In the first episode of The Saving Dose, three addiction medicine and behavioral health executives discuss why opioid use disorder treatment is failing patients, what the medication adherence gap actually looks like from inside the clinic, and what it will take to fix it. Topics include MOUD access, buprenorphine barriers, pain management misconceptions, behavioral health revenue challenges, and the infrastructure gap driving medication non-adherence across America.
This episode covers who they are, what brought them to this space, and why they believe the addiction treatment system is failing not because the science is missing, but because the infrastructure to deliver it consistently has never been built.
In this episode:
Why John Hsu MD walked away from a traditional anesthesiology career to build a medication security company, and the moment in his own clinic that made it impossible not to.
What William Pedranti learned after 20 years building biotech companies about the gap between clinical evidence and real-world patient outcomes, and why addiction treatment has the widest gap he has ever seen.
What Kendra Allen saw working on the frontlines of behavioral health, and why patients in active recovery were losing access to treatment not because they stopped trying, but because the system stopped making it possible.
The parking lot: what John's patients were doing before their appointments, and what it told him about the failure of in-home medication management.
The access problem in a single number: over 50% of patients can be saved by taking their medications consistently. Only 25% of them can access those medications.
Why every person William tells about iPill responds the same way, and what that says about how close this crisis is to every family in America.
What recovery actually requires: medication, consistency, and a system that does not make patients fight for both every single day.
About the Hosts
John Hsu, MD is the Founder and CEO of iPill and a practicing anesthesiologist with 25 years in pain management and addiction medicine. He has taken multiple products through FDA approval and commercial launch. Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hsu-md-300a8b2a/
William Pedranti is the COO of iPill, a Georgetown Law graduate, and co-founder of PENG Life Science Ventures. He has taken a biotech company from founding through FDA approval, commercial launch, and exit. Connect with William: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williampedranti/
Kendra Allen is the CRO of iPill with 20 years in behavioral health revenue strategy, payer contracting, and regulatory navigation. She founded and exited a national healthcare consulting firm. Connect with Kendra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-allen-cro/
Website: thesavingdose.com
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any treatment decisions.
#OpioidCrisis #AddictionRecovery #OpioidUseDisorder #MedicationAdherence #MOUD #BehavioralHealth #AddictionMedicine #PainManagement #SubstanceUseDisorder #HealthcarePodcast #TheSavingDose #MentalHealth #RecoveryPodcast #OpioidTreatment #PublicHealth