“”What if we could develop a technology that could actually identify that you’re going to become addicted or dependent.”
-Mike Vasquez
An Entrepreneur Tackles Opioids: MIke Vasquez
Mike Vasquez is a trailblazer in healthcare technology dedicated to fighting the opioid crisis.
His interest in the opioid crisis is deeply personal: his oldest son and his best friend became involved with opioids. His son’s friend died.
In response, Mike and his wife decided to create an evidence-based opioid treatment program from scratch. Fast forward 14 years, and their program has become one of the largest opioid detox centers in the world, attracting patients from across the United States.
With the success of their treatment center, they sold the program to a national firm and turned their focus to prevention. Using AI and data from hundreds of thousands of opioid cases, Mike and his team developed a technology that identifies early indicators of potential opioid addiction. By analyzing medical records for patterns, they can intervene before patients become addicted, providing crucial information to physicians to help them alter their prescribing practices.
Tune in to hear Mike’s full story and learn how AI is making a difference in the fight against opioid addiction. This episode is packed with insights, real-life experiences, and a hopeful message for the future.
Mike Vasquez on the Opioid Crisis
“What if we could develop a technology that could actually identify that you’re going to become addicted or dependent, at least it’s going to impact your life somehow negatively, identify that early enough that we could intervene and put you on a different path.”
“There’s not a person who walked into our detox center who didn’t have lost hope in their eyes.”
“Doctors truly want better outcomes for their patients. And when they’re made aware of a weakness or something they can do to get better outcomes for their patients, they embrace it.”
“Xanax is worse than opioids. I would rather treat an opioid addicted patient than Xanax. Xanax is the devil.”
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