Our CEO, Marta Bralic Kerns, was featured on the #healthtech podcast Vital Signs this week! Tune into the episode to hear her thoughts on what’s driving worsening maternal outcomes in the US, lessons learned innovating in Medicaid, advice on selling to payers, tips for successfully breaking into startups, and more. Check out the full episode below👇 Apple: https://apple.co/3G092aK Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SG5HVP
This latest Vital Signs was an extra fun one with Marta Bralic Kerns, Founder and CEO of Pomelo Care. Pomelo is a virtual medical practice that cares for mothers and babies from preconception to one year postpartum and has raised $33M from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and First Round Capital. Marta’s one of the smartest people I’ve worked with and had some really sharp takes about payer contracting and Medicaid, career advice for those joining startups, why maternity care is such a pressing issue in the US, and more. A few of my favorite parts from Nikhil and my conversation with her: On why US maternity outcomes are worse than in other countries: Marta attributes the worse maternity outcomes within the US to two key factors: less access and more comorbidities. She says that we have worse access before, during, and after pregnancy, which is getting even worse due to decreasing Ob/Gyn capacity nationally. Additionally, the population in the US is relatively sicker with comorbidities that affect pregnancy, like hypertension and diabetes. On selling to payers: Marta opposes the common advice of only talking to potential customers in a single state or line of business early on. Instead, she talked to as many potential customers as possible resulting in a more robust sales funnel. During those conversations, it is important to find a passionate champion at each payer, Marta says. In addition, she highlights the importance of creating a thought-out contracting process. By having clear next steps for internal champions to move forward, Marta was able to cut conversation-to-contract times down from nine months to three. On engaging with Medicaid players: Marta talks about how Medicaid companies hold startups at a higher standard than employers, which aligns with Pomelo’s focus on more than just employee satisfaction. Medicaid regulatory variability from state to state also led Pomelo Care to build regulatory foundations in all 50 states so that they would have the flexibility to operate in each one. On advice for people entering the world of health tech and startups: When it comes to finding a startup role, Marta recommends focusing on finding a high growth company and an outstanding team rather than an ideal role. She says that roles quickly change, while growth will constantly create more opportunities to get involved. On value-based care for maternity: Marta explains that payment model innovation is difficult for maternity care because there are two patients involved: the mother and the baby. As a result, it’s difficult to create accountability because the mother’s Ob/Gyn can’t manage NICU costs, while the baby’s neonatologist can’t control the upstream decisions. Furthermore, the lack of data in maternal health makes all of this hard to operationalize. Overall, this episode is packed with insights – it’s a can’t miss! Check it out below: Apple: https://apple.co/3G092aK Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SG5HVP
Michael Krym
10mo
How exciting, watching now!
Jeremy Sherer
11mo
Way to go, Marta Bralic Kerns!
Senior Project Manager | Product Specialist | Operations Management | Healthcare and Tech
10moThanks for posting ! I wish all medical insurances had such important care that no one even thinks of having and to know how vital it is to such mom and baby. I’ve heard many horror stories from different coworkers of “your baby is fine” , no appointment made available to the concerned mother and next thing you know “I’m sorry there is no more heartbeat”…. I love the mission behind this company and what it stands for ! 💕