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brandonb
9,344karma·1,335submissions·January 17, 2011
about
Data for good.
Co-Founder at Empirical Health (https://empirical.health). Don't die of heart disease.
Before: Co-Founder @ Cardiogram (ML for heart health)
CTO at Sift Science (YC S11, machine learning to fight fraud)
Data Science @ UCSF Cardiology
HealthCare.gov rescue team
Google (Android speech recognition, search ads ML)
brandonb.cc
recent activity (1,335 total)
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This is a summary -- I'm the article author and the author of that comment, so I would hope my wording is consistent. :)
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Unlikely (unfortunately). I work at a startup which offers blood testing—it costs $190 when consumers pay in cash, and when we've tried going through insurance, it ends up about $1400-$1500. The …
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For decades, LDL cholesterol has been the main target in preventive heart health. The American College of Cardiology just started recommending that everyone measure hs-CRP, a blood test for inflammati…
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Interesting! Where do you think the biggest advantage is, vs (say) ChatPRD?
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This dashboard has interesting raw data -- in your view, which page best answers the question of why users drop off?
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For those curious about a more thoughtful model of government reform--which is still sorely needed--the original US Digital Service team just published a bunch of interviews:
https://usdigi…
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Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it's often detected late. The researchers here trained a transformer to identify pancreatic cancer earlier. Even cooler, they open source…
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This study's main contribution was to identify the specific bacteria, which gives insight into the mechanism behind heart attacks (the antibody the researchers developed was one of their central …
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Very nicely explained. Your article on rendering fractals was also well-done!
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In our case, we're providing the testing as part of a comprehensive program (including a review of results with a doctor, customized nutrition plans, etc) -- so it's slightly different than …
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Basic LDL cholesterol is often covered by insurance, but ApoB, Lp(a), and hs-CRP are unfortunately usually not. If insurance doesn't end up covering it, sometimes the fee is just ridiculous. For …
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At least for the tests I've gotten in the past, there's always a doctor's name on the lab order. They might not do an appointment with you, but it's still a legal requirement to ge…
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1) ApoB itself is more accurate than LDL and triglycerides. The latest evidence is that ApoB and Lp(a) together are more accurate than even LDL, VLDL, non-HDL, triglerycerides, etc combined: https:&#…
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If you check the lab report, did you see a doctor listed somewhere near the top? (Even if you didn't explicitly talk to that doctor, I think it's legally necessary in all US states). (Agree …
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Yes -- in the US. I'm not super familiar with the options in Canada, unfortunately!
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This particular panel includes a consult with a doctor (who can advise on next steps, prescribe medication, and so on). Or you can take the results to your doctor.