Digital Health KC debuts Lumi Awards with star-powered roster of tech honorees

Healthcare is a team sport and Kansas City has all the players, said Dick Flanigan, heaping praise on the region’s innovators at the intersection of healthcare and technology.

Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, speaks during the 2024 Digital Health KC Annual Event at The Abbott in Kansas City’s East Crossroads; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

“We have key entries in every sector, allowing us to tap into these companies and individuals to truly form a winning team,” said Flanigan, president of Digital Health KC, which on Thursday announced winners of the Lumi Awards — honors for Kansas City’s true MVPs of outside-the-box thinking and building.

Dedicated to supporting a wide range of companies — from startups to established enterprises — Digital Health KC plays a pivotal role in attracting and nurturing digital health businesses in the region. It celebrated on Thursday its mission to connect ideas, talent, companies, capital, and customers to drive healthcare innovation forward during an all-day summit at The Abbott in the East Crossroads.

Capping the festivities, the Lumi Awards recognized the heroes of digital health in four categories: Digital Pioneer, Impact and Influence, Company Growth, and Corporate Visionary.

David McCallie, Cerner, accepts the Digital Pioneer honor from Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, during the 2024 Lumi Awards presentation; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Digital Pioneer Award

Former Senior Vice President of Cerner, Dr. David McCallie was awarded the inaugural Digital Pioneer Award for his groundbreaking contributions of advancing digital health through technology.

Bharat Sutariya, Oracle Health, speaks during the 2024 Digital Health KC Annual Event at The Abbott in Kansas City’s East Crossroads; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

His work reinvented electronic medical records, particularly in developing Cerner’s Clinical Data Repository and pioneering efforts in making patient systems easier.

A clinical data repository (CDR) is a collection of patient-centric health data usually sourced from multiple-source IT systems and intended to support multiple uses in healthcare. 

“David was always the trendsetter. His thinking is more modern today than most startups are thinking about,” said presenter Bharat Sutariya, who has known McCallie for more than 20 years.

Reflecting on his journey, McCallie noted, “I was prepared to go understand how to build an index. I made some really smart choices along the way, taking advantage of opportunities in this new field of medical informatics.”

Tammy Buckner, WeCodeKC, center, accepts the Impact and Influence honor from Kara Lowe, KC Tech Council, and Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, during the 2024 Lumi Awards presentation; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Impact and Influence Award

Tammy Buckner, the mastermind behind WeCode KC, an organization dedicated to teaching students technology concepts, was honored with the Impact and Influence Award. 

Her work empowers the youth of the urban core in KC, exposing them to various STEM careers and creating a pipeline of future-ready professionals through project-based learning and innovative programs.

“They’re looking at people that they want to be in the future,” said Buckner. “They’re looking at engineers that look like them. They’re looking at designers and game developers that look like them. We’re providing them that space to allow them to belong.”

Her leadership and commitment to community impact have been instrumental in building a successful company that not only excels in the tech world but also uplifts the next generation of entrepreneurs. 

“We get them the opportunity to listen to see what they truly want to do,” she said. “We allow them to fail in a safe space. They have the opportunity to learn or even unlearn something they didn’t like, and imagine themselves in these spaces.”

Sarah Hill, Healium, center, accepts the Company Growth honor from Melissa Vincent, Pipeline, and Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, during the 2024 Lumi Awards presentation; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Company Growth Award

Sarah Hill, Healium, right, embraces Melissa Vincent, Pipeline Entrepreneurs, as the two watch a video highlighting why Hill was named the Company Growth winner during the 2024 Lumi Awards presentation; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Sarah Hill, CEO of Healium, a virtual and augmented reality biofeedback company, was recognized with the Company Growth Award for her remarkable achievements in scaling her company. 

Healium integrates with virtual reality and wearable technology to allow users to see a real time visualization of their biofuel through mediations, creating a powerful tool for self regulation and stress relief.

“It’s the stress Olympics right now, and not everyone is trained for it,” said Hill. “Helium is that drugless tool that allows them to instantly escape that traumatic or scary or painful reality, and also to learn to self regulate, which is really important in learning to downshift your nervous system.”

Under Hill’s leadership, Healium has seen significant year-over-year growth in revenue, employee count, client acquisition, and investment.

Bill Miller, Wellsky, center, accepts the Corporate Visionary honor from Doug Krebs, BERKS Group, and Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, during the 2024 Lumi Awards presentation; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Corporate Visionary Award

Bill Miller, CEO of WellSky, received the Corporate Visionary Award, celebrating his exceptional foresight and strategic thinking. 

Voted one of America’s largest and most innovative healthcare technology companies, WellSky has more than 20,000 clients across the acute and post acute and community care spaces. 

Miller also has overseen the strategic acquisition of 14 companies.

“I love working at WellSky, if people ever ask me about the impact that we’ve made in our community, certainly I can talk about the jobs that we’ve created, but we also know the WellSky Foundation, which is our way of giving back not only in Kansas City, but also country wide,” said Miller. 

WellSky Foundation’s mission is to remove the social barriers to recovery and wellness. Miller’s innovative approach to navigating the ever-evolving digital health industry has inspired his team to make a difference for everyone to be able to receive the care they need.