Jun 17, 2019
Health Catalyst Response
7yThank you for this detailed and thoughtful review, and for your kind words. I'm also heartened to read and consider your positive experiences at Health Catalyst, including the culture and people. I feel the same way, and feel a strong desire to work every day to keep improving the team member experience and to reinforce the mission at the center of everything we do.
I also appreciate your feedback regarding how we can improve. I find your two categories of improvement opportunity resonant. We are attempting to build more consistency and discipline into all of our investment decisions, including our R&D investments, as we roll out the "MBA" (Market & Business Assessment) process and use that process to inform our annual budget planning process. We just completed our first mid-year more minor MBA process last week, and I found it incredibly helpful. Part of what it showcased was that our R&D investments have yielded financial returns along a fairly wide spectrum. Some of the lower performance is caused by the relatively new products in their lifecycle, but undoubtedly some will turn out to be highlighting a lack of market traction which needs to be addressed. Decisions in this regard are complex, often with conflicting data points as to whether to continue investing or to reduce or discontinue investment. We will do our best, particularly as we approach the 2020 planning process, to be deeply data-informed as we consider what decisions will be most beneficial to the company and its mission moving forward, importantly including areas where the traction is significant and where we should increase our investment.
Regarding improving the remote team member experience generally, and in meetings specifically, I agree strongly that there is much room for continued improvement, including in how I facilitate our Leadership Team meetings each week. I believe we are improving, as we are consistently using video to enhance the audio experience of our remote colleagues, and which has improved the interactivity as well. We're encouraging the use of video more pervasively in meetings across the company, and our switch to "webinar" format for each all team member meeting (including today's meeting) was a decision to choose a remote team member - friendly format. We'll keep working to improve here!
Finally, I wanted to sincerely thank you for your contributions to our technology effectiveness, as one of our leaders and talented colleagues who has contributed to the company's mission and success for more than three years. I appreciate the work you've contributed to this mission and am grateful to be your colleague. Best, Dan