Building the Next Generation of MedTech Breakthroughs | A Conversation with CEOs on the Cutting Edge of Medical Devices

Medtech is in a period of extraordinary scientific opportunity, but getting a new technology from idea to patient is becoming harder. Moderated by Brian Johnson, the conversation brought together John Bloom MD, Elazer Edelman MD, PhD, Michelle Fox RN, Paul LaViolette and Nadim Yared to look at the state of medical device innovation from the perspectives of clinicians, company builders, investors and strategic buyers.

The science and technology are moving quickly. Bloom pointed to AI as an opportunity to improve outcomes and create more value from healthcare technology. At the same time, Edelman described a field where the tools and ideas have never been stronger, but investors and customers now demand much more evidence before committing. LaViolette and Yared focused on the financing challenge, particularly the shrinking pool of capital available to early-stage medtech companies that often feed the industry's future pipeline.

Fox brought the conversation closer to how technologies actually reach patients, highlighting reimbursement, market access, point-of-care screening and a broader shift from reactive treatment toward earlier detection. Drawing on her experience evaluating acquisitions, she also stressed that strategic buyers are looking beyond the product itself to a company's culture, people, and ability to adapt as it grows.

One message kept resurfacing: breakthrough technology is not enough on its own. It has to solve a real clinical problem, generate convincing evidence, find a viable path to reimbursement, and fit into healthcare without creating more work for already stretched clinicians. Bloom's experience at Podimetrics captured that last point particularly well. The company's biggest shift came when it stopped asking physicians to do more and redesigned its model to take work off their hands.