In digital health, engaging with healthcare providers (HCPs) is often one of the most pivotal — and misunderstood — steps. Whether you’re validating a problem, testing a prototype, or preparing for clinical studies, the way you approach HCPs can determine your trajectory. To explore this further, we spoke with Marco Rüedi, a seasoned Innosuisse coach who has guided numerous Future of Health Grant startups through the challenges of healthcare innovation. He shares concrete tips, common pitfalls, and insider strategies for successfully collaborating with healthcare providers at every stage of your journey.

1. Why Engage HCPs at All?

Marco is clear: not every digital health startup needs to engage HCPs — but many do. Especially if your product aims to influence patient care, is destined for a CE-marked pathway, or requires clinical validation, HCPs become critical stakeholders. Even in early ideation, HCPs can help test your assumptions and refine your understanding of the clinical problem.

“Start with a clear understanding of the intended use of your solution,” Marco says. “That will shape how — and how early — you should involve healthcare professionals.”

In fact, he often recommends engaging HCPs before patients: “Patients are harder to reach early on. HCPs — who work with patients daily — are invaluable allies in validating your assumptions.”

2. Timing: When Should Startups Engage HCPs?

According to Marco, the earlier the better — but with the right expectations. Early engagement should focus on validating the problem, not pitching the solution.

He suggests using tools like the GAITS (see also box below) to guide your progression from ideation to validation. In early phases, startups should test their ideas with diverse stakeholder groups (at least five), then scale that feedback toward a broader usability test with 15–20 users.

“Everybody loves a great idea,” Marco notes. “But the real test is whether your MVP actually fits into workflows — and whether people would use it.”

Importantly, Marco cautions against staying too close to home. Engaging your friendly contacts — doctors at your institution, or within your network — can be helpful for early brainstorming. But that’s just the start.

“Testing with friendly doctors down the hall is a good start — but not enough,” he warns. “You need to validate your MVP outside your own network, across language regions and even across borders. Investors want to see that your solution can scale.”

Startups should deliberately seek feedback from HCPs in different regions (e.g., Swiss-German vs. Swiss-French), and ideally from international contacts. This adds credibility and helps derisk assumptions about workflows, reimbursement, and patient journeys in different systems.

Tool Spotlight: GAITS — A Roadmap for Healthcare Innovation

The GAITS (Guidance and Impact Tracking System) framework, helps digital health innovators move from ideation to clinical adoption. Built around the Healthcare Innovation Cycle, GAITS defines 10 maturity levels and focuses on 4 key domains: Clinical, Market/Business, Regulatory/Approvals, and Technology. It offers structure and clarity across the complex landscape of healthcare innovation.

“We use GAITS as a reference to help startups move step by step — it’s a great tool to structure thinking and de-risk assumptions early on.” — Marco

👉 Explore: https://gaits.org/web/-digital-medicine/guidance

3. What Should You Have Ready Before Engaging?

Startups don’t need a full product to begin speaking with HCPs — but they do need a clear, structured problem statement. If you start with your solution, you may lose credibility. Instead:

• Begin with the problem you believe exists.
• Ask the HCP: “Do I understand this correctly?”
• Use their feedback to refine your understanding before moving on to the solution.

Marco emphasizes that clarity and simplicity are key. “The better you describe the problem, the more meaningful the conversation. Then you can ask: is our proposed solution on the right track?”

He also warns about common barriers HCPs will raise:

• “This won’t be reimbursed — who will pay?”
•  “I only see two patients like this per week — is it worth the effort?”
• “How does this fit into my workflow or existing systems?”

4. From Pilot to Proof of Value

There’s often confusion between pilots, usability tests, and clinical studies. Marco breaks it down simply:

• Pilots = usability testing and MVP validation. “Does the interface work? Would people use it?”
• Clinical studies = formal evidence generation, typically after regulatory preparations are complete.
• Proof of value = demonstrating that your solution improves outcomes, reduces costs, or accelerates care.

“Digital health isn’t like drugs,” Marco explains. “You’re not testing a molecule — you’re testing processes, and that’s harder to measure.”

He recommends starting with pilots that validate usability and workflows. Then, once your MVP is mature and your intended use is clear, you can design clinical studies in collaboration with university hospitals — ideally with support from national programs like Innosuisse.

5. How to Find and Approach the Right HCPs

HCPs are not a monolith. Marco advises startups to map the patient journey and identify which stakeholders are truly impacted by their solution. That might not be the doctor — it could be a nurse, a medical assistant, or a practice manager.

To find your first contacts:

• Tap into your personal network and ask for warm introductions.
• Reach out to hospital innovation hubs, which exist in CHUV, HUG, Inselspital, and others.
• Engage with professional societies and their innovation groups.
• Use accelerator networks (like Future of Health Grant) to find entry points.

“Don’t just wait for someone to open the door for you,” Marco says. “Talk about your project everywhere. Push your network.”

6. What Makes a Startup Stand Out?

What catches Marco’s attention?

• Clear understanding of the clinical problem
• Well-framed stakeholder benefits
• Focus on usability and feasibility, not just ambition
• Realism about the regulatory and integration challenges

“You don’t need all the answers,” Marco says, “but you must show you’ve thought about the right questions.”

7. Biggest Mistakes Startups Make

We asked Marco to name the most common pitfall — his answer was quick:

“Talking too much about your solution. You should start by showing you understand the problem.”

Another key mistake: treating HCP engagement like a one-time transaction. “If you want lasting partnerships, you need continuity. Relationships are built over time.”

8. Final Advice: Think Beyond the Pilot

Marco reminds startups that pilots are just the beginning. If your long-term goal is market access or reimbursement, you’ll need to build a clinical development roadmap and possibly a health technology assessment (HTA) strategy to show cost-effectiveness.

Programs like the Future of Health Grant can help startups prepare, test, and de-risk their approach — often leading to Innosuisse funding and international expansion opportunities.