Navigating Innovation and Care: A Candid Conversation
Dharaa Rathi, Strategy & Service Design, New York-Presbyterian Hospital | Former Accenture Consultant
Interview by Ouissam Brahmi
Professional Perspectives | April 2026
Healthcare has always been one of the most resistant industries to disruption — and for good reason. But as artificial intelligence reshapes everything from billing to diagnostics, the question is no longer whether change is coming, but how health systems will meet it. We sat down with Dharaa, a design strategist at New York-Presbyterian, to talk about what it really takes to build in healthcare, where the biggest gaps lie, and what she'd tell any first-time founder walking through the door.
How do you define entrepreneurship in the healthcare context?
I don't think entrepreneurship is necessarily different across industries — but healthcare presents more room for disruption than most. At the same time, what it takes to try something new here is very different, because the stakes are patient lives.
Health systems move deliberately, and there's a reason for that. There are existing protocols, procedures, and yes, bureaucratic roadblocks — but they exist to protect people. Entrepreneurship in healthcare will succeed when it's able to break down those roadblocks where it's appropriate to do so, and simplify the space we work in.
Can you walk us through what that bureaucracy actually looks like in practice?
A clear example is our IT process. Any new tool — literally any new tool in the entire organization — has to be vetted by multiple security and privacy groups. It's more stringent than most industries because we have patient data and clinical technology at stake. You could look at that process and say it takes too long, it's too cumbersome. But there's a reason all these groups get involved.
Even if a tool isn't directly touching patient care — say, it's being used by someone on the finance team — that person is still a doorway to the data and lives of the people in our system. How do we protect that as much as possible? That's where those processes come from.
What do you see as the biggest unmet need in healthcare that an entrepreneur could realistically solve?
There are so many — but if I had to focus, I'd say the front-end patient experience is the biggest gap. It is exceptionally hard for patients to navigate our systems. How do you pay for an appointment? What do you do when you receive test results? How do you get a referral? How do you see a doctor without waiting six to ten months? Those are enormous problems.
More broadly, I'd break it down into three areas: payment, scheduling, and referrals. And layered on top of all of that is health literacy — patients often don't fully understand what a physician tells them. Tools that can simplify next steps, clarify instructions, and serve as a one-stop shop for patients navigating the system? That would be genuinely transformative.
Where does the tension between innovation and patient safety live — and how should founders navigate it?
It's about knowing your audience. Physicians are often the best advocates, but they don't always hold the budget — so you have to be mindful of both.
“If a physician says no, there's essentially no chance a tool moves forward. If a physician says yes, you're already in the best position possible.”
When you get to the administrative side, you need a different version of your narrative — one that speaks to pricing, security, patient experience, and the financial case: cost savings, synergies, return on investment. Most importantly, founders need to understand that they're asking someone to change how they work. The question at the core of your pitch should be: Is this worth the time, energy, and money it takes to make that change? Answer that clearly, and adjust your messaging depending on who's in the room.
What's the one thing you'd tell a first-time founder not to underestimate?
"Everything takes longer than you think it will. And that's okay."
How do you see AI reshaping healthcare delivery over the next five to ten years?
I think it's going to change everything. It will automate processes that currently take forever — billing, for example. It will make things more accurate and more seamless for patients, cutting down on the back-and-forth with providers and payers. And it's going to revolutionize care itself — giving physicians another set of eyes, another source of guidance. We're going to catch more disease than we ever could before, and that means more patients being seen and treated.
But here’s the thing: we also have to think about what that volume looks like on the other side. We’re going to need to use AI not just to treat more patients, but to enable our systems and our staff—nurses, PAs, and support teams—to handle that burden. The real question is how we simplify their processes so they can spend more time at the bedside. That’s both the challenge and the opportunity.
How do you see the relationship between large health systems and healthcare startups evolving?
I definitely think hospitals are becoming more receptive. It's slow-going, but the trajectory is clear. These AI tools are still very new, and as they prove themselves out, I can see health systems looking at them more and more seriously. It's part of my everyday thinking — who can we partner with, how can we leverage what's out there, and how do we ensure that New York-Presbyterian stays at the forefront of not just cutting-edge care, but a genuinely great experience for our patients?
