David W. Johnson

Dave powers 4sight Health with an unflinching determination to create status-quo busting dialogue and action in healthcare reform. His innate desire to bring about change, coupled with his tremendous proficiency across health policy, academic medicine, economics, statistics, behavioral finance, disruptive innovation, organizational change and complexity theory, has led to his recognition as an insightful, incisive globally acknowledged authority on market-driven reform.

Dave is a prolific writer on healthcare’s pro-market transformation. He is the author-in-residence at MATTER, the Chicago-based healthcare incubator, and published the critically acclaimed book Market vs. Medicine: America’s Epic Fight for Better, Affordable Healthcare in 2016. McGraw-Hill published Dave’s book The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Smarter, Kinder, Affordable Care for All in September 2019. As a speaker, Dave plays the role of rebel, challenger, industry historian, investor and company evaluator to push audiences forward. Watch his bio video.

Dave left a 28-year career in investment banking to create 4sight Health. As an investment banker, he managed over $30 billion in healthcare revenue bonds, led significant strategic advisory engagements for health systems. He specialized in capital formation, asset-liability management, enterprise risk analytics and new business-model development. Dave is also currently an investor and/or advisor for several early- or mid-stage healthcare companies including Curate Health, GaussSoft, HealthiPass, Link Capital, Medspeed and MultiScale Health Networks.

Dave holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from Colgate University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University. Dave was drawn to service at a young age as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia, West Africa and a United States Presidential Management Intern.

His civic and professional affiliations have included Harvard Medical School (Visiting Committee); the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (Board, Executive and Finance Committees); the University of Chicago (Harris School of Public Policy’s Visiting Committee, Student Engagement Sub-Committee Chair and the Urban Health Lab); the Health Management Academy; Harvard School of Public Health; CHRISTUS Health (Audit Committee); the British-American Project (U.S. Chair); and Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Center (Finance Committee Chair).

Dave is a consummate thought leader who enjoys reading and writing. He is no health slouch as a vegan who often bikes to meetings, who’s run ten marathons. He also loves traveling.

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System Dynamics
Circumcising Physician Training
The Case For Surgical Mechanics American healthcare reputedly confronts a monumental physician shortage. A highly publicized 2021 report… Read More
By November 7, 2023
Innovation
The Perils and Possibilities of Healthcare Apps
In March of 2022, I coauthored a commentary titled “Healthcare’s Final Frontier: Engaging Customers.” It contained this tongue-in-cheek… Read More
By October 10, 2023
Outcomes
Making “Good Trouble” in Minnesota: Johnson Responds to the Star Tribune
On Oct. 1, 2023, I published a commentary in the “Counterpoint” section of the Star Tribune, Minnesota’s largest… Read More
By October 3, 2023
Economics
Cain Brothers House Calls Podcast: Kickstarting Innovation Part 2
Why Health Systems and PE Need Each Other Once a rarity, today, health systems and private equity are… Read More
By and September 26, 2023
Economics
Cain Bros House Calls Kickstarting Innovation (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of a series by Cain Brothers about the first-ever collaboration conference between health systems… Read More
By and September 26, 2023
Innovation
Passing Thoughts
Kerry Weems: September 8, 1956 – August 31, 2023 Obituary Jimmy Buffet: December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023 Obituary… Read More
By September 7, 2023
Innovation
Diagnostic Determinism: How Precision Diagnostics Will Reinvent Medicine
In the movie “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” the spaceship Enterprise travels back in time to San… Read More
By September 5, 2023
Innovation
Revolutionaries Write for 4sight Health
Healthcare Revolutionaries Share Their POVs 4sight Health contributors have looked at ways healthcare is wrestling with itself, from… Read More
By August 29, 2023
System Dynamics
Cain Brothers House Calls: Kickstarting Innovation Part I
Bringing Health Systems and Private Equity Together for Good   On June 13 and 14, 2023, Cain Brothers… Read More
By , and August 22, 2023
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