8th Annual Life Science Chief Executive Officer Forum: Speaker Interview
Chase Hensel
Co-Founder & CEO
WELKIN HEALTH
Chase is the CEO and co-founder of Welkin Health, a digital therapeutics platform that helps organizations run effective longitudinal care programs. He oversees all initiatives across business development, sales operations and other corporate functions. As a configurable software platform, Welkin Health improves chronic disease management by leveraging patient-provider relationships for partners including Humana, Roche and Nevro. Investors include Rock Health and Thrive Capital.
Chase will be one of the distinguished speakers at the 8th Annual Life Science Chief Executive Officer Forum.
Why is the 8th Annual Life Science CEO Forum important for C-suite executives?
I’m looking forward to attending this forum to learn and share the latest updates and innovations from those in the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and diagnostic industries. By participating in this forum, we hope to gain insight on how we can better serve our customers while navigating regulatory demands, pricing and reimbursement challenges as well as changes in the market and political landscape.
What is one thing you hope to learn or discuss with your peers at the forum?
I hope to learn from others at this forum about which new methods or technologies are driving innovation in care within the Life Sciences industry, and what components are missing from those innovations. That way, we can learn how to better serve our partners within the Life Sciences to accelerate growth and value creation.
What company initiatives are on the horizon for your team in 2017?
Welkin Health’s initiatives in 2017 is to grow our business partnering with life sciences companies to provide adherence programs for those managing chronic disease. We believe in the power of human relationships and coaching to foster the lifestyle changes necessary to improve health with a chronic disease over lifetimes. We’ll be expanding our partnerships to better serve patient populations in a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, chronic pain, chronic heart failure, addiction and more.
What do you believe are the 3 biggest factors impacting the life science industry today?
- Available and developing technology: Connected medical devices, with the ability to transmit real time health data, such as blood sugar levels, is a game changer for at home health monitoring. For people who need this vital information in a timely manner, such as those with diabetes, incorporating this data with a health coaching program will give patients the education and support they need to take action and better manage their health.
- Market changes and incentives: The shift toward value based care, and the emphasis on improving health outcomes, as opposed to providing medical services, is changing how life sciences companies are incentivized within the healthcare ecosystem, and how they do business with payers and providers. With increased accountability for improving health outcomes, life sciences companies that can demonstrate their product and adherence programs result in better health outcome measures will win more contracts and drive better health for patients.
- Healthcare policy: Obviously, there’s a lot of uncertainty around healthcare and what it’ll look like under the new administration. It remains to be seen how providers, hospital systems and life sciences companies will interact with revised incentives and policy changes.
What are the greatest opportunities for life science companies over the next 5 years?
The greatest opportunities is for life science companies to leverage both technology and proven health coaching programs to improve health outcomes.
From a leadership standpoint, where do you draw your inspiration?
I look up to Laszlo Bock, Google’s former HR director, on being extremely mindful and deliberate when growing our company team and building our workplace culture. We at Welkin Health believe our employees are our most important resource, and we consciously develop a culture of trust, transparency and kindness. We’ve found that these qualities are a great benefit, and encourage employee engagement, create excitement over our company mission to improve the lives of those with chronic disease and produce a tightknit, growing and flexible workforce. I love going to work because of the incredibly bright, energetic and committed people we work with who bring their all every day.
If you could describe your company in one word, what would that be?
Empowering. We at Welkin Health enable our partners to provide valuable health coaching as adherence programs for those managing complex chronic diseases. As a result, our work manifests in better education and support for patients with diseases like diabetes, chronic pain, and other conditions, to live happier and healthier lives.
