Fractional Operator · Healthcare Technology · AI Implementation

I help healthcare and AI companies build what they can't hire for yet.

Twenty years in healthcare technology — from startup to Director at a $500M global medical device company. Product management across four continents. Fractional operator, AI implementation partner, and advisor to early-stage founders.

Work With Me → Explore Services

Background Meditech · Picis LumiraDx · Roche VYUhealth — Founded & Sold AI Implementation FHIR · HL7 · SaMD Global Product Management

Services

What I Do

Five areas grounded in direct operational experience — not advisory theory.

Fractional COO & Founding Operator

For early-stage companies that need someone to build the operational layer — not advise on it. Governance frameworks, delegation of authority, founding team agreements, first hires, P&L ownership, and the SOPs that make a small team scalable. I've done this from both sides of the table.

AI Strategy & Implementation

Not theoretical. I led LLM fine-tuning and RAG implementation in a regulated medical device environment — 40% contact volume reduction. I founded and built a healthcare AI company. I help you identify where AI creates real leverage, then manage the implementation without guesswork.

HealthTech Product & Operations

Twenty years across six healthcare IT companies. Deep in clinical workflow design, EHR/EMR ecosystems, HIPAA and GDPR compliance, SaMD regulatory positioning, global product management, pilot program design, and implementation program management.

Data Integration & Interoperability

The layer most healthcare modernization projects stall on. FHIR, HL7, IHE, REST APIs, EHR Connect — I've designed and delivered integration solutions that generated $6M+ in recurring revenue. I can define the architecture, evaluate vendors, and own the implementation project end to end.

Startup Advisory

The "what don't I know yet" engagement for first-time founders. Governance, IP protection, cap table mechanics, the hiring sequence that actually works, regulatory positioning before it becomes a crisis, and how to evaluate a build partner. I've been employee #4 at a startup. I've also been the founder.

Who I Work With

Two types of clients.
Different problems, same standard.

I work with a small number of clients at a time. The work is high-touch, not templated.

For Founders

Early-Stage Companies

Pre-seed to Series A companies building in healthcare, AI, or adjacent spaces. Typically strong on vision and product — and in need of someone who's been on both sides of the table to build what you can't hire for yet.

You need operational infrastructure built, not just advised on
You're making decisions without deep knowledge of how healthcare actually works
You want a fractional COO-level partner, not a consultant who hands you a deck
You're working through regulatory, hiring, governance, or AI architecture questions for the first time

For Organizations

Established Healthcare Companies

Regional health systems, medical groups, clinical research organizations, and healthcare IT companies trying to modernize — typically around AI or data integration — without building a full internal team first.

You're evaluating AI but lack someone who understands both clinical workflows and implementation
You have an integration or interoperability problem that keeps stalling
You need a pilot designed and managed, not just scoped on a whiteboard
You need someone who bridges IT and clinical stakeholders without losing either side

How We Work

Three ways to engage.

Every engagement is direct — you work with me, not a team of junior consultants.

Model 01

Fractional Retained

Starting at $8,000/month

An ongoing embedded operator role — typically 10–20 hours per month. You get a COO or CPO-level function without the full-time hire. Best for early-stage companies in an active 6–18 month operating window where the operational load is real but a full-time hire isn't yet justified.

Model 02

Project-Based

$5,000–$20,000+

Defined scope, defined deliverable, defined timeline. Examples: AI implementation roadmap, data integration architecture, pilot program design, governance framework, or founding engineer hiring process. Priced by scope after an initial conversation.

Model 03

Strategic Advisory

Starting at $4,000/month

Light-touch retained engagement for founders who have operational capacity but need senior-level thinking on specific decisions. Monthly retainer, minimal overhead, maximum leverage. Typically a few structured hours per month — calls, async reviews, and decision support.

All engagements begin with a no-cost introductory call. Pricing finalized based on scope and fit.

About

Michael DiFazio

Fractional Operator · Healthcare Technology · Miami Beach, FL

I've spent twenty years at the intersection of healthcare and technology — starting in hospital IT and building toward Director of Implementation and Customer Success at a global medical diagnostics company with $500M in annual revenue. Along the way I built integration partnerships that generated $6M in recurring revenue, led an AI implementation in a regulated clinical environment that cut contact volume by 40%, managed product launches across four continents, and oversaw teams in the US, Europe, India, and Latin America.

In 2025 I stepped out of the corporate track to found VYUhealth, a healthcare data intelligence company. I built it from scratch using AI development tools, signed letters of intent with health systems, and completed an IP assignment in 2026. That experience — blank page to working product to a completed exit — taught me things a career inside large organizations simply can't.

Palm Bay Labs is how I work with a small number of clients at a time: early-stage founders who need an operational partner who's been in the room, and healthcare organizations that need to move faster on AI or data integration than their internal teams can manage alone. The work is specific, direct, and bounded — I'm not running a firm.

20+

Years in Healthcare Technology

$500M

Revenue Scale at LumiraDx

40%

Contact Reduction via AI Implementation

$6M+

Integration Revenue Generated

Continents — Global Team & Product Leadership

40K+

Users on Products I've Led