HealthTech Idaho recently hosted The HealthTech Landscape for Idaho, a dynamic panel discussion exploring how the state’s healthcare and technology leaders are shaping the future of innovation.
Hosted at Kiln coworking space, the panel was moderated by Jenni Gudapati, Co-Founder and CRO of Vynyl Health and the Value-Based Healthcare Program Director at Boise State University. Gudapati opened the conversation with a powerful statement that set the tone:
“We are entering the most exciting time for healthcare technology that we will see in our lifetime.”
Throughout the session, panelists emphasized a shared belief: Idaho’s scale, collaboration, and necessity-driven innovation make it uniquely positioned to lead in transforming healthcare.
Idaho’s Strength? Innovation Through Necessity
Panelists highlighted how Idaho’s geographic and systemic challenges — from rural care gaps to specialty shortages — are actually driving rapid, creative solutions.
- Juliet Charron, Deputy Director over Medicaid and Behavioral Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, described Idaho’s healthcare ecosystem as “nimble,” noting, “We have to move quickly and try new things — and we can.”
- Matt Becker, Vice President of Interoperability at Kno2, emphasized the state’s community mindset: “There’s a banded-togetherness here. We think differently about problems — and we learn from each other.”
- Mike Kennedy, President and CEO of Intermax, highlighted Idaho’s accessibility: “If you have something compelling to say, you can get the right people in the room — fast.”
- Erick Herring, Partner/CTO at Vynyl and Co-Founder/CEO of Vynyl Health, pointed to Idaho’s built-in advantages: “Our rural structure and pragmatism make us one of the few places that can get it right — and serve as a model for others.”
Bridging Gaps, Building Trust
From mobile clinics and broadband partnerships to Idaho’s early leadership in telehealth, the panelists explored how the state is closing gaps in access — particularly in underserved rural communities.
Charron noted that “Every county in Idaho is a designated healthcare shortage area,” underscoring the urgency to act.
The group also explored how to rebuild trust in a system where fewer than 40% of Americans feel confident in their care:
- Erick Herring: “Trust can be crafted. It’s built through interaction, flexibility, and transparency.”
- Matt Becker: “Let’s turn 10 minutes of conversation into 30 minutes of care — not 30 minutes of admin.”
- Juliet Charron: “Let’s make it easy to be a Medicaid provider in Idaho. Simplifying the experience goes a long way.”
What’s Next for Idaho HealthTech?
When asked what bold, Idaho-centric innovations they’d launch with a magic wand, the panelists didn’t hesitate:
- Erick Herring: A universal, easy-to-use health risk score that supports value-based care across systems.
- Mike Kennedy: A renewed push to remove regulatory barriers that hinder innovation.
- Matt Becker: Frictionless data exchange between systems to improve outcomes and reduce administrative burdens.
- Juliet Charron: Expansion of telehealth and remote monitoring for high-risk and underserved populations.
- Jenni Gudapati: A cross-sector healthcare transformation forum where stakeholders — from hospitals to SNFs to home health — can collaborate and co-create solutions.
Idaho Is Ready
As the discussion closed, panelists addressed emerging challenges like the wave of health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans. The consensus: Idaho has the collaborative spirit, supportive infrastructure, and urgency to act — and lead.
As Charron noted, “Idaho may be ‘off the map,’ but that’s exactly why we can move quickly — and show what’s possible.”
The event also featured a spotlight on Donald Young, Founder and CEO of Rattler Medical. Young shared how his background as a combat medic in the Army led him to create Rattler’s groundbreaking medical technology that’s revolutionizing how medics transport and store blood. The innovation has the potential to increase survival rates by up to 60% for those suffering from traumatic injuries, bringing life-saving solutions to the forefront of emergency and battlefield medicine.
At HealthTech Idaho, we’re proud to support the innovators, leaders, and conversations moving our state’s healthcare forward — together. If you’re in it with us, come join us at our next event, Innovating at the Edge: Technology and the Future of Rural Healthcare, on September 16 from 5pm-7pm. RSVP here!
