50: AI Agents vs. The Healthcare Bureaucracy (with Taylor Ahlgren)

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THE GUEST

Taylor Algren is a product leader, founder, and strategist with over a decade of experience tackling real-world challenges at the intersection of tech, health, and global operations. He’s launched scalable platforms, advised early-stage startups, and brings a unique mix of systems thinking and human-centered design to every project. Now building a stealth-mode AI health-tech startup focused on chronic disease care, Taylor is known for his execution, mentorship, and commitment to meaningful, equitable innovation.

THE SUMMARY

Impact starts with lived experience — and this founder proves it. The episode dives into how years navigating the healthcare system as a cardiomyopathy patient revealed just how broken, bureaucratic, and non-human-centric chronic disease care really is. The constant cycle of refills, prior authorisations, pharmacy stock outages, and insurer rules creates a system that pushes patients to give up — at the cost of their long-term health.

AI isn’t a buzzword here — it’s a survival tool: The conversation highlights how agentic AI can step into the administrative chaos patients face: tracking expiring prescriptions, pre-auth deadlines, pharmacy stock issues, and even escalating tasks clinicians don’t have time for. The strong opinion: AI isn’t replacing clinicians — it’s replacing the waste that’s burning them out and harming patients.

Easy Medicine" tackles the most painful, immediate problem: cost: Instead of starting with the flashy stuff, the MVP focuses on something every chronic patient feels — medication prices. By pulling manufacturer coupons, GoodRx prices, and Cost Plus Drugs data, the tool delivers real savings instantly. It’s practical, high-impact, and built entirely using modern AI coding tools, no traditional coding required.

Rapid AI-powered building is the new superpower: The episode pushes a strong stance: don’t start with a course — start by building. A one-hour prototype is now more valuable than weeks of prep. The biggest skill in AI product building isn’t knowing how to code; it’s knowing what’s worth building, validating fast, and iterating with real users. Tools like Lovable, Bubble, Replit, and Figma have lowered the barrier to near-zero.

Purpose drives better products: Taylor’s journey from Botswana to Google to chronic illness to founder underscores a theme: when you’ve lived the problem, you build differently. His story is a reminder that the most meaningful AI solutions don’t start with technology — they start with empathy and frustration with the status quo.

THE SHOW

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

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Taylor Ahlgren

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorahlgren

My links

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠ 

AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠