Building in Healthtech: Product Strategies for Innovators

From scaling D2C mental health platforms to driving value-based care models, Omar Mousa has seen it all. In the latest episode of “Hard Problems, Smart Solutions: The Newfire Podcast,” Omar joins host Brendan Iglehart, Staff Healthcare Architect at Newfire, to unpack the challenges and lessons from building healthtech products at every stage of growth.

Omar, who most recently served as VP of Product and Engineering at Ventricle Health, shares his perspective on product-market fit, go-to-market experimentation, and making smart build-vs-buy decisions in healthcare.

Brendan and Omar discuss Omar’s experiences across various health tech companies, the lessons he has learned about product development in the sector, and the challenges of navigating both direct-to-consumer and clinical product environments. The conversation delves into topics such as the importance of focusing on core business areas in build versus buy decisions, the role of technology in enhancing patient care, and strategies for effectively engaging patients in value-based care models. Omar also shares his thoughts on the evolving landscape of health tech and the impact of AI on handling unstructured data. Tune in to gain strategic insights on scaling health tech operations and developing impactful healthcare products.

00:00 Introduction to Hard Problems, Smart Solutions

00:38 Guest Introduction: Omar Mousa

01:37 Omar's Career Journey in Healthcare Technology

08:40 Challenges in Healthcare Technology

15:51 The Role of AI in Healthcare

17:51 Navigating Healthcare's Complex Stakeholder Mix

22:47 Gathering and Utilizing User Feedback

24:03 User Feedback and Instrumentation

24:53 Patient Reported Outcome Measures

25:32 Build vs Buy Decisions in Product Development

27:03 Challenges of Buying All Solutions

28:37 Pitfalls of Building All Solutions

30:01 Advantages of a Hybrid Approach

30:27 Stages of Company Growth and Product Strategy

32:26 Considerations for Buy Decisions

36:13 Considerations for Build Decisions

37:34 Navigating D2C vs Clinical Product Development

39:02 Improving Patient Engagement in VBC Workflows

43:21 Final Thoughts and Contact Information