Manuel Rodríguez, MBA
He builds operations that work without depending on a person. For twenty years he did it in multi-unit networks. Today he does it in hospitals and clinics that want to receive international patients.
Why healthcare, and why this
Manuel Rodríguez founded KURBUO after living firsthand the experience of an international patient in Medellín. He did not study it in a report: he went through it. He saw up close the waits with no explanation, the replies that never come, the quotations that are a loose price and the silence after discharge.
Since then he has devoted himself to a single thing: designing the architecture that allows an institution to receive patients from abroad with order, safety and profitability.
Twenty years solving the same problem in different industries
His work was never about selling more. It was about designing operations capable of sustaining growth without breaking: systems that produce the same result at site number 3 and number 300, with different teams, in different countries and without the founder being present.
Role District manager
Scope First role of his operational career
Role Franchisee
Scope The operation seen from the side of the one who puts up the capital and answers for the result
Role Senior Global Director of Systems and Operational Performance
Scope Seven years designing the operating systems of an international network
Role Vice President of Operations and Training
Scope Launched the Customer Experience Center of Excellence. Operational support, reviews and training for 1,700 points of sale in 60 countries
Role Vice President of Operations
Scope Company-operated operations at national scale
Role Vice President of Operations
Scope Network growth and standardisation
Role Founder and general director
Scope Medical accompaniment platform in Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica
There is one fact in that table that explains why the method works in healthcare. At Focus Brands, the responsibility was not opening points of sale: it was sustaining the quality of 1,700 operations in 60 countries without being able to be at any of them. The only way to do that is with written processes, measured standards and a system that records what happens. It is exactly what a hospital lacks when its international operation depends on a specific person being available.
Education
Executive MBA
Kennesaw State University, Georgia, United States. Summa cum laude.
International speaker
On digital infrastructure and medical tourism.
Author
El Poder de la Inconformidad, 2017. El Arquitecto Empresarial, 30 September 2026.
Founder of KURBUO
KURBUO is a platform that connects patients with verified medical specialists in Latin America, with operations in Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, and accompaniment for the patient throughout their care journey.
The clarification we prefer to make ourselves
El Arquitecto Empresarial and KURBUO are two different things, and we say it out loud because in this sector ambiguity is paid for dearly.
El Arquitecto Empresarial is a consulting firm. Its client is the healthcare institution. It does not receive a commission per patient, it does not operate anyone's database and it does not compete with its clients. KURBUO is a medical accompaniment platform: it works with patients.
Manuel Rodríguez founded both. KURBUO's experience is what allows him to know the international patient's journey from the inside, with real data and not with theory, and that is the raw material of the method. If a conflict of interest were to arise in a project, it is disclosed before signing.
Upcoming appearances
- 17 October 2026SinergiaMontería, Colombia
- 24 October 2026CondontourSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic
- 6 and 7 November 2026Workshop on International Patient Architecture, Founding EditionMontería, Colombia
- 12 November 2026Medical Tech ExpoBarranquilla, Colombia
- 13 November 2026International Patient Architecture, consolidated 4-hour version, within Medical Tech ExpoBarranquilla, Colombia
The Montería workshop has open registration
Limited capacity, with the Founding Edition condition.
See the workshop and reserve a spotAre you organising a healthcare sector event? Write to us at manuel@elarquitectoempresarial.com.
Where to verify all of the above
If your institution wants to build this, the first step is to measure
The International Readiness Assessment evaluates eight dimensions of your operation and delivers a report with score, leaks and an intervention plan in 10 business days. The defence session is directly with Manuel.