Episode Details
Join us on the latest episode! Our Guest: Michael Oleksiw, CEO at Pleio.
What you’ll get out of this episode:
- Human + AI Synergy: Pleio combines emotionally aware AI with peer-to-patient support to boost medication adherence.
- Overcoming Emotional Barriers: Emotions like fear, loneliness, and stigma are major challenges after diagnosis.
- Real-World Impact: Pleio’s approach improved adherence rates by up to 28% in GLP-1 medication trials.
- Ethical AI in Healthcare: Patient data is de-identified and overseen by a medical board to ensure ethical use.
- Laser Focus on Loneliness: Pleio’s next frontier is tackling loneliness as a primary emotional barrier in healthcare.
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The Hidden Side of Medication Adherence
Medication adherence isn’t just a matter of cost or access—it’s deeply emotional. Michael Oleksiw, CEO at Pleio, brings this often-overlooked perspective to the forefront. In his conversation on the podcast, he explains that while mechanical barriers (like affordability or transportation) are critical, it’s the psychological ones—fear, stigma, and especially loneliness—that are harder to detect and overcome.
Understanding the Emotional Weight
After a diagnosis, patients face an “overwhelm zone”—a cascade of responsibilities, information, side effects, and lifestyle changes. Pleio’s focus lies here: helping people navigate this emotional overload through emotionally intelligent technology and real human interaction.
Emotionally Aware AI: More Than Just Buzz
Pleio is developing AI tools that do more than analyze keywords—they detect tone, sentiment, pauses, and even laughter to gauge the emotional “vibe” of a conversation. These insights help tailor support to each patient’s unique emotional DNA, revealing patterns like loneliness that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Why Human Connection Still Matters
Despite AI’s power, Pleio emphasizes human interaction. AI acts as an extender—not a replacement—for human support. Peer-to-patient interactions remain crucial, acting as the catalyst for building patient confidence and long-term engagement.
Proven Outcomes
The results are striking. In studies involving GLP-1 medications for diabetes and obesity, Pleio saw a 28% increase in adherence. Even in highly supported specialty drug contexts, they improved Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) by 5%, engagement by 64%, and Lyft metrics by 86%.
The Next Chapter: Fighting Loneliness
Looking ahead, Pleio is doubling down on addressing loneliness. They’ll spotlight this focus at the upcoming Assembia Conference alongside Dr. Jeremy Nobel, author of Project Unlonely. The company sees this as the next major hurdle in helping patients stay on track—especially in specialty drug spaces where emotional barriers are even more pronounced.
WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS:
Our sponsor for this episode are Sage Growth Partners.
Sage Growth Partners accelerates commercial success for healthcare organizations through a singular focus on growth. The company helps its clients thrive amid the complexities of a rapidly changing marketplace with deep domain expertise and an integrated application of research, strategy, and marketing. For more information, please go to www.sage-growth.com & follow Sage Growth Partners on social media – @sagegrowthpartners
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