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January 12, 2026
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In this dual-guest episode of The Digital Patient, Josh Liu and Alan are joined by two brilliant digital leaders in healthcare: Dr. Michael Hasselberg and Michael Mainiero. Together, they break down what startups get wrong when pitching health systems, why most AI pitches fall flat, and how the real winners are those that act like partners—not vendors.
From cold calls and bathroom pitches (don’t do it) to co-development and shared equity models, this episode is packed with real talk and tactical advice for vendors, digital health builders, and health system innovators alike. Click the play button to listen or read the show notes below.
Audio:
Guest(s):
- Dr. Michael Hasselberg, Chief Digital Health Officer at University of Rochester Medical Center
- Michael Mainiero, Chief Digital and Chief Information Officer at Catholic Health
- Dr. Joshua Liu, Co-founder & CEO at SeamlessMD
Episode 172 - Show Notes:
[00:00:07] Episode preview
[00:04:45] Startup Saturation & AI Overload
[00:07:04] Why Health Systems Are Cautious in 2025
[00:09:02] What Scares CDOs: Not Lift, But Interoperability & Ownership
[00:11:07] Predatory Sales Tactics That Gets You Blacklisted
[00:17:03] Why Internal AI Development Beats Vendor Solutions
[00:20:22] Epic-First Strategy and the Case for Simplicity
[00:23:00] Why Health Systems Avoid Seed-Stage Startups
[00:26:02] Why Culture & Product Team Stability Matter Most
[00:29:03] “We’re Already Integrated with Epic” (No, You’re Not)
[00:33:36] What Health Systems Want in Startup Partnerships
[00:36:44] Sales “First Date” Red Flags: What Not to Say
[00:39:30] Never Start by Telling Me My Problems
[00:43:34] Don’t Pitch After a Talk (Especially in the Bathroom)
[00:47:16] The Smartest Strategy? Win with Your First Customers
The Digital Patient has been recognized as Feedspot's #1 Patient Engagement Podcast of 2025. Thank you to our listeners for making this happen!
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