Why do so many healthcare innovation efforts stall after pilots?

In this Bright Spots in Healthcare episode, host Eric Glazer sits down with leaders from Healthworx, the investment and innovation arm of CareFirst, for a candid discussion on what actually allows innovation to scale inside complex healthcare organizations.

As health plans invest heavily in AI, digital transformation, startup partnerships, and new care models, many still struggle to operationalize innovation in meaningful ways. This conversation explores why innovation often breaks down between idea and implementation, and what organizations can do differently.

Guests include:

Emily Durfee, Director, Corporate Venture Capital, Healthworx
Soo Jeon, Head, Healthworx Accelerator
Mike Batista, Managing Partner, Healthworx Studio

Together, they explore:

Why health plan innovation efforts often fail to scale
The operational barriers that prevent ideas from gaining traction
Why healthcare struggles to move beyond pilots and experimentation
What startups misunderstand about working with health plans
Why incremental operational evolution often beats transformational change
How Healthworx approaches innovation through investing, accelerating, and building
What separates organizations that successfully scale innovation from those that don't

This episode offers a practical look at the operational realities of healthcare innovation and what it takes to turn new ideas into measurable impact

Panelist Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/why-health-plan-innovation-fails-and-what-actually-scales-healthworx/

About Bright Spots Ventures:

Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation.

We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.