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Ofer Leidner, Happify Health

by MATTHEW HOLT

Happify Health is a online mental health company that is focused almost exclusively on scaling care by offering self-service tech solutions across the patient journey. After R&D starting in 2012, they’ve been scaling since 2017 and now are working with large employers and big health plans. What they don’t do is have their own therapists or psychiatrists. This is an interesting approach and probably much more scalable than many of their competitors. Today they raised $73m more to build out their solutions. I talked to Happify Health’s President, Ofer Leidner about how far they can go with automated self-service. He thinks it’s a long way.

THCB Gang Episode 46, Thursday March 11

THCB Gang featured lawyer & privacy expert Deven McGraw, (@Healthprivacy), Health IT girl and WTF Health Host Jessica DaMassa (@jessdamassa), and policy expert consultant/author Rosemarie Day @Rosemarie_Day1). We’ve had far too many Y chromosomes on lately but also joining Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) for this one will be futurist Ian Morrison (@seccurve) and Fard Johnmar (@fardj), from digital health consultancy Enspektos.

We dove into the health care implications of the new $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, and had a great chat about where health and digital health go next.

If you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels

THCB Gang Episode 45, Thursday March 4, 1pm PT – 4pm ET

Joining me, Matthew Holt (@boltyboy), on this week’s THCB Gang will be THCB regular writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard), medical historian Mike Magee (@drmikemagee),  policy & tech expert Vince Kuraitis (@VinceKuraitis),  patient safety expert and all around wit Michael Millenson (@MLMillenson), and consumer expert and current President of the Medical Board of California, Denise Pines.

Vaccines at warp speed, some “Neanderthal” state governors opening up, but also a pandemic bill passes the house with some health policy implications. Plus lots of fun and games in the world of digital health and startup health plans. We should have something to discuss!

You can see the video below live and the audio will be on our podcast channel (Apple/Spotify) from Friday

THCB Gang Episode 44, Thursday Feb 25, 1pm PT – 4pm ET

Joining me, Matthew Holt (@boltyboy), on this week’s THCB Gang were consultant/author Rosemarie Day @Rosemarie_Day1),  Suntra Modern Recovery CEO JL Neptune (@JeanLucNeptune), and health futurist Jeff Goldsmith (@JeffcGoldsmith) and a late add Ian Morrison (@seccurve).

We will also had a special guest who is possibly the most successful corporate venture capitalist in health tech–Merck’s Bill Taranto. He had a decent run last decade– you may have heard of Livongo which he was a big investor in! We talked with Bill about the future of investing, what role investing in digital health has for drug business and what he’s expecting in the big health care realignment. Apparently Merck treasury took all the cash he made with Livongo so he couldn’t give it to us, but he has $500m+ top spend and as he said, “you want a Billion Dollar exit? Put me on the board”

You can see the video below live and the audio will be on our podcast channel (Apple/Spotify) from Friday

THCB Gang Episode 43, Thursday Feb 18, 1pm PT – 4pm ET

THCB Gang was broadcast live on Thurs Feb 18

Joining me, Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) were THCB regular writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard), patient advocates Grace Cordovano (@GraceCordovano) and Robin Farmanfarmaian (@Robinff3), newly-minted VC Marcus Whitney @marcuswhitney, and medical historian Mike Magee @drmikemagee.

We touched on the impact of the extremes of global warming on health! And in a pandemic nonetheless!. Plus the wild world of SPACs, more funding for mental health, and the sausage making of health care’s place in the upcoming stimulus bill. But I’m not sure the group is ready for the big policy move that the pandemic may give us the opportunity to pursue! A great conversation nonetheless.

The video is below but if you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels.

THCB Gang Episode 42, Thurs 11th

THCB Gang was live on Thurs Jan 28. The recording is below.

Joining me, Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) were patient safety expert and all around wit Michael Millenson (@MLMillenson), THCB regular health writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard),  futurist Ian Morrison (@seccurve), surgeon & innovation dude Raj Aggarwal (@docaggarwal), patient advocate Grace Cordovano (@GraceCordovano), and policy & tech expert Vince Kuraitis (@VinceKuraitis).

The impeachment barely came up but several of us had direct experience of the chaotic vaccine rollout. Lots of speculation about what aspects of shoring up the ACA in the stimulus $1.9bn, and a bunch of discussion and disagreement about whether the lava is cooling in a new data and technology infrastructure on which to build a new health system. A great conversation.

The video is below but if you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels.

THCB Gang, Episode 40

THCB Gang was held live on Thurs Jan 28 1pm PT -4pm ET. The recording is below.

Joining me, Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) were fierce patient activist Casey Quinlan (@MightyCasey), consultant/author Rosemarie Day @Rosemarie_Day1),  THCB regular health writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard); employer health expert Jennifer Benz (@jenbenz) & patient safety expert and all around wit Michael Millenson (@MLMillenson).

There was almost nothing to talk about. No inauguration, no riots, pandemic under control via vaccination….oh wait. Actually a lot to talk about with the vaccination rollout, the likelihood of health policy changing in the COVID relief bill, and how the wild world of Gamestop stock trading might impact Digital Health –well we didn’t talk about that but we did talk about employers and what they were going to do!

The video is below but if you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels.

THCB Gang Live Episode 39

Episode 39 of “The THCB Gang” will live-streamed on Thursday, Jan 21. You can see it below!

Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) was joined by regulars: futurists Ian Morrison (@seccurve) & Jeff Goldsmith, surgeon and now digital health entrepreneur Raj Aggarwal (@docaggarwal), radiologist Saurabh Jha (@roguerad), and patient advocate Robin Farmanfarmaian (@Robinff3).

Like the nation we took a big collective sigh of relief. We then talked a lot about COVID vaccinations, what the newly (sort of) Dem-led Senate is going to do on stimulus and health care , and we fnished on all that money pouring into digital health, while the stock market goes crazy. It was all good grist for the #THCBGang’s mill.

If you’d rather listen than watch, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels

THCB Gang Live Episode 38

Episode 38 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, Jan 14. You can see it below!

Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) was joined by regulars: medical historian Mike Magee @drmikemagee, policy & tech expert Vince Kuraitis (@VinceKuraitis), Consumer advocate & CTO of Carium Health, Lygeia Ricciardi (@Lygeia), Suntra Modern Recovery CEO JL Neptune (@JeanLucNeptune) WTF Health host Jessica DaMassa (@jessdamassa) &  fierce patient activist Casey Quinlan (@MightyCasey).

We did indeed touch on that mob riot in the Capitol. We discussed the impeachment, the inauguration, and virtual JPMorgan AND virtual CES and talked about reparations and reconciliation–and how that might influence the whole world of telehealth and primary care. This conversation was wide ranging and fascinating!

If you’d rather listen, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels

THCB Gang, Episode 37, Jan 7

Episode 37 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, Jan 7.

You can see it below! Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) was joined by regulars: data & privacy expert Deven McGraw, (@Healthprivacy), Patient entrepreneur extraordinaire Robin Farmanfarmaian (@RobinFF3) & consultant/author Rosemarie Day (@Rosemarie_Day1). Balancing them out will be the Y chromosome owners futurists Ian Morrison (@seccurve), Jeff Goldsmith & THCB regular Kim Bellard (@Kimbbellard)

Other than than the Duck Dynasty insurrection & mob riot in the Capitol, the Georgia senate race, most of the world on COVID lockdown, the vaccines, the new Administration, and wishing each other a happy new year, there was little to talk about….

If you’d rather listen, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels