The Lab Entrepreneur Podcast – Episode 02
Healthcare needs rebels—people willing to question the status quo, take on giant incumbents, and still deliver compassionate care. In Episode 02 of The Lab Entrepreneur, host Elias Farah sits down with Alex Alvarez, CEO and founder of Helix Diagnostics, to unpack how a boot-strapped lab in Miami grew into a nationwide, high-complexity powerhouse in just five years.
“If you answer the phone and turn results around in 24 hours, you’ve already beaten half the industry.” —Alex Alvarez
Quick Links – Listen or Watch
- 🎧 Apple Podcasts
- ▶️ YouTube video
- 🎵 Spotify
Why You’ll Love This Episode
- Startup to Scale-Up: Alex recounts how he and a friend opened Helix with three instruments, four staffers, and zero outside capital.
- White-Glove Advantage: Learn why customer service and same-day results still crush giant reference labs.
- AI in the Lab: Practical uses of robotics and analytics that shorten turnaround-time without losing the human touch.
- KPIs That Matter: Alex’s daily dashboard for operations, billing, and patient impact.
- Tackling Payer Roadblocks: Strategies for thriving while “out-of-network.”
- Leadership Mindset: Hiring for work ethic, fostering family culture, and staying sane as an entrepreneur.
Meet the Guest
Alex Alvarez is a lab-industry polymath who mastered billing, operations, and regulatory compliance before founding Helix Diagnostics in 2020. Today Helix runs 11 instruments, serves providers coast-to-coast, and turns most critical results around in < 24 hrs. Follow Alex on LinkedIn.
Meet the Host
Elias Farah is CEO & Co-Founder of MEDFAR and the driving force behind The Lab Entrepreneur podcast. Connect on LinkedIn.
Key Quotes
On beating bigger labs:
“Customer service sounds basic, but answering the phone and emailing back in minutes is now rare—and it’s our edge.”
On AI adoption:
“Automation is priceless when it speeds patient care, but ditching the human element is a customer-service death sentence.”
On leadership:
“You can’t coach work ethic—hire character, train skills.”
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