Explore every episode of the podcast The Next Big Thing in Health

Robert Traynham, chief business officer at AHIP, sat down with Kathryn Eshelman MD, MPH, vice president of medical informatics at Inovalon, for an in-depth discussion about how new technology can help providers and health care plans deliver value-based care.

The fear of judgment or disapproval is one of the biggest hurdles people face when seeking mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Highmark Inc., a Blue Cross Blue Shield health and wellness organization, is helping break that stigma with innovative solutions. One of those solutions is a "digital front door," which allows members to interact with their benefits privately, assess their symptoms, and connect with care providers virtually. 

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Perry and Demetrios Marousis, director of behavioral health at Highmark, Inc., join us to share their insights into Highmark's mission and its efforts to address the pressing issues in mental health and substance use disorder treatment through technology, partnerships, and compassionate care.  

Watch to learn about Highmark’s work to improve care for patients who struggle with substance abuse, the challenges of care delivery, the importance of health care literacy, and why they think technology is the biggest opportunity in health care.

For more than 80 years, The Ad Council has addressed significant social issues in the United States through powerful communication strategies. From Smokey Bear to “Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk,” the Ad Council has brought together marketers, advertisers, nonprofits, and government agencies to address critical social issues. 

The nonprofit organization is also focused on mental health, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and existing social inequities. Anthony Signorelli, head of corporate partnerships at The Ad Council, joins us to share insights from the group’s various mental health initiatives, such as Seize the Awkward, which addresses youth suicide prevention, and Sound It Out, which helps parents talk to middle-schoolers about mental health. 

Watch to learn more about The Ad Council’s approach to mental health partnerships, including significant findings from recent campaigns, the cultural barriers that still exist when it comes to getting support, and the importance of changing the narrative around mental health.  

Check out the initiatives from the episode: 

https://seizetheawkward.org/ 

https://sounditouttogether.org/  

https://loveyourmindtoday.org/

The mission for America’s Physician Groups (APG) is “taking responsibility for America’s health.” Not only is APG’s mission bold and aspirational, but so is APG President and CEO, Susan Dentzer.  

One of the nation’s most respected health policy thought leaders and journalists, and a frequent speaker and commentator on television and radio, Dentzer joins us to talk about her work and APG’s commitment to value-based care. The organization advocates for patient-centered, coordinated, integrated health care, as well as the collaboration between physicians and health insurance providers.  

Watch to learn how accountability in terms of cost and quality is important to APG’s physician members, how Dentzer and her team use video to communicate the importance of value-based care, and why the next big thing in health is using technology to eliminate waste in the system.   

Check out APG’s “The Value of Value-Based Health Care” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzzPES9kCGw.

As a major player within the health care system, health insurance plans are uniquely positioned to advance health equity in terms of how we design and pay for the benefits that bring better health and wellness care to everyone — no matter who you are, or where you live.

LaShawn McIver, MD, MPH, AHIP’s senior vice president and chief health equity officer returns to the show and is joined by Pleasant Radford Jr., UCare’s inaugural health equity officer, to discuss the role health insurance plans play in advancing health equity, the importance of data collection, community engagement, and policy advocacy, and how to create systemic change to address health disparities.

Listen in for their thoughts on the importance of personalizing the work, being empathetic, and taking collective responsibility for advancing health equity. 

New York is the largest city in the United States – and no borough, neighborhood, or community is quite the same. The city and its diverse populations need tailored, hyperlocal, hyper-focused health coverage designed for them – a challenge for which MetroPlusHealth has risen to the occasion. 

The mission goes beyond offering every New Yorker equitable access to quality health care, says President & CEO Dr. Talya Schwartz. It also includes finding innovative, compassionate ways to take on the city’s most complex health challenges and addressing physical and social barriers to health care, such as homelessness and mental health.  

Listen in for an insightful conversation on MetroPlusHealth's unique provider-owned model, focused on seamless integration and proactive care, and how Dr. Schwartz and her team are ensuring dignified access to quality health care.

Host Robert Traynham sits down with Matt Salo, founder & CEO of Salo Health Strategies, for a candid conversation on how collaboration among Medicaid, AHIP, and health insurance providers is improving health care outcomes and access — and ensuring that the program is effective, affordable, and accountable.

How do we think about the mind in relationship to the body, our environment, and those around us? And how can we make sure the people who need support — particularly when it's focused on mental health — are able to get the care they need?  

Eva Borden is the president of behavioral health for Evernorth, the health services business for Cigna Corporation. We sat down with Borden for an illuminating discussion on how to break down silos, de-stigmatize conversations around mental health needs and solutions, and how major companies are making a difference in access and affordability.  

Listen in to discover how Evernorth is integrating mental health and medical health services for better health care solutions.

There have never been so many pathways to getting quality health care — but barriers still exist. Disparities are real for many people, including those in racial and ethnic minorities, less privileged socioeconomic communities, and underserved rural populations.  

Pooja Mittal, DO, chief health equity officer for Health Net, joined Conversations in Care host Robert Traynham for a conversation about health equity and Health Net’s work, including a first-of-its-kind health improvement project in Los Angeles County, California, that provides doulas for Black women through a community-based partnership.  

Hear more of Dr. Mittal’s thoughts on how to improve health equity, the power of community partnerships in addressing social determinants of health, and the importance of building relationships and connecting with the community. 

AHIP Executive Vice President Robert Traynham sits down with LaShawn McIver, AHIP’s senior vice president and chief health equity officer, for an in-depth discussion about her vision for health equity and her role at AHIP.

There are 600,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, including 200,000 people in California and 70,000 in Los Angeles County. And yet homeless health care is a one-person-at-a-time operation that requires care to be deployed on the streets where these patients live.  

Dr. Michael Hochman, CEO of Healthcare in Action, a subsidiary of SCAN Group, joined us to talk about providing medical care, mental health and addiction treatment, and case management to unhoused populations in California while working to get them into stable housing.  

Watch to learn how Healthcare in Action provides sustainable homeless health care services using a managed care framework. Dr. Hochman shares some success stories of how his teams have been able to build trust with our most vulnerable populations and help transition approximately 100 formerly unhoused patients into homes.

Health is not just what happens in the clinic or in the emergency department at the hospital. It happens in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our communities. So how can the health care industry reduce disparities and promote access to care and services that meet people where they are? 

Darrell Gray, II, MD, MPH, is the president & CEO of Wellpoint Maryland, which is an affiliate of Elevance Health. We dove into Dr. Gray’s recent experience at Elevance Health as its chief health equity officer, to discover how we can help every American achieve their full health potential. 

Listen in for moving member stories that illustrate how health care pros are listening, learning, and acting to create change.  

When it comes to health care, an engaged, educated, and empowered consumer is a better patient. But how can the average consumer know where to go for real health information? And how can they determine what is fact versus what is rumor?

Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, former chief medical officer at Salesforce, joined Conversations in Care host Robert Traynham for a conversation about how the health care industry can better educate the consumer, provide easier access to information, and build trust that will counteract all the misinformation.

Watch to learn more on why Dr. G believes misinformation is the issue of our generation, and how health care leaders will need to use digital transformation strategies — including social media, partnerships, influencers, and artificial intelligence — to make health information more easily accessible and palatable.

The seniors of today look nothing like the seniors of the past – and their stories, health journeys, and needs for community and connection are all evolving. So too is their health care.

Dawn Maroney, president, markets, Alignment Health & CEO, Alignment Health Plan, and Hakan Kardes, chief technology & experience officer, Alignment Health, joined our Conversations in Care host Robert Traynham for a robust conversation on how we embrace the uniqueness of America’s seniors and develop creative ways to reach them with compassion and care under Medicare Advantage plans.

Watch to see how they’re making a difference through building clubs, bringing puppies to care facilities, hosting town halls to connect upwards of 11,000 seniors, offering free rides to dialysis, and sending cellphones to combat COVID loneliness.

How do we make sure no one has to suffer in silence? That mental well-being is considered just as important as physical health — and to drive down self-harm attempts? 

We talk about it. We prioritize it. And we change the whole ecosystem of care to prevent, identify, and treat long before someone is in crisis. AHIP’s very own Robert Traynham was joined by Cara McNulty, DPA, president, behavioral health & mental well-being, CVS Health, for a new episode of Conversations in Care. This conversation, debuting on World Mental Health Day, showcases how CVS Health and Aetna drove down suicide attempts by 16.3% among their community members and what it takes to create lasting change. 

If you need immediate help, visit https://988lifeline.org/

What does it mean to lead from the heart — to look beyond the percentages to see the people most vulnerable in our communities in need of care?

AHIP’s very own Robert Traynham was joined by Eric C. Hunter, president & CEO of CareOregon, and Sachin H. Jain, MD, MBA, CEO, SCAN Health Plan and SCAN Group, for a thought-provoking and honest conversation about serving people who are economically disenfranchised, homeless, or otherwise vulnerable and disadvantaged as they struggle accessing care and treatment.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and co-host Laura Evans sat down with Mom’s Meals’ Catherine Macpherson to discuss how to address food insecurity, as well as the value of food as medicine.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and co-host Laura Evans were joined by Dr. Sachin Jain, President and CEO, SCAN Group and Health Plan. They discussed SCAN’s efforts to increase equity in the populations that need it the most and have been historically overlooked, as well as lessons learned in reducing health disparities.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles was joined by AHIP’s Kate Berry to discuss the current landscape of health insurance coverage for contraception. Berry, AHIP’s Senior Vice President Clinical Innovation, Strategic Partnership, highlighted how health insurance providers have supported the protections of the Affordable Care Act for contraception coverage access for years, and continue to work hard every day to ensure people have access to many affordable contraception choices.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and co-host Laura Evans were joined by Catherine Macpherson, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Strategy and Development and Chief Nutrition Officer with Mom’s Meals. They discussed using food as medicine, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with delivering food through the Medicaid and Medicare programs.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and co-host Laura Evans were joined by Chronis Manolis, Senior Vice President Pharmacy and Chief Pharmacy Officer at UPMC Health Plan. They discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted pharmacy programs, as well as how emerging tools and technologies are bringing value to members.

A special episode of The Next Big Thing in Health from AHIP's 2022 State of the Industry event. AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles led an in-depth discussion with AHIP experts about the health care issues that matter to the people and communities we serve.

Highlights include the policies AHIP is watching in 2022, the challenges facing health care, and how health insurance providers are improving health care access and affordability for all Americans.

AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and co-host Laura Evans were joined by Kim LaFontana, Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth at Teladoc Health. The group discussed Teladoc’s new virtual care transformation study and how the company is using that data to drive the best outcomes for patients.

Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), joined hosts Laura Evans and AHIP President Matt Eyles to discuss her organization’s work to advance health equity, provide culturally relevant resources and information on COVID-19, and improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Hosts Matt Eyles, AHIP President, and Laura Evans are joined by Dr. Johanna Vidal-Phelan, Senior Medical Services Director of Quality and Pediatrics at UPMC Health Plan, for a discussion on UMPC’s work to deliver accurate and up-to-date COVID-19 information to Spanish-speaking plan members.