Doug Present

Who

• Wharton HCM adjunct faculty — teaching one class per fall for 20 years, extensive 1-on-1 mentoring with first years
• Thomas took his class
• Chairman of 4 PE-backed healthcare services companies (names unknown — he's discreet)
• Runs "Douglas Present Associates" — his advisory/board practice
• Based in Boca Raton, FL
• Email: dpresent@wharton.upenn.edu

Connection to Us

• Advisory / referral source. Not an investor (doesn't do early stage, doesn't invest in what he doesn't understand).
• Well-positioned to refer portfolio companies that need AI consulting help
• Can make introductions to PE firms and healthcare services executives
• 30 years of healthcare services experience — strategic perspective
• Explicitly offered: "If I can help you with introducing you to other people that might be interested in what you're talking about, you know how to get ahold of me."

Background

• 3 years at Deloitte post-MBA
• Started managed care consulting firm in 1993 — grew to 10 people
• Had a physician buying group alongside it ($250-300K/year profit)
• Sold both to the wrong buyer, bundled them when he should have kept them separate
• Buyer crashed, asked Doug to run the turnaround — did it, still didn't get paid well
• "Didn't really start getting paid until 30"
• Eventually built a successful career in PE-backed healthcare services boards

What He Cares About

• Productization vs. consulting: His #1 message to us. He lived the consulting trap and doesn't want us to repeat it.
• Replicability: "What could you say to somebody — how could you get paid for somebody new for the work you're doing today that isn't just an hourly process?"
• Long-term career thinking: Advises everyone to think 10-20 years out, not just current revenue
• Revenue cycle management: Sees this as the highest-impact area for AI in healthcare services
• The Shields model: Embed with one big client, build product, sell to others

His Network (mentioned)

• Ken at Frazier — Doug brought him to guest lecture at Wharton. We've already connected with Ken separately.
• Patrice Wolfe (AGS Health) — Personal friend, CEO who used AI to transform RCM, sold to Blackstone for ~$1.4B. Doug considered her as a Wharton case study.
• Daughter — Works at Accenture healthcare practice in NYC (Chelsea). Just moved onto a major company's AI strategy project. May apply to Wharton HCM fall 2027 (already admitted to Kellogg, holding spot).
• Golf buddy — Chairman of a major healthcare company that just hired Accenture for AI strategy. Doug's daughter is on that project (chairman doesn't know). Playing golf in ~2 weeks.

What He Sees in Boardrooms

Every PE-backed healthcare services board is asking about AI. Most are doing lip service. Frazier and Summit are the exceptions — actually systematic. Most CEOs/CFOs/COOs are "no more sophisticated on this than I am" and are hiring junior people to figure it out.

Interactions