The Digital Health Podcast with Fexingo: Wearables, Diagnostics, and Health Software

In this episode of The Digital Health Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore a surprising new frontier in digital health: the hearing aid market. With the FDA's over-the-counter rule change now two years old, a wave of startups and tech giants are reimagining hearing aids as consumer wearables. Lucas breaks down how companies like Sony, Jabra, and startup Whisper are using smartphone-based tuning, AI-driven sound processing, and direct-to-consumer pricing to disrupt a market long dominated by a handful of legacy players. He explains the economics: traditional hearing aids cost $2,000 to $7,000 per pair, but OTC models are already under $1,000, with some startups targeting $500. Luna questions whether the sound quality and customization can match prescription devices. The hosts discuss a 2025 JAMA study showing that OTC hearing aids perform comparably to prescription ones for mild to moderate hearing loss. They also look at the broader health implications: untreated hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline and dementia. Lucas argues that the OTC shift isn't just about cheaper hardware—it's about embedding hearing health into the Apple Watch and Android ecosystem, turning every smartphone into a potential hearing diagnostic tool. The episode closes with a look at what this means for public health and the legacy industry's response.

#HearingAids #DigitalHealth #OTC #FDA #JAMA #Whisper #Sony #Jabra #CognitiveDecline #Dementia #Wearables #Audiology #Startups #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HealthTech

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Lucas and Luna explore Pear Therapeutics' reSET-O, the first FDA-authorized prescription digital therapeutic for opioid use disorder. They unpack how the app works as a cognitive behavioral therapy delivery system, the clinical trial data behind its 40% reduction in abstinence failure, and the business challenges Pear faced before bankruptcy. This episode drills into one specific case to understand what digital therapeutics means for addiction treatment and why software as medicine has struggled to scale.

#DigitalTherapeutics #OpioidCrisis #PearTherapeutics #reSETO #PrescriptionDigitalTherapeutic #CBT #AddictionTreatment #FDA #HealthTech #SoftwareAsMedicine #BehavioralHealth #SubstanceUseDisorder #ClinicalTrial #Reimbursement #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Episode 15 of The Digital Health Podcast digs into a surprising low-tech device that is quietly transforming how pharmaceutical companies and researchers run clinical trials: the connected body weight scale. Lucas and Luna explore how a single company, Withings, transitioned from consumer bathroom scales to FDA-cleared medical devices used in obesity and cardiovascular drug trials. They break down the economics: why a $99 consumer scale can replace a $2,000 clinic visit for data collection, how remote weight monitoring reduces dropout rates by 18 percent in one major trial, and why regulators are now accepting digital scale data as primary endpoints for key indications. The hosts also examine the competitive landscape—BodyTrace, Medidata, and Apple's research framework—and why this unglamorous sensor may be the sleeper hit in decentralized clinical trials. Finally, Lucas and Luna tie the discussion to listener support that keeps the show ad-free.

#DigitalHealth #ClinicalTrials #ConnectedScales #Withings #DecentralizedTrials #RemoteMonitoring #ObesityDrugs #CardiovascularTrials #FDA #BodyTrace #Medidata #AppleResearchKit #SmartScale #Telemedicine #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Lucas and Luna explore the emerging world of digital therapeutics — software-based treatments that are FDA-cleared to treat medical conditions. They focus on Akili Interactive's EndeavorRx, the first prescription video game for ADHD, and discuss the business challenges facing the digital therapeutic industry: reimbursement, physician adoption, and patient engagement. Lucas explains how Akili pivoted from a prescription-only model to a direct-to-consumer subscription in 2024, and what that shift means for the category's future. They compare EndeavorRx to other digital therapeutic companies like Pear Therapeutics (which filed for bankruptcy in 2023) to illustrate the market's growing pains. The episode closes with a look at what it will take for digital therapeutics to move from niche to mainstream, including potential partnerships with pharma and payers.

#DigitalTherapeutics #EndeavorRx #AkiliInteractive #ADHD #PearTherapeutics #FDA #DTx #PrescriptionDigitalTherapeutics #HealthTech #BusinessStrategy #RegulatoryApproval #Reimbursement #PayerAdoption #PharmaPartnerships #Gamification #MentalHealth #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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In this episode of The Digital Health Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Tempus AI is creating an operating system for precision medicine. They break down the company's $6 billion data flywheel, how it processes genomic and clinical data from over 7 million patients, and why its partnership with Natera is expanding liquid biopsy access. The hosts discuss Tempus's unique business model, its 2024 IPO, and the challenges of integrating AI into clinical workflows. They also touch on the competitive landscape, including rivals like Foundation Medicine and Caris Life Sciences, and what Tempus's approach means for the future of personalized cancer care. A thoughtful look at how data infrastructure is reshaping healthcare.

#TempusAI #PrecisionMedicine #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #Genomics #LiquidBiopsy #Natera #CancerCare #HealthTech #IPO #DataFlywheel #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HealthcareInnovation #ClinicalAI #FoundationMedicine #CarisLifeSciences #PersonalizedMedicine

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Lucas and Luna unpack how Masimo, a B2B medical device company founded in 1989, quietly beat Apple, Fitbit, and Garmin to become the first brand to get a prescription pulse oximeter cleared by the FDA for consumer use — the Masimo W1 watch. They trace the story from Masimo's breakthrough in signal extraction technology during the 1990s pulse oximetry patent wars, through the company's decade-long investment in miniaturizing its sensors, to the 2023 FDA clearance and its impact on the $50 billion remote patient monitoring market. Along the way, they explore why clinical-grade accuracy matters for conditions like COPD, sleep apnea, and post-COVID pulse monitoring, and how the W1's 510(k) clearance could reshape FDA's approach to consumer health wearables. The episode also examines the strategic irony: a company that built its reputation suing Big Tech for patent infringement (Apple Watch blood-oxygen sensor ban) is now positioning itself as the trusted alternative for patients and doctors alike.

#Masimo #PulseOximeter #Wearables #FDA #RemotePatientMonitoring #COPD #SleepApnea #DigitalHealth #MedicalDevices #SignalExtraction #PatentLaw #AppleWatch #510K #ConsumerHealth #ClinicalAccuracy #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Episode 11 of The Digital Health Podcast with Fexingo dives into the 'Hospital at Home' model — specifically, how the Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente are turning acute care into home-based monitoring. Lucas and Luna unpack the data: a 2025 JAMA study showing 20% lower readmission rates and 30% cost savings for patients enrolled in virtual hospital programs. They explore the tech stack — RPM devices, AI triage algorithms, and the role of broadband access. Plus, a candid look at why adoption has been slow despite the evidence, including regulatory hurdles and physician resistance. If you're in health tech or operations, this is the episode that explains why home-based acute care is scaling now.

#HospitalAtHome #VirtualCare #RemotePatientMonitoring #MayoClinic #KaiserPermanente #JAMA #RPM #AcuteCare #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #Telemedicine #AIinHealthcare #Buisness #HealthPolicy #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheDigitalHealthPodcast #HealthInnovation

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Episode 10 of The Digital Health Podcast dives into Zocdoc's quiet transformation from a straightforward appointment-booking portal into a digital front door for the $4.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system. Lucas and Luna explore the company's 2025 data-sharing partnerships with Epic Systems and Cerner, its controversial pivot to charging patients a $10 monthly subscription for same-day access, and the resulting backlash from providers. They break down the specific mechanics: how Zocdoc's algorithm now surfaces in-network options before out-of-network ones, why the new 'Verified Reviews' badge cut negative feedback by 40 percent in pilot markets, and what the company's 62 million active users mean for hospital systems trying to control patient acquisition costs. A candid look at whether marketplaces can fix healthcare's discovery problem without breaking trust.

#Zocdoc #DigitalHealth #HealthcareMarketplace #EpicSystems #Cerner #PatientAccess #Telehealth #DoctorVisit #HealthTech #SubscriptionModel #ProviderNetworks #HealthcareDiscovery #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #DigitalHealthPodcast #LucasAndLuna

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Lucas and Luna dive into Tempus AI, the genomic testing and data platform company that has become one of the most ambitious bets in digital health. They explore how Tempus compiles massive clinical and molecular datasets, uses AI to match patients with clinical trials, and generates real-world evidence for drug development. The episode focuses on the company's scale: over 500,000 patients' genomic profiles, partnerships with more than 70% of US academic medical centres, and a growing revenue base that hit around $700 million in 2025. Lucas breaks down the business model, the regulatory path, and the competitive landscape against players like Foundation Medicine and Guardant Health. Luna asks the hard questions about data moats, reimbursement, and whether AI truly changes clinical outcomes. A specific, numbers-driven look at a company trying to become the back-end infrastructure for oncology and beyond.

#TempusAI #PrecisionMedicine #GenomicTesting #RealWorldEvidence #ClinicalTrials #Oncology #FoundationMedicine #GuardantHealth #DigitalHealth #AIinHealthcare #HealthData #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Fexingo #TheDigitalHealthPodcast #EricLefkofsky

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In this episode of The Digital Health Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are breaking out of diabetes management and into the wellness market. They focus on the specific case of Abbott's Lingo, an over-the-counter CGM targeting health-conscious consumers, and compare it to Dexcom's Stelo. The hosts discuss the clinical evidence behind glucose tracking for non-diabetics, the regulatory shift that enabled OTC CGMs, and the business implications for insurers and employers. They also touch on the broader trend of medical devices becoming lifestyle accessories, and what this means for the future of preventive health. Specific numbers include Abbott's $5 billion annual revenue from its Freestyle Libre franchise and the estimated 50 million potential users of OTC CGMs in the US alone.

#ContinuousGlucoseMonitor #CGM #AbbottLingo #DexcomStelo #WearableHealth #DigitalHealth #WellnessTech #GlucoseMonitoring #PreventiveHealth #HealthTech #FDA #OTCMedicalDevice #MetabolicHealth #BusinessOfHealth #Technology #HealthInnovation #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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