And Why EMRs Can't Catch Up)

    How Assort Health Automated 190 Million+ Patient Calls (And Why EMRs Can't Catch Up)
    Jul 1 2026

    Most healthcare front desks are still overwhelmed by manual work and outdated call routing, but Imaad Rashied reveals how AI is transforming this bottleneck into a revenue-generating, patient-centric engine. Imagine a world where referrals are booked in minutes, patient holds drop from 11 minutes to less than one, and staff are freed up to focus on care navigation instead of repetitive tasks. That future isn’t just possible—it's already happening with Assort’s innovative platform.

    In this episode, Imaad shares how AI-driven automation is dramatically reducing patient frustration, increasing operational efficiency, and unlocking new revenue streams.

    You'll discover:

    How Assort’s AI shortens hold times from 11 to under a minute, boosting patient satisfaction and loyalty

    The concrete ROI metrics that make AI solutions irresistible to CFOs, from capacity expansion to referral conversion increases

    The nuanced strategies to navigate complex healthcare procurement and secure buy-in from skeptical health system executives

    The importance of vertical specialization in healthcare AI, handling complexities from orthopedics to neurology with expert precision

    How proactive outreach powered by AI can close the care gap before patients even realize there's a need

    Why does all of this matter? Because in today’s fiercely competitive healthcare landscape, the ability to streamline access and enhance patient experience directly impacts both top-line growth and bottom-line sustainability. Fail to adapt, and you risk losing patients to competitors with better access strategies—something no healthcare executive wants.

    Perfect for founders aiming to crack the healthcare big leagues, health system leaders seeking proven ROI, and anyone curious about the future of AI in healthcare operations. Imaad’s insights shed light on how to build a scalable, automated patient access engine that's tailored, trustworthy, and ready to lead tomorrow’s healthcare.


    Timestamps

    00:19 Revolutionizing Patient Interactions with AI

    00:19 The Impact of Automation on Healthcare Efficiency

    00:49 The Journey into AI in Healthcare

    00:49 Building AI Automation in Health Systems

    01:03 Introduction to Imad's Insights

    01:03 Key Learnings from Imad's Experience

    01:09 Revolutionizing Patient Interactions with AI

    01:09 The Impact of Automation on Healthcare Efficiency

    01:09 The Patient Experience with AI in Healthcare

    03:49 Financial Implications of Patient Experience

    06:39 Scaling AI Solutions in Health Systems

    08:51 Demonstrating ROI to Health Systems

    11:34 Navigating CFO Concerns and Attribution

    14:06 Building Relationships and Finding Champions

    16:35 Lessons from Previous Experiences

    19:26 Command Centers vs. Perioperative Care

    21:57 Accelerating Sales Cycles in Healthcare

    24:45 Competing with Established Incumbents

    27:22 Vertical vs. Horizontal Solutions in Healthcare

    33:21 The Importance of Specialization in Healthcare AI

    35:39 Integration and Workflow Management in Health Systems

    38:12 Proactive Patient Engagement with AI

    40:44 Building Trust in AI Interactions

    43:31 Competition and Consolidation in Healthcare AI

    48:45 Successes and Failures of AI in Healthcare

    50:34 The Future of AI in Healthcare Operations

    53:54 Advice for Founders in Healthcare Technology


    Follow Sathvik on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sathvik-bilakanti-8b5344169


    Follow Vaelion Ventures on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/115124532/admin/dashboard/


    Follow Care Shift on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/110446420/admin/dashboard/


    Vaelion Ventures Website: https://www.vaelion.vc/

    Follow Imaad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imaad-rashied/

    Follow Assort Health on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/assorthealth/


    Assort Health Website: https://www.assorthealth.com/
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    59 mins
  • The $85M Medicare Mandate Most Health Systems Don't Know How to Navigate (This Startup Does)

    The $85M Medicare Mandate Most Health Systems Don't Know How to Navigate (This Startup Does)
    Jun 24 2026
    Most healthcare startups get stuck in long sales cycles, but Rainfall Health’s co-founder Eddie Qureshi reveals how they effortlessly compress multi-year contracts into under two weeks—and how to transform healthcare delivery with the right product mindset. If you're tired of the bureaucratic friction stalling innovation, this episode exposes the framework behind their success: building end-to-end, product-led solutions that meet health system priorities and accelerate revenue streams.Eddie walks us through Rainfall’s pivot from traditional telehealth to a full-fledged compliance and care coordination platform, spearheading the shift to mandated value-based models like CMS’s team program. You'll discover how aligning incentives, building trusted relationships with executives, and embedding operational standards from day one create rapid sales cycles and measurable outcomes. We break down the importance of personalizing pitches for each stakeholder—CFOs, CEOs, clinicians—and why becoming an industry insider is the key to unlocking key champions.This episode dives into how Rainfall’s risk-sharing business model—investing first, charging later—aligns their success directly with that of their partners. You’ll learn how their AI-enabled care design and human-in-the-loop approach improve patient engagement, reduce costs, and deliver data-driven care in real time. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or healthcare executive, Eddie’s insights challenge conventional wisdom—showing that the future of healthcare lies in integrated solutions that are built for speed, trust, and tangible impact.Perfect for founders navigating long sales cycles, health systems pushing for innovation, or anyone interested in the future of patient-centered care—this is the blueprint for transforming healthcare from fragmented to fast, flexible, and outcome-focused.Timestamps00:09 Introduction to Rainfall Health and Its Mission00:09 The Impact of CMS Value-Based Mandates on Healthcare AI00:09 Navigating Challenges in Healthcare AI Implementation00:20 Overview of Healthcare Revenue Opportunities00:20 Challenges in the Healthcare System00:46 Introduction to Rainfall's Impact on Healthcare00:46 Integration with Hospitals and Patient Care03:25 Challenges in Building a Healthcare Product06:17 Understanding the TEAM Model and Its Importance09:00 Revenue Implications of Non-Compliance11:33 Navigating the First Customer Acquisition14:28 Revenue Standards and Patient Engagement17:04 Vision for Healthcare in 2019 vs. 202419:42 Understanding Stakeholder Needs22:32 Maintaining Customer Relationships25:28 Compressing Sales Cycles in Healthcare28:03 Diligence and Operational Frameworks28:27 Building Trust and Business Models30:31 Navigating Medicare and Patient Engagement33:15 AI in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges36:38 Human in the Loop: Balancing AI and Care41:01 Founder's Perspective: Insights from the Investor Side43:17 Rural Health: Bridging the Gap46:16 Avoiding Consolidation: Strategies for Success47:18 Cultural Differences in Healthcare Innovation49:33 Understanding Healthcare Gaps: Urban vs Rural51:23 Lessons from Diligence and Investor InsightsFollow Sathvik on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sathvik-bilakanti-8b5344169Follow Sathvik on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sathvik-bilakanti-8b5344169Follow Vaelion Ventures on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vael...Follow Care Shift on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/care...Vaelion Ventures Website: https://www.vaelion.vc/Eddie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-eddie-qureshi?skipRedirect=true&miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAABhuUuEBLmz-YBl7ije915Vi-aRWaQspZ_MRainfall Health's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rainfall-health/Rainfall Health Website: https://www.rainfallhealth.com/
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    56 mins
  • The Massive Bet Behind One of the Most Ambitious AI Drug Companies Ever Built | Iambic

    The Massive Bet Behind One of the Most Ambitious AI Drug Companies Ever Built | Iambic
    Jun 17 2026

    Most AI companies claim they're revolutionizing drug discovery. Very few have actually put a molecule they designed into a human being and watched it work.Tom Miller, co-founder and CEO of Iambic, did exactly that. Starting with no drug development track record and a contrarian bet that AI-native biotechs should build the drugs themselves rather than sell tools to pharma, Tom built a huge clinical-stage company that got a cancer drug from concept to patient responses in just 3.5 years — three times faster than the industry average.If you're a founder building in deep tech, biotech, or any space where the science is hard and the timeline is long, this episode will completely reframe how you think about betting on yourself before you have the credentials to do it.We break down how Tom went from Caltech professor to biotech CEO with no traditional pharma background, why he rejected the easy partnership model that every other AI drug company was chasing, what it actually felt like the moment their AI-designed molecule showed real responses in cancer patients, the real bottlenecks in AI drug discovery that have nothing to do with the model or the compute, and why his single biggest piece of advice for founders is to never look for the cheap win.Timestamps00:00 The Evolution of AI in Drug Discovery02:45 Iambic's Unique Approach to AI Tools05:16 Contrarian Bets in Biotech Startups09:20 Scaling Laws in Biology and AI09:20 The Future of AI in Drug Development09:20 Scaling Laws in AI and Drug Discovery10:53 Bridging Benchmarks and Real-World Applications13:11 The Journey from Discovery to Clinical Trials16:25 The Role of AI in Accelerating Drug Development18:20 Navigating Target Selection and Validation20:44 The Impact of AI on Workforce Dynamics23:39 Partnerships and Collaborations in Biotech26:07 Building a Technology-Driven Biotech Company28:47 Storytelling and Investor Relations in Biotech31:34 Common Pitfalls for Biotech Founders34:13 The Future of AI in Drug DiscoveryFollow Sathvik on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sathvik-bilakanti-8b5344169Follow Vaelion Ventures on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vaelionventures/?viewAsMember=trueFollow Care Shift on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-shift/?viewAsMember=trueVaelion Ventures Website: https://www.vaelion.vc/Tom Miller's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomas-miller-322a8521/?skipRedirect=trueIambic's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iambic-ai/posts/?feedView=allIambic's Website: https://www.iambic.ai/
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    41 mins
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