The Beat

Executive Series: Decoding the Future of Healthcare Investment with Josh Flum

Episode Summary

Investing is both an art and a science, requiring a nuanced blend of strategic thinking and analytical evaluation. In this episode of The Beat's Executive Series recorded at HLTH 2023, Josh Flum, Managing Partner at LRVHealth, shares insights into LRVHealth's unique approach, emphasizing strategic investors as LPs and an integrated model connecting incumbents and innovators. Josh delves into LRVHealth's investor pattern recognition, focusing on durable trends and long-term value creation. He also provides a nuanced perspective on the current healthcare market and touches on the need for fundamental analysis and the enduring impact of shifts like risk-based insurance models. Josh discusses the complexities of the macroeconomic market, which also presents challenges and opportunities for health tech startups. He strongly advocates for the return to fundamentals and the importance of understanding the evolving healthcare landscape. Finally, Josh expresses his opinion around key themes that will shape the industry, including shifts in insurance models, regulatory changes, and the growing influence of consumerism in healthcare. Tune in to gain valuable insights into the art of venture investing in healthcare and discover where real opportunities lie!

Episode Notes

About Josh Flum:

Josh Flum is a Managing Partner at LRVHealth, a company that invests in healthcare ideas. LRVHealth has a skilled team of healthcare experts and partners with others to support new healthcare companies. 

Before LRVHealth, Flum worked for 20 years at CVS Health in different roles. His latest role there was as Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer, where he handled challenges in the changing healthcare world. Flum led significant changes, like combining CVS Health and Aetna and starting CVS Health Ventures, a fund to support new digital health businesses. He played key roles in senior positions, leading growth in CVS Health’s Retail Pharmacy Division through new and smart ideas. 

Flum studied at Tufts University and Yale Law School. He began his career working for a U.S. Court of Appeals judge and then at a law firm. Later, he joined the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on the consumer and retail fields.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Investing is both an art and a science, requiring a nuanced blend of strategic thinking and analytical evaluation.
• Market dynamics resemble a pendulum, with current positioning influenced by past trajectories. Understanding this informs future directions and decision-making.
• The surge in digital health solutions during the COVID crisis highlights the transformative potential of technology in healthcare.
• Amid market challenges, it's crucial to reassess and prioritize the fundamental aspects of healthcare for the coming years.
• There are upcoming changes in how new therapies will be brought to market, commercialized, and integrated into the system for patient access. This includes the exploration of new insurance models to facilitate the payment for these therapies.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Josh Flum on LinkedIn.
• Follow LRVHealth on LinkedIn and visit their website.