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What can Medicare Advantage plans learn from the 2027 Star Ratings, and which strategies should they carry forward, rethink or change? In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, leaders from Essence HealthCare, MyTruAdvantage, Doctors HealthCare Plans and Icario examine what drove the latest Star Ratings results, where traditional approaches are falling short, and how plans can improve performance with limited resources. The discussion gets practical: why strong performance across most measures may not protect an overall rating, how plans are improving medication adherence, what it takes to address the barriers behind low member engagement, and how better data, provider relationships and organizational accountability can drive sustainable improvement. Download the Episode Resources Episode Guide Key takeaways and practical lessons from the conversation: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Episode-Guide-Bright-Spots-in-Health-Care-Icario-October-15-2026.pdf Key Insights Summary Guest takeaways, discussion highlights and practical strategies for health plan leaders: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Key-Insights-Summary-Bright-Spots-10-15-2026.docx.pdf Featured Medicare Advantage Leaders Christina Latterell-Loganimoce, Vice President, Quality and Star Strategy, Essence HealthCare Austin Brey, Vice President, Medicare Products, MyTruAdvantage Stacey Friedman, Senior Director, Quality & HEDIS/Stars, Doctors HealthCare Plans, Inc. Cory Busse, Vice President of Strategy, Icario What You'll Learn This conversation explores how Medicare Advantage plans are responding to the 2027 Star Ratings and rethinking the strategies, partnerships and operating models behind quality performance, including: How Essence HealthCare is building on its history of strong Stars performance by strengthening analytics, aligning teams and adapting its strategy as the Stars program evolves. How MyTruAdvantage improved Part D performance from 2.5 to 4 Stars through more timely data, provider collaboration and targeted outreach How Doctors HealthCare Plans achieved five stars across all three medication adherence measures by addressing barriers such as transportation and pharmacy access How Icario's work with CenterWell Pharmacy illustrates the value of understanding member needs and making it easier for members to take action How executive governance, forecasting tools and cross-functional collaboration can strengthen Stars accountability Why stronger provider relationships and ongoing care-gap management can improve performance as membership grows How plans can evaluate vendor investments, measure results and redirect limited resources toward approaches that deliver value Featured Resource: The Yes Ladder During the discussion, Cory Busse of Icario explained how the Yes Ladder uses a series of small, easy decisions to help members take a larger action. Learn more about the behavioral science concept and how it works. https://psychotricks.com/yes-ladder/ About Icario Icario helps health plans turn member insights into meaningful action by combining behavioral science, technology and personalized engagement. Its approach helps Medicare Advantage plans better understand what motivates members, identify barriers to care and make it easier for members to take the next step. Through its expanded collaboration with Google, Icario is also bringing AI-powered personalization into member engagement, helping plans connect insights with action and get more value from their engagement investments. Learn more: https://icariohealth.com/ Connect With Icario To explore how Icario can help your team improve member engagement, address barriers to care and make better use of engagement investments, contact Nicole Roberts at [email protected] to arrange a conversation with the Icario team.. Panelist Bios https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/2027-star-ratings-what-worked-what-didnt-and-what-ma-plans-do-next/   About Bright Spots in Healthcare Bright Spots in Healthcare brings together health plan, health system and healthcare innovation leaders to share practical examples of what is working — and how others can apply and scale those ideas. Bright Spots Ventures creates healthcare content, executive communities, private peer discussions and go-to-market programs designed to accelerate meaningful change. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with Medicare Advantage, Stars, quality, health plan and healthcare leaders.

Episode Description: In this episode, Atlantic Health System, Intermountain Health, and Navina explore how AI is transforming value-based care by boosting financial resilience and improving outcomes. Learn how these organizations are: Enhancing risk adjustment and closing care gaps Reducing administrative burden through AI-augmented workflows Equipping teams with real-time insights to drive performance under VBC models From virtual medical assistants to smarter financial planning, this discussion offers actionable strategies for leaders across clinical, operational, and financial roles. Download the Episode Guide: Summarizing key insights and speaker highlights, this guide is your companion to the discussion. Download it to follow along and take away actionable strategies. Thank you to Navina for supporting this episode. Navina helps physicians thrive in value-based care with an AI-powered platform that turns data into actionable clinical insights. Learn how they're enabling smarter decisions, better care, and less burnout at www.navina.ai. How to Engage: Chat with Us: Share your thoughts with Producer Vekonda Luangaphay at [email protected]

In this Bright Spots in Healthcare episode, host Eric Glazer brings together health plan, provider, and cardiometabolic care leaders to examine a challenge becoming increasingly important to healthcare organizations: how to move beyond identifying high-risk members and determine which risks are actually movable. The discussion explores what it takes to turn cardiometabolic risk information into action. Across health plans, provider networks, and care models, the conversation looks at how organizations are thinking about clinical strategy, GLP-1s, individualized risk, provider performance, meaningful engagement, care delivery systems, and the operational integration needed to make effective interventions work at scale. This is a practical discussion for health plan and provider leaders navigating rising cardiometabolic risk, complex treatment decisions, evolving GLP-1 strategies, variable provider performance, and the growing need to demonstrate meaningful clinical and economic outcomes. Our guests include: Daniel Knecht, MD, Chief Medical Officer & SVP, EmblemHealth Thomas Graf, MD, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Health Services, Florida Blue Lisa Shah, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Twin Health Together, they explore: How health plans can move beyond identifying high-risk members to understand what is actually driving risk and what may be movable at the individual level How health plans are approaching GLP-1 strategy, including formulary decisions, clinical criteria, lifestyle support, and the need to keep clinical considerations at the center How provider networks can identify "pockets of excellence," co-create standards with physicians, and build systems of care that make better performance more reliable Why successful cardiometabolic programs need to fit into existing clinical, pharmacy, provider, and operational workflows rather than becoming another disconnected solution This episode offers an inside look at how leading organizations are rethinking cardiometabolic care by asking a more useful question: Where is risk actually movable, what can change it, and what does it take to make that change happen reliably at scale? Panelist Bios here: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/from-high-risk-to-movable-risk-can-health-plans-change-the-cardiometabolic-trajectory/ Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Episode-Guide-Bright-Spots-in-Health-Care-10-01-26.pdf  Key Insights Summary: Find key insights from the discussion, guest takeaways, and detailed moderator notes captured by Eric during the conversation.  [Place PDF LINK HERE] Thank You to Our Episode Partner, Twin Health Twin Health is focused on helping people improve their metabolic health through a highly personalized approach that combines technology, clinical support, and individual health data. The company's approach reflects several themes explored throughout this episode, including the importance of understanding what is driving risk at the individual level, distinguishing meaningful engagement from activity, and measuring outcomes that go beyond a single clinical metric. The conversation also highlights a broader challenge for health plans: identifying the interventions most likely to change a member's trajectory and integrating those interventions into a model of care that can support sustained improvement over time. To learn more about Twin Health, visit TwinHealth.com Schedule a Meeting with Twin Health To explore how Twin Health can help your organization approach cardiometabolic health through a more personalized, data-driven model, reach out to show producer Vekonda Luangaphay at [email protected] to schedule a conversation with the Twin Health team. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation.   We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

What should Medicare Advantage plans change now to improve performance in 2027 and prepare for the 2029 Star Ratings? In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, leaders from Zing Health, CDPHP, UPMC Health Plan and MedOrionshare how MA plans are acting earlier, prioritizing limited resources, improving Stars and quality performance, and reducing reliance on the traditional fourth-quarter scramble. The discussion gets practical: how plans are using existing data sooner, turning clinical insights into action, coordinating with providers, reaching harder-to-engage members, and deciding where limited engagement resources can have the greatest impact. Download the Episode Resources Episode Guide Key takeaways and practical lessons from the conversation: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Podcast-Episode-Guide-Bright-Spots-in-Health-Care-Medorion-09-24-26.pdf Key Insights Summary Guest takeaways, discussion highlights and Eric Glazer's moderator notes: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Key-Insights-Summary-Bright-Spots-09-24-26.pdf Request MedOrion's report: Removing the Blindspot: Making HOS and CAHPS the Advantage Contact Nicole Roberts at [email protected]. Featured Medicare Advantage Leaders Daniel Weaver, Senior Vice President, Stars and Quality, Zing Health Michael Farina, Vice President, Healthcare Quality, CDPHP Mariah Osborn, Director, Medicare Stars, UPMC Health Plan David Burianek, Chief Strategy Officer, MedOrion What You'll Learn This conversation explores how Medicare Advantage plans are rethinking the operating model behind Stars, quality and member engagement for 2027 and beyond, including: How existing knowledge about returning members can support action before the first HEDIS results arrive How CDPHP uses natural language processing to reduce clinical review time while expanding the number of measures reviewed What it takes to identify time-sensitive member events, coordinate follow-up and reduce duplicate outreach Why addressing a member's immediate need can build the trust required for future engagement How community relationships and member feedback help plans understand why care is not happening How benefit communications can help resolve questions before changes disrupt care or increase service demand Featured Resource: Removing the Blindspot MedOrion's report, Removing the Blindspot: Making HOS and CAHPS the Advantage, explores how Medicare Advantage plans can build a more coordinated approach to member engagement across the year. The report examines: HOS and CAHPS strategy Harder-to-engage Medicare Advantage members Earlier clinical information Member barriers including access, transportation, confusion and trust Annual Notices of Change Annual wellness visits Next-best-action strategies Governance across Stars, quality and member engagement How plans can make limited resources go further To request a copy, contact Nicole Roberts at [email protected]. About MedOrion MedOrion combines technology with hands-on expertise to help health plans improve Medicare Advantage, Stars, HEDIS and quality performance with limited resources. Its approach helps plans determine where additional engagement can make a difference, where it may not be needed, and how to turn those decisions into action. Learn more: https://medorion.com/ Connect With MedOrion To explore how MedOrion can help your team prioritize engagement resources and build a more coordinated approach to Stars and quality performance, contact Nicole Roberts at [email protected] to schedule a conversation with a senior MedOrion leader. Panelist Bios https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/from-chart-chase-to-competitive-advantage-the-2027-medicare-advantage-playbook/   About Bright Spots in Healthcare Bright Spots in Healthcare brings together health plan, health system and healthcare innovation leaders to share practical examples of what is working — and how others can apply and scale those ideas. Bright Spots Ventures creates healthcare content, executive communities, private peer discussions and go-to-market programs designed to accelerate meaningful change. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with Medicare Advantage, Stars, quality, health plan and healthcare leaders.

In this Bright Spots in Healthcare episode, host Eric Glazer brings together an all-star panel of leaders who are reshaping the future of Medicaid and social care. Our guests include: Vanita Pindolia, Vice President, Medicare Star Ratings, Emergent Holdings (BlueCross BlueShield Michigan) Jason Merola, MD, Chief Medical Officer, MVP Health Care Charlotta Eriksson, Lead Director, National VBC Partnerships (Specialty), Aetna Mary O'Connor, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder, Vori Together, they explore: How Medicare Advantage plans are embedding Stars, CAHPS, and adherence metrics directly into provider contracts to drive accountability, improve quality, and sustain year-over-year performance gains. How payers like Aetna are expanding value-based care into specialty domains—from CKD and oncology to musculoskeletal and cardiology—by partnering with specialty-aligned organizations rather than converting individual specialists to risk models. How MVP Health Care is designing hybrid incentive structures that reward specialists for closing quality gaps and improving outcomes, without requiring full downside risk. Why MSK care is becoming pivotal to Stars success, as physical and mental health measures grow in weight through 2027, and how holistic, physician-led models are improving activity, satisfaction, and cost savings simultaneously. How digital-first specialty networks are solving access challenges, reducing "ghost network" exposure, and creating new opportunities for plans to meet CMS adequacy standards while improving the member experience. How collaboration across utilization management, Stars, and member experience teams helps avoid trade-offs, ensuring that cost controls don't come at the expense of satisfaction or CAHPS performance. Panelist Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/stars-savings-and-satisfaction-unlocking-msk-and-specialty-care-strategies-for-medicare-advantage-success/ Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a_rX23Ev5VRrJKqb8_UwAYBd9tUBIfWA/view?usp=sharing Resources:  Maximizing 2026 Medicare Advantage Performance with Physician-Led MSK Care This report outlines how Vori's physician-led, virtual-first musculoskeletal (MSK) model helps Medicare Advantage plans:Improve up to 12 Star measures across preventive care, chronic condition management, and member experience Deliver faster access to care—appointments available within 48 hours Enhance outcomes for pain, fall prevention, and osteoporosis care while achieving an NPS of 87 Align with the new 2026 Star measures for Improving and Maintaining Physical and Mental Health To request your copy, email [email protected]. Clinical Quality Performance of Value-Based and Fee-for-Service Models for Medicare Advantage: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2839238 This JAMA Health Forum article compares clinical quality outcomes for Medicare Advantage patients whose care is delivered under value-based payment (VBP) models versus traditional fee-for-service (FFS). It finds that VBP arrangements, especially those with two-sided financial risk—in general are associated with better performance on standardized clinical quality measures than FFS. Thank you to our Episode Partner, Vori: Vori partners with health plans and providers to improve musculoskeletal (MSK) care through data-driven, physician-led solutions. Their approach helps reduce unnecessary surgeries, improve recovery outcomes, and enhance patient satisfaction—supporting plans in achieving better Stars performance and overall member experience. To learn more, visit vorihealth.com. Schedule a meeting with Mary O'Connor Chief Medical Officer, Vori: To dive deeper into how Vori can help your plan improve outcomes, reduce costs, and strengthen Medicare Advantage Star Ratings,or to schedule a meeting with Mary O'Connor. Reach out to [email protected]  to schedule the meeting. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation.   We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

Healthcare doesn't have a shortage of good ideas. The harder problem is turning what works into the way care is actually delivered. In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, Eric Glazer sits down with Dr. Thomas Balcezak, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Yale New Haven Health, to explore why proven ideas can take years to become everyday practice, and what healthcare leaders can do differently. Dr. Balcezak shares how Yale New Haven is using more than 2,500 Care Signature pathways to bring current clinical guidance directly into physician workflows, reduce unwanted variation, and improve outcomes, efficiency and equity. He also reflects on an early-career experience in Tanzania that shaped how he thinks about positive deviance: finding people or teams achieving exceptional results under the same constraints as everyone else, understanding what they do differently, and spreading it. The conversation also explores the changing economics of physician practice, what health systems often misunderstand about physician employment, and how technologies such as ambient documentation can reduce administrative burden when implemented well. In this episode: Why healthcare struggles to close the gap between what works and what actually happens How Yale New Haven is scaling Care Signature across clinical workflows What positive deviance can teach leaders about innovation How physician practice models are changing What Yale has learned from ambient documentation Why frontline teams may hold the key to scaling what works   Referenced Research: JAMA Network Open: Hospital System Acquisition of Physician Practices https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2850132 About Dr. Thomas Balcezak: Thomas J. Balcezak, MD, MPH, is Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Yale New Haven Health. In this position, Dr. Balcezak focuses on enhancing the provision of reliably safe, patient-centered, and cost-effective care of the highest quality. Over the course of his career, he has transformed the clinical enterprise around the core precepts of High Reliability, aligned operational and clinical care processes across the growing geographies of Yale New Haven Health, and built an exceptional team dedicated to accelerating the creation of a signature of care across the academic health system. About Bright Spots Ventures Bright Spots Ventures helps healthcare leaders discover what's working—and how to scale it. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and strategic advisory work, we bring together health plan, provider, and healthcare innovation leaders to exchange practical ideas that improve care, lower costs, and accelerate innovation. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword, it's a practical tool transforming how healthcare organizations prepare for the future. From evaluating and pricing risk with greater accuracy to identifying rising-risk members and strengthening long-term financial strategies, AI is reshaping the very foundations of forecasting in healthcare. In this episode, leaders from Florida Blue, Premera Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, and Prealize Health share how they're applying AI across actuarial, clinical, and data science domains to optimize decisions, improve outcomes, and drive organizational sustainability. In this episode, you'll learn: How health plans are evaluating and scaling AI models to improve accuracy in forecasting and underwriting Real-world examples of AI identifying rising-risk populations and transforming engagement strategies Why "next best action" models are becoming central to member engagement and population health How generative AI and workflow optimization are streamlining operations and reducing costs What it takes to embed AI into financial planning, provider contracting, and long-term ROI strategies Panelists: Romilla Batra, MD, MBA, SVP & Chief Medical Officer, Premera Blue Cross Ratnik Gandhi, Senior Director, AI, Florida Blue Emily Allred, Senior Director & Actuary, Large Group Pricing, Blue Shield of California Dean Noble-Tolla, PhD, Chief Product & Analytics Officer, Prealize Health Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. Download here.

In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, host Eric Glazer brings together Medicare Advantage leaders from Drips, Johns Hopkins Health Plans, MMM Holdings, myPlace Health, and Independent Health to tackle a challenge every plan knows well: what happens when the same member has multiple open needs, and who decides what should happen first? The conversation moves beyond measure-by-measure outreach to explore how plans can coordinate action around the whole member. Panelists discuss how to weigh Stars, claims cost, risk adjustment, member context, social barriers, provider workflows, and likelihood to act when determining the next best action. Through practical examples, the group examines how plans are building shared views of the member, connecting plan and provider teams, using technology to recognize moments of influence, and giving frontline teams more room to listen and respond to what members actually need. Our guests include: Kathleen Faulk, Chief Strategy Officer, Drips Brendan Generelli, Director, Medicare Stars & Quality, Johns Hopkins Health Plans Nilda González, Vice President, Quality Management & Stars, MMM Holdings, LLC Rob Schreiber, MD, Vice President and National Medical Director of Care Model Strategy, myPlace Health, part of SCAN Group Amin Serehali, SVP, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Independent Health   Together, they explore: How plans can prioritize when one member has multiple legitimate care, quality, pharmacy, and risk needs Why enterprise impact, including claims cost and risk adjustment, can change which gap deserves attention first How member barriers and personal priorities should shape the next best action How MMM Holdings uses INNOV-A MD, Smart Profile, and its Office Advantage Quality Program to connect plan and provider workflows How Independent Health built Member 360 to bring fragmented clinical, pharmacy, utilization, and member information into one actionable view How plans can use real-time "moments of influence" to reprioritize outreach when a member is most ready to act Why frontline listening can sometimes create more value than completing every item on a checklist How more deliberate targeting can improve results while using outreach resources more efficiently   Whether you lead Stars, quality, risk adjustment, analytics, care management, member engagement, or Medicare strategy, this episode offers practical ideas for closing more gaps without creating more noise for members. Panelist Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/one-member-five-open-gaps-how-leading-medicare-advantage-plans-are-coordinating-member-action/ Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. Download guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pZErXDEfncqTI-1yoB3yJAv7_Ox-JiqNJsmKep2OK4o/edit?tab=t.0 Key Insights Summary: Find key insights from the discussion, guest takeaways, and detailed moderator notes captured by Eric during the conversation, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V4mxERrmHf_IEWcUWzfPKwuRlY2dVV21/edit Thank You to Our Episode Partner, Drips: Drips helps Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans turn member conversations into completed actions across annual wellness visits, care gaps, medication adherence, and other priority programs. By helping plans connect outreach across programs, respond to member context in real time, and focus on the next action a member is most ready to take, Drips supports a more coordinated member journey with fewer disconnected touchpoints and greater follow-through. Schedule a Meeting with a Senior Leader at Drips: Interested in learning how health plans are coordinating outreach around the member and turning conversations into completed actions? To connect with Kathleen Faulk or another member of the Drips leadership team, contact show producer Jessica Tenzer at [email protected] to schedule a conversation. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation. We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

"Healthcare becomes more affordable when we make the better choice the easy choice." In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, Eric Glazer sits down with Beth Keyser, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's West Region Commercial Health Benefits business, to explore why healthcare affordability isn't just about lowering prices, it's about helping people make better decisions earlier. Throughout the conversation, Beth shares how Anthem is redesigning the member journey by combining data, navigation, provider collaboration, and whole-person care to guide members toward the right care at the right time and in the right setting. Rather than focusing on healthcare after the bill arrives, Beth explains why the greatest opportunity to improve affordability happens long before treatment begins. In this episode: Why healthcare affordability starts before anyone receives a medical bill Helping members choose the right site of care without sacrificing quality Moving beyond price transparency to true care navigation How Sydney Health and HealthOS are helping members and providers make better decisions together Why whole-person care is also an affordability strategy What the industry's strongest payer-provider partnerships are doing differently Why healthcare leaders should focus less on protecting data, and more on using it The opportunity healthcare may still be underestimating over the next five years If you're leading a health plan, provider organization, employer health strategy, or healthcare company, this conversation offers practical ideas for improving affordability by making healthcare easier to navigate, not simply cheaper. Resource: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and USA TODAY Network's in-house branded content studio launched a new five-part video series designed to help Americans better understand their health plan benefits, make informed care decisions and manage costs with greater confidence. https://www.usatoday.com/interactives/sponsor-story/anthem-blue-cross-blue-shield/5-key-health-insurance-terms-made-simple/ About Beth Keyser: Beth Keyser is a 30-year healthcare industry veteran with a passion for leading organizations that are on a mission to make people healthier.  Beth was named president of the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield West Region for the Commercial Health Benefits division in 2025, which includes Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. She is also responsible for Sales Enablement and Centralized Sales Support within the Commercial Health Benefits division. Previously, Beth served as president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana from 2020 to 2025. The Anthem health plan in Indiana is the largest in the state with nearly 5,000 Indiana-based associates, serving more than four million members. Before joining Anthem, Beth focused on improving doctor-patient relationships as the president of Create® health plans in New York City. Prior to her time at Create®, Beth held several leadership roles at Healthways where she was accountable for domestic and international revenue growth, customer experience, call center operations and establishing partnerships with health plans, employers, physician organizations and hospitals. Early in her career she helped stand up Gordian Health Solutions, a Nashville start-up, that was eventually sold to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. Beth currently serves on the Board of Directors of Women in Health Care Leadership at University of Alabama at Birmingham, which provides mentoring and training programs to develop tomorrow's leaders. She also serves on the board of directors of the Indiana Sports Corp, Neuraxis and the WellPoint Holding Corporation. Beth is also a proud member of the Red Cross Tiffany Circle. Keyser is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and earned a master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Connect with Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-keyser-589a184/     About Bright Spots Ventures Bright Spots Ventures helps healthcare leaders discover what's working—and how to scale it. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and strategic advisory work, we bring together health plan, provider, and healthcare innovation leaders to exchange practical ideas that improve care, lower costs, and accelerate innovation. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

What does it really take to challenge the status quo in healthcare, and win? Dr. Imamu "Mu" Tomlinson, CEO of Vituity and author of Less Than One Percent: How Disruptors Defy the Odds, joins host Eric Glazer to share hard-won lessons on leadership, resilience, and breaking barriers. In this energizing conversation, Mu discusses: How to turn "you can't" into the fuel that drives innovation. Why being disagreeable, optimistic, and relentless are the core traits of true disruptors. Lessons healthcare can borrow from sports icons like Steph Curry and leaders in entertainment. Why moments of victory - not defeat - are the best opportunities to spark lasting change. You'll come away with a fresh perspective on leadership, culture, and how to build teams that defy expectations and achieve more. About Dr. Imamu (Mu) Tomlinson: Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer at Vituity, a physician-led and -owned multispecialty partnership. With decades of clinical leadership and practice management experience, Dr. Tomlinson brings deep operational and clinical knowledge to foster Vituity's mission to be at the heart of better care. In his role, Dr. Tomlinson oversees Vituity's 500+ communities, focusing on clinical and cultural integration, and strategies that improve patient satisfaction and drive operational efficiency. Since his appointment as CEO in 2017, Vituity has doubled its footprint. Additionally, during his tenure, Dr. Tomlinson formalized two disciplines within Vituity to support improved patient care: an innovation team, including the appointment of the organization's first Chief Innovation Officer, and a community impact initiative. He also champions physician engagement initiatives, including fellowship programs and innovation grants, to further empower Vituity's healthcare providers to deliver exceptional care and collaborate across the care continuum. Prior to Vituity, Dr. Tomlinson was the Chief of Staff for the Adventist Health Central Valley Network, where he continues to practice as an emergency physician. He previously served as Medical Director for Adventist Health's Hanford and Selma Emergency Departments. At Adventist Health, he spearheaded an effort to create the network's Department of Emergency and Diagnostic Medicine and later served as the department's chair.  Outside of his work at Vituity, Dr. Tomlinson is devoted to making a difference in his local community through the 24/7 Foundation, which works with kids in the Central Valley Youth to inspire mental toughness, athletic competition, and resilience through basketball.  Dr. Tomlinson is the author of Less Than One Percent: How Disruptors Defy the Odds. In this book, he thoughtfully explores the lives of those who dare to defy the odds and disrupt a world of contradictions. Through vivid narratives and deep insights, he reveals powerful strategies for challenging the status quo and driving transformative change.  Order your copy today. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation. We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

In this Bright Spots in Healthcare episode, host Eric Glazer brings together health plan and specialty care leaders to examine a challenge becoming increasingly important to healthcare organizations: how to make sure the right specialty expertise reaches the right patient at the right moment without simply adding another disconnected program. The discussion explores what happens when organizations rethink specialty care as a pathway rather than an isolated episode. Across health plans and specialty care organizations, the conversation looks at how earlier identification, better triage, care navigation, workflow integration, physician engagement, and technology can help organizations improve access while making better use of limited specialist capacity. This is a practical discussion for health plan and provider leaders navigating rising specialty costs, growing demand, limited specialist capacity, and increasingly complex member needs. Our guests include: Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health Lora Council, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Fallon Health Sunil Shivaram, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Elite Health Plan Jessica Landin, CEO, Vori Health Together, they explore: How organizations can improve specialty access by identifying, triaging, and routing patients earlier, rather than simply adding specialist capacity How health plans and specialty organizations are redesigning care pathways to better connect primary care, specialists, behavioral health, navigation, and community resources How AI, predictive analytics, digital screening, and asynchronous care can extend clinical capacity while helping specialists focus on patients who need their expertise most What it takes to build more connected specialty care models that improve access, reduce fragmentation and unnecessary utilization, and deliver better outcomes and experiences for patients This episode offers an inside look at how leading organizations are rethinking specialty care not by adding more disconnected solutions, but by improving how expertise is allocated, coordinated, and delivered across the patient's journey. Panelist Bios here: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/rethinking-specialty-care-new-opportunities-to-improve-outcomes-experience-and-affordability/   Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Episode-Guide-Bright-Spots-in-Health-Care-07-30-26.pdf  Key Insights Summary: Find key insights from the discussion, guest takeaways, and detailed moderator notes captured by Eric during the conversation.  Thank You to Our Episode Partner, Vori Health Vori Health helps health plans and provider organizations rethink musculoskeletal care through an integrated, physician-led model that brings physicians, physical therapists, health coaches, and technology together around the patient. Rather than treating specialty care as an isolated episode, Vori's approach is designed to provide coordinated, longitudinal support while helping patients access the right care at the right time. The model also reflects a broader shift discussed throughout this episode: using technology to extend the care team, identify patients earlier, support engagement between visits, and connect patients to the resources they need across the healthcare system. Vori's digital and AI-enabled tools can support asynchronous care, provide feedback to clinicians, and help identify patient needs before they escalate into higher-cost settings or worse outcomes. Learn more about Vori Health - http://vorihealth.com.  Schedule a Meeting with Jessica Landin, CEO, Vori Health To explore how Vori Health can help your organization rethink MSK care, improve access, reduce fragmentation, and build a more coordinated specialty care model, reach out to show producer Vekonda Luangaphay at [email protected] to schedule a conversation with Jessica Landin, CEO, Vori Health. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation.   We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

Recorded live at HLTH, this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare features Dr. Carolyn Jasik, Associate Chief Clinical Officer at Verily, an Alphabet company focused on precision health innovation at scale. Carolyn shares how Verily has evolved through multiple "moonshot" phases, from devices and research to its current focus on precision health, combining AI, data science, and clinical expertise to deliver the right intervention to the right person at the right time. Drawing from her background as a pediatrician, behavioral scientist, and former digital health executive, Carolyn explains why healthcare transformation must move beyond the clinic and into people's daily lives, meeting them in moments that actually matter. In this conversation, you'll hear about: What precision health really means beyond the buzzword, and why timing and context are everything How Verily Me enables consumers to interact with their health records, ask questions, and identify gaps in care The role of AI coaches and human clinicians working together, not in competition Why Verily is taking a direct-to-consumer-first approach to crack the engagement problem in healthcare How licensed nurses, HIPAA-protected AI, and real-time support can transform patient experience Carolyn's long-term vision for AI agents like Violet to meaningfully extend care teams and reduce clinician burden This episode offers a thoughtful, human-centered look at how AI can help people feel seen, supported, and cared for while laying the foundation for scalable, enterprise-grade precision health. If you're building, buying, or deploying digital health solutions, this conversation provides a grounded blueprint for what consumer trust, engagement, and impact really require. Bio: https://hlth.com/speakers/2024/carolyn-bradner-jasik References: Verily Me - https://www.verilyme.com/ Partner with Bright Spots Ventures: If you are interested in speaking with the Bright Spots Ventures team to brainstorm how we can help you grow your business via content and relationships, email [email protected] About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation. We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare—proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com. Visit our website:  www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com. Follow Bright Spots in Healthcare: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shared-purpose-connect/

Duration: 1 hr In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, host Eric Glazer brings together leaders from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Northwell Health, WVU Medicine, and TytoCare to explore one of healthcare's biggest challenges: how to move beyond isolated AI pilots and operationalize AI in ways that genuinely improve specialty care. While AI continues to dominate headlines, the organizations making the greatest progress aren't simply adopting more technology. They're redesigning workflows, strengthening governance, extending specialist expertise, and embedding AI into clinical operations in ways that improve patient access while reducing burden on clinicians. This discussion explores what it really takes to scale AI across complex health systems, from executive strategy and governance to workflow redesign, remote examinations, ambient AI, and extending specialty expertise into rural and underserved communities. Our guests include: Rebecca Canino, MBA, Executive Director, Office of Telemedicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine Kristin Myers, Executive Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, Northwell Health Sharda Udassi, MD, Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Division & Associate Chief Quality Officer, WVU Medicine Greg Orr, Chief Operating Officer, TytoCare Together, they explore: Why successful AI initiatives begin with operational transformation—not technology deployment How leading health systems are embedding AI into existing clinical workflows instead of creating new ones What governance looks like when organizations are scaling AI responsibly How remote examinations and AI are helping extend scarce specialty expertise into rural and community settings Practical examples of AI improving diabetic retinopathy screening, patient navigation, scheduling, EEG interpretation, and specialty access Why redesigning care delivery—not simply adding digital tools—is becoming the key to sustainable AI adoption Where healthcare leaders see the next generation of AI creating measurable impact for clinicians and patients alike. Whether you're leading digital transformation, telehealth, clinical operations, or AI strategy, this episode offers practical lessons from organizations moving beyond experimentation and successfully scaling AI across specialty care. Panelist Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/scaling-ai-enabled-remote-specialty-care-from-innovation-to-operational-performance/ Download the Episode Guide: Get key takeaways and expert highlights to help you apply lessons from the episode. Download guide: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Episode-Guide-Bright-Spots-in-Health-Care-TytoCare-07-15-26.pdf  Key Insights Summary: Find key insights from the discussion, guest takeaways, and detailed moderator notes captured by Eric during the conversation, https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Key-Insights-Summary-Bright-Spots-07-15-26.pdf   Thank You to Our Episode Partner, TytoCare: TytoCare is helping health systems rethink how specialty care is delivered beyond the traditional walls of the hospital and clinic. Through its AI-enabled, FDA-cleared remote examination platform, TytoCare equips clinicians with clinical-grade exam data from virtually anywhere, enabling more informed decision-making than video visits alone. By combining guided remote examinations with AI-assisted workflows, TytoCare helps provider organizations improve access to specialty care, optimize clinician capacity, strengthen virtual care models, and create more connected patient experiences. As health systems look to scale AI responsibly, TytoCare is helping turn innovation into operational performance. Schedule a Meeting with a Senior Leader at TytoCare: Interested in learning how leading health systems are scaling remote specialty care?  To connect with Greg Orr or another member of the TytoCare leadership team, contact show producer Jessica Tenzer at [email protected] to schedule a conversation. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation. We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare, proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com.

What happens when the founder of Mint.com takes on one of healthcare's most broken experiences—patient communication? In this episode of Bright Spots in Healthcare, Eric Glazer sits down with Aaron Patzer, Founder and CEO of Vital, to explore how simplicity, clarity, and human-centered design can drive real impact in healthcare. Drawing from his journey building Mint, Aaron shares why most healthcare technology misses the mark, how better communication improves outcomes and ROI, and what leaders must do to design experiences people actually use. The conversation goes deep on: Why simplifying complexity—not adding more tech—is the real innovation How better patient communication drives measurable ROI for hospitals What healthcare leaders can learn from consumer tech about trust, adoption, and engagement The leadership principles Aaron relies on when innovating inside highly regulated, slow-moving systems If you're a healthcare leader navigating digital transformation, AI investment decisions, or experience strategy, this episode offers clear thinking, hard-earned lessons, and proof that when you make it easier for people to understand what's happening, everything works better.   References: Book Reference - The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman About Aaron: Aaron Patzer is a renowned entrepreneur, engineer, and innovator best known as the founder of Mint.com, the personal finance platform that revolutionized money management for millions of users. After launching Mint in 2007, Patzer led it to rapid success, growing the user base to over 25 million and overseeing its acquisition by Intuit in 2009. A passionate advocate for user-centered design and simplicity in complex systems, Patzer built Mint.com by combining his technical acumen with a deep understanding of user experience and behavioral finance. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and a Master's from Princeton University. Following Mint, Patzer continued to push boundaries in tech and health innovation. He co-founded Vital, a healthcare startup focused on improving hospital emergency room, urgent care, and inpatient experiences using AI and design thinking. Ranked by KLAS as #1 in patient experience, Vital achieves concrete results: 30–50% fewer LWOBS/AMA, 10–15% higher NPS, stronger HCAHPS scores, reduced ED bounce- back, and 10% lower 30-day readmissions. Designed to integrate seamlessly with existing EHR systems, Vital provides a user-friendly interface that engages patients, resulting in 60%+ adoption rates, 5-10x higher than the competition. View our product overview. Partner with Bright Spots Ventures: If you are interested in speaking with the Bright Spots Ventures team to brainstorm how we can help you grow your business via content and relationships, email [email protected]   About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures is a healthcare strategy and engagement company that creates content, communities, and connections to accelerate innovation. We help healthcare leaders discover what's working, and how to scale it. By bringing together health plan, hospital, and solution leaders, we facilitate the exchange of ideas that lead to measurable impact. Through our podcast, executive councils, private events, and go-to-market strategy work, we surface and amplify the "bright spots" in healthcare—proven innovations others can learn from and replicate. At our core, we exist to create trusted relationships that make real progress possible. Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com. Visit our website:  www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com. Follow Bright Spots in Healthcare: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shared-purpose-connect/