Lifers with Christina Farr

Christina Farr
  • 4.7 (23)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines. No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes. Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.

  1. 3d ago

    Lauren Makler, Cofertility, on making egg freezing free

    Lauren Makler, Co-Founder & CEO of Cofertility, joins Christina Farr to ask why having a baby with medical help now costs as much as a house, and what a fairer system would look like. They get into Lauren's argument that donor "anonymity" has been a lie since the at-home DNA test era, the surge-pricing dynamics of traditional egg donation, and Cofertility's egg-sharing model, where women freeze their eggs for free by donating half to intended parents. The conversation also covers the natalism debate, the eggs-versus-embryos decision, and why Gen Z, 72% of whom already worry about their fertility, will refuse the fax-machine healthcare experience millennials tolerated.—SPONSOR: Baker Health🩺 This episode is brought to you by Baker Health. Evidence-based medicine and real holistic care, under one roof, with labs, results, and 24/7 live doctor chat all in one app.Download the Baker Health App: https://linktr.ee/baker_health Learn More: https://www.bakerhealth.com/  The only practice in NY & NJ where you can text your doctor directly and get same-day reservations.Make a Reservation: https://reservations.bakerhealth.com/medical?utm_source=lifers —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:• 7/27 - Peptide Therapy: Where Do We Go From Here? - https://streamyard.com/watch/AgaHuDEvjisN—LINKS: Infertility: https://www.cofertility.com/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books—FOLLOW:Lauren:https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmakler https://x.com/laurenmakler  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  Second Opinion Media:https://www.instagram.com/second.opinion.media/ https://x.com/second_op_media —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:33) Intro(02:19) Why IVF costs keep rising(03:53) Real price ranges to parenthood(05:47) Birth rates and pronatalism debate(08:45) Elon Musk and ethics(11:15) Cofertility egg sharing model(13:18) Ending anonymous donation(15:57) Sponsor: Baker Health(17:14) Surge pricing and fairness(20:29) Biological clock and Gen Z(25:27) Dating culture, eggs vs embryos(28:58) Future of third party reproduction(32:23) Guardrails and autonomy(34:30) Investing thesis, growing the TAM(38:07) Would you donate, relationship spectrum(42:46) Gen Z will redefine healthcare(44:55) Wrap

    Lauren Makler, Cofertility, on making egg freezing free

  2. 3d ago

    Rounds | An Industry Scan, The Next Full Body Scan | Keaton Bedell, Joe DeVivo

    Healthcare is moving fast — and not everyone agrees on where it's heading. This week, Christina and Stephanie break down the latest in health tech news and data before diving into one of the most provocative debates in modern medicine: is full body scanning actually good for you? The conversation gets a timely twist with Midjourney's recent announcement of a full-body ultrasound scanner built on licensed Butterfly Network technology. In this episode: Christina Farr and Stephanie Davis are joined by Keaton Bedell, Co-Founder and CEO of Bridge, and Joe DeVivo, President, CEO, and Chairman at Butterfly Network. First, Keaton walks us through the latest data and recent news shaping the health tech landscape — including where virtual care is headed next, as behavioral health and primary care give way to a much richer tapestry of specialties. Then Joe brings the Butterfly Network perspective as we get into it: how Butterfly's tech ended up inside Midjourney's new scanner, the ethics, hype, and reality of full body scans, and what it actually means when AI gets involved in reading them. We'll cover: The latest health tech and market news, including a $4.5M CPOM settlement against Carbon Health, Medicare's new coverage of weight-loss drugs, a stress test of frontier AI models on health benchmarks, and health tech stocks up 14% on average since June 1. The next wave of virtual care growth markets — metabolic health, women's health, dermatology, oncology, and dietitian care — and why they're seeing strong consumer demand with far fewer players How Midjourney's new scanner runs on licensed Butterfly Network technology, and what that means for the point-of-care ultrasound space What full body scans can (and can't) tell you — including the insurance gap and the hidden cost of incidental findings Where AI actually fits in — and where it doesn't What this means for the future of consumer wellness Hosts and Guests: Christina Farr, CEO, Second Opinion; GP, Scrub Capital Stephanie Davis, Healthcare Industry Analyst Keaton Bedell, Co-Founder and CEO at Bridge Joe DeVivo, President, CEO, and Chairman at Butterfly Network Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (0:46) California cracks down on the "friendly PC" model (3:39) Digital health stocks are rallying (6:27) GPT-5 and Gemini ace health benchmarks — but are they ready? (9:45) GLP-1s get a government copay program (13:21) Keaton Bedell (Bridge) joins: virtual care's next frontier (15:26) Inside the data: 9,000+ virtual care companies analyzed (18:03) Where the market's crowded vs. wide open (20:14) Why virtual specialty care is "the next frontier" (23:45) What's the real moat in care delivery? (26:31) The CMS codes reshaping reimbursement (28:50) Will new codes finally kill PEPM? (32:05) Joe DeVivo (Butterfly Network) joins: the Midjourney partnership (32:26) How Butterfly's semiconductor ultrasound works (33:41) Butterfly + Midjourney: how the partnership works (34:59) The "incidentaloma" debate, explained (39:32) Making full-body imaging accessible, not just for the wealthy (44:16) Are patients smarter than the industry gives them credit for? (46:45) What's next: the three phases of the Midjourney roadmap (48:01) Is Butterfly's tech exclusive to Midjourney? Sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank.

  3. Jul 17

    Amit Phull, Doximity, on why 80% of doctors wouldn't recommend a career in medicine

    Amit Phull, Chief Clinical Experience Officer at Doximity and a practicing emergency medicine physician, joins Christina Farr to talk about how the company reached 85% of US physicians and what it plans to do with that reach in the AI era. They get into Doximity's survey finding that more than 80% of clinicians wouldn't recommend a career in medicine, a definition of burnout as "investment in a system you no longer feel you have influence over," and Amit's answer to Silicon Valley's favorite mantra: "move fast, but don't spill your drink." They also discuss the coming benchmarking era for healthcare AI, and how Doximity is approaching new competition from OpenEvidence without, as Amit puts it, going low.—SPONSOR: Baker Health🩺 This episode is brought to you by Baker Health. Evidence-based medicine and real holistic care, under one roof, with labs, results, and 24/7 live doctor chat all in one app.Download the Baker Health App: https://linktr.ee/baker_health Learn More: https://www.bakerhealth.com/  The only practice in NY & NJ where you can text your doctor directly and get same-day reservations. Make a Reservation: https://reservations.bakerhealth.com/medical?utm_source=lifers  —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:• 7/27 - Peptide Therapy: Where Do We Go From Here? - https://streamyard.com/watch/AgaHuDEvjisN —LINKS: Doximity: https://www.doximity.com/  Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Amit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-phull-09931667  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  Second Opinion Media:https://www.instagram.com/second.opinion.media/ https://x.com/second_op_media —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:38) Intro(01:20) Longevity as health tech OG(03:08) How Doximity reached 85%(05:47) Why doctors join Doximity(07:53) Burnout and admin burden(11:30) Hazing and long shifts(17:51) Is healthcare a system(22:00) Sponsor: Baker Health(23:17) AI hype vs reality(30:03) Move fast don't spill(38:03) Competition and market heat(45:46) Rewarding clinician users(51:52) Wrap

    Amit Phull, Doximity, on why 80% of doctors wouldn't recommend a career in medicine

  4. Jul 14

    Healthcare sends 9 billion faxes a year. Delaware has a better idea

    Christina Farr talks with Paul Meyer, CEO and co-founder of Smart Health Network, Dr. Neil Hockstein, Delaware's first Surgeon General, and Aretha Rochester, who manages prior authorizations from the front desk, about why prior auth reform keeps failing and what Delaware is doing differently. Dr. Hockstein shares audio from a real insurer denial call. They also discuss Delaware's plan to use Rural Health Transformation funds to build a shared prior auth utility modeled on Visa, the blind router design where the patient holds the only key to their request, and the CMS-0057 January 1 deadline for electronic prior auth. —Smart Health Network is neutral infrastructure for health transactions between providers, payers, and patients — connect once, transact with all. Smart Health Network — Cut Paperwork, Not Care.—Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:• 7/27 - Peptide Therapy: Where Do We Go From Here? - https://streamyard.com/watch/AgaHuDEvjisN —LINKS:Smart Health Network: https://www.smarthealthnetwork.org/ Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books  —FOLLOW:Paul:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmeyernyc https://x.com/paulmeyernyc  Neil:https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-hockstein-2a22241bb  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:39) Intro(01:56) Why Delaware matters(03:48) Frontline prior auth pain(08:13) Paul's origin story(09:35) Text4Baby lessons(13:00) Smart Health hub explained(17:42) Patient stakes and delays(19:49) The infamous denial call(25:02) Structural fix not portals(26:54) Delaware leads the dance(29:06) Governance over technology(34:47) Why Delaware took the risk(38:49) How to scale nationally(43:11) HITECH lessons and standards(47:50) Wrap

    Healthcare sends 9 billion faxes a year. Delaware has a better idea

  5. Jul 7

    ChatGPT is already the largest mental health provider in America | Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Pelago CEO

    Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Pelago, joins Chrissy to talk about why substance use disorder is one of the most stigmatized and least-treated chronic conditions in healthcare, despite touching roughly one in five people. They dig into the hidden cost of leaving it untreated, including a $12,000-per-patient ROI independently verified by Aon, and the case for treating addiction with the same chronic-disease framework as diabetes or heart disease. The conversation turns to AI's role in closing the treatment gap, including Pelago's own tool Sona, built to challenge patients rather than just validate them, and why Yusuf believes outcomes-based pricing, not session-based billing, is the right model for AI-driven behavioral health. —Pelago is the leading specialty substance use care provider, built on the belief that effective treatment means matching care intensity to what each member actually needs rather than defaulting to the most expensive intervention. Our programs deliver personalized treatment for tobacco, alcohol, opioid, cannabis, and stimulant use based on individual health, habits, genetics, and goals. With Sona, our voice-first AI Mental Health Specialist, Pelago now applies that same clinically-driven model to mental health, pairing deep clinical expertise with technology to expand access without compromising care quality. https://pelago.health/secondopinion  —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:• 7/27 - Peptide Therapy: Where Do We Go From Here? - https://streamyard.com/watch/AgaHuDEvjisN  —LINKS:Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books  —FOLLOW:Yusuf:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ysherwani https://x.com/ysherwani  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr  —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:42) Intro(01:56) UK vs US healthcare shock(03:38) Why healthtech moves to US(06:32) Selling to employers in person(11:01) Building for the long haul(13:21) Why addiction care is broken(15:53) Addiction as chronic disease(19:40) Pelago digital clinic model(21:40) Employer costs and ROI case(27:22) Finding SUD in claims data(29:54) Who addiction really affects(32:41) Peers groups and AI support(35:14) AI therapy promise and risks(44:18) Measuring outcomes and pricing(46:45) Benefits tighten and ROI rules(50:57) Safe AI in healthcare(57:49) Wrap

    ChatGPT is already the largest mental health provider in America | Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Pelago CEO

  6. Jul 3

    Dr. Aartik Sarma (UCSF) on Stripe’s $500M bet to cure the common cold

    Aartik Sarma, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF, joins Christina Farr for a short special edition on Intercept, a new $500 million initiative from a coalition of tech companies including Stripe, OpenAI, and Anthropic aimed at finally cracking the common cold and flu. They dig into why a "cold" is actually a huge, constantly mutating spectrum of viruses rather than one thing, why existing treatments like Tamiflu barely move the needle, and where Sarma thinks the money should go, from indoor air filtration to nasal sprays to longer-term vaccine research targeting the parts of viruses that don't mutate as often.—SPONSOR: Baker Health🩺 This episode is brought to you by Baker Health. Evidence-based medicine and real holistic care, under one roof, with labs, results, and 24/7 live doctor chat all in one app.Download the Baker Health App: https://linktr.ee/baker_health Learn More: https://www.bakerhealth.com/  The only practice in NY & NJ where you can text your doctor directly and get same-day reservations.Make a Reservation: https://reservations.bakerhealth.com/medical?utm_source=lifers —LINKS: Intercept: https://www.interceptfund.com/  Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Aartik:https://www.linkedin.com/in/aartiksarma https://x.com/AartikSarma  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/  Second Opinion Media:https://www.instagram.com/second.opinion.media/ https://x.com/second_op_media —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(00:46) Why companies care(02:20) Post-COVID work culture(04:39) Why colds persist(06:56) Who gets hit hard(08:42) Intercepting transmission(12:16) Sponsor: Baker Health(13:32) Better diagnostics(16:30) Vaccines tradeoffs(18:44) Is it worth 500M(21:03) Wrap

    Dr. Aartik Sarma (UCSF) on Stripe’s $500M bet to cure the common cold

  7. Jun 30

    What 3 doctors actually think about Midjourney's new body scanner

    Christina Farr brings together three clinicians with genuinely different views: cardiologist Venkatesh Murthy, rheumatologist Paul Sufka, and internist Sandeep Palakodeti, to react to Midjourney, the whole-body scanning startup that went viral after an Elon Musk retweet. The conversation centers on a real tension in medicine: when does more screening actually help people, and when does it just generate more anxiety, biopsies, and cost without saving more lives? —SPONSOR: Baker Health🩺 This episode is brought to you by Baker Health. Evidence-based medicine and real holistic care, under one roof, with labs, results, and 24/7 live doctor chat all in one app.Download the Baker Health App: https://linktr.ee/baker_health Learn More: https://www.bakerhealth.com/  The only practice in NY & NJ where you can text your doctor directly and get same-day reservations.  Make a Reservation: https://reservations.bakerhealth.com/medical?utm_source=lifers  —LINKS: MidJourney: https://www.midjourney.com/medical Velocity Health: https://velocityhealthclinic.com/ Twin Cities Orthopedics: https://tcomn.com/physicians/paul-sufka/ Elon Musk’s retweet: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2067427059895521345?s=20 Caltech research: "Whole Cross-Sectional Human Ultrasound Tomography” (April 2026): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-026-01660-4 Caltech's own writeup: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/scanning-the-body-with-sound South Korean thyroid screening study: https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-020-07597-4 Japan active surveillance study (Kuma Hospital): https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/endocrj/71/1/71_EJ23-0395/_article  Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books—FOLLOW:Venk:https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkmurthy https://x.com/venkmurthy  Paul:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsufka https://x.com/psufka  Sandeep:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeep-palakodeti-md-mph https://x.com/DrDeepMD  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/  Second Opinion Media:https://www.instagram.com/second.opinion.media/ https://x.com/second_op_media—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:46) Intro(02:17) Whole body MRI basics(03:11) Incidental findings trap(05:52) Can AI fix imaging(08:38) Evidence vs overdiagnosis(13:00) Autonomy, incentives, liability(20:42) Sponsor: Baker Health(21:58) Lifestyle wins from scans(23:27) Who pays downstream costs(34:03) Midjourney tech under fire(39:01) Regulation gray zones(41:50) Bold new era argument(45:10) Finding silent disease early(49:50) Avoiding snake oil future(53:19) Wrap

    What 3 doctors actually think about Midjourney's new body scanner

  8. Jun 25

    Rounds | Billion Dollar Bet on Women's Healthtech | Megan Scheffel and Joanna Strober

    Episode 1 of Rounds is here. Co-hosted by Christina Farr and Stephanie Davis, this episode dives into women’s health care. Megan Scheffel from Silicon Valley Bank joins to break down the latest SVB women’s health report, and Joanna Strober, Founder of Midi Health, sits down to talk about building a billion dollar company out of a gap the healthcare system spent decades ignoring. We’ll cover:- Companies already public or on the eve of going public in the women's health space- Oura as a case study: is it a women's health company?- The expanded definition of women's health — it's not just reproductive health anymore- Personalized and precision medicine as a multiplier for women's health outcomes- The latest from SVB women’s health report with Megan Scheffel- Midi just hit a $1 billion valuation — a major milestone for women's health- Joanna's VC background gave her a unique lens to spot the gap in midlife women's care- Midi's model: specialist-led, insurance-covered care accessible in all 50 states- Joanna's own misdiagnosis experience directly shaped how Midi approaches patient care- Menopause care as a future pillar of longevity medicine — where the industry is headed Hosts and Guest:- Christina Farr, CEO, Second Opinion; GP, Scrub Capital- Stephanie Davis, Healthcare Industry Analyst- Megan Scheffel, Head of Life Science and Healthcare at SVB- Joanna Strober, Founder of Midi Health Read the full SVB Report: https://www.svb.com/trends-insights/reports/womens-health-report/

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4.7
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines. No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes. Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.

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