Vital Signs: Recent Episodes
Jacob Effron
On Vital Signs, Jacob Effron, an investor at Redpoint, digs into cutting-edge trends in healthtech and the people shaping them. Every two weeks he’ll explore a new sub-sector and trend with policy leaders, startup founders and industry executives. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss any of it!
Aidan Dewar, co-founder/CEO of Nourish, walks through how the dietitian-led metabolic care company has evolved from a pure lifestyle-change complement to GLP-1s into a full prescribing platform, and why timing that shift right took four years of deliberate positioning. The conversation covers Nourish's differentiation thesis (scale, product, distribution, and above all execution), how the company built its AI stack from administrative automation to a full patient-facing AI health assistant and provider copilot, and Aidan's view on where AI does and doesn't replace clinicians. It closes with reflections on policy (incentive design, food-as-medicine momentum, MAHA), hiring in the AI era, and candid founder lessons.
(0:00) Intro
(0:42) Nourish Today Explained
(2:12) Big Vision and Root Problems
(3:31) GLP-1 Prescribing Strategy
(5:47) How Nourish Wins
(9:11) Reimagining Virtual Primary Care
(10:56) Building In-House vs Partnering
(12:18) AI for Providers and Patients
(15:36) Meal Logging and Model Limits
(16:30) Future of AI-Led Care
(20:05) Food Partnerships and Coverage
(22:44) Policy Momentum and MAHA
(24:06) Dietitian Supply and Training
(25:54) Running a Company with AI
(28:07) Hiring for AI Proficiency
(29:49) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Chris Altchek, founder and CEO of Cadence, joins Nikhil and Jacob to discuss how AI is changing the way chronic disease gets managed at scale. Cadence treats 100,000 patients a day across major health systems and has published some of the largest cost and outcomes studies in the space, including a nearly 17,000-patient analysis in Mayo Clinic Proceedings and a 24,000-patient study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The conversation covers the three phases remote patient monitoring has gone through since before COVID, why hospital-at-home has struggled to scale despite strong clinical outcomes, and how AI voice agents cut Cadence's average alert response time from 1.8 hours to 3.5 minutes. Chris also explains Cadence's "proactive titration agent" for adjusting medications in real time, an unexpected discovery that their monitoring system catches early signs of sepsis, and why he believes digital health companies have a responsibility to engage with new CMS payment models like ACCESS, even when the economics aren't ideal on day one. They close on how Cadence is rethinking hiring and internal workflows as AI changes what the job requires.
(0:00) Intro
(1:22) Remote Monitoring Three Phases
(3:44) Why Hospital at Home Stalled
(6:06) Cadence Vision and Scale
(8:50) GenAI Boosts the Product
(13:45) Where AI Still Breaks
(18:30) Building Proactive Workflows
(22:50) Outcomes and Surprising Savings
(25:07) Access Program and Payment Model
(30:10) Engaging Seniors at Scale
(34:42) Wearables FDA and Device Costs
(37:59) Running a Company with AI
(41:15) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Nick Reber, CEO and founder of Garner Health, joins Jacob and Nikhil to walk through what is arguably one of the most structurally underrated problems in American healthcare: that the single biggest driver of cost and quality variation isn't which hospital system you use or whether your plan is value-based — it's which individual doctor you see. Nick traces the intellectual journey from his time at Oscar Health, where he first encountered 4x variation in complication rates across physicians at the same brand-name institutions, to building Garner's core infrastructure: a dataset of 320 million patients used to score every doctor in the country on quality-adjusted outcomes, layered on top of existing employer health plans with financial incentives to steer patients toward top performers. The episode drops alongside the announcement of Garner's Series E with Index Ventures, valuing the company at approximately $2.7 billion. The conversation covers the technical depth required to actually measure physician quality fairly (and why existing methodologies are fundamentally flawed), why value-based care has largely failed and what actually moves patient behavior, how AI will reshape the front door of healthcare, what it will take for AI health companies to build durable businesses beyond 2030, and why the solution to the US healthcare cost crisis may be as simple — and as politically hard — as treating it like a corporate expense policy.
(0:00) Intro
(0:30) Garner's Origin Story
(2:05) Doctor Choice Is the Biggest Lever
(3:45) How Garner Works
(5:43) Why Old Scoring Methods Failed
(7:39) The Knee Pain Problem
(11:58) Consumer UX, Incentives, and AI
(33:44) How Much Spend Can AI Actually Touch?
(36:00) Why Doctor Choice Needs Plan Integration
(39:18) Build vs. Buy: Garner's AI Philosophy
(41:38) The Unified Data Flywheel
(43:01) What Actually Predicts Doctor Quality?
(46:28) Enabling Independent Providers
(51:37) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
A couple weeks ago, Michał Nedoszytko placed third globally at Anthropic's hackathon out of 13,000 participants. He was the head of cardiology at a hospital in Brussels at the time. Now he is Clinical Scientist at Abridge. On this episode of Vital Signs, Nikhil and I sat down with Abridge's CEO Shiv Rao and Michal to chat about how the hire came together, what changed with Opus 4.6 that let a cardiologist ship a working MVP in 40 minutes, and where they both think clinical AI goes next.
(0:00) Intro
(0:19) Hackathon Fame
(3:52) Shiv Recruits Mahal
(6:30) Doctors Who Code
(9:07) Prototypes vs Production
(10:26) Regulation and Partnerships
(13:00) Customization vs Reliability
(15:59) AI Native Company Ops
(19:29) Healthcare in 10 Years
(21:08) Admin vs Clinical AI
(24:47) Payers and Prior Auth
(29:48) Training Doctors for AI
(35:19) Context, Autonomy, and Demand
(40:40) Pre-visit Workflows and Triage
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Pete Shalek, founder of Valerie Health, is a multi-time healthcare entrepreneur who previously founded Joyable in 2013 (one of the earliest digital mental health platforms) and served as Chief Product Officer at AbleTo and Stellar Health. Pete discusses why AI in healthcare needs to move beyond selling software tools to actually doing the work for providers. He shares hard-won lessons from a decade in digital health, including why the shift to quality-based care in behavioral health has been surprisingly slow and why Joyable's therapist-free model was ahead of its time relative to payment models. The conversation covers Valerie's approach of building an AI front office that handles referrals, scheduling, and intake for independent medical practices without requiring them to learn new software, achieving 3-4 week implementations and 5-7% conversion lifts. Pete explains the technical challenges of structuring unstructured healthcare data with 100% accuracy, the strategic choice to own operations end-to-end rather than just provide tools, why referrals are the perfect wedge product as the most upstream data point, and his evolving views on how quickly AI will impact the gray area between administrative and clinical work. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of meeting healthcare where it is (turning faxes into structured data rather than trying to force system-wide transformation) and building for today's payment models while working toward a bigger vision.
(0:00) Intro
(0:52) Pete's Journey in Digital Health
(1:45) Challenges in Behavioral Health
(3:38) Valerie Health: An AI Front Office
(4:47) Valerie's Unique Approach to Software
(6:16) Customer-Centric Solutions
(8:38) Data and AI in Healthcare
(10:19) Building a Successful Health Tech Company
(13:19) Future of AI in Healthcare
(16:16) Operational Challenges and Solutions
(28:57) Pricing and Value Delivery
(30:12) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
This episode announces the launch of CMS's ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions) model - a groundbreaking payment innovation that enables technology-enabled care organizations to treat Medicare fee-for-service patients with chronic conditions through outcome-aligned payments rather than traditional fee-for-service. Abe Sutton (Director of CMMI) and Jacob Shiff (Chief AI & Technology Officer at CMMI) explain how the model addresses a fundamental gap in healthcare: while commercial and Medicare Advantage patients have access to digital therapeutics and technology-enabled chronic disease management, original Medicare beneficiaries have been left behind. ACCESS changes this by paying providers monthly fees for managing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, behavioral health issues, and musculoskeletal pain - but only when patients achieve measurable clinical improvements. The model is designed to be deflationary rather than inflationary, encourages innovation by simplifying go-to-market for digital health startups, integrates with existing risk-bearing models like ACOs, and represents a broader CMMI strategy to shift from activity-based to outcome-based payments while leveraging new AI capabilities to democratize high-quality care.
(0:00) Intro
(0:57) The ACCESS Model: Advancing Chronic Care
(4:35) Outcome-Aligned Payments and Technology
(7:40) Encouraging Innovation and Investment
(09:23) Practical Implementation and Examples
(24:28) Evaluating Success and Future Goals
(26:18) Connecting the Dots: Broader CMMI Initiatives
(28:40) Generous and Its Impact on Drug Pricing
(30:11) Challenges and Benefits of Prior Authorization
(35:19) The Role of Technology in Healthcare
(37:59) AI and Technology-Enabled Care
(40:26) Reflections on Value-Based Care Models
(43:51) Encouraging Competition in the Healthcare Market
(48:24) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
The episode explores how Warner Thomas is transforming Sutter Health into a digitally-enabled, ambulatory-focused health system that can navigate major industry headwinds through growth rather than contraction. Thomas discusses Sutter's aggressive expansion of its physician network and ambulatory footprint, the system's push to dramatically improve consumer experience through technologies like online booking and ambient AI documentation, and their strategic pivot toward value-based care models as Medicare payment pressures intensify. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes that successful health systems must embrace AI and digital tools not as futuristic concepts but as immediate operational necessities, while maintaining focus on integrated care delivery that keeps patients at the center—a philosophy shaped by his experience building integrated systems at Ochsner and now applied to reimagining Sutter's historically hospital-centric culture into one that blends physical and digital care delivery across the full continuum.
(0:00) Intro
(1:01) Overview of Sutter Health
(1:56) Comparing Sutter Health and Ochsner
(4:08) Key Focus Areas for Sutter Health
(6:49) Consumer Experience and Technology Integration
(10:56) The Role of AI in Healthcare
(18:03) Advice for Startups in Health Tech
(21:19) Navigating Financial Challenges in Healthcare
(24:23) Healthcare Policy and Advocacy
(25:59) Competition and Differentiation in Healthcare
(29:58) Value-Based Care and Medicare
(34:03) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
This episode features Viren Shetty, Vice Chairman of Narayana Health, discussing how his father founded a cardiac surgery hospital in India 25 years ago that revolutionized healthcare delivery by applying manufacturing efficiency principles to drastically reduce costs while maintaining quality. The conversation explores how Narayana Health scaled from one cardiac center to 19 multi-specialty hospitals across India and one in the Cayman Islands by implementing supply chain optimization, standardization of care, physician specialization, and high-volume operations—enabling them to perform cardiac surgeries at a fraction of Western costs. Shetty discusses the challenges and opportunities of operating in India's largely out-of-pocket healthcare market, the hospital's expansion into insurance and primary care to become a fully integrated provider, their measured approach to AI adoption, and why their high-volume, efficiency-driven model wouldn't directly translate to the US healthcare system despite offering valuable lessons in operational excellence and cost reduction.
(0:00) Intro
(1:20) Founding and Growth of Narayana Health
(2:48) Cost Reduction Strategies in Indian Healthcare
(6:04) Challenges and Cultural Shifts in Standardization
(8:16) Scaling and Expansion Bottlenecks
(14:10) Impact of COVID-19 on Narayana Health
(19:15) Medical Tourism and the Cayman Islands
(23:03) High Patient Volume in Indian Hospitals
(24:29) Exploring Healthcare Ecosystems
(25:25) Automating Healthcare Administration
(26:39) Challenges in US Healthcare
(28:18) Innovative Healthcare Models
(30:28) AI in Medicine
(33:22) Driving Efficiency in Hospitals
(37:48) Opportunities in Indian Healthcare
(40:34) Quickfire
With your co-hosts:
@jacobeffron
- Partner at Redpoint, Former PM Flatiron Health
@patrickachase
- Partner at Redpoint, Former ML Engineer LinkedIn
@ericabrescia
- Former COO Github, Founder Bitnami (acq’d by VMWare)
@jordan_segall
- Partner at Redpoint
This episode captures Walid Mehanna's perspective on how Merck KGaA has approached enterprise AI adoption through a federated strategy that prioritizes people over technology. The core message is that successful AI implementation requires building organizational capability across three dimensions - people, processes, and technology - rather than seeking a single transformative solution. Walid argues that companies must establish a broad foundation of AI literacy (exemplified by their internal MyGPT tool reaching 25,000 users) before pursuing specialized applications, while maintaining human accountability to prevent complacency. He emphasizes that AI works best when it's treated as an experimental, iterative capability distributed across the organization rather than controlled centrally, with success depending on persistence through the inevitable J-curve of initial productivity drops. The conversation reveals how a large multinational navigates the practical realities of AI deployment - from managing regulatory complexity across different geographies to making pragmatic build-versus-buy decisions - while maintaining focus on the fundamental principle that AI should augment human expertise rather than replace human judgment and responsibility.
(0:00) Intro
(0:29) How AI is Used at Merck
(2:18) AI Applications Across the Value Chain
(4:31) Challenges and Risks of AI Implementation
(5:35) Federated Approach to AI Prioritization
(6:44) Future AI Use Cases and Data Challenges
(10:38) Building and Partnering for AI Solutions
(15:11) AI in Drug Discovery and R&D
(26:47) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
In this episode, Jacob sits down with Joshua Meier, co-founder of Chai Discovery and former Chief AI Officer at Absci, to explore the breakthrough moment happening in AI drug discovery. They discuss how the field has evolved through three distinct waves, with the current generation of companies finally achieving success rates that seemed impossible just years ago.
The conversation covers everything from moving drug discovery out of the lab and into computers, to why AI models think differently than human chemists, to the strategic decisions around open sourcing foundational models while keeping design capabilities proprietary. It's an in-depth look at how AI is fundamentally changing pharmaceutical innovation and what it means for the future of medicine.
Check out the full Chai-2 Zero-Shot Antibody report linked here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.05.663018v1.full.pdf
(0:00) Intro
(1:25) The Evolution of AI in Drug Discovery
(5:14) Current State and Future of AI in Biotech
(10:08) Challenges and Modalities in Therapeutics
(14:44) Data Generation and Model Training
(22:52) Open Source and Model Development at Chai
(29:52) Open Source Models and Their Impact
(34:36) How Should Chai-2 Be Used?
(38:53) The Future of AI in Pharma and Biotech
(42:46) Key Milestones and Metrics in AI-Driven Drug Discovery
(47:20) Critiques and Hesitation
(54:01) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Elliot Cohen—PillPack co-founder and now co-founder of General Medicine—joins Jacob Effron and Nikhil (Out-of-Pocket) to unpack what “best care” really means in 2025. He explains why General Medicine is building a broad front door to care. Elliot also revisits the PillPack vs. PBMs saga, what Amazon Pharmacy got right (and what was unexpectedly hard), and how AI is already raising the bar in intake, clinical prep, and follow-up.
(0:00) Intro
(0:58) Simplifying Healthcare with General Medicine
(1:53) The Importance of Triage in Healthcare
(3:22) Consumer Empowerment in Healthcare
(5:10) Patient Experience and Structured Forms
(6:27) Challenges in Healthcare Pricing Transparency
(8:28) Diverse Patient Needs and Quality of Care
(10:00) The Philosophy Behind General Medicine
(16:43) Consumer Directed Care: Pros and Cons
(18:57) PillPack
(35:53) Debating Insulin Search Results
(38:16) AI in Healthcare: A New Era
(39:15) Integrating AI with Clinical Teams
(41:39) Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Therapeutics
(58:21) Building a Healthcare Company: Lessons from Amazon
(1:01:25) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Flashback episode in honor of Hinge Health's IPO this week. In the episode, Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Daniel Perez, the Co-Founder and CEO of Hinge Health, a digital clinic for patients with joint and muscle pain. They discuss Hinge Health’s strategy for selling to employers, how digital health solutions can reach and retain users, the role of software x hardware in disrupting healthcare, and more.
(0:00) Intro
(2:34) The Evolution of Employer Health Solutions
(4:03) Challenges and Strategies in Digital Health
(7:07) Focus on Musculoskeletal Care
(9:51) Engaging and Retaining Patients
(16:17) Marketing and Awareness Strategies
(19:31) The Role of Independent Validators
(22:27) Clinical Validation and R&D Excellence
(23:04) Healthy Competition and Market Differentiation
(23:59) Product Superiority and Customer Validation
(26:05) Team Dynamics and Tough Decisions
(29:49) Future of Hinge Health and Healthcare Automation
(31:44) AI and Technology Integration
(36:18) Hardware Innovations and Market Impact
(39:19) Value-Based Care and Outcome Guarantees
(41:14) Regulatory Challenges and Innovation Constraints
(43:38) Closing Thoughts and Entrepreneurial Advice
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Otto Sipe. Otto is the CEO and Co-Founder of Photon Health, which enables patients to select their own pharmacies with price and inventory transparency. The company has raised over $16 million from investors including Flare Capital Partners and Notation Capital. They discuss where pharmacies and PBMs are headed, the evolution of E-Prescribing, the impact of GLP-1s & AI, and more.
(0:00) Intro
(0:51) History and Evolution of E-Prescribing
(3:02) Challenges in Current E-Prescribing Systems
(6:28) Photon Health's Innovative Approach
(8:17) Patient and Provider Behavior Changes
(11:21) Pharmacy Industry Landscape and Future
(13:43) Interactions with PBMs and Market Dynamics
(16:48) Future of PBMs and Drug Pricing
(20:38) Quality and Marketplace Experience in Pharmacies
(23:30) Advising Independent Pharmacies for Future Success
(24:24) Challenges and Strategies in Retail Pharmacy
(25:45) Pharmacy Economics and Supply Chain Issues
(30:21) The Role and Potential of Pharmacists
(36:01) AI in Pharmacy: Photon’s Approach
(38:28) Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle. Rushika is the former CEO and Co-Founder of Iora Health, a primary care provider centered around value-based care and Medicare that One Medical acquired for $2.1 billion. They discuss why we’re still in the second inning of value-based care, intersections of tech and healthcare, what it takes for VBC to succeed, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[0:29] Early Days of Value-Based Care
[2:34] Challenges in Commercial Value-Based Care
[5:20] Adapting Care Models for Different Populations
[13:08] Medicaid and Long-Term Care Issues
[16:30] Big Tech's Foray into Healthcare
[20:37] Amazon's Healthcare Strategy
[21:09] Challenges in Serving Low-Income Seniors
[21:43] Innovative Solutions for Patient Transportation
[22:16] The Economics of Healthcare Visits
[23:22] Building a Custom EHR System
[27:34] The Role of AI in Modern Healthcare
[33:17] Future of Primary Care and Policy Implications
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Frank Wu, the Co-Founder and CEO of Taro Health. Taro Health is a health insurance plan currently live in Maine and Oklahoma that offers unlimited primary care and mental health visits. The company has raised over $18m from investors like Hummingbird Ventures, Quiet Capital, and FPV Ventures. They discuss creating value in InsurTech, building a health plan for Direct Primary Care providers, what’s next for health insurance, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[0:18] Frank’s Background and Journey
[1:17] Introduction to Taro Health
[2:50] Challenges and Strategies in Health Insurance
[7:24] Direct Primary Care Model
[13:01] Patient and Doctor Archetypes in DPC
[17:01] Enrollment and Market Strategies
[28:56] Generative AI in Health Insurance
[35:31] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Erik Wexler, the President and CEO of Providence. Providence is a non-profit, faith-based health system with 51 hospitals and 1,000 clinics across seven states. They discuss how to think about new AI opportunities with discipline, the value of health system partnerships, programs to support health equity, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[2:07] Challenges and Opportunities with AI
[3:38] Leadership and Organizational Focus
[5:30] Whole Person Care and Health Equity
[7:23] Financial Challenges in Healthcare
[9:25] Collaborations and Partnerships
[13:38] Innovations in Healthcare Delivery
[15:12] Tech Integration in Healthcare
[16:55] Choosing the Right Innovations
[17:48] Policy Landscape and Concerns
[19:33] Handling Wildfires and Crisis Management
[21:59] Commitment to Climate Change and Sustainability
[24:14] Health Equity and Community Investment
[27:14] Challenges and Successes in Healthcare Innovation
[29:18] Future of Healthcare and Final Thoughts
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Daniel Perez, the Co-Founder and CEO of Hinge Health. Hinge Health is a digital clinic for patients with joint and muscle pain, having raised $800M+ from investors like Coatue and Tiger Global. They discuss Hinge Health’s strategy for selling to employers, how digital health solutions can reach and retain users, the role of software x hardware in disrupting healthcare, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[2:34] The Evolution of Employer Health Solutions
[4:03] Challenges and Strategies in Digital Health
[7:07] Focus on Musculoskeletal Care
[9:51] Engaging and Retaining Patients
[16:17] Marketing and Awareness Strategies
[19:31] The Role of Independent Validators
[22:27] Clinical Validation and R&D Excellence
[23:04] Healthy Competition and Market Differentiation
[23:59] Product Superiority and Customer Validation
[26:05] Team Dynamics and Tough Decisions
[29:49] Future of Hinge Health and Healthcare Automation
[31:44] AI and Technology Integration
[36:18] Hardware Innovations and Market Impact
[39:19] Value-Based Care and Outcome Guarantees
[41:14] Regulatory Challenges and Innovation Constraints
[43:38] Closing Thoughts and Entrepreneurial Advice
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Hemant Taneja, the CEO & Managing Director of General Catalyst. GC is one of the world’s largest venture capital firms, most recently raising an $8B fund in 2024. The firm has invested in companies like Livongo, Cityblock Health, and Hippocratic AI. They discuss the possibility of a $100B healthcare company, how buying a health system can accelerate partnerships, what will succeed in AI, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[0:54] Hemant’s Healthcare Journey
[2:25] A Vision for 2030
[3:36] Transforming Healthcare Systems
[6:03] The Role of AI and Technology in Healthcare
[9:04] Incubation and Investment Strategies
[13:43] Platform Focus in Health Tech
[21:42] Exploring International Healthcare Opportunities
[24:48] AI Transformations Across Industries
[25:51] Innovative Financing in Venture Capital
[34:41] The Future of AI and Venture Capital
[38:18] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Stef van Grieken, Co-Founder & CEO of Cradle. Cradle has raised over $100M from investors like IVP and Index Ventures to build and expand their AI-enabled protein engineering platform. They discuss how Cradle plans to use their new Series B funding, what’s been happening in AI bio, the technical underpinnings of Cradle’s platform, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[0:22] Cradle Bio's Rapid Growth and AI Innovations
[0:53] The State of AI in Drug Development
[1:15] Challenges and Opportunities in AI Biospace
[2:21] Cradle Bio's Approach to Biologics Development
[3:11] AI's Role in Hit Identification and Lead Optimization
[7:42] Cradle Bio's Software and Customer Base
[10:33] Inside Cradle Bio's Lab and Data Strategy
[24:10] Future Directions and Protein Modalities
[26:21] Navigating the Pharma SaaS Market
[28:48] Challenges in Adopting New Protocols
[30:15] Software vs. Service Companies
[31:47] Gaps in Drug Development
[33:46] Advances in AI and Bio
[41:28] Future of Drug Discovery
[44:18] Advice for Aspiring Bio Entrepreneurs
[48:03] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Dr. Angela Fitch, the Founder and CMO of knownwell. knownwell has raised $25 million from investors like a16z and Flare Capital Partners to provide weight-inclusive primary care and metabolic health care. They discuss the future of obesity care, where we are with GLP-1s, the need to expand coverage, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[1:06] Current State of Obesity Medicine
[2:47] The knownwell Approach
[6:06] Challenges in Obesity Treatment
[7:23] The Future of Obesity Medication
[12:40] Insurance and Access Issues
[32:19] Supply Chain and Distribution
[35:38] Final Thoughts and Resources
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Parth Mehrotra, CEO of Privia Health. Privia is a physician enablement platform partnering with 4500+ providers towards practice improvement and value-based care. They discuss the most important ways to manage risk, building effective physician enablement solutions, the future of value-based care programs & contracts, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[0:55] Privia's Business Model and Footprint
[3:26] Physician Choices and Privia's Role
[6:06] Evolution of Value-Based Care
[8:42] Future Role of Payers in Healthcare
[10:48] Choosing Geographic Markets for Expansion
[11:53] Physician Enablement Market Dynamics
[15:02] Influencing Practice Processes Without Ownership
[18:52] Evaluating Value-Based Programs
[21:47] Capabilities Needed for Risk-Based Contracts
[24:28] Risk Pooling and Healthcare Economics
[28:31] Future of Value-Based Care
[31:40] Primary Care and Specialist Roles
[36:18] Commercial vs. Medicare Value-Based Care
[39:30] AI in Healthcare: Current and Future Applications
[43:02] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Bryony Winn, President at Carelon Health. Carelon is the diversified services business within Elevance Health (formerly Anthem), serving 1 in 3 Americans through advanced primary care, behavioral health, specialty enablement, and whole health solutions. They discuss what payers are thinking about, making value-based care work, creating effective provider partnerships, and more.
[0:00] Introduction to Vital Signs Podcast
[0:41] Understanding Elevance Health and Carelon
[1:49] The Future of Healthcare Integration
[2:57] Carelon's Strategy and Partnerships
[3:47] Navigating Healthcare Transitions
[5:22] Lessons from Healthcare Partnerships
[8:10] The Role of Value-Based Care
[9:55] Innovations and Challenges in Healthcare
[21:59] The Commercial Healthcare Landscape
[25:00] Cross-Business Initiatives and Medicaid Innovations
[28:15] The Impact of Generative AI in Healthcare
[32:32] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Kristina Saffran, the Co-Founder and CEO of Equip. Equip delivers at-home, virtual eating disorder treatment for both adolescents and adults. They discuss Kristina’s journey to founding Equip, getting payors on board, evidence-based treatments for eating disorders, and more.
[0:00] Intro
[1:06] Kristina's Personal Journey
[3:27] Founding Project Heal
[4:07] Challenges in Eating Disorder Treatments
[5:15] The Role of Evidence-Based Treatments
[6:40] Transition to Venture-Backed Startup
[13:33] Virtual Care Model for Eating Disorders
[17:23] Adapting Treatment for Different Populations
[22:42] Working with Insurance Companies
[24:37] Equip's Year-Long Care Program
[25:15] Challenges in Operationalizing Innovative Payment Models
[28:21] Patient Archetypes and Outreach Strategies
[32:41] Provider Education and Partnerships
[34:16] Growth and Future Plans for Equip
[39:07] The Role of Peer Support in Treatment
[43:05] Quickfire
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Amir Dan Rubin, the CEO and Founding Managing Partner at Healthier Capital. Amir previously served as the CEO of One Medical and Stanford Health Care, as well as an EVP at United/Optum. They discuss payer-provider integrations, lessons learned from leading One Medical, applications of generative AI, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:44) when does venture capital make sense in the healthcare world?
(3:04) the future of health systems as we move towards value-based care
(5:14) dealing with staffing shortages and leveraging new technologies
(11:49) hospitals investing in companies
(16:13) the gold standard of United Optum
(18:57) is the payer-provider combo inevitable?
(27:21) the key to successful acquisitions
(33:36) Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical
(38:25) over-hyped/under-hyped
(40:23) surprises and decisions at One Medical
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Vivek Garg, the Chief Medical Officer & SVP, Primary Care at Humana; Chief Medical Officer at both CenterWell and Conviva; and a former clinical leader at CareMore, Oscar, and One Medical. They discuss Vivek’s insights around primary care, value-based care, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:52) how different care models compare
(7:28) best areas to outsource
(11:15) where are we in the adoption of value-based care?
(14:40) how do we get hospitals on board with value-based care?
(19:38) payer acquisition of provider assets
(22:42) payers vs. providers
(25:18) something Vivek thought would work that didn’t
(26:43) AI in healthcare
(29:29) ambient clinical documentation
(33:59) over-hyped/under-hyped
(35:59) another company Vivek would want to run
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Virgílio (“V”) Bento, Founder and CEO of Sword Health, the $3 billion company focused on improving pain management. They discuss Sword’s new AI care model, the evolution and key decisions behind Sword’s success, customer acquisition, and more.
(0:00) intro
(1:15) Sword’s journey
(9:13) advice on selling to employers
(16:45) getting employees to use the product
(18:41) building Phoenix, an AI care model
(22:50) limitations of Phoenix
(31:17) Sword’s org structure
(33:56) less successful ventures for Sword
(36:23) working with brokers
(39:01) international opportunities
(42:12) over-hyped/under-hyped
(42:37) parts of the U.S. healthcare system that don’t make sense
(44:23) flying across the world for dinner with Vinod Khosla
(46:57) decisions that were instrumental to Sword’s success
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Atul Butte, a professor at UCSF, Chief Data Scientist of the UC Health System, and a co-founder of numerous healthcare startups. They discuss Dr. Butte’s takes on healthcare AI opportunities, challenges, hype, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:31) AI hype through the years
(5:44) when LLMs don’t work
(8:42) when LLMs surpass humans
(11:07) AI adoption timeline
(13:22) converting skeptical doctors
(20:30) commercialization in AI
(24:15) how will AI change med school?
(33:28) regulating consumer-facing AI apps
(44:08) over-hyped/under-hyped
(45:44) coolest AI demos
(47:06) what company would Atul want to run?
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. David Shulkin, the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs who has also held roles as CMO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, CEO of Beth Israel Medical Center, and Vice Dean of the Drexel University College of Medicine. They discuss David’s experiences innovating within the VA, meeting the health needs of a population, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:34) footprint of the VA today
(2:38) privatization debate
(5:36) solving access to healthcare for veterans
(12:29) setting priorities as a leader
(19:34) monolithic single-payer funding
(23:41) what does the rollout of a massive EHR look like?
(32:44) things that the VA does well
(38:35) startups having success in the VA
(41:26) how will the medical education system change going forward?
(44:51) applications of AI in healthcare
(48:23) over-hyped/under-hyped
(49:20) what company would David want to lead?
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, Co-Founder and CEO of Alan. Alan is a multi-billion dollar French health insurance company that has expanded to become an all-in-one health platform for its consumers. They discuss Alan’s product strategy and business model, building AI for healthcare companies, what healthcare looks like in Europe, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:47) French healthcare 101
(6:30) similarities with Oscar
(9:50) building a healthcare super-app
(15:11) medical loss ratio
(21:58) contracting with providers
(29:29) optimizing Alan for different countries/continents
(35:08) finding new users
(38:17) AI in healthcare
(48:31) over-hyped/under-hyped
(50:36) healthcare policy changes Jean-Charles would make in France
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Malay Gandhi, Head of Strategy & Corporate Development at Benchling. Malay previously served as CEO of Rock Health and SVP of Business Operations at Evidation Health, and his seminal pieces helped shape early digital health thinking. They discuss some of Malay’s early pieces, the future of life sciences & real-world evidence, building & scaling software at Benchling, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:58) how Malay feels about his old essays
(8:00) the Benchling story
(16:29) serving customers in different industries
(22:12) how will AI change Benchling
(29:49) the state of tech in biopharma
(38:41) the real-world experiment
(42:04) have trial designs changed?
(46:24) over-hyped/under-hyped
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Will Stokes, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Strive Health, a pioneer in value-based care that partners with payers and providers to care for patients with chronic kidney disease. They discuss the nuances of risk-based contracting, value-based models for specialists, selling to both payers and providers, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:39) when do risk-based models make sense
(8:50) surprises when building Strive
(13:53) negotiating risk-based contracts
(21:08) primary care for patients with specialized conditions
(30:28) approaching risk-adjustment changes
(34:35) using LLMs at Strive
(38:44) when does it make sense to incubate a company?
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Dr. Amy Abernethy, whose health tech career spans from clinician and researcher to CMO at Flatiron Health to Principal Deputy Commissioner and Chief Innovation Officer at the FDA to CMO and President of Product Development at Verily to co-founder of her own non-profit to accelerate evidence generation. They discuss the current and future states of real-world evidence, how clinical research can improve, the adoption of GenAI in healthcare, Verily’s growth story, her new venture, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:40) real-world evidence
(13:48) the future of control arms in clinical trials
(22:16) startup ideas
(25:04) generative AI in healthcare
(27:18) regulating AI
(35:09) the evolution of Verily
(38:26) what is next for Amy?
(42:59) over-hyped/under-hyped
(43:37) one policy change to improve healthcare in the U.S.
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Oscar Health is a $4B public healthcare company, providing healthcare insurance to nearly 1 million members. Oscar is at the forefront of AI adoption, continuously developing new AI use cases in healthcare. On this week’s episode, we sat down with Oscar Health Co-Founder, former CEO, and now President of Technology Mario Schlosser to talk about where AI will have the biggest impact in healthcare, limitations of GPT-4 in healthcare, and why can't we have robot doctors today.
(0:00) intro
(1:06) how will AI change healthcare in the next decade
(9:09) how Oscar uses AI
(18:40) how to build around healthcare requirements
(25:46) when would GPT-4 fail "miserably" and fundamental limitations of LLMs
(36:28) we shouldn’t piss off our smartest robots
(38:15) sharing AI knowledge between companies
(41:50) developing healthcare-specific models
(44:35) hackathons and karaoke nights at Oscar
(49:07) the need for a safety layer in LLMs
(51:33) best commercial opportunities in healthcare
(55:19) will their be AI doctors this decade?
(59:18) over-hyped/under-hyped
(1:00:49) most exciting AI company?
(1:08:46) over-hyped/under-hyped
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Sarah London, CEO of Centene Corporation, the largest managed Medicaid organization in the country, serving 15 million Medicaid members. They discuss Medicaid partnerships and redeterminations, SDoH innovation and outcomes, and payers vertically expanding their ownership.
(0:00) intro
(0:39) Centene’s footprint today
(1:37) working with startups
(6:24) Centene’s priorities
(12:23) how state RFPs have changed over time
(15:04) differences between states
(18:40) Medicaid redeterminations
(22:35) will every payer end up looking like United Optum?
(29:09) what kind of data is most helpful?
(31:46) where Gen AI can be implemented in healthcare
(35:20) ICHRA markets
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob sits down with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel again to discuss the future of health policy and care delivery, hyped innovations in healthcare, market trends among payers and providers, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:57) generative AI
(4:08) the ethics of NOT using AI
(7:04) ML-based risk adjustment
(11:46) why didn’t hospitals become payers?
(19:37) what does the future of hospitals look like?
(26:15) can insurance cover mental health treatment for everybody?
(29:45) GLP-1s
(35:02) the future of healthcare policy
(41:07) what should we be learning from the way other countries do healthcare?
(45:57) Ben Franklin
(49:37) Zeke Bar update
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Toyin Ajayi, Co-Founder and CEO of Cityblock Health, an SDoH-focused provider of primary care, behavioral health, and chronic disease management for Medicaid and dual eligible patients. They discuss innovating in Medicaid, engaging patients with digital solutions, building sustainable companies, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:50) the state of Medicaid innovation today
(2:33) Toyin’s time at Commonwealth
(7:33) incubators in the current climate
(11:02) biggest risks starting Cityblock
(14:46) surprises in building Cityblock
(23:06) how Cityblock chooses which services to offer and which to outsource
(29:22) lower acuity patients
(33:23) state-by-state differences
(37:59) policy changes to improve Medicaid
(42:15) a shift towards profitability
(45:01) generative AI
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Marta Bralic Kerns, Founder and CEO of Pomelo Care, a multispecialty virtual medical practice that cares for mothers and babies from preconception to one year postpartum. They discuss payer contracting and Medicaid, career advice for those joining startups, why maternity care is such a pressing issue in the US, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:47) maternity outcomes in the U.S.
(5:39) clinician supply issue
(6:56) how Pomelo Care works
(12:20) how patients find Pomelo
(15:21) how Pomelo fits into the healthcare journey after pregnancy
(17:06) pitching Pomelo to payers
(24:16) Pomelo’s Medicaid focus
(26:59) state-by-state differences in maternity care
(30:30) constraints to growing Pomelo
(31:34) team-based maternity care
(34:19) how to sell to payers
(40:43) advice for people early in their health-tech careers
(45:32) Flatiron and EHRs
(51:17) over-hyped/under-hyped
(53:06) NOT hiring Nikhil
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil speak with Farzad Mostashari, Founder and CEO of Aledade, which supports independent primary care practices to succeed in value-based care. Farzad talks about the current evidence of success in VBC, why VBC is still underhyped, barriers for Medicaid models, and more.
(0:00) intro
(0:40) why we don’t see more doctors starting their own practices
(8:32) what actually works in value-based care?
(11:48) what does Aledade do?
(23:18) how competitive has it become to acquire new practices?
(28:29) Aledade First
(37:27) one policy change Farzad would make in healthcare
(42:18) best way to learn more about Aledade
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil speak with Heather Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder of Solv, a company that focuses on getting people access to high-quality, last-minute care. Heather discusses the future of urgent care, operating a digital health company during Covid, crafting a strong go-to-market strategy, the role of private equity in urgent care, and more.
(0:00) intro
(3:07) what is Solv?
(10:50) why is scheduling so bad in healthcare?
(16:03) is urgent care a net good?
(20:35) areas where urgent care can improve
(24:07) will urgent and longitudinal care combine somehow?
(25:31) Solv during Covid
(32:54) state by state healthcare nuances
(39:16) private equity and urgent care
Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Mark Cuban to discuss his pharmaceutical startup, The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. They discuss why Mark entered the healthcare industry, competing on price, staying curious, and the future of AI.
(0:00) intro
(1:05) Mark’s journey into healthcare
(3:57) how the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company works
(7:51) B2B angle and disrupting PBMs
(12:51) getting into biologics and biosimilars
(24:46) manufacturing drugs
(27:11) how much of a role can technology play in healthcare?
(33:06) why Mark doesn’t put his name on buildings
(35:35) over-hyped/under-hyped
(40:08) policy changes that could improve healthcare
(41:17) Mark’s best cameo
Jacob sits down with Marley Medical CEO Chris Hogg to discuss how he and his team select markets, think about go-to-market and utilize AI. Chris also reflects on his learnings from Propeller and more.
0:00 intro
1:08 digital health over the last decade
3:01 100Plus
5:45 Propeller and fitting into patients’ daily lives
12:37 is the B2B2C model flawed?
17:01 Marley Medical
19:32 selecting markets
28:23 standing out from the competition
30:23 how is Marley using AI?
36:57 over-hyped/under-hyped
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Sean Duffy, the CEO of health tech unicorn Omada Health, to discuss how Omada is using Large Language Models and incorporating GLP-1s into its care. They also hit on how Omada has thought and evolved its employer pricing.
0:00 intro
0:43 starting Omada Health
5:14 how Omada differs from Sean’s original vision
8:58 evolving employer pricing
16:31 how the care model has changed over time
19:25 GLP-1s
27:14 how Omada has incorporated AI
36:12 Livongo-Teladoc merger
40:20 coining the term “digital therapeutics”
43:14 over-hyped/under-hyped
44:47 policy changes that could improve healthcare
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Savvy CEO Suril Kantaria to discuss the future of the ICHRA market, what he would do differently if he was starting Savvy today and lessons from working with Elon at Twitter.
00:00 intro
00:35 ICHRA
06:20 is this better for employees?
15:20 is ICHRA policy doomed to fail?
19:10 venture’s role in healthcare
24:00 early founders building in “stealth”
29:00 making the decision to “stop” as a founder
34:12 working with Elon at Twitter
Jacob sits down with PathAI Ceo Dr. Andy Beck to discuss the state of AI adoption in diagnosis, why Path acquired their own lab, pathologists' jobs in the future and nailing GTM to reach a ~$1B valuation.
00:00 intro
01:01 pathology and AI
13:30 nailing go-to-market strategy
19:47 how pathology labs can go digital
25:36 regulatory frameworks and roadblocks
33:05 do improvements in foundation models impact PathAI?
36:26 standardizing diagnoses
40:05 how will the job of a pathologist change going forward?
42:35 NASH
47:30 working in Daphne Koller’s lab
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Austin Chiang, an interventional GI doc and Chief Medical Officer of Medtronic’s GI business who also has >500K TikTok Followers. We discuss how social media companies deal with public health issues, how doctors can use social media, lessons from being a “physician influencer,” the consumerization of GLP-1s and more.
0:00 intro
1:02 how Austin got into medicine and social media
4:59 highlights and lowlights of being a recognizable figure in the medical world
8:47 balancing engagement with education
25:22 how to steer away from misinformation
30:51 the consumerization of GLP-1s
39:24 tips for doctors on social media
45:45 how to market to physicians
47:31 public health campaigns on social media
52:10 Austin’s favorite post
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dotmatics CEO Thomas Swalla to discuss R&D software, differences in software requirements across biotechs, growing through 11 acquisitions and expanding beyond life sciences.
0:00 intro
0:36 getting into healthcare
5:20 what R&D looks like today
8:03 what does Dotmatics do?
13:06 differences in software requirements across biotechs
20:15 bundling vs. “best-of-breed”
23:46 do life sciences need their own data tools?
26:44 incorporating AI into Dotmatics tools
34:38 AI replacing scientists
37:39 how Dotmatics tools can serve companies outside of life sciences
39:50 acquisition strategy
44:43 spaces for innovation in R&D
Jacob sits down with Insitro CEO Daphne Koller to discuss founding Coursera, where and how ML can drive the most impact in drug development, and if foundation models can transform core drug discovery work and edtech.
00:00 intro
00:59 Daphne’s journey
09:02 AI and biology discovery
10:42 insitro vs. traditional pharma
19:47 phenotyping patients
25:44 early mistakes
29:34 the future of data
35:16 partnering with larger pharma companies
38:00 impact of LLMs on biopharma
43:47 over-hyped/under-hyped
00:00 intro
01:08 James’ background
04:39 regulation of AI medical devices
14:43 impact of foundation models on healthcare
19:41 the future of cancer detection
23:47 real-world control arms
35:18 AI drift
37:42 over-hyped/under-hyped
40:03 most surprising AI interaction
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel and discuss his reflections on his “Why I want to Die at 75” piece, how publishing/financial incentives harm research, doctors' increasing social isolation and his love of chocolate-making.
Jacob sits down with HumanFirst CEO Andy Coravos and Orchestra CEO Ashoka Rajendra to discuss at home data collection in trials, Andy being an EIR at the FDA, why Benchling has been so successful and more.
Andy Slavitt, former Optum EVP, head of CMS, COVID advisor and healthcare.gov saver joins Nikhil and Jacob to discuss public/private sector collaboration, Optum’s evolution, and his lessons on communication from COVID. Andy also shared his career journey, what he would do if he was running United today and how the private sector can work better with the public sector.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Mike Kopko, CEO and co-founder of Pearl Health to discuss Pearl’s care model and what it’s been like building the company as ACO Reach evolved. Mike also shares some great stories negotiating claims in the early days of Oscar.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Kang, CEO of WellBe Senior Medical, and former President of ChenMed, SVP Health and Wellness Solutions at Walgreens, CMO at Cigna, CMO at CMS and CEO of Urban Medical Group. They discuss risk adjustment, retailers in healthcare and how healthcare has/hasn't changed since his work doing risk-based care for complex patients and at CMS in the 80s and 90s.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Naomi Allen, CEO and founder of Brightline (child and teen focused mental health company that’s raised >$100M) and Castlight/Livongo exec. They discuss the difficulties of balancing employer customers and employee satisfaction at Castlight, how Livongo captured member delight and Brightline's care model.
Jacob sits down with Geisinger CEO Dr. Jaewon Ryu to discuss how he and Geisinger think about their Fresh Food Farmacy, population-wide DNA sequencing efforts, and transforming medical education.
Jacob sits down with Homeward Health CEO and former Castlight and Livongo CMO Dr. Jenny Schneider to discuss solving provider shortages in rural markets, how tech can/can’t help care and what Livongo did to make coaching more effective.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Tomorrow Health CEO and former Oscar Texas GM Vijay Kedar to discuss lessons he learned at Oscar, reflections on the ACA market, the nuances of operationalizing at home care and what Tomorrow is building.
Jacob and Nikhil discuss annual health-tech predictions and are then joined by Thyme Care co-founders Robin Shah and Dr. Bobby Green to discuss the nuances of taking risk in oncology, lessons on selling to providers, and what they're building at Thyme Care. 0:00-9:10 Jacob & Nikhil discussion9:13-end Thyme Care founders interview with Robin Shah and Dr. Bobby Green
Jacob sits down with Chris Gibson, the co-founder and CEO of Recursion, to discuss how Recursion predicted drugs that would be effective for COVID, his take on different techbio business models, what pharma R&D will look like in 25 years and more.
Jacob sits down with Dr. Arif Nathoo, the CEO of Komodo Health (most recently valued at $3.3B) to discuss Komodo’s journey from a single app to a platform, why EHR data is overhyped and where healthcare data is headed.
Jacob and Nikhil sat down with Dr. Bob Kocher, the Venrock partner who helped write the Affordable Care Act while in the Obama administration to discuss how health systems will increase productivity, what drives healthcare costs, and his reflections on the ACA.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Carbon Health CEO and founder Eren Bali to discuss Carbon Health's evolution, how he thinks about Carbon Health's tech, partnerships and expansion and what policy changes he thinks would improve healthcare.
Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Dr. Sachin Jain to discuss operating as a non-profit, competing in Medicare Advantage and when PE/VC backing doesn’t make sense. He also shared some hot takes on new people entering healthcare and the importance of health systems in driving the move to value-based care.
Jacob sits down with Seema Verma to talk about rapid policymaking during COVID, recent drug pricing legislation, her reflections on her time at CMS and what areas of tech she's most excited about.
Jacob sits down with Nikhil Krishnan, founder of Out of Pocket, to discuss his path to becoming a healthcare meme king and the community he's building to get more people into healthcare and make it easier to start health tech businesses. They also hit on Nikhil’s thoughts on physician payment, big tech in healthcare and more.
Jacob sits down with Lucia Huang, co-founder and CEO of Osmind, to discuss new psychedelic and neuromodulation mental health treatments, how Osmind is furthering research around them, and what’s next for the space.
Jacob sits down with Brad Smith, founder of CareBridge, Main Street Health and Aspire and former head of CMMI, to discuss the novel ways he’s bringing risk-based models to rural healthcare and Medicaid and hear why he thinks CMMI programs haven’t worked to date.
Jacob sits down with Dr. Tom Lee founder of One Medical, Galileo and Epocrates. They discuss Amazon’s $3.9B acquisition of One Medical, what Tom’s building at Galileo and the future of medical education.
Jacob sits down with Dr. Mandy Cohen - former Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, COO of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and current CEO of Aledade’s newest business line Aledade Care Solutions. They discuss her work in North Carolina around Social Determinants of Health, how Medicaid policy and innovation works, the new business line she’s building at Aledade and what’s required for primary care practices to succeed under risk.
Jacob sits down with Adam Boehler - former CEO of Landmark Health, Head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and current CEO of Rubicon Founders. They discuss how building a value-based care business has changed, how Adam came up with the idea for Landmark and his other businesses, what makes different patient segments a fit for value-based models and where the space is headed. They also touch on Adam's hopes for future policy and the changes he’s seen in healthcare talent.