Lifers with Christina Farr

This week on Lifers, Christina Farr sat down with Mike Desjadon, CEO of Anomaly and Warris Bokhari CEO of Claimable. They discuss automating patient appeals, the challenges of the current payment model, and their approach to working directly with patients. They share insights on denial rates, what they've learned from claim files, and why they believe healthcare needs more direct challengers. —SPONSOR:This episode is brought to you by Arbiter. As Michelle says: "We don't need another instrument for the orchestra—we need to conduct the orchestra." Backed by one of the largest early funding rounds in health tech, Arbiter creates one real-time source of truth from fragmented healthcare systems, then routes referrals and handles prior auths so patients actually get to care. Learn more at https://www.arbiter.ai/. —LINKS:Anomaly: https://www.findanomaly.com/ Claimable: https://www.getclaimable.com/  Chrissy Farr’s Website: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books  Lifers with Christina Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr  —FOLLOW:Warris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrisbokhari https://x.com/warrisbokhari  Mike:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-desjadon-4a0a21a/ https://x.com/Mike_Desjadon Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(03:18) Warris’ journey from corporate to startup(07:36) The problem with healthcare payment models(08:57) Claimable's mission and approach(12:14) Challenges and strategies in healthcare advocacy(16:21) Real stories of healthcare denials(20:28) Complexities of surgery and healthcare incompetence(21:08) Sponsor: Arbiter(21:39) Impact of Claimable on the insurance market(23:37) Challenges and innovations in revenue cycle management(24:52) The role of venture capital in healthcare(27:19) Denial rates and revenue cycle management(33:04) The importance of being a challenger in healthcare(37:32) Wrap

In this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr engages in an insightful conversation with V, CEO of Sword Health. V shares his unconventional journey from Portugal to the U.S. healthcare market, emphasizing the importance of providing high-quality care to reduce overall healthcare costs. —SPONSOR:This episode is brought to you by Arbiter. As Michelle says: "We don't need another instrument for the orchestra—we need to conduct the orchestra." Backed by one of the largest early funding rounds in health tech, Arbiter creates one real-time source of truth from fragmented healthcare systems, then routes referrals and handles prior auths so patients actually get to care. Learn more at https://www.arbiter.ai/. —LINKS: Sword Health: https://swordhealth.com/  Chrissy Farr’s Website: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books  Lifers with Christina Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr  —FOLLOW:V:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vbento/  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(01:07) Meet V Bento(01:52) Journey to the US healthcare market (03:53) Challenges in the US healthcare system (05:05) Value-based care and incentives (07:49) Digital health and technology (14:11) Sponsor: Arbiter(15:12) AI in healthcare: Opportunities and limitations (22:16) Balancing work and family (32:12) Company culture and employee success (36:32) Wrap

Chrissy Farr sits down with Michelle Carnahan, who spent 26 years at Eli Lilly witnessing the development of breakthrough GLP-1 drugs before transitioning to direct-to-consumer healthcare (Thirty Madison) and then co-founding Arbiter, a startup that raised $52M at a $400M valuation. Michelle and Chrissy discuss the GLP-1 revolution, transformative shifts in health insurance, and how her company is using AI-powered care orchestration to solve healthcare's fragmentation crisis by connecting disconnected systems and improving patient access.—SPONSOR:This episode is brought to you by Arbiter. As Michelle says: "We don't need another instrument for the orchestra—we need to conduct the orchestra." Backed by one of the largest early funding rounds in health tech, Arbiter creates one real-time source of truth from fragmented healthcare systems, then routes referrals and handles prior auths so patients actually get to care. Learn more at Arbiter.AI.—LINKS: Chrissy Farr’s Website: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books Lifers with Christina Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr —FOLLOW: Michelle:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-carnahan/ Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(02:49) The Lifers concept and healthcare dedication(04:19) Michelle's journey: from big pharma to startups(07:54) Addressing access and fragmentation in healthcare(13:43) The rise of GLP-1s and their impact(20:58) Future of GLP-1s: pricing and distribution(23:18) The role of health insurance in modern healthcare(25:09) Transformative shifts in health insurance(27:25) AI-powered care orchestration(32:17) Challenges and solutions in healthcare technology(34:55) The importance of collaboration in healthcare(40:21) Personal insights and recommendations

In this episode of the Second Opinion, Christina Farr interviews Dickon Waterfield, president of Lantern to discuss the intricacies of U.S. healthcare costs, particularly the disparity between Medicare and commercial prices. They cover the unsustainable burden on employers to provide healthcare, the evolving nature of digital health solutions, and the market's reaction to recent IPOs in the sector. —📰 Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  —LINKS: Lantern: https://lanterncare.com/  Christina Farr's Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/  —SPONSOR: 👩‍⚕️ Hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog? You don't have to accept these as just another part of aging. Midi Health is the virtual care clinic for women navigating midlife hormonal transition, offering FDA-approved medications, supplements and lifestyle coaching - all covered by insurance. Visit https://joinmidi.com to book your virtual visit today.—FOLLOW:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickonwaterfield https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/—HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: • The company was previously under the radar despite its size because it lacked traditional digital health investors and operated in the emerging "sensitive excellence" space • Lantern works by securing lower rates from select providers in exchange for steering patient volume to them, rather than contracting with all providers like traditional insurers • Commercial insurance pays dramatically more than Medicare for the same procedures - for example, a total knee replacement costs around $45,000 commercially versus $17,000 for Medicare • About 90% of surgical costs go to the facility, with only 10% split between surgeon and anesthesia fees • The company built scale over 14 years by starting with local networks and school districts before expanding to national employers • They typically contract with only one or two providers per market, offering them incremental volume and market share gains • By waiving patient cost-sharing (like $5,000 out-of-pocket maximums), they incentivize patients to travel to preferred providers • Proposed Medicaid cuts could affect 10% of Medicaid recipients, forcing more healthcare costs onto employers • When Medicaid funding decreases, hospitals typically increase commercial rates to compensate for uninsured patients • Employers are increasingly frustrated with being responsible for 60-70% of Americans' healthcare coverage • The current system originated post-WWII as a talent competition tool and became normalized as part of total compensation packages • Only a major economic downturn with high unemployment could potentially break this cycle, as tight labor markets force employers to maintain competitive benefits • Employers will likely narrow their coverage, offering less rich benefits and more selective networks and formularies • Cell and gene therapies costing $1-5 million per treatment pose existential threats to employer-sponsored health plans • There's a reckoning coming for point solutions that don't deliver measurable ROI, with increased scrutiny on clinical evidence and cost reduction • Digital health companies are held to higher standards than pharmaceuticals, which don't face the same outcome-based payment requirements • Forward-thinking employers are moving beyond simple cost savings to evaluate programs on multiple parameters including talent retention and clinical outcomes • A new generation of digital health companies is becoming in-network providers rather than selling directly to employers • This approach eliminates long sales cycles and complex billing arrangements that characterized earlier digital health companies • Successful healthcare sales requires understanding buyers' needs and solving their problems rather than just selling solutions • Founder-led sales remains crucial in early stages because founders can listen more acutely to feedback and pivot quickly

In this episode of Second Opinion, Christina Farr and Lifeforce CEO Dugal Bain-Kim dive into the billion-dollar longevity economy, examining why health optimization became a status symbol and how personal data drives better health decisions than population-level advice. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  —LINKS: Lifeforce: https://www.mylifeforce.com/  Christina Farr's Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/  —FOLLOW:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dugal-bain https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/  —HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:• The "shadow healthcare system" refers to cash-pay healthcare alternatives where insured people seek services outside traditional insurance coverage.• This trend results from converging factors: post-COVID cultural shifts, health becoming aspirational/lifestyle status, and new technology enabling accessible longevity services.• Personalized data from wearables (like Aura rings showing sleep/alcohol impact) motivates behavior change more effectively than general medical advice.• "N of one" personalized data feels more relevant than population health guidance, though there's risk of "measuring the fun out of life."• Personal genetic risk (like Alzheimer's predisposition) transforms health behaviors from optional to urgent, particularly around sleep quality.• A paradox exists where physicians publicly skeptical of longevity medicine privately use interventions like GLP-1 microdosing and seek optimization partners.• Personal health testing reveals significant issues traditional healthcare misses, including PCOS, scoliosis, and device malfunctions.• Longevity medicine catches problems early - 26% of members are pre-diabetic, often undiagnosed despite regular annual physicals.• Continuous monitoring can discover serious conditions like pituitary brain tumors when primary care doctors aren't interested in investigating elevated biomarkers.• The equity challenge questions how expensive cash-pay services can reach populations who need them most.• Three customer types emerge: health optimizers, health-motivated people getting back on track, and people wanting complete health reinvention.• Solutions for broader access include insurance integration and AI-powered tools to reduce costs from $140 to $40 monthly.• The "dating app problem" asks whether longevity companies lose customers when they successfully improve health.• Solutions include maintenance vs. optimization modes, targeting 40-60 age demographic where significant bodily changes occur.• Despite male-focused industry branding, actual customer bases can be gender-balanced (45% female, 55% male).• Effective messaging balances performance-focused and wellness-focused approaches rather than targeting one gender.• Longevity medicine includes traditional prevention but adds quality-of-life interventions that create initial motivation and trust for broader health compliance.• The rebranding question asks whether longevity is simply primordial prevention made more engaging and actionable.• Supplement safety concerns arise from liver injuries and poor industry regulation, highlighting need for data-driven approaches.• Most people take too many unnecessary supplements; data-driven supplementation could improve both safety and efficacy.