Health Tech Nerds Radio

Kevin interviews Sam, Co-Founder and CEO of Oshi Health, about the GI market and the Peterson Health Technology Institute report, which found clear savings for GI solutions focused on IBS and IBD. Sam explains the difference between wraparound programs and clinician-led models that can diagnose and prescribe, noting GI access shortages and that many counties lack gastroenterologists. He describes Oshi’s virtual, nurse-practitioner-led care team—overseen by GI physicians and supported by dietitians, gut-brain specialists, and care coordinators—and how Oshi coordinates colonoscopy and other in-person procedures through referrals and partnerships. They discuss contracting lessons in commercial value-based arrangements, immediate cost savings from avoiding repeat workups and treat-and-release ER visits, strategies to build patient trust via testimonials and direct-to-consumer awareness, and plans to deepen local GI integration and use AI to improve efficiency and outcomes.For more from Health Tech Nerds, subscribe to our weekly newsletters: https://www.healthtechnerds.com/subscribe

Psychiatry still relies heavily on medication management and talk therapy, leaving many patients—especially those with treatment-resistant depression—cycling through SSRIs without response, despite FDA-approved options like TMS (approved 2008) and Spravato/esketamine (approved 2019) that show roughly twice the effectiveness versus standard treatments. Ben Kuhn, co-founder and CEO of Everbright Health, explains why these interventions haven’t become routine in independent practices: complex, frequently changing payer eligibility criteria, provider discomfort discussing specialized treatments, onerous prior auth, and the operational/compliance burden of running a new service line. Everbright Health positions itself as an AI-enabled MSO partner (not an acquirer), promising implementation in ~60 days by identifying eligible patients, managing education, prior auth/billing, and operations. The conversation also covers emerging therapies (psilocybin, PTSD treatment “Prism,” remote monitoring) and growing payer interest in outcomes/value-based models, citing data suggesting up to 50% total cost-of-care reductions when treatment resistance resolves.For more from Health Tech Nerds, subscribe to our weekly newsletters: https://www.healthtechnerds.com/subscribe

In this episode, Health Tech Nerds Kevin and Martin interview Thyme Care President and COO Bradford Diephuis about the U.S. oncology market, highlighting rapid therapeutic advances alongside outdated care delivery and misaligned “buy and bill” incentives that tie practice economics to drug margins. They discuss Thyme Care’s growth and care model: contracting with risk-bearing payers and entities to manage a claims-attributed oncology population, deploying a 500+ person wraparound care team to reduce avoidable acute care utilization, and partnering voluntarily with oncology practices on high-value drug interventions, waste minimization, and palliative/advanced care planning. Bradford also outlines contracting approaches using concurrent benchmarks and how Thyme Care uses AI mainly to automate back-office care workflows rather than patient-facing tools.For more from Health Tech Nerds, subscribe to our weekly newsletters: https://www.healthtechnerds.com/subscribe

Opioid addiction remains a major U.S. public health crisis despite overdose deaths falling back toward 2019 levels, and Ophelia leaders Zach Gray and Dr. Arthur Robin Williams discuss expanding access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) via a virtual-first model. Gray describes founding Ophelia after losing someone to overdose and argues MAT resembles long-term medication plus counseling but has been constrained by burdensome rehab-style requirements and limited prescribing capacity. Williams outlines his harm-reduction and research background and explains how new synthetic drugs, online access, and shipping have accelerated risk. They argue adoption lags due to fragmented care and Medicaid contracting, highlight Pennsylvania’s Center of Excellence as a workable reimbursement model, warn of SAMHSA and Medicaid funding pressures, and note how fee-for-service reimbursement limits innovation and AI adoption.For more from Health Tech Nerds, subscribe to our weekly newsletters: https://www.healthtechnerds.com/subscribe