Navigating Early- and Mid-Stage Startups: Clinical Leadership Realities with Dr. Adam Perry
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Patient safety is job one. Everything else is negotiable.
The Early Hires launches with Dr. Adam Perry — a geriatrician and ER physician who has helped build home-based and senior care models across early- and mid-stage healthcare companies. He has served as a Chief Medical Officer and Regional Medical Director, and he is now the founder of Health Span Partners.
In this pilot episode, Dr. Perry breaks down what clinician leaders need to understand on day one: early-stage work is about protecting patient safety while learning how the business stays alive. Mid-stage work is different — more resources, more complexity, and harder decisions about what to standardize, refine, and scale.
You will hear why clinicians must become interpreters between business and clinical teams, how to translate clinical risk into language executives actually act on, and the uncomfortable truth many clinicians miss: you are often the revenue engine — through your work, your NPI, and even your licensure. He also shares what to ask before you sign an offer, how to think about equity, and why “who owns the company” shapes everything.
If you are considering a startup role — or already in the ambiguity of early clinical leadership — this episode is a practical reset on how to lead with clarity, protect patients, and stay aligned with reality.
Welcome to The Early Hires.
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Dr. Perry transitioned from ER physician to startup work after recognizing unmet needs in geriatric emergency care during the pandemic
In early-stage startups, clinician leaders are first and foremost advocates for patient safety — one of the few priorities that rarely requires translation to the business side.
Clinicians leaders in startups must become interpreters between business and clinical teams, which requires learning billing codes and revenue models
The skillset required for early-stage clinical leadership differs significantly from mid to later-stage roles
Understanding whether you are hired as a revenue generator versus a visionary model-builder is critical before accepting a startup role
Dr. Perry recommends getting legal or accounting advice on equity offers because the structures vary dramatically
Researching who owns the company and their track record matters as much as understanding the clinical model
Speaking to business leaders requires translating clinical impact into accessible patient stories and operational realities
Fixed costs in early-stage companies are much higher than most clinicians initially realize
Dr. Perry now runs Health Span Partners, participating in the CMS GUIDE Dementia Care program, as a founder serving homebound older adults with dementia
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
"If you're the only person there that understands the clinical side of things, your first job is to advocate for patient safety. I have found 100% of the time that that language is universally understood." - Dr. Adam Perry
"As long as you say patient safety, people will always listen to you." - Dr. Adam Perry
"The skillset of an early stage clinician and that of a mid to later stage clinician are different. Entrepreneurs have told me, oh, I need an early stage clinician versus I need a later stage clinician because they know the skillset's different." - Dr. Adam Perry
"Unless you're an exceedingly rare clinician, you may need some assistance and some legal advice or accounting advice with regard to what equity actually means." - Dr. Adam Perry
"One of the most important lessons I learned in startups is how valuable it is to have clinical leaders who can name real trade-offs without losing sight of patient care." - Helen Tanner
"You are the revenue generator as a clinician. Anything you frame, whether it's to change your schedule or to make adaptations, the business side is thinking of how you are bringing in money to make the company succeed." - Helen Tanner
"If you're an early hire, an early clinician leader, you're going to certainly be in these business discussions and need to understand how to translate and work in that space." - Helen Tanner
"When you are in the day-to-day as an early leader and you have 20 different hats on, you just forget the basic speak of let's bring it back. Simple number one, patient safety." - Helen Tanner
Mentioned in the episode:
About Dr. Perry
Dr. Adam Perry is a geriatrician and emergency medicine physician with over 20 years of experience building innovative care models for older adults. He has served as Chief Medical Officer and Regional Medical Director for early and mid-stage healthcare startups focused on home-based acute care, hospital at home, and primary care.
A John Hartford Foundation fellow, Dr. Perry helped lead the geriatric emergency department movement nationwide. He is currently founder of Healthspan Partners, participating in the CMS Guide Dementia Care program, delivering home-based care to older adults with dementia across multiple states.
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