About this episode

Ken Nelson discusses the recent surge in cardiac monitoring acquisitions and shares insights from his extensive experience in the field.

In this episode of The Crux of Cardio, Jordan Burgin sits down with Ken Nelson, one of the most experienced commercial leaders in cardiac digital health. Ken helped scale commercial teams at iRhythm, BioTelemetry/CardioNet, and Bardy Diagnostics, three of the defining names in ambulatory cardiac monitoring. He shares the inside story behind the 2020–2021 cardiac monitoring M&A wave, including Philips’ acquisition of BioTelemetry, Hillrom’s acquisition of BardyDx, and Boston Scientific’s acquisition of Preventice. The conversation also covers the Medicare reimbursement shock that nearly derailed the Bardy transaction, the court decision that forced Hillrom to complete the deal, and the personal loss that now shapes Ken’s work as an investor, board member, and mentor across cardiac and EP startups. Key Topics: The 45-day acquisition wave: Philips/BioTelemetry, Boston Scientific/Preventice, and Hillrom/Bardy How a Medicare reimbursement error nearly killed the Bardy acquisition Ken's people-first commercialisation playbook for medtech startups The personal tragedy that made fighting heart disease his life's mission Ken's current thesis at Nelson Jennings Ventures and his…

People in this episode

Host: Jordan Burgin

Guest: Ken Nelson

Topics covered

• cardiac monitoring
• M&A activity
• Medicare reimbursement
• commercialization in medtech
• personal mission in healthcare
• investment in startups

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: iRhythm, BioTelemetry, CardioNet, Bardy Diagnostics, Philips, Hillrom, BardyDx, Boston Scientific, Preventice, Nelson Jennings Ventures

Products: HeartBeam, Echo IQ

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