Why should providers invest in launching technology accelerators? - Dr. Jeffery Cohen

Being a disruptor in healthcare and the health tech field isn’t easy, but today’s guest will tell you how he’s done it. We are pleased to feature Dr. Jefferey Cohen, a prominent name in the industry, entrepreneur, physician, private practice owner, and innovator. He shares his beginnings in medicine, recalling how his father and a nun plotted for him not to be into medicine but catapulted Jeff’s passion for it.

Dr. Cohen shares his meaning of “health” and its difference from healthcare. He also touches upon how the business of healthcare should be in the near future, establishing the change from a fee-for-service system to a value-based model. Innovation and technology have played an important role in Dr. Cohen’s career, hence the more than 30 patents in which his name is included. He dives deep into his relationship with technology, saying that it is driven by a curiosity about always doing things better.

After that, Dr. Cohen shares his work with Suburban General and the Alpha Lab Health flagship program from Allegheny Health Network. His team is now finding ways to repurpose an old healthcare facility to help the community. Dr. Cohen then goes deeper into the social determinants of health and how these affect the community and their access to quality care. There is a trust issue between low-income patients and the medical providers that must be addressed immediately, as Dr. Cohen highlights.

Through the accelerator and Alpha Lab Health, they are bringing in kids to show them a different world through coding classes, allowing them to check out how to make a difference out there. Once a problem is defined, there are a lot of smart people that will engage with it and solve it.

People do not embrace change so willingly, but for change to happen, there needs to be a strong voice that calls out every aspect of the industry. Dr. Cohen shares his thoughts on the changes that may come up in the future for the healthcare industry. Tune in to this conversation about change in our industry and how an accelerator can propel new ideas to improve people’s lives.