Dr. Lishan Aklog has led the team at PAVmed and Lucid Diagnostics for several years and joined the most recent podcast episode of Medtech POV to share  insights from his expansive career in medtech. As Chairman and CEO, Aklog oversees the discovery and development of medtech innovations, and used his time on the podcast to discuss the importance of getting life-saving technology to patients.

Refining the Reimbursement Process

In order to make medical technology accessible to physicians and patients, Aklon believes the reimbursement process needs to be reformed. As he noted on Medtech POV: “it can be the difference between getting a life-saving, innovative technology into the hands of physicians, or not.” This is just one of the many obstacles currently facing the industry.

“As an industry we do have an interest in making sure that these innovations are not trapped.” 

––Dr. Lishan Aklog, Chairman and CEO, PAVmed and Lucid Diagnostics

Aklog and Whitaker also talked about the difficulty in transitioning from promising research to actual technology that can help patients. Aklog’s time as Chairman and CEO of PAVmed and Lucid Diagnostics has shown just how critical new advancements in medical technology can be. However, as he put it, “as an industry we do have an interest in making sure that these innovations are not trapped.”  

Creating a More Diverse Industry

As the medical technology field continues to advance, Aklog and Whitaker also underscored the importance of a diverse workforce. Aklog described the beginning of his career as a heart surgeon and the lack of other African Americans in the field. However, he believes progress has been made in medtech when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).

Aklog himself has participated in a variety of efforts to enhance DE&I, including with AdvaMed. As he noted: “Another thing that I found very impressive is the efforts that AdvaMed has taken in this regard. We have a diversity and inclusion subcommittee of the board. We have a team. We have a CEO group. And we’ve made the assessments as to how we’re doing, and we made it clear that we could do better.”

The Importance of Bringing Advancements to Patients

As Aklog noted, while it’s important to open a dialogue, it’s now time for the industry “to translate that into actual results.” These advancements – from reimbursement reform to innovation to DE&I – will all help bring medical technologies to those who need them most.

For Dr. Aklog’s full interview with Whitaker, listen to the latest episode, and learn more about the Medtech POV podcast.