Lifers with Christina Farr

Christina Farr

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

    4d ago

    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

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

    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

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

    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

    54 min

  4. 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/

    50 min
  5. Joanna Strober, Midi Health CEO, on the menopause Tupperware parties that built a unicorn

    Jun 23

    Joanna Strober, Midi Health CEO, on the menopause Tupperware parties that built a unicorn

    Joanna Strober, CEO of Midi Health, joins Chrissy Farr to talk about building one of the first scaled companies in women's midlife health, and why the category didn't produce a unicorn until this year despite an obvious market need. They cover Midi's "B2B for show, B2C for dough" strategy, how a 150-patient pilot turned a hormone-access company into a full primary care business, and what changed when Joanna posted a public apology to patients on LinkedIn after a patch shortage overwhelmed the company's support team.—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: Midi Health: https://www.joinmidi.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:Joanna:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannastrober https://x.com/joannastrober  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:38) Intro(02:14) Joanna's founder journey(04:27) Lessons from Kurbo(06:23) Why women's health is hard(08:12) Midi's D2C brand bet(12:30) What Midi actually treats(14:36) Labs and diagnostics(15:51) Sponsor: Baker Health(17:06) GLP-1s and midlife weight(20:55) Funding and timing tailwinds(24:10) Founder advice: think bigger(26:43) AI to scale empathy(31:29) LinkedIn and trust building(35:42) Destigmatizing menopause(40:12) Organic marketing playbook(42:41) Expansion, AI, and research(45:22) Wrap

    47 min
  6. Ric Sinclair, CEO of Cotiviti on why payer-provider friction is finally fixable

    Jun 16

    Ric Sinclair, CEO of Cotiviti on why payer-provider friction is finally fixable

    In this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Ric Sinclair, CEO of Cotiviti, to tackle one of healthcare's most stubborn paradoxes: why does a $5 trillion system keep expanding its own problem set? Ric makes the case that healthcare doesn't have a data problem or a technology problem, it has a coordination problem, and that Cotiviti is building the end-to-end infrastructure layer the industry has never had. They discuss why payers and providers aren't really villains, how AI is poised to make things worse before it makes them better, and what it would take to finally make healthcare fairer and more transparent for everyone.—Thanks to our sponsor Cotiviti. Cotiviti’s infrastructure platform enables healthcare organizations to deliver better care at lower cost through advanced technology and data analytics that improve the quality and sustainability of healthcare in the United States. Cotiviti’s solutions increase transparency and collaboration between payers and providers while empowering them to reduce medical and administrative costs, enable better health, improve claims payment efficiency, streamline operations, drive interoperability, and advance value-based care. Its customers serve the majority of U.S. healthcare consumers, providing coverage and care for over 300 million members and patients. For more information, visit https://www.cotiviti.com/ —LINKS:Cotiviti: https://www.cotiviti.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:Ric:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricsinclair  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:32) Intro(01:17) Drumming to leadership(04:18) From music to health tech(06:23) Why healthcare feels broken(08:52) Waystar product lessons(11:18) Coordination not data(12:47) AI could raise costs(16:06) Building Cotiviti vision(18:22) The dark side debate(26:48) Trust gaps and mediation(27:59) Execution over ideas(30:34) Teasing the next idea(30:51) Gold carding debate(32:12) Coordination over programs(34:00) Planting the orchard(35:15) AI business models(37:39) Humans in the loop(40:56) Reskilling and job shifts(43:14) AI literacy mindset(46:20) Polite to the bots(47:51) Teams and productivity(51:09) Creativity still human(55:34) Company values framework(57:37) Legacy and waste reduction(01:01:16) Wrap

    1h 2m
  7. Dr. David Carmouche, Lumeris: Why AI is primary care's best chance at survival

    Jun 9

    Dr. David Carmouche, Lumeris: Why AI is primary care's best chance at survival

    In this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. David Carmouche, Chief Medical and Chief Commercial Officer at Lumeris and newly appointed advisor to HHS and CMS, to explore one of healthcare's most urgent questions: can primary care be saved, and is AI the thing that finally does it? They discuss how decades of administrative burden, misaligned payment models, and the erosion of the longitudinal doctor-patient relationship turned primary care into an impossible job, and why AI represents the first real opportunity to reimagine it. They also explore the audacious vision of a single PCP managing 5,000 to 10,000 patients through autonomous AI, why the office visit needs to become the exception rather than the starting point, and what it will take to rebuild a system that actually works for patients and clinicians alike. —Lumeris is a physician-first healthcare transformation company advancing the future of primary care through Tom, its AI-powered Primary Care as a Service platform designed to function as a proactive member of the care team embedded directly in clinical workflows. Tom autonomously supports best next actions that help providers expand capacity, improve patient access, and reduce administrative burden while enabling more personalized, scalable care delivery. —LINKS:Lumeris: https://www.lumeris.com/ Bob Wachter episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6U1fX1JgVk  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:David:https://x.com/carmouchemd  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:45) Intro (01:27) Is primary care back?(03:13) Why primary care declined(07:03) Consumer convenience wins(08:20) Payment model problem(11:24) New payment experiments(15:25) AI sandboxes and scope(17:14) Physicians friend or foe(22:07) Limits safety and rigor(24:11) Privacy vs insight tradeoff(28:16) AI finds longitudinal patterns(30:05) Scaling panels to 5000(35:29) Wearables data control panel(40:18) Bridging consumer and EHR(43:34) Why you need a PCP(46:44) Longevity as primary care 2.0(47:46) Wrap

    49 min
  8. How SaaS is evolving from software to AI solutions  | Artera's Guillaume de Zwirek & Dan Goldsmith

    Jun 2

    How SaaS is evolving from software to AI solutions  | Artera's Guillaume de Zwirek & Dan Goldsmith

    In this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Guillaume de Zwirek, CEO of Artera, and Dan Goldsmith, Co-founder & Partner at Proofpoint Capital, and Board Member at Artera, with 30 years of C-Level and Founder operating experience. They tackle one of the most fundamental questions in healthcare tech right now: what actually is AI, and how should companies operationalize it? They discuss why AI is neither traditional SaaS nor consulting services but something entirely new: bespoke solutions delivered at the speed and cost of software, and why the companies that fail to grasp this distinction are already quietly dying. —Artera is the leading agentic healthcare company offering AI solutions for patient communications, strengthening how providers connect with and care for their patients.—LINKS:Artera: https://artera.io/ Proofpoint Capital: https://www.proofpointcapital.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:Gui:https://www.linkedin.com/in/guidezwirek  Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead in(00:42) Intro(01:43) What is AI today(03:55) Valuing AI businesses(07:46) Durability and moats(10:02) AI-first operating model(12:25) Builders and reorg(14:43) Investor and customer diligence(17:24) Healthcare stakes trust(20:17) From implementation to instant(24:49) Who thrives in AI era(26:29) AI-native work habits(26:52) Org memory at scale(27:55) Personal bots from data(29:19) Solutions not software(31:06) Healthcare barriers to AI(33:06) Making workflow personal(34:24) Agentic customization fast(36:55) Self-improving agent harness(39:42) EHR future and data(44:42) Human connection wins(47:02) Winners and losers(50:22) Leadership and conviction(52:00) Wrap

    53 min
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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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