Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines.
No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes.
Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.
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Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines.
No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes.
Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.
Michelle Carnahan, Arbiter CEO: From Eli Lilly to solving healthcare's $100B fragmentation crisis
Lifers with Christina Farr
46 minutes
2 days ago
Michelle Carnahan, Arbiter CEO: From Eli Lilly to solving healthcare's $100B fragmentation crisis
Chrissy Farr sits down with Michelle Carnahan, who spent 26 years at Eli Lilly witnessing the development of breakthrough GLP-1 drugs before transitioning to direct-to-consumer healthcare (Thirty Madison) and then co-founding Arbiter, a startup that raised $52M at a $400M valuation. Michelle and Chrissy discuss the GLP-1 revolution, transformative shifts in health insurance, and how her company is using AI-powered care orchestration to solve healthcare's fragmentation crisis by connecting disconnected systems and improving patient access.—SPONSOR:This episode is brought to you by Arbiter. As Michelle says: "We don't need another instrument for the orchestra—we need to conduct the orchestra." Backed by one of the largest early funding rounds in health tech, Arbiter creates one real-time source of truth from fragmented healthcare systems, then routes referrals and handles prior auths so patients actually get to care. Learn more at Arbiter.AI.—LINKS: Chrissy Farr’s Website: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books Lifers with Christina Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr —FOLLOW:
Michelle:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-carnahan/ Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(02:49) The Lifers concept and healthcare dedication(04:19) Michelle's journey: from big pharma to startups(07:54) Addressing access and fragmentation in healthcare(13:43) The rise of GLP-1s and their impact(20:58) Future of GLP-1s: pricing and distribution(23:18) The role of health insurance in modern healthcare(25:09) Transformative shifts in health insurance(27:25) AI-powered care orchestration(32:17) Challenges and solutions in healthcare technology(34:55) The importance of collaboration in healthcare(40:21) Personal insights and recommendations
Lifers with Christina Farr
Veteran journalist, investor, and Second Opinion Media founder Chrissy Farr talks with the CEOs and founders who've been in the trenches long enough to know that healthcare doesn't move at startup speed. These aren't the entrepreneurs chasing quick exits—they're the "lifers" who understand that building in healthcare requires endless pivots, regulatory navigation, and decade-long timelines.
No hype, just honest conversations about what it really takes.
Each episode explores healthcare innovation, startup strategy, medical technology and AI, health system transformation, and investment insights from operators who've navigated regulatory challenges, clinical trials, reimbursement complexities, and the unique dynamics of the healthcare industry.
