What if the real innovation in healthcare is simply giving a damn?

By Erik Osland, CEO

Is America’s healthcare system broken? Absolutely.

It’s expensive, dysfunctional, and needlessly complex. But you already knew that.

The cold, hard truth? We live in a first-world nation that doesn’t seem to care about its citizens’ most precious asset: their health.

Hospitals, startups, and community organizations alike are scrambling to reverse the damage. They’re a big reason why the United States is recognized as a world leader in healthcare advancement. Yet, patient outcomes aren’t improving—in fact, Americans experience worse outcomes than other high-income nations.

Our nation’s drive to innovate is virtually unmatched, but somewhere along the way our most innovative minds have lost sight of what truly matters: People.

To be clear, I don’t think there’s ill intent. The problem is so dire that any effort should be applauded. And undoubtedly the industry has enjoyed some progress.

Many leaders chalk it up to innovation. But what does innovation really mean?

Nowadays it’s synonymous with harnessing data, leveraging new technologies, and chasing the latest trends. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—after all, it helps drive our businesses forward.

But what if the real innovation is simply giving a damn about the people we serve?

My late father, Rolf Osland.

For the first half of my career I was part of the healthcare “machine”, working in the medical and equipment device industry.

At the time, innovation meant optimizing products and services to meet KPIs, positively impact people, and meet the objectives of the broader organization. These priorities were, admittedly, sometimes at odds with each other. I suppose that’s business.

Everything changed after my chronically ill father’s experience as a patient in our broken healthcare system. The endless phone calls, frequent communication gaps, lack of coordinated and integrated services, and financial strain of spending over $1,000 per month on medications (even on Medicare) was apparently the best a global healthcare leader had to offer.

That’s not innovation; it’s appalling, heartbreaking, and unfortunately the standard of care for most patients within today’s healthcare system.

It’s not just about patients either; the doctors, nurses, and therapists we rely on to live happy, healthy lives have been forgotten, too. Long hours, lackluster resources, and increasing demand for services have exacerbated burnout, driving many away from the profession when people need them most.

My experience with my father forced me to reconsider my career and what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to be part of building a new healthcare system, one that focused on delivering a positive impact to its key stakeholders: People.

That’s why Steve Biljan and I founded evolvedMD in 2015.

Team evolvedMD onsite at a clinic launch
with one of our partners in 2024.

With disruption as our driving force, evolvedMD has brought affordable, high-quality mental health care to over one million Americans and their families.

We did it by enhancing the Collaborative Care model: embedding mental health therapists onsite and in person at primary care practices. And we’re quite proud of what we’ve accomplished:

• We serve more than 20 primary care systems in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, with more to come.
• We’ve twice been recognized as a “Best Place to Work” for behavioral health professionals.
• Named one of Inc. 5000 fastest-growing healthcare companies.

Our work is innovative for sure, but that’s not the only reason we’re successful. We’re successful because we’ve walked in the shoes of those we serve.

We know what it’s like to feel frustrated, desperate, and hopeless.

We know what it’s like to suffer in silence because we’re afraid to look weak.

We know what it’s like to wait six months to see the first available therapist.

We know what it’s like to struggle balancing affordability and the desire to be happy and healthy.

We know what it’s like to give up on ourselves because our broken system never gave us a fair chance in the first place.

evolvedMD is radically different because we give a damn.

Co-founder Steve Biljan and I at
evolvedMD's official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

To us, innovation is about empathy, connection, and compassion. It’s how we’ve built unwavering trust with our patients, enhanced communication with providers, and achieved improved outcomes over 10x faster than traditional care.

Giving a damn is the reason we’re rapidly expanding nationwide, attracting best-in-class therapists frustrated with the system they know all too well, and helping individuals and their families live their best lives possible.

So, we challenge you:

To care more about the people you serve. To give a damn about those who need you most. Because when empathy, connection, and genuine concern for others drive our businesses, we can fix what’s broken.

One of our Behavioral Health Managers
onsite in the primary care clinic with staff.