Rethinking how healthcare reaches people
For millions of Americans, accessing basic healthcare remains anything but simple. From rural communities without nearby providers to urban neighborhoods facing persistent gaps in care, too many people struggle to get medical attention when and where they need it. What if the solution wasn't building more hospitals or asking patients to travel farther, but fundamentally reimagining where healthcare happens?
That's the idea behind OnMed's CareStation, an innovative 8-by-10-foot healthcare facility that brings comprehensive medical consultations into communities. Equipped with advanced diagnostic technology and connected to real clinicians, the CareStation offers an alternative to traditional healthcare delivery, combining the accessibility of telehealth with the capabilities of an in-person visit.
In this episode, OnMed CEO Karthik Ganesh takes listeners inside the innovation, explaining how the CareStation works, why human connection remains central to its design, and how partnerships with hospitals, nonprofits, and other organizations are expanding access to care. He shares how the model addresses challenges ranging from healthcare workforce shortages to the high cost of building traditional clinics, and why the company is preparing to integrate mental healthcare into its services.
Beyond the technology, Karthik reflects on the personal experiences that have shaped his understanding of purpose, resilience, and leadership. His story offers a powerful reminder that meaningful innovation begins not with what technology can do, but with the human needs it can address.
Listen for Insights On
Why millions of Americans still lack viable access to healthcare
How OnMed's CareStation combines telehealth, diagnostic technology, and real clinicians
Why innovation must address the limitations of traditional healthcare delivery
How the CareStation is bringing healthcare directly into underserved communities
Why human connection remains essential, even in technology-enabled healthcare
How OnMed is working to integrate physical and mental healthcare
The role of hospitals, nonprofits, and cross-sector partnerships in expanding healthcare access
How OnMed's subscription model makes scaling healthcare infrastructure more accessible
What patient engagement and utilization reveal about the CareStation's potential
How purpose has shaped Karthik's approach to leadership
Before You Listen
Q: What is Purpose 360?
A: Purpose 360 is a masterclass in unlocking the potential of purpose to ignite business and social impact. Host Carol Cone illuminates the impacts of purpose, from engaging employees and fostering deeper consumer loyalty to inspiring product innovation and increasing market share.
Q: What is OnMed's CareStation, and how does it work?
A: The CareStation is an 8-by-10-foot, technology-enabled healthcare facility designed to deliver medical care in locations where traditional healthcare may be difficult to access. Patients enter a private, wheelchair-accessible space equipped with technology that can measure vital signs and support diagnostic assessments. They then connect with a real clinician who conducts the consultation, can provide prescriptions, and can coordinate referrals when additional care is needed. The model combines the convenience of virtual healthcare with diagnostic capabilities typically associated with in-person visits.
Q: How is OnMed addressing healthcare access challenges?
A: Rather than requiring patients to travel to existing healthcare facilities, OnMed brings healthcare directly into communities. CareStations can be deployed in rural and underserved urban areas, including locations such as community organizations, shelters, schools, and workplaces. Through partnerships with healthcare systems and other organizations, OnMed can establish a CareStation in approximately six weeks without the significant construction and staffing investments required for traditional clinics.
Q: What makes the CareStation different from traditional telehealth?
A: While telehealth connects patients and clinicians remotely, it often lacks the diagnostic information available during an in-person visit. OnMed addresses this limitation by integrating equipment that measures vital signs and supports remote clinical examinations. Importantly, the technology supports rather than replaces clinicians. Karthik emphasizes that maintaining a real human connection is a fundamental principle behind the CareStation's design.
Q: How does OnMed plan to expand its impact?
A: OnMed is pursuing both geographic expansion and additional clinical capabilities. Through partnerships with healthcare systems, nonprofits, and other organizations, the company is bringing CareStations into more communities. Karthik also discusses plans to introduce mental healthcare within the CareStation, creating opportunities to address physical and mental health needs in a private, integrated setting. He sees this combination of accessibility, technology, and human-centered care as an important step toward OnMed's purpose: “Healthcare everywhere.”
About Karthik Ganesh
Karthik Ganesh is the CEO of OnMed. With a focus on tech-enabled healthcare, Karthik has built and transformed companies, delivered market-leading results, created significant enterprise and investor value, developed high-performing teams, and driven meaningful M&A transactions with strategic investors and private equity. Along the way, Karthik has had the rare privilege of experiencing our healthcare ecosystem from nearly every vantage point: payer (Aetna, Cigna), pharmacy benefits (EmpiRx Health, Express Scripts), provider-sponsored plans and value-based care (QualCare, CareAllies), consulting (EY, Deloitte), and now care delivery with OnMed. Beyond the boardroom, Karthik is a prolific writer and speaker on healthcare, leadership, and resilience, with features in leading industry journals and podcasts. He is also the author of The Happiness Model: A Roadmap to Inner Peace.
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