Passionate Pioneers with Mike Biselli

Helping Independent Practices Compete, Scale, and Win on Their Own Terms with Paul Vigario

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/community-champion/] Episode Overview: Too many independent practices are being sold not because they failed, but because they never had the systems to succeed on their own terms. Paul Vigario is tackling this reality as founder and CEO of SurfCT. For over 25 years, Paul has helped more than 12,000 practices generate over $36 billion in healthcare revenue by combining visionary brand development, intelligent technology, and intentional patient experience design. His work proves that private practices don't need to consolidate to compete. They need the opportunity and guidance to modernize. From transforming a $2 million endodontics office into a $20 million national brand to helping doctors build automated, scalable legacy practices, Paul brings a blueprint for what independent healthcare can become. Join us to discover how SurfCT is redefining what's possible for private practice owners ready to think boldly and build to endure. Let's go! Episode Highlights: * Paul Vigario built SurfCT from a UConn dorm room idea into a firm serving 12,000 practices globally. * Independent practices can scale without selling, as ONE ENDO grew from $2M to $20M without acquisition. * Doctors often operate for insurance companies without realizing it, playing the wrong game entirely. * Removing front desks and automating workflows creates frictionless, high-margin practices that scale beyond the owner. * The future of private practice is polarized: massive success or corporate acquisition, with nothing in between. About our Guest: Paul Vigario is the founder and CEO of SurfCT, a leading authority in healthcare practice strategy, design, and technology for private healthcare practices, known for its integrated approach to improving and modernizing operations. Over the past 25 years, he has helped more than 12,000 practices worldwide generate more than $36 billion in healthcare revenue, redefining how providers automate, scale, and grow. Widely recognized as a visionary leader and pioneer in healthcare innovation, Mr. Vigario has spent his career advancing the integration of technology, brand, and patient experience in modern healthcare through clarity of vision, purposeful design, and systems that create freedom for providers. Links Supporting This Episode: * SurfCT website: CLICK HERE [https://www.surfct.com/] * Paul Vigario LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-vigario1/] * SurfCT LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/company/surfct/] * Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebiselli] * Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE [https://twitter.com/mikebiselli] * Visit our website: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/] * Subscribe to newsletter: CLICK HERE [https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6] * Guest nomination form: CLICK HERE [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform]

Strengthening Inpatient Medicine, One Community at a Time with Dr. John Birkmeyer

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/community-champion/] Episode Overview: Physician shortages, relentless reimbursement cuts, and rising burnout are quietly destabilizing the hospitals that communities depend on most. Dr. John Birkmeyer is confronting these challenges head-on as president of Sound Physicians, a physician-founded organization partnering with more than 400 hospitals across 45 states to deliver high-quality inpatient care. A Harvard Medical School graduate and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Birkmeyer brings decades of health services research alongside executive leadership at Dartmouth Health to bear on the most pressing problems in hospital medicine today. Join us to discover how Dr. Birkmeyer and Sound Physicians are leveraging data-driven performance improvement, physician-led culture, and emerging AI tools to reduce burnout, navigate reimbursement pressures, and build a more sustainable future for inpatient care. Let's go! Episode Highlights: * Dr. Birkmeyer joined Sound Physicians serendipitously, connecting through a headhunter after Dartmouth hospital partnerships fell through. * Sound Physicians serves 400+ hospitals across 45 states, employing roughly 5,000 clinicians in hospital-based specialties. * Medicare physician payment cuts of 7 to 8% follow six years of annual cuts, accelerating consolidation and threatening independent practices. * Physician burnout stems not just from overwork, but from loss of autonomy and control over their daily practice decisions. * AI will reduce documentation burden (25 to 30% of physician time) while hospital-at-home models represent Sound's next major growth frontier. About our Guest: Dr. John Birkmeyer leads the Sound medical group and is responsible for clinical affairs and performance across all specialties. A graduate of Harvard Medical School and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Birkmeyer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Dartmouth Health. He is a nationally recognized health services researcher with expertise in understanding variation in hospital and provider performance, scalable strategies for quality improvement, and value-based reimbursement. Links Supporting This Episode: * Sound Physicians page: CLICK HERE [https://www.soundphysicians.com/] * Dr. John Birkmeyer LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-birkmeyer-md-5413b038/] * Sound Physicians LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sound-physicians/] * Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebiselli] * Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE [https://twitter.com/mikebiselli] * Visit our website: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/] * Subscribe to newsletter: CLICK HERE [https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6] * Guest nomination form: CLICK HERE [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform]

Leading from the Exam Room, Boardroom, and Beyond with Dr. Patrick McGill

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/community-champion/] Episode Overview: Healthcare in America is at a crossroads, where the systems built to heal people must now reimagine what it truly means to care for an aging and increasingly complex population. Dr. Patrick McGill, Network President and CEO of Community Health Network in Indiana, is confronting that challenge head-on. A board-certified family medicine physician with over 20 years of clinical and leadership experience, Dr. McGill has spent 15 years rising through the ranks at CHN, from practicing physician to Chief Analytics Officer to Chief Transformation Officer, and now to the top seat. Join us as Dr. McGill, who is still grounded in the exam room one day a week, shares how CHN is leading on value-based care, direct-to-employer partnerships, and AI-powered innovation to build a national-leading healthcare organization for Indiana and beyond. Let's go! Episode Highlights: * Dr. McGill champions "failing intelligently," learning from mistakes and redirecting rather than fearing failure altogether. * A practicing physician CEO, Dr. McGill says the exam room builds humility and credibility that no boardroom can replicate. * Community Health Network sees new cancer patients within two business days, setting a bold access standard across the entire organization. * Dr. McGill warns that healthcare is unprepared to support an aging population with increasingly disconnected family units. * He calls on the industry to reclaim its narrative, reminding us that healthcare is still, at its core, people caring for people. About our Guest: Jason Smith is CTO of AI & Analytics at Within3, where he leads the team behind the company’s most advanced AI capabilities serving life sciences organizations. Jason is a three-time co-founder who built Cryptocybernetics, GrayArea, and rMark Bio from inception to successful exit. He was later brought in as CEO of xSides to lead its sale. Over his career, his companies have raised more than $100 million in venture and strategic capital. In addition to Within3, Jason is a Venture Fellow at MATTER, Advisor to Capita3, and a recognized thought leader in AI and Healthcare with publications and speaking engagements at HIMSS, Reuters, and leading healthcare and pharmaceutical conferences. Links Supporting This Episode: * Community Health Network Website: CLICK HERE [https://www.ecommunity.com/] * Dr. Patrick McGill LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mcgill-md/] * Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebiselli] * Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE [https://twitter.com/mikebiselli] * Visit our website: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/] * Subscribe to newsletter: CLICK HERE [https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6] * Guest nomination form: CLICK HERE [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform]

Turning Data Into Confident Action: Driving AI-Powered Pharmaceutical Launch Intelligence with Jason Smith

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/community-champion/] Episode Overview: Pharmaceutical launches are among the most complex, high-stakes endeavors in all of healthcare, and the difference between winning and losing often comes down to whether the right intelligence reaches the right people at the right moment. Jason Smith, CTO of AI and Analytics at Within3, has spent his career solving exactly that problem. A three-time co-founder whose companies have raised over $100 million in venture capital, Jason built rMark Bio from scratch before its acquisition by Within3, where his AI platform now powers launch decisions for all of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Join us as Jason discusses how Within3's Launch Intelligence platform unifies field insights, social signals, EHR data, and stakeholder engagement into one integrated layer, empowering pharma teams to move with clarity and confidence. Let's go! Episode Highlights: * Jason sold his house, packed his dog in a U-Haul, and drove from Seattle to Chicago to launch rMark Bio in 2015. * Within3 analyzes over 10 billion data points, filtered into hyper-focused disease community landscapes for pharmaceutical decision-makers. * Life sciences AI differs from general models because context matters: how an MSL communicates is entirely different from a general user's query. * Social listening gives pharma companies real-time aggregate patient and HCP sentiment, replacing slow, one-to-one relationship-based feedback loops. * Jason is an 18-year cancer survivor and American Cancer Society advisor, making him personally invested in faster, better therapeutics for patients. About our Guest: Jason Smith is CTO of AI & Analytics at Within3, where he leads the team behind the company’s most advanced AI capabilities serving life sciences organizations. Jason is a three-time co-founder who built Cryptocybernetics, GrayArea, and rMark Bio from inception to successful exit. He was later brought in as CEO of xSides to lead its sale. Over his career, his companies have raised more than $100 million in venture and strategic capital. In addition to Within3, Jason is a Venture Fellow at MATTER, Advisor to Capita3, and a recognized thought leader in AI and Healthcare with publications and speaking engagements at HIMSS, Reuters, and leading healthcare and pharmaceutical conferences. Links Supporting This Episode: * Within3 Website: CLICK HERE [https://within3.com/] * Jason Smith LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmcsmith/] * Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebiselli] * Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE [https://twitter.com/mikebiselli] * Visit our website: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/] * Subscribe to newsletter: CLICK HERE [https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6] * Guest nomination form: CLICK HERE [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform]

Bridging the Gap for Solo Agers: Delivering Personalized, Connected Home Care with Nicole Brackett

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/community-champion/] Episode Overview: Nearly 24 million Americans over 50 now live alone — and that number is only growing. Our next guest, Nicole Brackett, is on the frontlines of solving this defining challenge as Director of Quality and Care Delivery at Homewatch CareGivers. With over 35 years of experience in long-term and dementia care, a background as a U.S. Army veteran, and nearly 22 years championing person-centered care innovation, Nicole brings a rare depth of expertise and heart to this work. From co-developing certified dementia care training to pioneering caregiver education through a cutting-edge learning management system, Nicole and the Homewatch CareGivers team are redefining what it means to age safely and independently at home. Join us as Nicole unpacks the solo aging crisis, the power of proactive care, and why independence lasts longer when assistance starts early. Let's go! Episode Highlights: * Nicole Brackett brings 35+ years of healthcare experience, military service, and 22 years at HomeWatch Caregivers. * Nearly 24 million Americans over 50 live alone, with 10 million solo agers projected by 2038. * HomeWatch Caregivers offers "total care solutions," including technology integration and newly launched nursing services. * Nicole co-developed a person-centered dementia care program focused on wellbeing, not just managing behaviors. * AI-assisted caregiving and early proactive planning are key to meeting the growing solo aging crisis. About our Guest: Nicole Brackett is a dedicated healthcare professional with over 35 years of experience in long-term and Alzheimer’s/Dementia care. A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, she served eight years with the U.S. Army. Nicole is passionate about mentoring and teaching, having introduced innovative and professionally recognized assessment tools and training programs that enhance care quality and support professional development. As a Certified Eden Educator, Nicole is part of a global movement advocating for person-centered care. She is a Certified Dementia Care Educator and codeveloped Homewatch CareGivers Certified Dementia Care Training and actively contributes to the Dementia Action Alliance Organization, working to improve the lives of those living with dementia. Nicole also holds a certification in Business Acumen, aiding franchise owners and their teams in delivering exceptional care. Nicole’s leadership in bringing the Homewatch CareGivers Academy a professionally developed learning management system to her network has significantly improved caregiver training, resulting in higher quality services and better caregiver retention. Links Supporting This Episode: * Homewatch Caregivers Website: CLICK HERE [https://www.homewatchcaregivers-us.com/] * Homewatch Caregivers LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/company/homewatch-caregivers/] * Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebiselli] * Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE [https://twitter.com/mikebiselli] * Visit our website: CLICK HERE [https://www.passionatepioneers.com/] * Subscribe to newsletter: CLICK HERE [https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6] * Guest nomination form: CLICK HERE [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform]