Lifers with Christina Farr · 2026-07-07 · 59 min
Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Pelago, joins Chrissy to talk about why substance use disorder is one of the most stigmatized and least-treated chronic conditions in healthcare, despite touching roughly one in five people. They dig into the hidden cost of leaving it untreated, including a $12,000-per-patient ROI independently verified by Aon, and the case for treating addiction with the same chronic-disease framework as diabetes or heart disease. The conversation turns to AI's role in closing the treatment gap, including Pelago's own tool Sona, built to challenge patients rather than just validate them, and why Yusuf believes outcomes-based pricing, not session-based billing, is the right model for AI-driven behavioral health. - Pelago is the leading specialty substance use care provider, built on the belief that effective treatment means matching care intensity to what each member actually needs rather than defaulting to the most expensive intervention. Our programs deliver personalized treatment for tobacco, alcohol, opioid, cannabis, and stimulant use based on individual health, habits, genetics, and goals.
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