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This podcast episode of Therapists Unchained, hosted by Sivie Suckerman, features MediSprout founders Dr. Samant Virk and Ben Putland, who discuss their mission to provide an ethical technology alternative for mental health clinicians. Unlike venture-backed platforms that prioritize investor returns, their Electronic Health Record (EHR) system focuses on clinical integrity and data sovereignty. The founders explain how they self-fund their operations to avoid the predatory practices often seen in the industry, such as monetizing patient data or sudden price hikes. To ensure the software serves providers first, they established an independent clinical integrity board with veto power over features affecting patient care. Their long-term strategy includes building a nonprofit management services organization and an independent clearinghouse to protect the autonomy of private practices. Ultimately, the conversation highlights a shift toward transparent, practitioner-led infrastructure designed to reclaim power from large healthcare conglomerates.

MediSprout

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Dr. Samant Virk is Founder & CEO of MediSprout, a company focused on connecting doctors with their patients through innovative technology solutions. He is also a physician having practiced clinical medicine for almost 15 years, with a specialization in Neurology and Interventional Spine. Virk founded MediSprout' to help practitioners better connect with patients using its virtual video product, V2MD. Samant received his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine and lives in Rye, New York.

Ben Putland, Founder, Chief Operating Officer has spent 26 years growing businesses and building digital work that breaks new ground. He's helped global tech and entertainment brands — including Google, Meta, Spotify, Lucasfilm, and Disney — pull off genuine industry firsts. For Google, he led the team behind Google Outside, one of the first campaigns to turn live search data into out-of-home advertising that adapted to your location, the time of day, and what you were likely looking for. For Disney, he helped create the augmented-reality "Shadows" experience, which became the second most-shared ad of 2015 and drew more than 300 million views. Work like this has earned his teams some of the most prestigious awards in advertising. Originally from Cambridge in the UK, Benhas lived in five countries and has called New York home for the past twelve years. His 2019 exit came as COO of Grand Visual and managing director of its ad-tech spin-off QDOT, both acquired by Talon Outdoor that year. Since then he's served as COO of MediSprout, a healthcare innovation company, where he's tackling some of the sector's deepest problems with one goal in mind: making health equity a reality.

This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS