Vanguards of Health Care by Bloomberg Intelligence

“When a patient comes in for a routine outpatient echo, we’ll be able to help with diagnosis and reduce the misdiagnosis at that point, number one,” Ultromics’ Founder and CEO Ross Upton explains to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Henriksson about the initial benefits of EchoGo for heart failure and cardiac amyloidosis. In this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast, Upton also delves into the future of diagnosing and treating heart failure with artificial intelligence, saying it can additionally “really accurately phenotype them, and so the clinician would understand after the echo is done what treatments or what next diagnostic tests the patient needs, and they would understand it there and then without having to go through and try and figure out the pieces of the puzzle.” Also tune in to learn how Ultromics plans to use to recently announced Series C financing as it commercializes EchoGo for heart failure and cardiac amyloidosis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I like the label ‘new operating system.’ I think that does capture well what we're trying to do here,” says Dr. Ryan Schoenfeld, CEO of the Mark Foundation. In this episode of Vanguards of Health Care, Schoenfeld joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli to explore how the foundation is redesigning cancer research through global collaboration, platform thinking and a bold portfolio approach. They discuss the Foundation’s growing international footprint, why basic research is increasingly under threat in the US, and where new breakthroughs — including solid tumor CAR-T and glioblastoma — may emerge in the next five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We don’t have to do every great deal, but every deal we do has to be great,” says Payal Agrawal Divakaran, partner at .406 Ventures. In this Vanguards of Health Care episode, she joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to unpack how .406 backs early-stage startups at the intersection of health care, tech and AI. They dive into the firm’s thesis-driven investing, why care delivery must be reimagined for complex populations and what Epic’s priorities mean for hospital-facing AI startups. Plus, the origins of the firm’s baseball-inspired name and why being mission-driven is non-negotiable for its founders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We truly see ourselves as an operating system for payers,” says David Pierre, CEO of Machinify. Pierre joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to unpack how Machinify is using AI to reimagine payment integrity, turning a manual process into a proactive, tech-enabled platform. They discuss Machinify’s formation from four legacy and technology companies, its AI-first claims strategy and how the team is driving real-time adjudication and measurable cost savings. Pierre also shares what he’s learned from Cerner and Signify, and where Machinify is heading next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If a company isn't IPO-ready, it better be M&A-ready," says Nanna Lüneborg of Forbion. She and co-founder Sander Slootweg sit down with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli to explain Forbion’s blueprint for success in Europe’s maturing biotech ecosystem. From incubating CNS-focused gene therapy startups to executing €100M+ financing rounds, Forbion’s thesis is rooted in scientific rigor and commercially sound exits. They also share how Europe’s capital scarcity offers hidden advantages—and why late-stage buyers still pay up for must-have innovation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The PBM space has been worse than some criminal enterprises — they are stealing money from employers and employees,” says Jordan Feldman, CEO and co-founder of Rightway Healthcare. Feldman joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer on this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast to unpack how Rightway is building a member-first pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) — one without rebates, gimmicks or hidden margins. They dive into Rightway’s origin story, how its care-navigation platform grew to 3.5 million members, and why a transparent, clinically-grounded PBM is the antidote for industry dysfunction. Feldman also shares thoughts on GLP-1 drugs, AI and what it means to be the so-called N-of-one alternative to the Big 3 PBM’s monopoly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We started Cleerly with the intent to make a comprehensive care pathway for evaluation, education, treatment and tracking for heart disease,” said Dr. Jim Min, the company’s founder and CEO. In this Vanguards of Health Care episode, Min sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson to discuss Cleerly and its comprehensive management platform that uses AI algorithms to boost the accuracy of interpreting CT scans, avoid false positives and make the diagnosis stage of treating the disease more efficient for doctors and hospitals. They also cover the need to drive the iterative process of clinical studies, including the TRANSFORM randomized trial for screening asymptomatic individuals with the aim of preventing sudden cardiac death.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The thing that I worry about more than loss of exclusivity is this term that I introduced at the AACR meeting -- loss of relevancy" says Susan Galbraith, EVP of Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca. In this episode, Galbraith and David Fredrickson, EVP of Oncology Business Unit, join Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli fresh from ASCO to discuss how AstraZeneca is navigating an increasingly complex oncology landscape. From a legacy in small molecules to a bold push into areas ranging from cell therapy to antibody-drug conjugates, they explain how the company aims to sustain growth and relevance. The discussion also covers new trial designs, biomarker-driven strategies, and why innovation, not exclusivity, is the true metric of success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OvertureTi is designed in a way that allows you step by step to avoid a total knee [replacement] because it’s so bone-sparing,” Overture Orthopaedics cofounder Riley Williams tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Health Care podcast episode, Williams and CEO James Kim sit down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson to talk about Overture, the development of focalplasty and its benefits over total knee replacement as a minimally invasive treatment option. They also discuss the importance of treating osteoarthritis early in the disease progression. Additionally, tune in to learn how it was once cheaper for Kim to hand-deliver the implants and tools instead of using overnight delivery, and about Dr. Williams’ time as a consultant for Bill Hader’s character in the movie Trainwreck.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“If you can image it, if you can light it up, then you know where it’s going to go,” Lantheus’ CEO Brian Markison says as he explains the future of imaging agents to Bloomberg Intelligence. “You know it’s going to get to the tumor, and then if you can attach basically a warhead to it, then you can deliver targeted radiation to that tumor.” In this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast, Markison sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview to discuss how the Pylarify and Definity imaging agents enhance disease detection compared with traditional imaging platforms. They also dive into the importance of manufacturing and logistics to get the agents to the right hospital at the right time and the future pipeline with a portfolio of agents under development to detect Alzheimer’s and neuroendocrine tumors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.