Bardavon set to double (again) in 2021, adding former Cerner executive to surging healthcare startup’s board

Using the momentum from a high-growth 2020, Bardavon Health Innovations announced today an addition to its board of directors that’s more about substance and acceleration than just grabbing headlines and hype, said Matt Condon.

“It was a really natural fit,” said Condon, founder and CEO of Bardavon, detailing the leadership development that sees Zane Burke — former CEO of Livongo Health and former president of Cerner Corporation — joining the healthcare startup’s board amid unprecedented evolution for the Kansas City company.

Zane Burke, Bardavon

“Zane was not only the most compelling person from an optics standpoint, but also from a personal standpoint,” Condon continued. “He knew us, we knew him; we have defined a history where we’ve been able to collaborate.”

The duo has known each other for the past decade, with Condon following Livongo’s growth and Burke following Bardavon’s, he shared. Under Burke’s leadership, Livongo became a subsidiary of Teladoc Health, Inc. in an $18.5 billion merger — one of the largest merger and acquisition transactions in 2020, according to a Bardavon press release. 

“I am eager to join Bardavon’s board of directors and to help in their mission to redefine the industry’s current digital health approach to workers’ compensation,” Burke, an 18-year veteran of Cerner, said in the release. “Matt Condon is a great leader; I have a lot of respect for what he’s built.

“Bardavon’s single-minded focus on functional outcomes for injured workers’ compensation patients is similar to Livongo’s whole-person strategy,” he continued. “This approach, based on clinical therapy data, provides the innovation this market has been lacking. Matt and his team are bringing a highly differentiated experience to workers’ compensation.”

Click here to learn more about Bardavon Health Innovations, which was one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018.

The partnership comes precisely at the right time, Condon said. In early 2020, Bardavon went truly national with more than 13,000 providers in all 50 states, as well as doubled in size — a growth milestone Condon anticipates will repeat in 2021. 

“Zane [Burke’s] drive and intensity for growing companies here in Kansas City and in the Midwest fits exactly where we are at the moment,” Condon said. “… We have 208 associates who we feed off each other’s energy. We built this culture to feed off each other’s intellect and experience. [Burke] multiplies that.”

The importance of growing goes much further than generating revenue, Condon added. 

“We really feel like we have a responsibility to grow because the way Bardavon does business is a more accurate reflection of the way I think healthcare ought to be done,” Condon shared. “Growth is really about having a bigger impact and accelerating the evolution of healthcare.”

Click here to read about the newly announced $41 million fund by one of Bardavon’s early investors, KCRise Fund.

As a pioneer in the healthcare industry, Bardavon is embracing initiatives that have never been done before. Its national network of therapy providers use bNOTES — a proprietary workers’ compensation treatment guidance platform — to gather clinical treatment data. This data enables all stakeholders to achieve better health outcomes for America’s injured workers. 

“We don’t have a company that has come before us to mimic,” Condon said. “We are pioneering a new space in healthcare and so, as a result, we need to be creative and innovative about our goals and plans for the year ahead.”

Not only does Burke’s addition to the board validate Bardavon’s growth, Condon noted, but he also offers intellect and experience to the company’s leadership. 

“He brings this unique wisdom to our team, and our team is comfortable receiving that wisdom and engaging with him,” Condon said. 

Along with Burke being a favorable addition to the Bardavon team, the influence spreads to the entire city, Condon added.  

“It’s a great Kansas City story too,” he shared. “Kansas City is an unbelievable town to grow an unbelievable business that can impact the country and the world. [Burke] coming along is a further manifestation of that fact.”