Lifers with Christina Farr

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Latest Episodes:

Joanna Strober, Midi Health CEO, on the menopause Tupperware parties that built a unicorn Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

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

Ric Sinclair, CEO of Cotiviti on why payer-provider friction is finally fixable Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

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.
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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:
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

Dr. David Carmouche, Lumeris: Why AI is primary care's best chance at survival Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

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

—
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

How SaaS is evolving from software to AI solutions | Artera's Guillaume de Zwirek & Dan Goldsmith Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

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.
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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:
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

Chris Altchek, Cadence CEO, on earning the right to deploy clinical AI May 26, 2026

Show notes

This week on Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Chris Altchek, who went from investment banking to building Mic, a digital media company that reached 100 million readers, before co-founding Cadence, a health tech company now managing nearly 100,000 chronic disease patients per day. They dig into the hard lessons from media's platform-dependency collapse, what it really takes to build a sustainable business inside the US health system, and why Chris believes AI could make elite-level care accessible to far more Americans within a decade. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/02b3e52a-40ef-45e7-bc18-ac35b335e044-009c2hma

—
Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:
* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE
* 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs
* ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS
* ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3

—
SPONSOR: Granola
Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS
Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com
—
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:
Chris:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisaltchek
https://x.com/caltchek

Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/
https://x.com/chrissyfarr
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Lead In
(00:58) Intro
(02:57) Early life and trading
(05:22) Investor mindset lessons
(09:22) Perseverance as founder
(14:35) Mic Media lessons
(18:53) Sponsor break
(19:46) Cadence origin story
(23:33) Business model and reimbursement
(28:30) Data and remote monitoring
(30:46) Winning health systems trust
(35:16) CMS Access model strategy
(39:25) Cutting inefficiency in care
(42:31) Clinical AI that matters
(45:27) Future of US healthcare
(48:35) Wrap

Why price transparency took a decade to crack | Heather Fernandez, Solv May 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Heather Fernandez, CEO of Solv and former Trulia executive, to dig into the question that has stumped healthcare for decades: why don't patients know what their doctor visit will cost? They discuss how Solv evolved from a marketplace for urgent care appointments into an AI-first operating system for on-demand healthcare,built on over 100 million real patient visits, and why AI is finally cracking the price transparency problem after more than a decade of trying. They also explore what it really means to "skip the landline" and rebuild workflows from scratch, how Solv's voice agent Maya is handling millions of after-hours calls no front desk team could staff, and more.
—
Thanks to Solv who facilitated this conversation. Solv is the AI-first operating system for on-demand healthcare, helping providers automate everything from patient access to insurance verification and payments.
—
LINKS:
Solv: https://www.solvhealth.com/

Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/
https://x.com/chrissyfarr
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Lead In
(00:58) Intro
(02:24) Leveraging walking meetings to foster authentic collaboration
(04:47) Heather's career from Capitol Hill to venture-backed PR
(07:29) Deciding to join a room of misfits at Trulia
(09:27) Managing family milestones alongside major tech exits
(11:33) From real estate to a complex healthcare market
(16:05) Projecting an Uber-like paradigm shift for medical pricing
(19:23) Bottoms-up data ingestion to solve localized plan complexity
(22:15) Transitioning Solv from consumer marketplace to AI-first OS
(23:47) Mapping structural forces driving a sudden consumer health pull
(25:21) Deploying automated voice agents to eliminate front-desk administrative drag
(27:13) Forcing organizational transformation amidst high-profile tech layoffs
(33:31) Applying a "skip the landline" mantra to legacy workflows
(37:27) Navigating the three operational phases of AI adaptation
(39:43) Reshaping the healthcare front door through tech investments
(42:58) Challenging industry insiders who dismiss medical cost urgency
(43:48) Calling for passionate tech outsiders to disrupt entrenched structures
(45:37) Wrap

Behind Kalshi’s $22B rise: Betting on addiction with Dr. Rian Kabir May 12, 2026

Show notes

In this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. Rian Kabir, a psychiatrist and medical AI expert, to discuss the mental health implications of Kalshi's $22 billion valuation. They explore whether prediction markets constitute gambling, the addictive risks of frictionless betting apps, and what Rian is seeing in his own clinical practice. A timely conversation on the societal costs of a rapidly growing industry.
—
Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:
* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE
* 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs
* ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS
* ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3
—
SPONSOR: Granola
Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS
Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com
—
LINKS:
Chrissy’s Tweet: https://x.com/chrissyfarr/status/2053457349075976665?s=20

Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/
https://x.com/chrissyfarr
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:24) Kalshi valuation sparks debate
(02:04) Why app gambling hits hard
(04:55) Addiction risk factors explained
(06:26) Kalshi vs sports betting apps
(08:18) Clinical fallout and suicide risk
(10:05) Sponsor: Granola
(10:44) Age limits and young brains
(13:02) Juul parallels and VC ethics
(15:17) Regulation incentives and society
(17:17) Wrap

Building Maven Clinic when no one believed with CEO Kate Ryder May 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Lifers, Maven Clinic founder and CEO Kate Ryder joins host Christina Farr to discuss her journey building the first unicorn in the women's health category. Kate reflects on the "wartime" mentality of the early years, the challenges of scaling to a $500 million company, and the resilience needed to face investors who initially dismissed the space as a "niche" market. They explore the industry’s evolution, from overcoming Silicon Valley “trolls” to leading the transition of digital health from niche point solutions into massive, integrated platforms. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/d2c2adc9-b014-415e-91ab-75716d5784fd-008umkv4
—
Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:
* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE
* 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs
* ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS
* ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3
—
SPONSOR: Granola
Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS
Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com

—
LINKS:
Maven Clinic: https://www.mavenclinic.com/
Sachin Jain on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvtakm7NMnI
Sean Duffy and Stephanie Davis on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLRmtmcQjP4

—
FOLLOW:
Kate:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ryder-87474933/
https://x.com/_KateRyder

Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/
https://x.com/chrissyfarr
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Lead In
(00:58) Intro
(02:09) Founder energy and motivation
(02:41) Which growth stage hurts
(06:42) Hiring for the stage
(10:19) Storytelling as a superpower
(17:12) Sponsor: Granola
(18:05) Selling change without fear
(21:16) ROI and aligned incentives
(23:57) What carve outs mean
(26:33) Point solutions to platforms
(29:23) Women VCs and fundraising bias
(36:17) How personal to get
(38:47) Consumer health comes back
(42:09) Gen Z parenthood and misinformation
(47:12) Wrap

Dr. Oliver Kharraz on the decades-long journey to make scheduling a doctor's appointment easier Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

This week on Lifers, Christina Farr interviews Dr. Oliver Kharraz, the CEO of Zocdoc. They discuss the complexities of navigating the healthcare industry and the "culture shock" of modernizing medical scheduling. They explore Zocdoc’s evolution from a startup to a major platform, highlighting strategic shifts in their business model and the challenge of balancing growth with regulatory demands. They also discuss the future, examining how Voice AI and LLMs are poised to transform the "front office" and improve patient access to care. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/a4284c84-160f-4a64-8761-dfd8d8680064-008umkv4

—
Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:

* 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE⁠⁠

* 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - ⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs⁠

⁠⁠* 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS⁠⁠

⁠* 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3⁠⁠
—
SPONSOR: Granola
Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS
Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com
—
LINKS:
Zocdoc: https://www.zocdoc.com/
The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis - Citrini Research: https://www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic
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:
Oliver:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kharraz/
https://x.com/oliver_kharraz
Chrissy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/
https://x.com/chrissyfarr
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(00:57) Intro
(03:08) Healthcare culture shock
(05:32) Zocdoc origin story
(06:04) Hidden inventory insight
(07:13) Early tech reality check
(07:33) The Post-it note problem
(09:03) New York first strategy
(10:51) Why healthcare is harder
(12:32) Startup mindset and IPO
(15:22) Sponsor: Granola
(16:01) Business model overhaul
(19:06) Backlash and whale dinners
(22:04) Regulatory green light
(23:27) Lessons on transparency
(25:09) Fair share friction
(26:21) Transition pays off
(27:43) Growth versus profit
(29:18) Shopify for access
(30:47) Voice AI front desk
(34:27) Competing with startups
(37:02) LLMs need transactions
(42:16) Reserve capacity reality
(44:41) Autonomous care limits
(46:24) Optimism on AI jobs
(50:22) Wrap

Dr. Farzad Mostashari, Aledade CEO, on why more doctors are going independent Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

This week on Lifers, Christina Farr is joined by Farzad Mostashari, CEO of Aledade and former National Coordinator for Health IT, alongside co-host Mike Desjadon, CEO of Anomaly Health. Farzad traces his journey from CDC to spearheading the nationwide rollout of electronic health records. They discuss why value-based care is the only viable path forward, how AI is finally making it possible to deliver population health insights at scale, and what the current administration is getting right (and wrong) on payment reform. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/5a6d9ee2-8592-4471-adec-2d66797d86fd-008umkv4
—

Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:

* 5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE⁠⁠

* 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - ⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs⁠

⁠⁠* 6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS⁠⁠

⁠* 6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - ⁠⁠https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3⁠⁠

—
SPONSOR: Granola
Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERS

Interested in sponsoring the show? lifers@a16zstudios.com
—
LINKS:
Syndromic surveillance piece: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/04/syndromic-surveillance-useful-to-track-pandemics-like-covid-19.html
On the ACCESS MODEL: https://secondopinion.media/p/cms-unveils-major-new-outcomes-based-model-for-tech-enabled-care-what-digital-health-leaders-need-to

Aledade: https://aledade.com/
Anomaly: https://www.findanomaly.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:
Farzad:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/farzad-mostashari-933210
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
(03:01) Disease hunter origins
(04:50) Saving lives at scale
(06:54) EHRs and incentives
(09:22) Advice for AI builders
(10:46) Payment reform bright spots
(14:26) Sponsor: Granola
(15:20) Deflation and CPT shakeup
(17:47) Paying for outcomes
(20:26) Aledade and ACCESS model
(24:23) AI needs value models
(25:58) Electronic health records copilot breakthrough
(28:15) Rural care opportunity
(30:26) Accountability drives adoption
(32:58) Concierge care tradeoffs
(34:43) Scaling primary care capacity
(35:53) Doctors as entrepreneurs
(38:13) Mission and policy moves
(41:02) Rapid fire predictions
(43:51) Bipartisan VBC

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