Show Notes:
The media paints a polarizing picture of GLP-1 drugs, sometimes at the cost of obese patients who may actually benefit from medications. Today’s guest, Dr. Katherine Saunders, Co-Founder of Intellihealth, sets the record straight on all things pharmacology, lifestyle interventions, and insurance coverage.
42% of Americans are obese, yet Dr. Saunders is one of less than 120 obesity fellowship-trained physicians in the U.S. She explains that obesity is not the lifestyle choice many providers believe it to be, but rather a complex chronic disease associated with over 200 weight-related health complications.
Addressing this huge provider shortage and care gap, Dr. Saunders co-founded Intellihealth. Through Intellihealth’s software (Evolve) and clinical services (Flight), Dr. Saunders is scaling the specialized obesity care she delivers in her own clinical practice.
Today’s episode covers GLP-1 drug coverage, Intellihealth’s tech-enabled care model, and why it’s usually not enough to treat obesity with diet and exercise alone.
We also discuss what the media has gotten right and wrong about obesity drugs…
Timestamps:
1:12: Dr. Saunders’ training at Weill Cornell Medicine
3:06: What is obesity medicine?
6:04: Educating patients about GLP-1 drugs
8:11 Obesity as a public health crisis
10:49: How Intellihealth is using tech to scale access to obesity care
12:28: Navigating GLP-1 insurance coverage
16:15: Engaging multiple stakeholders to treat obesity
17:22: Removing barriers to obesity care for underserved populations
18:42: Efficacy of Intellihealth’s software
20:14: Improving medical education curriculums
21:32: GLP-1s in the media
26:08: Proposing policy changes for the food industry
29:32: Reducing Stigma
Ep. 10: Intellihealth Co-Founder, Dr. Katherine Saunders, Uses Tech to Scale Specialized Obesity Care