Podcast Summary: The Digital Executive

Episode: Breaking Open the Black Box of Healthcare: A Conversation with CEO Mark Newman | Ep 1036
Release Date: March 28, 2025
Host: Coruzant Technologies (A)
Guest: Mark Newman, Co-founder & CEO, Nomi Health (B)

Overview

This episode features Mark Newman, an entrepreneur with a history of building transformative tech solutions—first in AI-powered talent assessment (at HireVue), and now as co-founder and CEO of Nomi Health. The conversation centers on Newman's mission to bring transparency, efficiency, and fairness to America's complex healthcare system. Newman details the core systemic issues plaguing US healthcare, his approach to using technology for real-world solutions, and his optimism about a coming era of meaningful disruption driven by collective will.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From AI Talent Solutions to Healthcare Innovation

(01:14 – 02:46)

• Motivation for the Industry Shift

  • Newman’s work at both HireVue and Nomi Health is rooted in a passion for improving the worker and human experience, especially through HR organizations.
  • At HireVue, he focused on helping people land jobs they never thought possible by seeing them as “stories, ideas and experiences” rather than mere resumes.
  • He transferred this mindset to healthcare by focusing on enabling better work and non-work lives.
  • Quote:

    "Everything I do is about working with business owners and HR leaders to transform the worker experience."
    — Mark Newman (01:56)

• Adoption of Technology Across Industries

  • Newman views the problems of US healthcare as analogous to the talent industry: both can benefit from technology and experiences imported from other sectors.
  • Success at Nomi Health comes from applying proven tech strategies to healthcare’s “sticky, unfixable problems.”
  • Quote:

    “We take something as broken as US Healthcare and make it affordable, make it accessible, make it usable, and it’s adopting so many of the same experiences and technologies from other places...”
    — Mark Newman (02:58)

2. Unpacking Systemic Issues in US Healthcare

(03:21 – 05:58)

• Problems Identified

  • Lack of transparency in healthcare spending and outcomes, described as the “black box” of healthcare.
  • Difficulty and delay in payment for providers, resulting in needlessly complicated revenue cycles.
  • High error and denial rates in billing—processing lags can take from two to nine months; errors and denials are commonplace.

• Nomi Health’s Approach

  • Acts as an “operating system” for self-insured employers, giving them clarity and control over their healthcare spending.
  • Makes data accessible and actionable through analytics platforms.
  • Emphasizes the necessity of real-time, simple payments to providers—mirroring seamless experiences in other industries.
  • Quote:

    “Only in America can a doctor show up to an appointment, give you the care… and they have no idea when they get paid, how they get paid, who they get paid by... If you make it really simple for a doctor to get paid… healthcare costs somewhere between 25, 30 and 50% less than it does today.”
    — Mark Newman (04:29)

• Cost Reduction Focus

  • Nomi Health’s focus is to open up the black box and reduce healthcare costs by 30 to 50% by addressing the root causes of inefficiency.

3. Enabling Transparency and the Role of Technology

(06:38 – 08:12)

• Bringing Visibility to Healthcare Payments

  • Transparency is not just about clinical data (medical records) but also the business processes behind healthcare.
  • Nomi Health’s analytics platform serves over 15 million lives and 1,500 employers, empowering buyers to understand and influence their healthcare expenditures.

• Empowering Employers

  • Newman asserts employers are the true buyers and should have unfettered access to their data to make informed decisions.
  • Nomi is “aggressive” about ensuring employers can leverage their data and drive change at all levels (local to federal).

• Quote:

  “An employer is the true buyer of healthcare here and it is their data and they get to do whatever they want with it… Because unless we solve the black box of healthcare problem at its core, how can we address and solve anything?”
  — Mark Newman (07:23)

• Benchmarking and Open Data

  • The platform enables comparisons and benchmarking, pointing to areas of overpayment or underperformance that can be addressed for value.

4. Trends and Disruptive Innovations in Healthcare’s Future

(08:40 – 10:51)

• Beyond Digital Buzzwords

  • Machine learning, AI, and cloud solutions are valuable, especially for automating “garbage work” like revenue cycle management—but they are not the full solution.
  • Newman calls out the absurdity that a huge industry exists just to figure out healthcare payments.

• The Real Disruption: Public Demand

  • Newman believes the most profound change will stem not from technology, but from a collective “fire” among individuals, patients, families, and HR leaders who demand a fair and efficient healthcare system.
  • He predicts we are at the “cusp” of this disruption, where consumers will no longer accept healthcare’s opacity and inefficiency.

• Notable Moments:

  • Example of persistent outdated practices: A globally-focused tech board member had to use a CD-ROM to transfer MRI data—highlighting lack of interoperability.
  • Nearly 60% of payments are still by paper check in 2025.

• Quote:

  “The most important emerging trend… is the fire, the anger, the… let’s end this nonsense belief that is now coming from individuals, patients, families, business owners, HR leaders, everyone that says… enough’s enough. It’s time to change this industry.”
  — Mark Newman (09:08)

  “No data should be wildly interoperable. It should transfer for you and it should be yours, and it should go with you.”
  — Mark Newman (10:05)

Notable Quotes and Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:56 | Mark Newman | "Everything I do is about working with business owners and HR leaders to transform the worker experience." | | 02:58 | Mark Newman | "We take something as broken as US Healthcare and make it affordable, make it accessible, make it usable, and it’s adopting so many of the same experiences and technologies from other places..." | | 04:29 | Mark Newman | "Only in America can a doctor show up to an appointment, give you the care… and they have no idea when they get paid, how they get paid, who they get paid by... If you make it really simple for a doctor to get paid… healthcare costs somewhere between 25, 30 and 50% less than it does today." | | 07:23 | Mark Newman | "An employer is the true buyer of healthcare here and it is their data and they get to do whatever they want with it… Because unless we solve the black box of healthcare problem at its core, how can we address and solve anything?" | | 09:08 | Mark Newman | "The most important emerging trend… is the fire, the anger, the… let’s end this nonsense belief that is now coming from individuals, patients, families, business owners, HR leaders, everyone that says… enough’s enough. It’s time to change this industry." | | 10:05 | Mark Newman | "No data should be wildly interoperable. It should transfer for you and it should be yours, and it should go with you." |

Key Takeaways

• Major inefficiencies in US healthcare are rooted in a lack of data transparency and convoluted payment processes for providers.
• Nomi Health’s approach is to act as a transparent “operating system” empowering employers and simplifying provider payments.
• Newman sees the emerging trend of consumer/purchaser outrage and activism as the real driver for meaningful, disruptive change in healthcare—not just the adoption of new technology.
• The podcast sheds light on the urgent need for interoperability, digital-first operations, and a focus on stakeholder trust.

Important Timestamps

• 01:14 – Newman's background and HR-driven passion
• 03:21 – Critical systematic issues in US healthcare
• 06:38 – Transparency strategies and tech’s role
• 08:40 – Future trends and the real drivers of industry disruption

This episode of The Digital Executive is an incisive call to action for anyone frustrated by the "black box" of healthcare—highlighting how both technology and public pressure can finally bring long-awaited change.