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Healthcare often reminds people of uncomfortable procedures, bureaucratic red tape, and expensive bills. But for ������ alum Alex Yarijanian, a 2017 graduate of the Master 
of Science in Health Care Administration (MSHCA) program, the subject represents a higher calling. When he applied for the program in 2015, he was driven by a deep desire to use his education for the greater social good. 

“By empowering healthcare industry leaders through targeted, comprehensive curricula,” Yarijanian explained, “we equip them with the tools necessary to build a future with healthy, thriving American communities. This was the premise for my application to the MSHCA program.”

Yarijanian was already experienced as a healthcare administrator when he entered the program. In his job at insurance company Humana, he worked with 14 hospitals, 28 ambulatory care clinics, and over 50 nursing facilities and home health agencies in California and Texas. While overseeing implementation of the Affordable Care Act, he was instilled with a sense of urgency to help solve the country’s ineffective healthcare infrastructure.

“As an administrator, I take the responsibility of ensuring that systems of care serve our patients very seriously,” said Yarijanian. “It is a personal responsibility to make sure my existence has a positive impact on the well-being of vulnerable communities.”

Yarijanian was troubled by the amount of administrative waste stemming from inefficient data processing. Healthcare workers had to manually enter various information from multiple sources, spending hours navigating a labyrinth of interrelated contracts, health plans, and online platforms—just to get patients scheduled for appointments. 

To unify all of these communications, Yarijanian left his job to launch his own start-up, Carenodes. The platform directly connects healthcare providers with patients by automating processes and aggregating multiple reports into a single online console, making healthcare a more efficient experience.

“We're in this together,” said Yarijanian. “Through collaborations and alliances, we can make a meaningful impact in the day-to-day operations of health systems across the country.”