Vital Signs with Jacob Effron and Nikhil Krishnan

Ep 66: Pete Shalek On The Future of Front Office Automation

jeffron@redpoint.com (Pete Shalek, Meera Clark, Jacob Effron) — Wed, 7 Jan 2026 14:05:01 +0000

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/

Ep 65: CMMI Leaders on ACCESS Model Launch, Drug Pricing Strategy, and the Future of Technology Enabled Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Abe Sutton, Jacob Shiff, Jacob Effron) — Mon, 8 Dec 2025 13:55:09 +0000

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/

Ep 64: Sutter Health CEO & President Warner Thomas on Digital Transformation and the Future of Health Systems

jeffron@redpoint.com (Warner Thomas, Jacob Effron) — Fri, 7 Nov 2025 14:35:56 +0000

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/

Ep 63: Narayana Health Vice Chairman on Scaling Quality Care in India and Tech’s Role

jeffron@redpoint.com (Viren Shetty, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Wed, 1 Oct 2025 12:57:13 +0000

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

Ep 62: Merck KGaA Chief Data and AI Officer on Scaling AI in Pharma and The Future of Enterprise Software

jeffron@redpoint.com (Walid Mehanna, Jacob Effron) — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:55:26 +0000

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/

Ep 61: Co-Founder of Chai Discovery Joshua Meier on 99% Faster Drug Discovery, BioTech’s AlphaGo Moment, Building Photoshop for Molecules

jeffron@redpoint.com (Joshua Meier, Jacob Effron) — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:17:23 +0000

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/

Ep 60: General Medicine's Elliot Cohen on Lessons from PillPack and Amazon and The Future of AI x Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Elliot Cohen, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 13:00:17 +0000

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: Hinge Health CEO Daniel Perez on Effective Employer Sales, Patient Engagement and His Top Advice to Founders

jeffron@redpoint.com (Daniel Perez, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Fri, 23 May 2025 20:16:23 +0000

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/

Ep 59: Photon Health CEO Otto Sipe on the Future of Pharmacies, PBMs and GLP-1s

jeffron@redpoint.com (Otto Sipe, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 1 May 2025 13:00:09 +0000

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/

Ep 58: Iora Health Former CEO Rushika Fernandopulle on Current State of Value Based Care Across Payer Types and AI’s Role in Primary Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Rushika Fernandopulle, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:00:35 +0000

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/

Ep 57: Taro Health CEO Frank Wu on Direct Primary Care, The History of InsurTech and AI for Payers

jeffron@redpoint.com (Frank Wu, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 13:00:04 +0000

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/

Ep 56: Providence CEO Erik Wexler on Evaluating Partnerships, Policy and Leadership

jeffron@redpoint.com (Erik Wexler, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 14:01:02 +0000

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/

Ep 55: Hinge Health CEO Daniel Perez on Effective Employer Sales, Patient Engagement and His Top Advice to Founders

jeffron@redpoint.com (Daniel Perez, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:00:27 +0000

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/

Ep 54: General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja on Buying a Health System, $100B Healthcare Companies and The Future of AI and Venture

jeffron@redpoint.com (Hemant Taneja, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:59:10 +0000

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/

Ep 53: Cradle CEO Stef van Grieken on the State of AI x Bio and Selling SaaS to Pharma

jeffron@redpoint.com (Stef van Grieken, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 3 Dec 2024 14:00:04 +0000

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/

Ep 52: knownwell CMO Dr. Angela Fitch on The Future of GLP-1s and New Approaches to Obesity Medicine

jeffron@redpoint.com (Angela Fitch, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 13:15:30 +0000

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/

Ep 51: Privia CEO Parth Mehrotra on The Future of Physician Enablement and How To Manage Risk Successfully

jeffron@redpoint.com (Parth Mehrotra, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 13:01:07 +0000

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/

Ep 50: Carelon Health President Bryony Winn on How Payers Think About Provider Strategy, Startups and Value-Based Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Bryony Winn, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:02:33 +0000

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/

Ep 49: Equip CEO Kristina Saffran on Effective Eating Disorder Treatments and Scaling New Care Models

jeffron@redpoint.com (Kristina Saffran, Jacob Effron) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:04:17 +0000

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/

Ep 48: Savvy CEO Suril Kantaria on First Time Founder Lessons and ICHRA

jeffron@redpoint.com (Nikhil Krishnan, Suril Kantaria, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:16:09 +0000

Jacob and Nikhil sit down with Savvy CEO Suril Kantaria to discuss the future of the ICHRA market and what he would do differently if he was starting Savvy today.

[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

Out-Of-Pocket: https://www.outofpocket.health/

Ep 47: Former One Medical/Stanford CEO Amir Dan Rubin on Payviders, One Medical Reflections and Gen AI

jeffron@redpoint.com (Jacob Effron, Amir Dan Rubin) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 12:59:50 +0000

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/

Ep 46: Humana Primary Care CMO Dr. Vivek Garg on Next Gen Primary Care Lessons and Effective Payer Partnerships

jeffron@redpoint.com (Vivek Garg, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000

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/

Ep 45: Sword Health CEO Virgílio (“V”) Bento on Sword's New AI Solution and the Decisions That Shaped the Company

jeffron@redpoint.com (Virgilio "V" Bento, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Wed, 5 Jun 2024 12:59:24 +0000

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/

Ep 44: Dr. Atul Butte on Healthcare AI Opportunities and Challenges

jeffron@redpoint.com (Atul Butte, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 7 May 2024 12:55:00 +0000

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/

Ep 43: Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David Shulkin on Transforming the VA & Getting Public-Private Partnerships Right

jeffron@redpoint.com (David Shulkin, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 13:01:49 +0000

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/

Ep 42: Alan CEO Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve on Building a Healthcare Superapp & the Future of Healthcare in Europe

Tue, 9 Apr 2024 13:00:14 +0000

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/

Ep 41: Benchling Head of Strategy Malay Gandhi on the Future of Life Sciences Software and The Evolution of Digital Health

jeffron@redpoint.com (Malay Gandhi, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 13:01:22 +0000

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/

Ep 40: Strive Health Co-Founder Will Stokes on The Key Parts of Risk-Based Contracts and Value Based Care In Specialties

jeffron@redpoint.com (Will Stokes, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 13:39:55 +0000

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/

Ep 39: Dr. Amy Abernethy on the Future of Real-World Evidence and Regulating Generative AI

jeffron@redpoint.com (Amy Abernethy, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 13:58:59 +0000

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/

Ep 38: Oscar Co-Founder Mario Schlosser on Lessons from Implementing LLMs and How AI Will Impact Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Mario Schlosser, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 14:11:57 +0000

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/

Ep 37: Centene Corporation CEO Sarah London on Centene’s Strategy and Innovating in Medicaid

jeffron@redpoint.com (Sarah London, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 13:57:54 +0000

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/

Ep 36: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel on Why Healthcare Reform is so Hard and the Future of Hospitals

jeffron@redpoint.com (Ezekiel Emanuel, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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/

Ep 35: Cityblock CEO Dr. Toyin Ajayi on the Current and Future State of Medicaid Innovation

jeffron@redpoint.com (Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron, Toyin Ajayi) — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000

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/

Ep 34: Pomelo Care CEO Marta Bralic Kerns on Improving Maternity Care & How to Sell to Payers

jeffron@redpoint.com (Marta Bralic Kerns, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000

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/

Ep 33: Aledade CEO Farzad Mostashari on Managing $20B in Healthcare Spending and Lessons on Succeeding in Value-Based Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Farzad Mostashari, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 2 Nov 2023 16:31:03 +0000

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/

Ep 32: Heather Fernandez (Solv CEO) on Reinventing Last-Minute Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Heather Fernandez, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000

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/

Ep 31: Mark Cuban on Disrupting PBMs, Staying Curious & Using AI to Avoid NBA Fines

jeffron@redpoint.com (Mark Cuban, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Wed, 4 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0000

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

Ep 30: Marley Medical CEO Chris Hogg on Which Health Tech GTM Models Are Best and Using AI in Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Chris Hogg, Jacob Effron) — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:04:08 +0000

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

Ep 29: Omada Health CEO Sean Duffy on Evolving Employer Pricing, Incorporating GLP-1s and Using LLMs

jeffron@redpoint.com (Sean Duffy, Jacob Effron, Nikhil Krishnan) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:07:15 +0000

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

Ep 27: PathAI CEO Dr. Andy Beck on the Future of AI in Medical Diagnosis

jeffron@redpoint.com (Andy Beck, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:55:40 +0000

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

Ep 26: Dr. Austin Chiang on Using Social Media to Educate His >500K Followers and GLP-1s

jeffron@redpoint.com (Austin Chiang, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 13:51:12 +0000

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

Ep 25: Dotmatics CEO Thomas Swalla on The State of R&D Software

jeffron@redpoint.com (Thomas Swalla, Nikhil Krishnan, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:52:38 +0000

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

Ep 24: Insitro CEO Daphne Koller on Using ML to Change Drug Discovery

jeffron@redpoint.com (Daphne Koller, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 16:44:29 +0000

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

Ep 23: Stanford Professor James Zou on the Economics, Regulation and Applications of AI in Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Nikhil Krishnan, James Zou, Jacob Effron) — Fri, 26 May 2023 15:32:09 +0000

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

Ep 22: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel on Our Relationship with Death and Bad Incentives in Research

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 9 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 21: Andy Coravos and Ashoka Rajendra on Hyperspecialization in Pharma R&D and Digital Biomarkers

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 20: Andy Slavitt on Optum’s Evolution and Lessons from Obamacare and COVID

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 19: Mike Kopko on ACO Reach and The Future of Health Exchanges

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 18: Dr. Jeffrey Kang on CVS/Walgreens' Role in Healthcare and The Future of Risk Adjustment and Senior Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 17: Naomi Allen on How to Sell to Employers and the Future of Mental Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Wed, 1 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 16: Dr. Jaewon Ryu on Geisinger's Fresh Food and DNA Sequencing Programs and the Future of Clinician Training

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 15: Dr. Jenny Schneider on What Livongo Got Right and Improving Rural Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Thu, 2 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 14: Vijay Kedar on Oscar Reflections and What's Required to Make At Home Care Work

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep. 13: Annual Predictions and Robin Shah and Dr. Bobby Green on Designing New Cancer Care Models and The Future of Oncology

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Thu, 5 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000

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 discussion 9:13-end Thyme Care founders interview with Robin Shah and Dr. Bobby Green

Ep 12: Chris Gibson on Building a Platform Biotech and The Future of R&D

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 11: Dr. Arif Nathoo on the Evolution and Future of Healthcare Data and Building a Vertical SaaS Platform

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 10: Dr. Bob Kocher on the Future of Health Systems and Increasing Healthcare Productivity

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 9: Eren Bali on Using Tech to Lower Healthcare Costs and Carbon Health's Strategy

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 8: Dr. Sachin Jain on Incubating Businesses and Why Health Systems Will Drive Value-Based Care

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 7: Seema Verma on Running CMS During COVID and Drug Pricing

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 6: Nikhil Krishnan on Doctor Influencers and Healthcare Hot Takes

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 5: Lucia Huang on Psychedelic Medicine and the Future of Mental Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 4: Brad Smith on Improving Policy and Rural Healthcare

jeffron@redpoint.com (Redpoint Ventures) — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 3: Dr. Tom Lee on Amazon/One Medical, Galileo and Healthcare's Future

jeffron@redpoint.com (Tom Lee, Jacob Effron) — Wed, 3 Aug 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 2: Dr. Mandy Cohen on Medicaid Innovation and Succeeding Under Risk

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

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.

Ep 1: Adam Boehler on the Value Based Care Market and What's Next

jeffron@redpoint.com (Adam Boehler, Jacob Effron) — Tue, 5 Jul 2022 16:00:00 +0000

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.