Breaking Health

How are innovators driving sustainable ventures to transform Medicaid and improve care for underserved populations? During May’s Digital Healthcare Innovation Summit, Zeena Johar, entrepreneur in residence of Frist Cressey Ventures; Chris Johnson, founder and CEO of Bluebird Kids Health; Aditi Mallick, former CMO of Medicaid and director of Minority Health at CMS; and Jenny Ismert, CEO of Community Plan of Kansas at UnitedHealthcare Community & State gathered to discuss scalable solutions, funding strategies, and the role of technology in addressing complex challenges within Medicaid. Moderated by .406 Ventures’ Payal Agrawal Divakaran, the panel provided insights into creating lasting impact while navigating the evolving digital health and policy landscape. 

Ty Wang, co-founder and CEO of Angle Health, is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare accessibility. He shares insights on transitioning from engineering to the healthcare sector, emphasizing his platform's ability to eliminate administrative barriers. Wang discusses the need for customizable health plans, especially for hourly workers, and highlights the innovative, AI-native approach Angle Health takes. He also offers valuable advice for early-stage entrepreneurs navigating the complex healthcare landscape.

In this episode of Breaking Health, host Steve Krupa speaks with Matt Bettonville, investor at Yosemite, about the state of oncology research and his hunt for investments in discovery and treatment tools. Bettonville delves into the key to cancer treatment, where deals are flowing towards in the market, and how the AI revolution is helping with drug discovery and cancer treatment breakthroughs. He also discusses the complications (and frustrations) of making treatments affordable, finding new targets in primary cancers most frequently seen in the population, and the importance of early detection. Links from this episode:  HealthEdgeYosemite  

In this episode of Breaking Health, guest host Payal Agrawal Divakaran, partner at .406 Ventures, speaks with Jeremy Friese, CEO of Humata Health, about prior authorization and how Humata is helping from “both sides of the fax machine.” Friese also discusses his thoughts on the future of AI adoption, how the regulatory landscape looks, and more. He also shares what the transition between physician to entrepreneur was like, what it’s like to found and grow companies, and how to select the right VC partners. Links from this episode:  HealthEdge  .406 Ventures Humata Health  

Jeffrey Wessler, MD, MPhil, is the CEO of Heartbeat Health, a company reshaping virtual cardiology. He discusses the transformative role of telemedicine in cardiovascular care and how it effectively addresses skepticism around remote healthcare. Wessler emphasizes the importance of hybrid care models and innovations in technology for improving patient outcomes. He also shares insights on being a physician-entrepreneur, navigating healthcare disparities, and the impact of GLP-1 medications on cardiac health while advocating for awareness during Heart Health Month.

Kate Condliffe, CEO and co-founder of Diana Health, shares her mission to revolutionize maternity care. She discusses the importance of partnerships with hospitals to enhance individualized care for women. Condliffe emphasizes the necessity of innovative care models and the integration of various services to meet the evolving needs of expectant mothers. The conversation also tackles how recent political changes influence women's health and highlights the vital roles of doulas and comprehensive care models in improving maternal experiences.

In this special video episode of Breaking Health / In this episode of Breaking Health, guest host Payal Agrawal Divakaran, partner at .406 Ventures, speaks with Kristina Saffran, cofounder and CEO of Equip about providing accessible eating disorder treatment for patients everywhere. Saffran shares the origins of Equip, busts some myths surrounding eating disorders, and explains how her company pays for health plans. She also discusses the importance of working with the right cofounders, picking the right VC partners, navigating rough patches, fundraising, and more. Divakaran and Saffran also share their thoughts on contemporary topics and trends in the industry in a lightning round. Links from this episode:  HealthEdge .406 VenturesEquip 

In this episode of Breaking Health, host Steve Krupa speaks with Jon Maschmeyer, partner at Permira. Maschmeyer discusses what it’s like working with executives and what they learn from him about investments, what sector has the most activity today in terms of deal flow, what attributes he finds exciting when considering a deal, and the key to working with private equity as a management team. He also shares his thoughts on how lower rates for high-volume drugs affect other countries, specialty pharma, and how healthcare has evolved in the past 20 years. 

Leaders in the AI industry discuss the progress and hype around generative AI in healthcare, including challenges such as regulatory frameworks and liability cases. Topics also cover the role of AI in healthcare strategy, leveraging generative AI for staffing and value-based care, driving value with AI, strategic partnerships for AI operationalization, the evolution of the Chief AI Officer in healthcare, regulatory aspects of generative AI, and evaluating bias in AI for nurse assistance.

When is the best time to make an investment? In the healthcare industry, this can be tricky to determine. In this episode of Breaking Health, host Steve Krupa speaks with Andrew Adams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Oak HC/FT, about organizing capital into the right companies, where the healthcare industry is going in terms of deployment of technology, and the state of the market today. With a broad and impressive portfolio, Adams provides valuable insight and techniques on finding the right opportunities to invest, as well as value-based hotspots and new ventures that Oak HC/FT is conducting.   Links from this episode:  HealthEdge  Oak HC/FT