On Tuesday, the Nashville Health Care Council hosted a member discussion with Saurabh Sinha, founder and CEO of emids. This virtual event was the latest installment of the Council's "Health Care Brass Tacks" series, which invites Council board members and C-suite health care leaders to discuss their perspectives on the coronavirus pandemic and its overall impact on the health care industry.
Sinha spoke with Council President Hayley Hovious about how his company has fared during the pandemic, transformations leading the way for his clients and his outlook for the health care industry in 2021 and beyond.
With a staff of 2,500 located throughout the world, emids provides digital transformation solutions to health care clients in a variety of sectors, including payers, providers, life sciences and technology. Headquartered in Nashville, emids helps bridge critical gaps in providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care with custom application development, data engineering, business intelligence solutions and consulting services.
"In working with clients across the health care spectrum, we have a unique view of the pandemic response," Sinha said. "I'm impressed with the tremendous collaboration that occurred in response to COVID-19, and the positive results that have come out of it such as vaccine development. It has changed our industry forever, because everyone is learning so quickly. I believe we'll all be better companies at the end of it."
For emids specifically, Sinha said that he revised his 2020 plan for his board early on in the pandemic, and though it was a very different year than expected, the company has still grown by double digits. He credits this success to decisive leadership on behalf of his team, high transparency and plenty of communication with employees and clients.
"For 2021, we expect to grow a lot and expand our staff by over 1000 employees," Sinha remarked. "Our clients already had transformation agendas, and in many cases, the pandemic has accelerated their plans."
When asked what specific transformations are top of mind for health care leaders, Sinha identified consumer engagement, seamless integrations and a focus on automation as key priorities for his clients.
Hovious pointed out that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been a major focus for the health care community and the Council in 2020, as the nation grapples with social justice issues. Sinha specifically discussed emids' emphasis on economic diversity within the company.
"We're lucky to have a racially diverse staff, but we see a real opportunity to increase our diversity in the area of economic backgrounds," he said. "We're passionate about how technology can change the world. Many people can learn to work in technology, but for those who are economically disadvantaged, access to technical education is poor. So, we go out of our way to recruit talent into the workforce, give them an opportunity to learn, so they can have opportunities in this field."
Overall, Sinha is bullish about the future. He believes that patients will enjoy better, more convenient care in the future because the pandemic has forced the implementation of virtual technologies and at-home care options. As far as entrepreneurs, he said opportunities are only increasing.
"The pandemic has opened our eyes and awakened us to more possibilities," he said. "Entrepreneurs should carefully study what is happening and look for opportunities to make a difference. Luckily, a lot of these opportunities are not capital intensive, so obstacles are relatively low."
The Council's "Health Care Brass Tacks" series is sponsored by Workday. The Council will continue to offer relevant and timely virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch for more information on upcoming programs at healthcarecouncil.com.