Intro

Join us for an insightful conversation with Dr. Rishi Khakhkhar, Chief Medical Officer at Counsel Health, as we explore how this AI-enabled virtual care company is transforming the way patients access healthcare through chat-based, physician-supervised medical AI.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

- How Counsel Health combines medical AI with real physicians for safe, supervised care

- The patient journey: from AI-powered intake to physician consultation

- Asynchronous vs. synchronous care and what it means for busy patients

- Emergency escalation protocols and patient safety in AI-enabled care

- The "clinician cockpit" - AI tools built for physicians by physicians

- The future of longitudinal patient-physician relationships in virtual care

- Counsel Health's $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Google Ventures

Dr. Khakhkhar shares his journey from ER physician at Mount Sinai during COVID-19 to helping build the next generation of telemedicine, and why he believes AI will help physicians focus on what matters most - the human moments of care.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

01:28 – Dr. Khakhkhar's Background & How He Joined Counsel Health

04:48 – The Patient Journey: From AI Chat to Physician

09:00 – Longitudinal Care & the Patient-Doctor Relationship

12:00 – Asynchronous vs. Near-Synchronous Care

15:00 – Emergency Escalation & Patient Safety Protocols

19:00 – AI as a Team Member, Not a Replacement

22:00 – Dr. Khakhkhar's Journey: COVID-19 & Virtual Care

24:22 – Funding: $35M Series A from a16z & Google Ventures

27:00 – The Clinician Cockpit: AI Tools for Physicians

31:00 – Isolating the Human Moment in Medicine

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-khakhkhar

About Counsel Health

Founded by Dr. Muthu Alagappan (former CMO of Notable Health, Stanford MD), Counsel Health is an AI-enabled virtual care company on a mission to be the primary doctor for the next billion people on earth.

Company Website: https://www.counselhealth.com

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/counselhealth

Founder LinkedIn (Dr. Muthu Alagappan): https://www.linkedin.com/in/muthualagappan

Host: Dr. Roupen Odabashian, MD, FRCPC, FASCO

Hematology-Oncology Physician | Healthcare Innovation Enthusiast

Connect with Us:

🎙️ Podcast: Delta HealthTech Innovators

💼 Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roupen-odabashian-md-frcpc-fasco-183aaa142

📧 Email: roupen@deltahealth.tech

Listen on:

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/delta-healthtech-innovators/id1703827145

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoubenOdabashianMD

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vYC26pNkZVIhsqloNcCm9