Podcast
Lifers with Christina Farr
Hosted by Christina Farr · EN
Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines.
No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes.
Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Behind Kalshi’s $22B rise: Betting on addiction with Dr. Rian Kabir
1w ago00:19:10Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. Rian Kabir, a psychiatrist and medical AI expert, to discuss the mental health implications of Kalshi's $22 billion valuation. They explore whether prediction markets constitute gambling, the addictive risks of frictionless betting apps, and what Rian is seeing in his own clinical practice. A timely conversation on the societal costs of a rapidly growing industry.—Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:* 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com—LINKS: Chrissy’s Tweet: https://x.com/chrissyfarr/status/2053457349075976665?s=20 Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Rian:https://x.com/RianKMD Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(00:24) Kalshi valuation sparks debate(02:04) Why app gambling hits hard(04:55) Addiction risk factors explained(06:26) Kalshi vs sports betting apps(08:18) Clinical fallout and suicide risk(10:05) Sponsor: Granola(10:44) Age limits and young brains(13:02) Juul parallels and VC ethics(15:17) Regulation incentives and society(17:17) Wrap
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Building Maven Clinic when no one believed with CEO Kate Ryder
2w ago00:49:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Lifers, Maven Clinic founder and CEO Kate Ryder joins host Christina Farr to discuss her journey building the first unicorn in the women's health category. Kate reflects on the "wartime" mentality of the early years, the challenges of scaling to a $500 million company, and the resilience needed to face investors who initially dismissed the space as a "niche" market. They explore the industry’s evolution, from overcoming Silicon Valley “trolls” to leading the transition of digital health from niche point solutions into massive, integrated platforms. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/d2c2adc9-b014-415e-91ab-75716d5784fd-008umkv4 —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:* 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3—SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com —LINKS: Maven Clinic: https://www.mavenclinic.com/ Sachin Jain on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvtakm7NMnI Sean Duffy and Stephanie Davis on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLRmtmcQjP4 Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Kate:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ryder-87474933/ https://x.com/_KateRyder Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:58) Intro(02:09) Founder energy and motivation(02:41) Which growth stage hurts(06:42) Hiring for the stage(10:19) Storytelling as a superpower(17:12) Sponsor: Granola(18:05) Selling change without fear(21:16) ROI and aligned incentives(23:57) What carve outs mean(26:33) Point solutions to platforms(29:23) Women VCs and fundraising bias(36:17) How personal to get(38:47) Consumer health comes back(42:09) Gen Z parenthood and misinformation(47:12) Wrap
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Dr. Oliver Kharraz on the decades-long journey to make scheduling a doctor's appointment easier
3w ago00:51:51Tap to summarizeThis week on Lifers, Christina Farr interviews Dr. Oliver Kharraz, the CEO of Zocdoc. They discuss the complexities of navigating the healthcare industry and the "culture shock" of modernizing medical scheduling. They explore Zocdoc’s evolution from a startup to a major platform, highlighting strategic shifts in their business model and the challenge of balancing growth with regulatory demands. They also discuss the future, examining how Voice AI and LLMs are poised to transform the "front office" and improve patient access to care. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/a4284c84-160f-4a64-8761-dfd8d8680064-008umkv4 —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3—SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com—LINKS: Zocdoc: https://www.zocdoc.com/ The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis - Citrini Research: https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gicChrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books—FOLLOW:Oliver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kharraz/ https://x.com/oliver_kharraz Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview(00:57) Intro(03:08) Healthcare culture shock(05:32) Zocdoc origin story(06:04) Hidden inventory insight(07:13) Early tech reality check(07:33) The Post-it note problem(09:03) New York first strategy(10:51) Why healthcare is harder(12:32) Startup mindset and IPO(15:22) Sponsor: Granola(16:01) Business model overhaul(19:06) Backlash and whale dinners(22:04) Regulatory green light(23:27) Lessons on transparency(25:09) Fair share friction(26:21) Transition pays off(27:43) Growth versus profit(29:18) Shopify for access(30:47) Voice AI front desk(34:27) Competing with startups(37:02) LLMs need transactions(42:16) Reserve capacity reality(44:41) Autonomous care limits(46:24) Optimism on AI jobs(50:22) Wrap
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Dr. Farzad Mostashari, Aledade CEO, on why more doctors are going independent
4w ago00:45:38Tap to summarizeThis week on Lifers, Christina Farr is joined by Farzad Mostashari, CEO of Aledade and former National Coordinator for Health IT, alongside co-host Mike Desjadon, CEO of Anomaly Health. Farzad traces his journey from CDC to spearheading the nationwide rollout of electronic health records. They discuss why value-based care is the only viable path forward, how AI is finally making it possible to deliver population health insights at scale, and what the current administration is getting right (and wrong) on payment reform. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/5a6d9ee2-8592-4471-adec-2d66797d86fd-008umkv4— Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com—LINKS: Syndromic surveillance piece: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/syndromic-surveillance-useful-to-track-pandemics-like-covid-19.html On the ACCESS MODEL: https://secondopinion.media/p/cms-unveils-major-new-outcomes-based-model-for-tech-enabled-care-what-digital-health-leaders-need-to Aledade: https://aledade.com/ Anomaly: https://www.findanomaly.com/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Farzad:https://www.linkedin.com/in/farzad-mostashari-933210 Mike:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-desjadon-4a0a21a/ https://x.com/Mike_Desjadon Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(03:01) Disease hunter origins(04:50) Saving lives at scale(06:54) EHRs and incentives(09:22) Advice for AI builders(10:46) Payment reform bright spots(14:26) Sponsor: Granola(15:20) Deflation and CPT shakeup(17:47) Paying for outcomes(20:26) Aledade and ACCESS model(24:23) AI needs value models(25:58) Electronic health records copilot breakthrough(28:15) Rural care opportunity(30:26) Accountability drives adoption(32:58) Concierge care tradeoffs(34:43) Scaling primary care capacity(35:53) Doctors as entrepreneurs(38:13) Mission and policy moves(41:02) Rapid fire predictions(43:51) Bipartisan VBC
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[Emergency Pod] Peptides - Part 2 with Dr. Jonathan Slotkin of Scrub Capital
Apr 1800:23:31Tap to summarizeIn this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. Jonathan Slotkin (neurosurgeon, CMO, and co-founder of Scrub Capital) for a timely conversation on peptides and what the latest HHS announcements mean for patients and the longevity industry. Jon breaks down his own protocol, makes the case that the longevity conversation has too often left women out, and closes with a watch-out for investors: the potential descheduling of testosterone. —SPONSOR: Granola Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com —LINKS: Scrub Capital: https://scrubcapital.com/ Ashley Winter on Twitter: https://x.com/AshleyGWinter Peptide Reclassification: https://peptide-db.com/guides/fda-peptide-reclassification-2026 Testosterone/TRT expansion: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-step-forward-testosterone-therapy-men Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Jon:https://www.linkedin.com/in/slotkinjr https://x.com/slotkinjr Christina Farr:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(01:08) What are peptides(02:25) Safety and FDA nuance(04:53) Clinician survey tribes(07:15) Jon’s personal protocol(10:03) Women and hormone gaps(14:08) Sponsor: Granola(14:47) Why peptides are everywhere(17:11) Finding the right provider(20:47) Follow John and final nugget(21:49) Testosterone descheduling watch(22:31) Wrap
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[Emergency Pod] Peptides - Part 1 with Sunita Mohanty of Ultralight
Apr 1700:12:46Tap to summarizeChristina Farr sits down with Sunita Mohanty, CEO and Co-founder of Ultralight, an AI-native operating system powering over 75 functional and longevity medicine clinics across the U.S. Sunita breaks down the regulatory whiplash driving a peptide black market, why the evidence base still hasn't caught up with patient demand, and why individual response varies so dramatically. — Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: Granola Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/liferswith code: LIFERS Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com —LINKS: Ultralight: https://www.ultralighthealth.com/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Sunita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunita-mohanty/ https://x.com/sunitasmohanty Christina Farr:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Welcome to Lifers(00:22) Peptides everywhere(01:00) Meet Sunita Mohanty(01:58) Astrology to stacks(02:54) Gray areas and risks(05:16) Clinicians and compounding(06:36) Sponsor break Granola(07:15) Doctors self experimenting(08:35) Why peptides skew male(10:11) Prevention and policy(11:35) Wrap up and next steps
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The case for a virtual-first healthcare system with Dr. Chris Gallagher, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer and Dr. Blake Porter, Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Access TeleCare
Apr 1300:52:04Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. Chris Gallagher (founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Access TeleCare) and Dr. Blake Porter (Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Access TeleCare) to explore the state and future of virtual subspecialty care. The conversation centers on a second wave of telehealth growth, moving beyond the pandemic-era boom into harder-to-reach territory like high-risk pregnancy care, rural ICUs, and other subspecialties where trained clinicians are hard to find and can't simply be manufactured at scale. — Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —Thanks to our sponsor Access TeleCare, the largest provider of acute specialty telemedicine, serving hospitals and health systems across the U.S.—LINKS: Access TeleCare: https://accesstelecare.com/ Second Opinion’s interview with Chris Clomp: https://secondopinion.media/p/the-big-interview-we-sit-down-with-rfk-jr-s-no-2-chris-klomp Charted: Where Inflation Has Hit the Hardest (2000–2025): https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-inflation-hit-the-hardest-by-category-2000-2025/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Chris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgallaghermd/ Blake: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-porter-62b51367 Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Preview(01:02) Intro(03:18) Telehealth growth and market reset(06:08) Virtual specialty care in women's health(08:41) Solving the subspecialist shortage(12:01) What virtual care really means(14:51) Care at home and remote monitoring(17:55) Rural Health Fund and Medicaid cuts(21:39) Reducing hospital transfers with telemedicine(23:49) Change management in healthcare(25:08) Trusting clinical change(26:32) Doctors in business roles(27:36) No margin no mission(31:02) Defining quality and sustainability(32:55) Making healthcare deflationary(38:39) Rural innovation ground zero(42:10) Picking the right vendors(44:25) Founding a virtual ICU(48:15) Selling into health systems(50:50) Wrap
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Anyone can build a clinic now. Should they? | Josh Tauber and Keaton Bedell
Apr 300:14:18Tap to summarizeOn this special mini episode of Lifers, Christina Farr speaks with Josh Tauber, multi-time COO and founder, and Keaton Bedell, co-founder and CEO of Bridge, about a recent New York Times article on Medvi, a cash-pay GLP-1 company valued at $1.8 billion. The conversation covers the infrastructure shifts enabling virtual care companies to launch faster than ever, the legal and regulatory questions still unresolved, and what separates sustainable virtual care businesses from those chasing a short-term opportunity.— Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com—LINKS: NY Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/technology/ai-billion-dollar-company-medvi.html Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW: Keaton:https://www.linkedin.com/in/keatonbedell/ https://x.com/keatonbedell Josh:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuatauber/ Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(01:51) Leveraging turnkey infrastructure to spin up virtual clinics(02:52) Evaluating the lack of traditional software moats in health tech(04:58) Analyzing the legality and ethics of cash-pay medical groups(06:37) Sponsor: Granola(07:16) Analyzing the legality and ethics of cash-pay medical groups(08:02) Improving patient access and agency through direct-to-consumer models(09:50) Building competitive advantages through patient trust and retention(11:40) Bootstrapping virtual care companies without traditional venture capital(13:08) Wrap
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How revenue cycle is evolving from "battle of the bots" to the smash hit application for AI with Terri Meier
Mar 3000:33:43Tap to summarizeFor this week's episode of Lifers, Chrissy recorded live with Terri Meier, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Revenue Cycle at UAMS, at the HFMA Revenue Cycle Conference in Dallas. Together they pull back the curtain on the $300 billion part of healthcare nobody wants to talk about. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/b25d9642-3266-4bd0-bfb8-d119f7c7f8c0-008umkv4 — Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —Thanks to our sponsor Smarter Technologies, a leading AI-powered revenue management platform that combines proprietary clinical agents, human-in-the-loop AI agents, clinical ontology, and global financial and administrative services. The company enables healthcare organizations to automate the entirety of their administrative and financial workflows—helping optimize operational outcomes, reduce costs, and improve patient experiences. For more information, visit www.smartertech.com—LINKS: HFMA: https://www.hfma.org/ HFMA Revenue Cycle Conference 2026: https://www.hfma.org/revenue-cycle/hfma-revenue-cycle-conference-tackles-issues-big-and-small/ Second Opinion Rev Cycle piece: https://secondopinion.media/p/why-revenue-cycle-is-the-first-smash-hit-application-for-ai Smarter Technologies: https://www.smartertech.com/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Terri:https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-meier-chfp-crcr-lssgb-07a7a8a/ Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview(01:03) Intro(02:17) Terri Meier and her 43-year career(04:13) Shifting focus back to the patient financial experience(07:15) Integrating revenue cycle into C-suite strategic dialogues(08:27) Navigating the battle of the bots in claims denials(12:28) Moving from manual tasks to AI orchestration and strategy(14:57) Creating new job descriptions for the innovative biller(16:59) Evaluating vendor signals and performance-based business models(19:03) Addressing financial headwinds in rural and safety net hospitals(21:59) Transforming the registration team into proactive pre-billers(23:57) The transparency gap in payer adjudication and revenue leakage(25:27) Navigating the rise of healthcare consumerism and patient liability(28:55) Closing the collection gap and verifying actual vendor ROI(32:15) Wrap
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Is healthcare safe from the SaaS bloodbath? with Omada CEO Sean Duffy and Stephanie Davis
Mar 2400:36:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr joins Omada Health CEO Sean Duffy and healthcare industry analyst Stephanie Davis to discuss whether digital health is a resilient "safe haven" or a casualty in the current public market software "blood bath". They explore how healthcare differs from traditional SaaS because it relies on "between-visit" provider care, physical touch, and rigorous regulatory compliance rather than just "vibe-coded" software, analyze recent M&A activity, such as UHS acquiring Talkspace, and discuss how AI might shift the industry toward a "creator" model while maintaining the essential "human-in-the-loop" for patient accountability. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/ed07ad4e-18c1-4f8c-a8c9-9e3a17cc68c3-008umkv4 — Join Christina for an upcoming webinar: * 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com —LINKS:The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis - Citrini Research: https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gicChamath Article: https://x.com/chamath/status/2033385903520129161Chrissy Farr’s Website: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books Lifers with Christina Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr —FOLLOW:Sean:https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpduffy/https://x.com/seanduffyStephanie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephjdavis/Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/https://x.com/chrissyfarr—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview(00:24) Intro(00:47) Analyzing the SaaS market bloodbath and healthcare's unique position(02:09) Omada Health's evolution from vendor to regulated care provider(04:21) Challenging the pandemic-era trend of valuing services like software(06:09) Evaluating end-market resilience for doctors versus white-collar workers(08:17) Shifting revenue models from seat licenses to value-based outcomes(11:12) Navigating the psychological shift from growth multiples to cash flow(13:51) Perception versus reality in a nascent and misunderstood industry(15:52) Bridging the gap between technology and healthcare venture capital(18:07) Sponsor: Granola(18:46) The Talkspace acquisition as a bellwether for incumbent interest(21:42) Managing clinical and regulatory governance in the age of AI(25:02) Using LLMs to navigate complex employer benefit ecosystems(28:35) Balancing the science of models with the art of medicine(29:44) Future-proofing careers by leveraging AI tools for creative creation(34:45) Wrap
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