“Great leaders don’t set out to be leaders; they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role—always about the goal.”
As the quote suggests, leaders are the architects of progress, guiding their organizations with foresight and a commitment to excellence. They possess the unique ability to inspire and mobilize others, transforming challenges into opportunities and creating a lasting impact that transcends industries and generations.
Ryan Vaske, the Founding Partner at Embel Assist, exemplifies this caliber of leadership. His strategic vision and dedication have propelled Embel Assist to new heights, revolutionizing healthcare engagement. With a deep understanding of the industry’s evolving needs and a relentless pursuit of innovation, his leadership has positioned Embel Assist at the forefront of healthcare consulting. His ability to foresee trends and embrace cutting-edge technologies makes him a true inspiration and a driving force in the sector.
Professional Journey
Ryan began his career with Andersen Consulting, which later became Accenture. Placed in the emerging field of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), he discovered his knack for consultancy. In 2000, driven by his ambition and expertise, he founded Embel Assist, a testament to his vision and proficiency in the CRM field.
While CRM was the foundation of his expertise, Vaske’s focus soon expanded to encompass the broader marketing technology landscape. He identified the transformative potential of leveraging technology to enhance consumer engagement, particularly in the healthcare sector. Recognizing the critical role of personalized communication and data-driven insights in this industry.
Healthcare Trends and Digitization
According to Vaske, the healthcare industry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by the continuous integration of advanced data analytics and AI. Central to this evolution is the reliance on robust data integration and enablement platforms, which allow organizations to consolidate disparate data sources and unlock actionable insights.
Advanced analytics and AI are enabling hyper-focused segmentation strategies, which are essential for precision patient and member outreach. These capabilities enable healthcare providers and payers to deliver highly targeted and personalized interactions—improving health outcomes.
Generative AI (GenAI) is emerging as a game-changer in healthcare marketing and outreach strategies, revolutionizing the way content is created and delivered. By leveraging GenAI, organizations can generate highly relevant and personalized content across an omni-channel delivery model, including email, SMS, social media, and in-app messaging. This enables outreach campaigns to resonate more effectively with individuals to drive deeper connections.
This future generation of next-best-action strategies will capitalize on GenAI’s ability to tailor content in real-time—ensuring that every interaction is meaningful and contextually relevant. By aligning dynamic content with individual preferences and current needs, healthcare organizations can achieve unprecedented levels of precision and relevance in their outreach efforts.
Inspiration for Healthcare
The CEO shares that his entrepreneurial spirit drove him to start a consulting service company. From a young age, he knew he wanted to build something of his own rather than be an employee. Today, Embel Assist has become his cornerstone.
Initially, Embel Assist was industry-agnostic and focused broadly on consumer engagement. However, in the past 12 months, the company has pivoted to specialize exclusively in healthcare. This shift reflects the company’s deep integration and success within the industry, allowing them to leverage their expertise fully. Vaske and his team are excited to deepen their impact in healthcare, applying their proven strategies to advance outcomes for the patients.
About Embel Assist
Established in 2000, Embel Assist is a privately-held professional services organization headquartered in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. Since its inception, the company has been deeply embedded in the healthcare industry, partnering with care delivery organizations and health plans to define and implement personalized patient and member engagement strategies.
Consulting Services: Embel Assist offers a use-case centric, value-driven, and results-proven consulting approach, aiming to be a trusted advisor for clients in healthcare.
Value Resourcing: Embel Assist builds delivery teams and provides experienced technology and business professionals for client projects and internal deployments.
Initial Challenges
Ryan reflects on the early days of his entrepreneurial journey, noting that securing the first client was both the most challenging and mentally taxing hurdle he faced. It took nearly two years to convince a company to take a chance on a young, ambitious entrepreneur. During this time, he relied heavily on perseverance and self-belief, a journey that depleted his savings and required financial support from his parents and girlfriend—who would later become his wife. He is proud to share that their belief in him was repaid in full, both financially and through the success of the venture they helped make possible.
Growth Catalyst
During the early days of Embel Assist, Vaske operated as a one-man band, managing every aspect of the business on his own. The turning point came in 2012 when Ryan brought on his business partner, Mike Hamsund. The two had met on a martech project and quickly learned they shared a similar vision. With Mike’s addition, they began thinking beyond sustaining the business and started envisioning its growth. However, a key strategic shift occurred when they decided to stop turning down projects due to being occupied with existing ones. Together, they built their first project team to support an additional client, ensuring the same level of success and quality while staying actively involved.
This decision transformed Embel Assist from a small operation to a growing enterprise. By embracing the potential for expansion and taking on more projects, Ryan and Mike shifted their focus from simply staying busy to scaling the business strategically. This collaborative endeavor and willingness to evolve laid the groundwork for Embel Assist’s growth and broader industry impact.
Secret to Success
Embel Assist’s long-standing success is attributed to what it internally calls the “Embel Way.” This approach ensures transparency, honesty, accountability, and approachability in all dealings with clients and resources. Ryan emphasizes “predictive awareness,” encouraging the team to think two to three steps ahead to mitigate potential problems.
The company’s success lies in its ability to deliver. By breaking down projects into manageable pieces and delivering them iteratively, Embel Assist consistently meets client expectations. Vaske frequently reminds the team, “We are only as good as our last project.” Embel Assist values long-term relationships with clients, partnering closely to ensure continued success.
Elevator Pitch
Embel Assist enables healthcare organizations to strengthen patient connections by unlocking the potential of data and implementing technology solutions that promote active patient engagement in their care journey.
Targeted Healthcare
Embel Assist specializes in driving impactful outcomes within the healthcare sector, working with both health insurance payers and providers. The company prioritizes personalized communication, tailoring interactions to meet the unique needs of patients throughout their healthcare journey.
Services:
Vendor Selection and Strategy Assessment: Helps organizations identify and implement the right technology solutions.
Data Architecture & Enablement: Organizes and integrates data to create comprehensive patient profiles, enabling precise strategies.
Advanced Analytics, Predictive Insights, & AI: Develops predictive models to enhance patient segmentation and determine next-best actions. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architecture, Embel Assist facilitates organization-specific applications of large language models.
Operational Readiness & Excellence: Guides organizations in preparing for and executing effective strategies, ensuring smooth operational transitions.
Technology Implementation: Deploys industry-leading CRM and marketing technology solutions to streamline and enhance the overall process.
Training, Adoption, & Innovation: Provides comprehensive training and support to drive technology adoption and foster a culture of innovation.
Performance Analysis & Measurement: Builds robust reporting ecosystems for operational excellence and actionable performance insights.
The Strategic Focus
Embel Assist’s strategic shift in 2024 to focus exclusively on healthcare leverages its extensive expertise to foster stronger collaboration between payers and providers, enhancing treatment planning and financial adherence. The company’s future roadmap includes a comprehensive go-to-market strategy for healthcare and life sciences, aimed at attracting new clients and expanding its project pipeline.
Looking ahead, the company is embracing advanced technologies, with a particular emphasis on Generative AI. Recognizing the healthcare sector’s traditionally slower adoption of new technologies, Embel Assist is dedicated to staying ahead of the curve—providing cutting-edge solutions that help clients maintain a competitive edge.
Embracing AI for Client Success
Embel Assist views advanced technologies, including AI, as transformative enablers for its clients. The firm introduces disruptive ideas and solutions tailored to healthcare payers, providers, and pharmaceutical organizations, with a focus on improving patient and consumer outcomes. By leveraging data, advanced analytics, and Generative AI, Embel Assist delivers precise segmentation and personalized strategies that elevate the patient experience.
Beyond deploying sophisticated marketing technologies and CRM tools, the company champions value-based care—emphasizing outcomes-driven compensation models. This customer-centric approach ensures that projects are designed to enhance communication, drive better health outcomes, and align with the industry’s shift toward patient-centered care.
Core Leadership Attributes
Ryan identifies several key attributes essential for effective leadership.
Confidence: He emphasizes the importance of demonstrating confidence to inspire trust and excitement among the team. Moreover, belief in the leader translates to belief in the organization—driving collective success.
Decision-Making: Known for his strong decision-making skills, Vaske relies on available information to make informed choices. He views this as a crucial responsibility, especially in complex situations.
Delegation and Enabling: He values delegating tasks to his talented team, which fosters growth and allows the company to expand. He believes in surrounding himself with highly skilled individuals and helping them succeed while maintaining accountability.
Authenticity: He considers authenticity a vital leadership quality. By being genuine and maintaining high integrity, he builds personal connections and earns clients’ trust.
Entrepreneurial Milestones
Ryan’s entrepreneurial journey is marked by several key achievements and aspirations.
Early Instincts: His entrepreneurial spirit emerged early, driving him to seek opportunities to build and lead his own ventures. This foresight influenced his approach to various opportunities throughout his career.
Founding Embel Assist: In 2000, he founded Embel Assist, laying the groundwork for what would become a significant player in the healthcare sector.
Key Partnership: The addition of business partner Mike Hamsund in 2012 was a pivotal moment that continues to shape the company’s trajectory and success.
Growth and Development: Under Ryan’s leadership, Embel Assist has evolved from steady growth to more aggressive expansion over the past five years. The company’s success is attributed to its unique “Embel Way” approach and the dedicated team supporting healthcare clients.
Vaske aspires to leave a legacy of positive impact and meaningful contributions. He aims to build the business in a way that supports both employees and clients—emphasizing ethical practices and successful outcomes. For him, a key aspect of his legacy is the satisfaction of seeing team members advance in their careers, reflecting the success and growth fostered by Embel Assist.
Unique Team Dynamics
Embel Assist’s team stands out for its agility and dedication, managing over 100 client-facing resources nationwide. While not all team members initially had healthcare expertise, they have been actively learning and absorbing knowledge about the industry.
The team’s success stems from a blend of self-motivation and structured support. New hires are selected for the team’s self-drive and ambition, allowing it to independently explore and master healthcare concepts. To make this learning process more seamless, the company partners with experts and provides extensive documentation for the team to study. Moreover, Embel Assist also fosters team alignment and productivity through continuous education, open communication, and collaboration with leadership.
Success Stories
Among several success stories from Embel Assist’s journey, a notable one is their nearly 20-year partnership with a major healthcare client, demonstrating the company’s ability to consistently deliver valuable solutions and uphold high standards in a demanding environment.
At Embel Assist, Vaske emphasizes the importance of focusing on current performance, ensuring that each project is executed with excellence and that the team remains motivated. This commitment to quality is supported by the dedication of Embel Assist’s consultants, who are highly valued and respected. The positive feedback from consultants, who appreciate the supportive and respectful work environment, further underscores the company’s success in building lasting client relationships and delivering exceptional service.
Inspirational Quotes
Ryan finds inspiration in two powerful quotes. The first is, “Don’t let perfection impede progress.” This quote reflects his belief in valuing progress over perfection, emphasizing an agile and iterative approach to work. The second quote, displayed prominently in his exercise room, is by Peyton Manning: “The Most Valuable Player is the one who makes the most players valuable.” This quote resonates with his commitment to fostering a collaborative team environment.
Advice for Entrepreneurs
Ryan shares essential advice for new entrepreneurs. He advises not to let perfection hinder progress, urging entrepreneurs to move forward despite imperfections and learn from each attempt. Taking calculated risks is also crucial, reflecting on a high school poem titled “Risks” that concluded, “Only the person who risks is truly free.”
He also emphasizes the importance of trusting one’s intuition, viewing it as a guiding force in decision-making. Lastly, he advocates for owning failures and learning from them to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
