How Personal Tragedy Launched a Relentless Journey to Save Lives with Personalized Healthcare
By Lori Smith, Director of Marketing & Investor Relations at Health Cloud Capital
Editor’s note: Bradley Bostic likes to solve problems, and he’s good at it. So good at it, in fact, that he’s been able to keep solving problems thanks to successes in cofounding companies like Cha Cha, ESG Corp and several venture funds. hc1, his most successful company to-date, is a bioinformatics leader with more than 1,000 health systems and diagnostic laboratory sites that use its cloud-based SaaS platform to deliver personalized care to millions of patients by harnessing advanced machine learning models to produce actionable insights that ensure patients receive the optimal diagnostic testing and medication therapy. The company’s vast data asset spans more than 19 billion diagnostic lab results across 160 million unique patient records. This article takes you behind the scenes to see what fueled Bostic to focus on solutions for the healthcare industry.
The catalyst for Bradley Bostic’s venture into healthcare entrepreneurship was not born out of a mere desire for innovation, but from a deeply personal tragedy that would forever alter his life and career trajectory. The untimely death of his mother due to preventable cancer at the age of 56 ignited within him a fervent resolve to effect meaningful change in the healthcare sector—a realm where inefficiency and impersonality had become all too common.
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In 2000, Bostic’s mother, then 55 and in the prime of her life, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer—and the prognosis was grim. This devastating news shocked Bostic and his family, who were all unprepared for the emotional and logistical challenges they would soon encounter. Its inefficiencies and impersonal nature struck Bostic as they navigated the convoluted pathways of the healthcare system alongside his mother. The system’s focus on reactive treatment rather than proactive prevention and its lack of personalized care became painfully evident.
In the months that followed, Bostic watched helplessly as his mother endured the standard treatments and clinical trials—treatments that adhered to a one-size-fits-all approach yet proved ineffective for her condition. The healthcare system’s failure to offer precision and individualized care was startling. Despite the extensive efforts invested in her treatment, Bostic’s mother succumbed to her illness shortly after her 56th birthday.
The entire experience left Bostic with a profound sense of loss and a burning question: Could a more personalized healthcare approach have rewritten her story and spared countless other families from similar anguish?
The Silver Lining
Amidst adversity, Bostic discovered a silver lining—an opportunity for transformative change. He envisioned a healthcare system that prioritized personalized diagnoses and treatment plans, leveraging data, technology, and advanced data science to ensure patients remained the central focus.
As both a devoted son and an innovator, Bostic set out with a clear mission and a distinct vision: personalizing the healthcare experience and improving patient lives. He was passionate about developing innovative solutions that would prevent others from the difficulties he witnessed firsthand and tackle the pervasive inefficiencies within the healthcare system.
Bostic’s pursuit evolved into something far more significant than entrepreneurial ambition; it became a means to save lives, honor his mother’s memory, and protect other families from the agony of loss. This determination led to the inception of a network of companies, each founded to transform various aspects of the healthcare landscape, collectively contributing to a more patient-centered model of care and each addressing a unique challenge of healthcare delivery:
- hc1: Unlocks the value of vast clinical lab data, providing clinicians with actionable insights, breaking down data silos, and offering a comprehensive view of patient information for personalized care.
- DecisionRx: Streamlines medication management, empowering clinicians with actionable insights to optimize prescriptions in partnership with skilled pharmacists and prevent adverse drug interactions.
- 3Aware: Improves medical device safety, ensuring reliability and efficacy in patient treatments.
- Health Cloud Capital: A private equity firm that invests in high growth health tech data innovations.
Together, these entities form a synergistic ecosystem poised to shift the healthcare paradigm towards being proactive, predictive, and personalized. The strategic integration of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning with proactive patient interventions is delivering substantial improvements in patient outcomes through the power of data analytics.
Healing the Healthcare System
Bostic’s personal story is not just about overcoming adversity; it’s a source of inspiration for health tech entrepreneurs passionate about healing the healthcare system. The breakthroughs emerging from these innovative health tech companies illustrate the effectiveness of digital tools, AI, and data in optimizing healthcare operations and personalizing the patient experience.
Looking to the future, Bostic’s efforts—fueled by his mother’s experience—are challenging the status quo and setting new standards for delivering proactive, preventative, patient-centered care, sparing other families from the kind of loss his family endured. His commitment to a future where technology propels personalized care is showcasing what is possible when a committed entrepreneur persists in his pursuit to transform patient experiences and outcomes.