Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.

There appears to be a "Superstar Effect" in healthcare and biomedical AI research right now. A small percentage of publications are truly novel methods contributions that introduce new capabilities or behaviors; whereas a majority of contemporary research publications are focused on implementation science to assess the real-world utility and performance of new methods. This dynamic seems different from prior eras, when the translational infrastructure for implementing novel AI methods was largely unavailable. While methods research often captures more attention and accolades, both types of research are critical – novel methods without implementation science lacks translatability; implementation science without novel methods lacks novelty. If our goal is to invent and deploy transformative AI methods in real-world healthcare and life sciences contexts, we ought to continue encouraging and rewarding stellar implementation science work alongside breakthrough methods development.

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In this week’s The Yuan, I share my thoughts on advances in #QSM (Quantified Self Movement) and how newer technologies (like #wearables and #LLMs) can unlock the power held in #biomarkers to help us live healthier for longer. Medicine 3.0 is here! #mitoplus #mito #humanedge #docm #longevity #healthspan #healthcare #everdayhealth

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Investing in companies that fill needs for health systems is a growth opportunity for both delivery organizations and start ups. Some systems are jumping in on their own, while others are partnering with like minded systems or with established VC firms. While this is a relatively new trend for systems, health plans have been making similar bets for many years. The benefits of becoming a health system portfolio company can be significant. Data, access to beta populations and real world coaching can be extremely beneficial. Start ups get mentoring and systems have to ability to leverage outside resources to solve relevant business problems. I predict a booming business!

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This is perhaps where the "U" turn for DTx starts? I'm not suggesting we will enter the highly bullish times of 2018-2021 but I think like a lot of technology cycles, this may serve as an inflection point as we look back on this 2-4 years from now. In addition to some of the additional coverage guidance around breakthrough treatments, we may see folks filing back into this space over the next 12-18 months. #dtx #digitaltherapeutics #FDA #reimbursement

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Interesting to see that digital health funding is relatively stable. Only a couple of exits. I think we'll see more deals like DarioHealth's acquisition of Twill, since from a sales perspective, the narrower the solution, the more difficult it is to acquire customers. This difficulty has nothing to do with the quality of offerings, but with the data management and administrative complexity on the customer side.

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Join me on The Doctor’s Farmacy as I sit down with two incredible experts, Vijay Pande, PhD and Daisy Wolf from a16z Bio + Health, to explore how AI is set to revolutionize healthcare. We dive deep into the world of cutting-edge tech, like wearable devices and AI diagnostics, making personalized medicine more accessible and effective than ever before. I truly believe in the transformative power of AI in healthcare. The synergy between doctors, patients, and AI holds immense potential to improve the health and lives of countless individuals. That's why I co-founded Function Health —to harness this powerful relationship and bring advanced diagnostics and treatments to those who need them most. Catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gbgDSDKp

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In case you missed it, last week the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) released a draft consensus framework for responsible health AI. Developed with input from over 100 contributors representing a diverse network of healthcare stakeholders, this guide proposes actionable evaluation criteria throughout the AI lifecycle—from identifying use cases to deployment and monitoring. Key examples outlined in the guide include: • Predictive EHR Risk Use Case (Pediatric Asthma Exacerbation) • Imaging Diagnostic Use Case (Mammography) • Generative AI Use Case (EHR Query and Extraction) • Claims-Based Outpatient Use Case (Care Management) • Clinical Ops & Administration Use Case (Prior Authorization with Medical Coding) • Genomics Use Case (Precision Oncology with Genomic Markers) The draft framework is open for public review and comment for the next sixty days. Please use this form to submit feedback: https://lnkd.in/eYughFYC Kudos to the CHAI team led by CEO & President, Dr. Brian Anderson, MD, on this milestone. Eric Horvitz Jennifer Goldsack John Halamka, M.D., M.S. Michael Pencina Micky Tripathi Nigam Shah Suchi Saria Troy Tazbaz #healthcare #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai https://lnkd.in/e7VRv6fD

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Transformation in healthcare is a crucial topic. What does it truly mean? Imagine a focus on alleviating the workload burden through technology, automating processes, eliminating human error, and understanding the pain points in care delivery. It's about creating process (not point) solutions that reduce waste and expense and create discipline, not just addressing isolated issues. We can achieve this by refining one workflow at a time. Consistently innovating with team input and integrating new knowledge fosters a culture of creativity and efficiency. Consider how well innovators grasp the fundamental issues from multiple angles. Some of the keys to success include truly understanding the healthcare industry, obsessing over the problem they are solving, having a clear and impactful value proposition, orchestrating workflows with change management and involving diverse experts. Transformation is challenging, no matter how we define it. By addressing these questions and focusing on change management, we can navigate the complexities of healthcare and drive meaningful change. Please share your innovation stories that are gaining traction and solving problems with discipline.

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#Niche-focused #ventures in #HealthTech, such as those #targeting #underserved areas or #specific health conditions, offer several benefits. They can address gaps in the #healthcare system, provide specialized care, and #potentially integrate into broader #ecosystems for comprehensive healthcare solutions. For example, #JVEDTECHMedovation, could explore #partnerships with #niche #HealthTech startups to enhance offerings in healthcare #innovation.

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Big healthcare AI news yesterday as Tempus AI received the first-ever CPT code for an algorithm-only analysis of previously-sequenced, laboratory developed test transcriptomic data. TLDR: AI molecular phenotyping has a new business model. The PurISTSM test uses RNA profiling to identify molecular subtypes in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which may inform first-line therapy selection and management. While I'm skeptical that payer balance sheets are going to solve the "who pays for healthcare AI" problem, the reimbursement pipes for clinical AI are maturing. I am surprised to see more progress for usage-based vs. performance-based models given the many challenges with FFS economics. It will be interesting to see how payers assess the "medical necessity" and therefore reimbursability of clinical AI as these models come to market. https://t.co/eLe18SmihV

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Latest #PitchBook data for #HealthIT investment shows a preference for later stage investment across healthIT that pre-dates the VC downturn and current interest rate environment. Even though healthIT has been more resilient to current headwinds compared to health care services and PPM plays, perhaps it speaks to a need to scale solutions and points of saturation for new entrants. "...In the lower middle market, we are beginning to see more examples of a phenomenon we have anticipated for a while: PE firms and PE-backed companies acquiring VC-backed startups. Lower-middle-market PE firms perennially complain that VC- backed companies expect too-high multiples, and these firms would generally prefer to invest on a multiple of EBITDA rather than a multiple of revenue..." Speaks to a convergence that would allow PE-VC M&A on both ends of the startup spectrum. #HealthcareVC #healthcarePE

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Function wants to reimagine healthcare. The preventative diagnostics platform closed a Series A investment led by a16z Bio + Health, bringing its total funding to $53M. Co-founded by functional medicine expert Mark Hyman, MD, the company leverages robust lab testing to improve longevity and healthspan. Taking a proactive approach, twice-annual 100-biomarker panels are reviewed by AI and human clinicians to spot and treat disease. Members can also opt for additional tests as needed. Operating in beta since April, Function Health counts 50K paying customers, a 200K person waitlist, and recently partnered with Equinox. Losing faith in traditional healthcare, more people are seeking preventative scans, alternative medicine, and longevity protocols. Democratizing diagnostics, Function wants to prioritize health over healthcare. 

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In my short investing time I have already had some potential misses! In this newsletter I go more in depth about lessons learned from investing in early stage healthcare startups. I also outline a couple startups which will likely be potential misses as time goes on. One thing to remember is that early stage investing is a game of finding a needle in a hay stack and misses are inevitable. A single winner is likely to make up for all your losses and misses. This is where portfolio construction is critical. #angelinvesting #healthcare #startups

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https://tcrn.ch/3xszfxx Interesting piece in TechCrunch about what #generative AI could mean for healthcare. Some key points: ⭐ The article described the potential of using generative AI in #radiology. ⭐ Worth noting that both examples given in the radiology section aren't actually #generativeAI though (both examples are machine learning). ⭐ Despite enthusiasm from the investor community, patients and clinicians are less sure about its value ⭐ Only 53% of surveyed consumers thought it could add value in healthcare ⭐ A paper in JAMA Pediatrics found ChatGPT made errors diagnosing pediatric diseases 83% of the time Despite reservations, I think there's no doubt that generative AI could be game-changer, especially for routine, mundane tasks. Be interesting to hear what others think ! #radiology #AI

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Kicking off #fortunehealth tonight with a session on health startups and economic resilience. Execs from GV (Google Ventures), Maveron, and 7wireVentures will be here. What would you ask them?

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What you won’t find: Wheel powering any of the sketchy DTC GLP-1 compounding companies. What you will find: This market exists because companies like Wheel, who prioritize clinical quality and regulatory compliance in every process and product, refuse to take shortcuts. We're committed to ensuring that patients receive high-quality care—not just drive quick profits. Sometimes, choosing ethics over revenue means we don't see a short-term windfall during a "Gold Rush." But as CEO, I can assure you that it also means that patients, customers, and clinicians can trust that Wheel is always on the right side of history. I believe GLP-1s will transform healthcare as profoundly as AI, and Wheel is dedicated to being at the forefront—delivering compliant, accessible, and responsible care.

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I saw this pattern of rapid growth and then consolidation happening in banking and FinTech in the mid 2000s. We jumped into Digital Healthcare in 2016 with the thesis that there were similar drivers. One big surprise, COVID, acted as rocket fuel to the industry but the same fundamentals apply. Consolidation of the biggest players , innovation by faster moving startups raising capital and then being acquired and patients expecting current ( i.e... wait, we are still using faxes? ) but rather now , de facto to them, omni channel consumer experiences. What can we continue to learn from past "explosions" of growth?

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Exciting news from Monica Chopra, Jeffrey De Flavio, MD, Samantha Adelberg, and the rest of the Auxa Health team as they officially announce their $5.2M Seed round. The team's deep industry expertise and drive for change have led them to solve critical infrastructural friction to providing quality healthcare and adoption of value-based care. Auxa's AI benefit navigation platform is simplifying the complexities of healthcare by streamlining all of the fragmented and siloed data and information to make it actionable in real-time for healthcare organizations. For the 70% of Americans who aren't getting access to the health and social care benefits they deserve, Auxa's solution will be pivotal in enabling equitable care. We're thrilled to partner with co-investors Zeal Capital Partners, AlleyCorp, Laconia, and Chaac Ventures on this journey and look to share many more milestones ahead. Cc K50 Ventures, Ryan Bloomer, Daniel Vásquez, Nick Talwar, Stefanie Ng https://lnkd.in/dPDY7-Db

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Good ideas are necessary for a startup, but so is good PR. One of our startups, for instance, a company committed to health equity for rare disease patients and their families, was approved for payment by Medicaid in Colorado. This new coverage will enhance access to crucial health information for anyone suspected of having a rare disease. That’s great news, right! We often have a challenge in the Life Sciences industry where startups are so busy navigating a complex, difficult journey to deliver breakthrough solutions, only to underestimate the impact of sharing their news. In this case, our startup Jura Health was welcomed by Colorado Medicaid as an approved provider for testing for suspected rare diseases. Their goal is to reduce the time it takes to diagnose a rare disease from 5 years to 1 month for all patients. Their revolutionary health data platform not only provides genetic answers but also provides multiple resources and the next steps to accelerate care. The implications this news had for expanding Jura’s reach were tremendous, but they needed a plan to get the word out in a meaningful way. They could not have imagined the cascade of value they would receive as a result of doing so. After we supported them in making an official PR statement, Jura was approached by several individual parents who had been searching for such a solution; this was followed by an organization running a large-scale study of rare diseases about a potential partnership. In the time since, they’ve reached a major patient adoption milestone and even more opportunities have arisen - all because they paused to celebrate their achievement and get the news out. Life sciences startups need to understand that every accomplishment is an opportunity to increase awareness and attract potential partners or customers. Keep sharing your story - you never know who might be listening and what opportunities it could bring.

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