ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Graham Walker and Joe Habboushe built MDCalc long before “health tech founder” was a career path. What began in 2005 as a simple way to avoid memorising risk scores has grown into one of the most widely used clinical decision tools in medicine, which is now used by 85% of US clinicians.
This conversation explores what it actually takes to build something that lasts in healthcare. They discuss emergency medicine as a breeding ground for founders, the ethics of monetising physician attention, why business models inevitably introduce bias, and how to structure companies so that money doesn’t distort mission. Through the lens of HBO’s The Pitt, they also debate AI in clinical documentation and why the right mantra for healthcare innovation might be: move fast, break nothing.
Key Themes:
- Building MDCalc from a side project to 85% clinician adoption
- Emergency physicians as overrepresented tech founders
- Mission vs monetisation in clinical tools
- “Biased money” and the ethics of physician mindshare
- Advertising, EHR integrations, CME and hybrid business models
- AI documentation risks and medication misattribution
- “Move fast, break nothing” in healthcare
- The duality of clinical practice and entrepreneurship
- How to build something that lasts 20+ years
Links & Resources:
Connect with Graham and Joe:
- Connect with Graham on LinkedIn
- Visit Graham’s website: drgrahamwalker.com
- Connect with Joe on LinkedIn
- Follow MDCalc on LinkedIn
- Check out MDCalc: mdcalc.com
Connect with us:
- Find all things Heidi at heidihealth.com
- Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn
- Connect with Dr Tom Kelly on LinkedIn
- Connect with Christina Farr:
Resources:
- The Pitt (HBO): https://www.hbo.com/the-pitt
