ANDREW HURD
President and CEO, Epocrates
Epocrates has already staked out a position at the forefront of mobile engagement in healthcare, with a user base that includes nearly half of all US physicians. And while the rest of the industry is struggling to keep pace with Epocrates, Andrew Hurd, the company’s new president and CEO, is looking for ways to make sure they stay on the cutting edge in a challenging technological environment. “As complicated and dysfunctional as it can be, healthcare is something that impacts us all,” he says, “and technology is an essential part of how we can help providers and patients improve the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery-quality care.”
Hurd brings more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare IT field to Epocrates. That has more than readied him to match his new company’s mobile prowess. “Epocrates is a company who introduced a product with real practical application for physicians, and the uptake proved there was an appetite and need for it,” he explains. “You don’t get to this large and loyal of a physician user base by accident; it’s through years of passion, innovation and hard work.”
Before his entry into the healthcare space, Hurd played basketball overseas. He finds that the skills he learned on the court work equally well in his current leadership role. “My first ‘job’ was playing basketball, which was a lot of fun, and provided me with a great foundation in building and leading teams, and with the discipline to build positive growth in those teams every day,” he notes. “From there, I landed a position in healthcare and have developed a genuine passion for the space ever since.”
As for the future, Hurd is optimistic about Epocrates’ growing position in the mobile market. “As the use of mobile applications continues to grow in healthcare, as in all markets, we are incredibly excited about the position we are in to continue to add functionality and capabilities to serve our user base.”
From the May 01, 2012 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
