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The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health PodcastAuthor: Massively Better Healthcare
#1 podcast in the Top 100 Health Tech All-time chartsJoin us every Monday for conversations with the biggest names in digital health. Hosted by digital health veterans Halle Tecco, Michael Esquivel, and Steve Kraus.Learn more and submit your ideas for the show at the Heart of Healthcare website. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Health & Fitness, Medicine Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Building the Largest Health Data Ecosystem in the US | Datavant CEO Kyle Armbrester
Episode 215
Sunday, 25 January, 2026
It has been said that we don’t have “big data” in healthcare, but instead a large amount of “small data.”In this episode, Halle speaks with Kyle Armbrester, CEO of Datavant and former CEO of Signify Health (acquired for $8B), about why healthcare data still moves the way it did decades ago and what it will take to modernize it at scale. Kyle reflects on building and leading large health tech companies and explains how fixing data flow could reduce administrative waste, improve security, and make care easier for patients and providers alike.We cover:Why healthcare billing still happens after the fact and how that fuels administrative wasteHow missing data standards led to fax-based workflows and brittle systemsWhy healthcare data is such an attractive target for cyberattacksHow clinical data can be shared digitally without being owned or resoldLeadership lessons from scaling companies through IPOs and acquisitions—About our guest: Kyle Armbrester is Chief Executive Officer of Datavant, a healthcare data platform company with a mission to make the world’s health data secure, accessible, and actionable. Datavant operates the largest and most diverse health data exchange in the U.S., connecting more than 70 percent of the 100 largest health systems, all U.S. payers, and 300 plus real world data partners.Previously, Kyle served as CEO of Signify Health, where he led more than 200 percent revenue growth, took the company public in 2021, and guided its acquisition by CVS Health in 2023 for approximately $8 billion. He later served on the CVS Health executive management team, overseeing healthcare delivery strategy and interoperability.Earlier in his career, Kyle was Chief Product Officer and Head of Corporate Development at athenahealth, where he helped scale revenue from $320 million to $1.2 billion and launched the company’s partnership marketplace. Kyle has served on multiple healthcare boards and holds an MBA and AB from Harvard University.—Chapters:00:01:20 Introduction to Kyle Armbrester and his journey in healthcare00:03:58 The impact of Athena Health on healthcare innovation00:06:20 Datavant: Revolutionizing health data interoperability00:08:15 The role of Datavant in reducing administrative burden00:12:20 Understanding Datavant's value proposition across stakeholders00:14:00 Consumer products and data accessibility at Datavant00:18:25 The scale and impact of Datavant in healthcare00:19:35 Cybersecurity challenges in healthcare data management00:23:57 Bridging the gap in healthcare regulations00:26:13 Unlocking the value of untapped healthcare data00:29:25 Challenges of value-based care models00:33:23 The reality of being a CEO in healthcare00:37:00 Navigating IPOs vs. Acquisitions00:39:44 Innovating healthcare incentives for better outcomes—Pre-order Halle's new book, Massively Better Healthcare.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramYoutube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
