Telemedicine Talks

This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT . Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like on...

This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT . Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like on...

This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT . Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like on...

 Can telemedicine enhance medicine without compromising quality and altruism?  In this episode of Telemedicine Talks , hosts Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez  discuss with Dr. Manzur Moidunny about early-career hesitations about fully embracing telemedicine, finding a balanced middle ground that aligns with his values. Drawing from his hospitalist experience, he explores the difference between...

How can high-achieving physicians reclaim their time and live with true freedom? Dr. Leo Damasco sits down with Dr. Anne Tsung as she shares her extraordinary journey—from aspiring astronaut to working in Antarctica's South Pole—to developing her " Five Stages to Time Freedom " framework. Drawing from experiences in extreme environments like NASA and ICUs, she explains how to access flow states on...

How can physicians leverage AI and LinkedIn to build their professional brand and open new doors?  Leo Damasco chats with Al Kushner about his journey from Brooklyn roots to self-employed LinkedIn strategist, driven by a desire for independence. Al shares insights from his book The AI LinkedIn Advantage (published March 25, 2025), emphasizing profile optimization with keywords, AI tools for conten...

What if health insurance was transparent and empowering for freelancers?  In this episode of Telemedicine Talks , hosts Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez welcome Wyatt Stokesberry, as he recounts his non-traditional path—dreaming of being a chef but inspired by business owners to start ventures young, rejecting a corporate job, and embracing constant uncertainty as a "risk-on individual." He di...

What could happen if key ACA marketplace rules kick in, leaving millions without coverage?  In this end-of-month recap episode of Telemedicine Talks, hosts Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez break down the latest developments in telemedicine and healthcare policy for August 2025. They discuss a Maryland judge's August 22nd decision to temporarily block parts of the Marketplace Integrity and Affo...

How can telehealth marketing bridge access gaps for underserved communities like LGBTQ+ populations? In this episode of Telemedicine Talks, host Leo Damasco welcomes Julio Morales, a veteran marketing leader with over 20 years in branding and digital strategy. Julio discusses his experiences at an LGBTQ+-focused telehealth company during 2020, where he partnered with 42 nonprofits to boost awarene...

In this episode of Telemedicine Talks, host Phoebe Gutierrez interviews Justin Liu, to share his background as a Bay Area engineer, from Google to AI infrastructure at Rockset (acquired by OpenAI), and how he and co-founder Scott transitioned into healthcare without prior experience. They explore the inefficiencies in the industry, the importance of manual processes before automation, gaining medi...

Main Summary for Simplecast: In this episode of Telemedicine Talks, host Leo interviews Dr. Nancy Sharma, as she recounts her path into medicine, inspired by her physician family, and her pivot to oncology after her grandfather's battle with multiple myeloma. She explores the integration of conventional treatments with alternative methods like nutrition, acupuncture, and functional medicine, highl...

In this episode of Telemedicine Talks, Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez sit down with Dr. Okemefuna Okpara, to discuss his telemedicine journey sparked by burnout during the COVID era. Dr. Okpara candidly shares his struggles with the chaos of juggling multiple telemedicine gigs, particularly in weight loss and GLP-1 prescriptions, where he prioritized ethical practice over efficiency, often s...

How can dermatology and medicine as a whole—embrace digital care without compromising quality? In this episode, Dr. Cheryl Lee joins Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez to share her journey from NIH researcher to founding CLMD, a patented sensitive skincare line, and Zōca, a comprehensive telehealth platform spanning multiple specialties. She recounts how patients across the globe sought her ecze...

  In this episode of Telemedicine Talks , hosts Leo and Phoebe unpack the latest developments in telemedicine and digital health for July. They explore the CMS’s Wiser Act, a 2026-2031 pilot using AI and machine learning to audit billing in real-time, flagging fraud and overpayments in select states. The discussion shifts to a legal battle where Texas targeted a New York doctor for prescribing abo...

How can clinicians break into health tech and shape the future of healthcare? In this episode, Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez are joined by Lauren Curtis, who shares her bold move to join PillPack in its early days, cold-emailing her way into a role that kickstarted her health tech career. She discusses how she carved out non-clinical roles by solving operational inefficiencies, eventually l...

How can telemedicine enhance care in rural communities, and why is physician wellness critical to effective practice? In this episode, Dr. Leo Damasco sits down with Dr. Peter Crane, as he  explores the evolution of telemedicine in his practice, from supporting snowbirds to managing follow-up care for patients with transportation challenges. He candidly shares a lesson from a missed appendicitis d...

Can staying informed on regulatory changes safeguard your telemedicine practice? Hosts Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez explore this question in a dynamic discussion covering the Department of Justice and OIG’s historic $14.6 billion healthcare fraud takedown, targeting 324 providers across all 50 states, with a sharp focus on telemedicine fraud in durable medical equipment (DME), genetic testing,...

Can telemedicine offer physicians the work-life balance traditional medicine often denies? Host Dr. Leo Damasco welcomes Dr. Anna Chacon,  as she recounts her shift from hospital-based roles to owning a medical office building, spurred by her father’s sudden job loss during COVID when his pediatric ICU closed. She delves into the complexities of compliance, the stigma of lacking a brick-and-mortar...

How can physicians break free from burnout and build lives they love? Hosts Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez welcome Dr. Moe Gibbons, who transitioned to founding Active Medical Solutions, a lifestyle medicine practice, and a coaching business for physicians. After 13 years in a level two trauma center, a forced shift to an offsite role sparked her accidental entry into telemedicine, replacing her...

Think becoming a medical director means stepping back from clinical chaos? Think again. Phoebe Gutierrez turns the spotlight on Dr. Leo Damasco to unpack his journey from military medicine to leading virtual care teams as a telehealth medical director. Dr. Damasco shares what most don’t see—managing crises across time zones, navigating compliance landmines, and translating executive goals into fro...

Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez analyze the latest executive orders addressing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drug pricing reforms. They unpack the role of PBMs in controlling prescription drug costs, the hidden rebate system, and how these reforms aim to increase transparency and lower costs for patients. With a focus on telemedicine, they discuss how these changes could improve medica...

In this episode, Phoebe Gutierrez and Dr. Leo Damasco discuss the largest proposed restructuring of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in over a decade. The federal proposal includes $715 billion in cuts, new work requirements, biannual eligibility redeterminations, reduced funding for states that support immigrant coverage, and cost-sharing policies that could block access for low-income patien...

 Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez unpack the HBO series The Pitt, which vividly captures the high-stakes, high-stress world of emergency medicine. Through the lens of the show’s hour-long ER shifts, they discuss the emotional and physical toll of relentless trauma cases, bureaucratic burdens, and the constant fight-or-flight mentality that drives physician burnout. Dr. Leo, a former ER doctor,...

In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Leo Damasco and Phoebe Gutierrez dive into the major changes impacting Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans. They explore proposed Medicaid budget reconciliation changes, including work requirements, increased eligibility documentation, and reduced state autonomy, and their impact on physicians and vulnerable patient populations. Phoebe sheds light on the intensified...

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