DGTL Voices with Ed Marx

Episode: The Creative Edge in Healthcare Solutions (ft. Anatoly Poselnik)

Release Date: February 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of DGTL Voices features a rich conversation between host Ed Marx and Anatoly Poselnik, Managing Director at Clinovera. The main focus is on creativity in healthcare solutions, spanning Anatoly’s international journey, the evolution of Clinovera, how creativity and technological innovation intersect in healthcare, and leadership lessons drawn from both his career and personal passions like pickleball. The discussion explores building multidisciplinary teams, real-world AI applications in healthcare, and the critical role of motivation and continuous improvement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: Personal Background and Mantra

• Music Preferences and Mantra

  • Anatoly’s favorite music genres are classic rock (Queen, Pink Floyd, 10cc) and bluegrass, fueling his creativity (01:13–01:47).
  • Life Mantra: The driver of human progress is creativity.

    “What differentiates us from animals is creativity. And I think it's our responsibility as humans to be creative… our role in society and life is to produce something new and that's our destiny.” – Anatoly (02:45–03:07)

• International Journey

  • Born in Kazakhstan (then USSR), schooled in Moscow, Anatoly immigrated to the US nearly 40 years ago.
  • Initial career in structural engineering and applied mathematics, pivoted to healthcare over 20 years ago.
  • Personal anecdote about people recognizing Borat and equating that with Kazakhstan (03:28–03:57).

Accidental Path into Healthcare

• Transition to Healthcare
  • Anatoly’s move to healthcare was unplanned, influenced by market changes during the dot-com bust (04:50–05:30).
  • Provides insight into the instant impact of technology in healthcare vs. other fields and the deeply personal rewards, including helping nurses and his own father through tech he built (05:30–06:54).

    “You help people… my dad had an unfortunate, terrible car accident and I spent two months helping nurses using the software that the team I worked with developed. What can be more rewarding?” – Anatoly (06:42–06:53)

The Evolution and DNA of Clinovera

• Organizational Story

  • Clinovera spun out of FirstLine Software to sharpen its focus exclusively on healthcare and life sciences, avoiding the “jack of all trades” syndrome (07:12–08:08).

• Team Structure and Philosophy

  • Multidisciplinary team: Engineers, analysts, medical informaticians, and clinicians (08:19–09:20).
  • Emphasis on being problem solvers, not just technology vendors; staff are multi-skilled and dynamic, able to shift roles as needed (09:20–10:33).

    “At the end of the day, technology is just a tool. People face complex business problems. The goal is to use technology to solve these…” – Anatoly (08:26–08:36)

  • Full-stack developers, cross-trained analysts, and fluid teams distinguish Clinovera’s approach.

Real-world Use Cases & AI in Healthcare

• Client Impact Examples
  • Long-standing partnerships with leading institutions: Mass General Brigham, Columbia, Intersystems, and various device manufacturers and CROs (10:47–11:46).
  • Notable AI Projects:
    • Hypermobility Diagnosis:
      • Developed video-based tool to detect hypermobility via patient movement analysis, leveraging AI to calculate the Bayden score (11:46–13:10).
    • Long-Term Care Admission Automation:
      • Use of generative AI to extract structured information from unstructured notes, streamlining and improving admissions decisions for long-term care (13:11–14:02).

    “If you dream it, we can make it. And that's basically the attitude that we have.” – Anatoly (14:02–14:03)

Leadership Philosophy and Lessons Learned

• Evolution as a Leader

  • Transitioned from hands-on technologist to hands-on leader, participating early in projects but not micromanaging (14:25–15:10).
  • Believes in letting team members learn through experience, encouraging independence and leadership growth (15:10–15:13).

• Managing Expectations

  • Toughest leadership lesson: proactively managing client expectations and transparency.
    • Instituted weekly reports detailing completed work, challenges, and next steps, eliminating confusion and building trust (15:26–17:10).

    “Every client wants everything done yesterday and for twice less than it actually cost… So we learned that we have to manage expectations proactively.” – Anatoly (15:27–15:45)

Leadership Lessons from Pickleball

• Coaching Style
  • As a pickleball coach, values improvement over comfort; seeks to coach those who truly want to get better (17:16–18:09).
  • Draws a parallel between effective leadership/coaching and fostering genuine growth, not just positive feelings.

    “I want to work with people who want to be better... that's my lesson in pickleball, or lesson for myself.” – Anatoly (17:55–18:09)

  • Prefers competition against stronger opponents:

    “I'd rather play with stronger players... and lose, than play against weak players and have an easy win. And that propagates to everything in my life.” – Anatoly (19:10–19:34)

Personal Wellness & Recharge

• Work-Life Balance & Hobbies
  • Recharges through numerous physical and creative pursuits: banjo, ukulele, skiing, hiking, kayaking, biking, and, of course, pickleball (19:59–20:25).
  • Passionate about longevity, influenced by thought leaders like Peter Attia and Andrew Huberman, applies wellness principles to both self and work with clients (20:26–20:53).
  • Advocates a keto diet and intermittent fasting, coaches others in nutrition as well as pickleball.

Global Perspective & Final Reflections

• Global Reach
  • Clinovera and FirstLine Software operate worldwide, exposing Anatoly to diverse healthcare systems and solutions (21:29–22:01).

    “To see the world but also understand challenges and opportunities in healthcare and life sciences… I’m grateful to life for being able to do that.” – Anatoly (21:47–22:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Creativity as a Human Responsibility:

  “I feel that what differentiates us from animals is creativity. And I think it's our responsibility as humans to be creative and our role in society… is to produce something new.” – Anatoly (02:45–03:07)

• On the Value of Healthcare Tech Work:

  “You help people… my dad had an unfortunate, terrible car accident and I spent two months helping nurses using the software that the team I worked with developed. What can be more rewarding?” – Anatoly (06:42–06:53)

• On Clinovera’s Approach:

  “At the end of the day, technology is just a tool. People face with complex business problems. The goal is to use technology to solve these business problems.” – Anatoly (08:26–08:36)

• On AI Transformation:

  “Pretty much 90% or even 100% of what we do now today, one way or another, relates to artificial intelligence.” – Anatoly (11:52–11:58)
  “If you dream it, we can make it. And that's basically the attitude that we have.” – Anatoly (14:02–14:03)

• On Leadership and Expectations:

  “Letting people do their own thing and sometimes letting them fail, understand their challenges and overcome them is the best way for them to become leaders themselves and be independent.” – Anatoly (15:10–15:13)
  “We learned that we have to manage expectations proactively… every week we send the client a status report… and that works really well.” – Anatoly (15:45–17:10)

• On Coaching & Improvement:

  “I want to work with people who want to be better… That's my lesson in pickleball.” – Anatoly (17:55–18:09)
  “I'm not so much concerned about winning… I'm more concerned about improving and doing better.” – Anatoly (19:10–19:34)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Playlists: 00:16–01:47
• Life Mantra & Creativity: 02:40–03:07
• Background & Journey: 03:07–06:54
• Accidental Transition to Healthcare: 04:37–06:54
• Origins of Clinovera: 07:12–08:08
• Team Philosophy: 08:19–10:33
• Major Clients & AI Projects: 10:47–14:03
• Leadership Approach: 14:25–15:13
• Lessons Learned & Managing Expectations: 15:26–17:10
• Pickleball as Leadership Metaphor: 17:16–19:34
• Recharging & Personal Wellness: 19:59–20:53
• Global Perspective & Closing: 21:29–22:01

Final Thoughts

Anatoly Poselnik’s journey underscores the essential role of creativity in both technical and leadership domains within healthcare. The episode delivers actionable insights for anyone interested in healthcare innovation, team building, AI-driven transformation, and personal performance—from banjo playing and bluegrass to business strategy and AI, all tied together by a commitment to continuous self-improvement and genuine impact.

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