← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Sarah Matt, MD, MBA, Health Technology Atrategist and Author of "The Borderless Healthcare Revolution"
00:12:17
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- [00:02]
A
Every year, Becker's annual meeting brings healthcare leaders together to unpack the most pressing issues facing the industry. And every year, those conversations shift in profound and unexpected ways. This April, more than 3,500 healthcare executives will return to Chicago for Becker's 16th annual meeting. 795 elite speakers will offer new lessons, new case studies, and predictions about what comes next. Join us April 13th through the 16th. For the agenda and event details, visit Beckershospitalview.com and click on the events tab in the upper right.
- [00:38]
B
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to visit with a brilliant physician leader. We're joined today by Dr. Sarah Matt. Dr. Matt herself is both an entrepreneur, she's an author, she's a physician, she's a lot more. She's written a book that's a bestseller that's been really well recognized called the Borderless healthcare revolution. Sarah, Dr. Matt, can you take a moment to introduce yourself?
- [01:08]
C
Thanks, Scott. Sure. So I actually started my career as a general surgeon and then switched into tech very early. So you may have seen me at NextGen Healthcare or several startups, or at Oracle where I built out our OCI business for healthcare and life sciences globally and got after that, got to be part of the Sterner acquisition. So I've been all around healthcare and health tech and these days I'm very focused on my book, which you just mentioned, and that just came out in December of 25. And today I still see patients, I do charity medicine here in upstate New York and I teach at SUNY Upstate Medical University to first year med students.
- [01:45]
B
And SUNY is a magnificent place. And talk a little bit about you've had this magnificent career, went to medical school, became a surgeon, general surgeon, practiced and still do some practice, but then really segued into technology versus the practice of medicine. Was that hard after going to med school to sort of transfer out of directly into being a practicing surgeon and talk a bit about that transition? And you know, everybody's got different origin and family stories. Were your parents upset with you? Were they good with the transition?
- [02:21]
C
That's a great question, Scott. So I'd say that first of all, hard is relative. So it's hard being a surgeon, it's hard driving businesses in 26, and it's hard driving new technologies when it's evolving at such a fast pace. For me, you know, at the time, it wasn't, I'd say, a career move that everyone was very excited about because back then a lot of people didn't switch from clinical careers into business or technology. But I think for me it was all about impact. And so I recognized that seeing one patient at a time was great for that one patient. But I felt like I could make a bigger impact and essentially touch the lives of hundreds, thousands, millions, billions every day. And that switch to tech allowed me to do just that. Now, my parents were not disappointed at all. I'm the first doctor in my family and when I told them I was moving into something more, more impactful, they said, great, good for you. So they've been a very supportive group the whole way through.
- [03:18]
B
That's fantastic. So they're so proud of you becoming a surgeon. So proud of you growing into technology. And talk a little bit about, let's talk for a moment about the book where people can buy the book and talk a little bit about what drove you to write the book and some of the core thesis in the book.
- [03:35]
C
So the book is called the Borderless Healthcare Revolution. It's available everywhere where books are sold. You can also look at my website, drceramatt.com so I started writing this book a year ago and it was right after the 2024 election. And it was a time just like today that's highly polarized. Today, when we think about the United States and the healthcare system, everyone is struggling. Doesn't matter how much money you make, doesn't matter where you live, doesn't matter where you came from. Everyone struggles with the healthcare system. And for me, how could I make that better? Well, I had tried the tech route, I had tried the clinical route. What was next? Well, it's about educating the masses about what we can do. And that's where healthcare access comes in. Healthcare access is something that we can all talk about. So no matter who I talk to in any forum, every single person has a terrible access story about themselves, their parents, their friends, their kids, you name it. And so, Scott, when I think about access in the times we're in today, this is a topic that I think can bring real people together so we can really make that impact. We're all looking to make and change health care for the best.
- [04:50]
B
In the access issue is so right on. There's increasingly challenges of supply and demand. You know, just 10 years ago, people were talking about in systems or advertising to get you into the ER in 30 minutes. Now average wait times are three hours in many, many states. How do we solve some of this access? I mean, I see it ourselves. The beauty of healthcare is we're all consumers, so we all see exactly the same thing. I Go to reschedule a primary care appointment. The next available appointments next April. This was from last June. And you go to find the right oncologist, you have to know somebody. I mean, it's incredibly challenging when you're in the part of the economy that has more access. It's brutal. If from a health equity perspective, how do we solve some of this?
- [05:37]
C
Well, I think right now we focus on access and we think merely about geography or merely about finances. And those are two humongous parts of the access story. But I really chop up access into five different pillars. Geography, financial, digital, cultural, and trusted knowledge. And when we think about the reasons why things become so difficult, and it may not just be because healthcare is far away, and it may not just because it's difficult to pay for it. There's these other aspects that oftentimes we don't think about. We're all very excited about AI telemedicine, you name it. However, it doesn't matter if you're in a rural environment with low bandwidth or in an urban environment without the right tools, it's hard for folks that don't have great digital access or digital literacy to utilize the tools that are now in the market that we're actually using to decrease burnout for providers and nurses that we're using to expand our reach. So we're missing those populations. The other thing is, again, over the last couple years, healthcare has become beyond polarized. There's a ton of mistrust of the system, mistrust of the information. And so when you have lots of folks within the system, patients, you name it, that don't trust what their provider says or don't trust the messages coming out from healthcare systems. You've got yourself in a tough spot to provide real care and to give them the access, which includes that trust that they'll require.
- [07:08]
B
And how does this get better? How does this get better? The access get better is technology, is it more physicians, is it more pas, is it a mix of all those things? Dr. Matt, how do you see it getting better?
- [07:22]
C
Healthcare is not a widget. Healthcare is a lot of things. It's an ecosystem. And so if you're going to make real change, you have to address the entire system. That's hard. What I see today, that's the most, I'd say, pressing problem is that everyone's focused on one aspect of access. Oh, we're going to just deal with transportation, we're just dealing with financial, or we're just dealing with this trust issue. Unfortunately, you can keep pulling those strings and the sweater's going to unravel. You really have to find ways to work with unlikely partners, if you will, in different groups of patients, providers, systems, you name it. So that we're not only looking at the digital pillar, we're also looking at the financial pillar, or we're also looking at this. So while we can all make big strides in individual areas, ultimately we need everyone rowing in the same direction and attacking all these different pillars at the same time. Otherwise we're still going to have that imbalance and otherwise we're going to continue to have problems. Now, will things be better if we address any of this? Absolutely. But I don't think we're going to find a real solve until we address all the pillars.
- [08:33]
B
Thank you. And when you look at your mission and what you're trying to accomplish, what are you most focused on this year? I know your book, the Borderless Healthcare Revolution is itself a USA Today bestseller. Magnificent. It's found a magnificent audience. What are you most focused on this coming year and excited about?
- [08:56]
C
So, for me, my focus is on solving problems. So I solve problems in lots of different ways. I work with lots of different startups, I do a ton of advisory. I also work with larger companies from a fractional perspective. And it all comes back down to access, because when we think about it, access is good for business, access is good for healthcare technology, and access is good for patients. So I see lots and lots of large provider groups, healthcare systems technology organizations and those in bioscience, et cetera, all now considering, hey, is access my new differentiator? If I build this in from the get go, will this improve my bottom line and actually impact a ton of patients too? So for me, I'm in that problem solving area this year and access can be a part of all of it.
- [09:44]
B
Fascinating. Take a second. You've had this magnificent career that's transcended a few different places. Can you take a moment on like, we've got a daughter who's in med school now. What advice would you give to a emerging physician, an emerging leader? What advice would you give to, you know, to an emerging professional?
- [10:09]
C
So I teach first and your first and second year med students at SUNY Upstate, and it's very interesting to see them kind of come into this healthcare space and in a time like this. When I went to med school, they handed me a Palm Pilot and we were super excited about the technical advances of that. Right now, it's a lot different. The advice I usually give to my students and to other folks entering into the healthcare sector is be flexible, be a lifelong learner, and understand why you're there. If you're entering the health tech or the healthcare field for the wrong reasons, that is going to be a recipe for disaster. The worst thing you can do is get pushed into an occupation by helpful parents and family members or high school and college counselors. Healthcare is a really hard industry to be in. There's emotional toll. It's a constant learning environment and the evolution of technology and clinical practice is accelerating a rate that not everyone can handle. So if you're up for a living in the gray and making decisions in times of uncertainty, then maybe healthcare is a great place for you to be. But if you're not in it to win it, maybe it's not.
- [11:20]
B
I think that's a great call. And so it's so funny you mentioned the Palm Pilot days and so forth. I'm older than you, so there weren't even Palm Pilots, but I hear you entirely. Dr. Matt, tell us again. I don't want to harp on the book, but it's amazing what you've done and amazing how well the book has resonated with people. Tell people again the exact title of the book and where they could buy the book, which is I know every place. But if you don't mind, give us one more shout out in the book.
- [11:47]
C
Of course. So it's the Borderless Healthcare Revolution, the definitive guide to breaking geographic barriers through technology. You can find it anywhere where books are sold. Amazon's always a great place and you can see it on my website@drsaramatt.com fantastic.
- [12:02]
B
Dr. Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us today. Thank you. On the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, I'm amazed and inspired by your career. Thank you so much for joining us.
- [12:13]
C
Thanks, Scott. Appreciate you too.