We’re thrilled to welcome Mark Cherney to Seed Healthcare’s Clinical Advisory Board!

A seasoned healthcare executive and investor, Mark has led IPOs, acquisitions, and growth strategies across sectors like urology, cardiology, oncology, pharma distribution, and specialty pharma. He is Chairman & Co-Founder of Prologics Healthcare a management services company with a strong focus on revenue cycle management and operational management of various ancilliary services. He is also Managing Director of The Cherney Group and has advised leading  private equity, venture capital firms and global consulting firms with due diligence.

Previously, he served as Executive Chairman & CEO of U.S. Urology Partners, CEO of Prologics, Inc. (precursor to Prologics Healthcare)and Founder & CEO of Dolphin Medical. His expertise in scaling and investing in healthcare companies aligns perfectly with our mission.

We recently discussed with Mark his thoughts on joining Seed, the PE/VC landscape in healthcare, and what he thinks about the latest healthcare innovations.

Your career spans multiple healthcare sectors, including urology, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, cardiology, and more. What drew you to the healthcare industry, and how have you navigated such a broad range of specialties?

So going back 50 years ago, I wasn’t quite sure what industry to focus on, but I knew that I wanted to be in sales and eventually sales management.  My father was a pharmacist and due to that relationship, he introduced me to the sector and my first job.  I started my career in the pharma distribution sector with a precursor company to McKesson.  The rest is history!

As Chairman and Co-founder of Prologics Healthcare, you’ve been instrumental in driving innovation and growth. Can you share how your leadership has shaped the organization’s vision and impact?

As the founding Chairman, I quickly realized that management services were a necessary component to operating a successful physician practice.  Also creating alignment with physician partners was vital to our growth.  It gave us creditability quickly and enabled us to both raise capital and traction.  After we sold Prologics Inc. to a private equity sponsored strategic, I was afforded the opportunity to repurchase a portion of the business.  Upon completion of that transaction, I formed a new management and leadership team and strategy, while also stepping aside as the operating executive and assumed the role of Chair and Visionary.  11+ years later, the company has made significant progress and is performing nicely.

You’ve led companies to IPOs and strategic sales across start-ups, turnarounds, and growth organizations. What do you believe are the most critical factors for success in these transitions?

The list is quite long and in-depth, but I like to make it simply around focus, a well thought plan, execution, persistence, passion, establishing priorities and perseverance.

Your role as an advisor to private equity, venture capital, and angel investor firms has given you a unique vantage point on healthcare innovation. What trends are you most excited about in the current investment landscape?

It would take too long the list out here, but the low hanging fruit is to focus on reducing operating expenses, improving outcomes, building great teams, taking down any initiative that brings new value, and incorporating the newest technology to support these initiatives.

As Managing Director of The Cherney Group, you focus on advisory services for tech-enabled solutions in AI, remote patient monitoring (RPM), and patient analytics. How do you see these technologies transforming the healthcare landscape, and what excites you most about their potential?

RPM or remote patient monitoring, virtual reality, virtual health, remote/virtual patient interfaces and both qualitative and quantile analytics to monitor progress or failure.

What inspires you most about joining Seed Healthcare as an advisor, and how will your experience with private equity and venture-backed organizations help you drive innovation and impact in healthcare?

Building new businesses is lots of fun, building teams, mentoring/coaching up first-time executives, and creating game changing initiatives brings a lot of satisfaction.  I’ve learned many lessons doing venture and PE, and I hope to share a few pearls and avoid derailment outcomes to gain share, creditability and outcomes at a far greater pace and likelihood.  At this stage of life, creating and building legacy businesses is very important for me personally and professionally.