AI, Compliance, and the Future of Healthcare with Arvita Tripati

In this episode of Between Product and Partnerships, Cristina Flaschen sits down with Arvita Tripati, a seasoned healthcare product leader and advisor. They explore her unique journey from customer service in medical devices to leading product management in high-stakes, regulated environments.

A Career Built on Curiosity and Empathy

Arvita began career working with cosmetic and reconstructive lip implants. Over time, she explored quality, regulatory, privacy, and security roles, gradually noticing a common thread – a product mindset could improve compliance and user experience. By staying curious and saying “yes” to opportunities, she transitioned into formal product management, bringing an empathetic, human-centered perspective to highly regulated work.

She emphasizes that empathy extends beyond patients. Every role, from HR to IT, has internal and external “customers.” Recognizing that and asking why decisions are made can open doors in unexpected ways.

AI in Healthcare

Early projects relied on rules-based statistical models, like algorithms guiding radiofrequency ablation. Today, AI has become more adaptive, processing complex data in real time.

She stresses that adoption is as much about trust and storytelling as it is about accuracy. Clinicians, patients, and regulators all need different levels of detail. For patients, a clear explanation of outcomes is key. Clinicians want actionable insights they can rely on. Regulators, like the FDA, demand evidence and reproducibility. Building confidence in AI requires tailoring communication to each audience and focusing on transparency.

Navigating Regulation and Market Risk

The discussion highlights the tension between speed and compliance. Some companies launch products without FDA approval to move quickly, but this can backfire, creating reputational risk and undermining trust. Arvita argues that embedding validation, equity, and discovery into every stage of product development ensures both safety and long-term success.

She recalls the FDA’s collaborative approach during the COVID crisis, which allowed her team to bring products to market faster than usual while still meeting rigorous standards. Regulatory bodies, she notes, often want innovators to succeed, they just need assurance that claims are safe and evidence-based.

Lessons from Clip Health During COVID

Joining Clip Health in May 2020, Arvita helped pivot from STI diagnostics to COVID testing. The team faced a critical choice, optimize for speed-to-result or clinician workflow. Speed won out, enabling rapid deployment, but revealed the importance of balancing urgency with discovery.

This experience reinforced two key lessons, 1) speed does not equal success, and 2) embedding continuous discovery into product DNA is essential. Arvita notes that even under extreme pressure, pausing to understand workflow and user needs can determine whether a product thrives.

Advice for Aspiring Product Managers

Arvita offers guidance for those entering product roles, particularly in regulated or technical industries:

• Maintain a beginner’s mindset and stay curious.
• Lead with empathy for both internal and external users.
• Consider equity, inclusivity, and the broader business impact of product decisions.
• Balance speed with thoughtful discovery. Sometimes slowing down enables you to go further, faster.

Cristina adds that effective PMs know when to zoom out and reassess the problem at hand. Good product decisions are defensible, ethical, and grounded in real-world impact.

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