Advertise on podcast: Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

In this episode, Andreana Santangelo, Chief Financial Officer at Aetna, discusses the financial and strategic priorities shaping the health plan industry, including Medicare Advantage, sustainable growth and rising healthcare costs. She also explores strengthening payer-provider partnerships, reducing administrative burden and using AI to improve affordability, quality and member experience.

In this episode, Sean Robbins, Chief Operating Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, discusses the forces driving rising healthcare costs, the growing impact of specialty drugs and efforts to streamline prior authorization. He also explores AI's role in health insurance, payer-provider collaboration and the importance of putting members at the center of healthcare decisions.

In this episode, Justin Liu, CEO & Co-Founder, Charta Health, discusses how Medicare Advantage plans can evaluate AI vendors based on measurable business outcomes, coding accuracy, operational efficiency, and compliance. He also explores how AI can streamline chart reviews and audit preparation while supporting clinical coding teams rather than replacing human judgment.  This episode is sponsored by Charta Health.

In this episode, Hayley Park, PharmD, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Blue Shield of California, discusses Pharmacy Care Reimagined, biosimilar adoption and strategies to lower prescription drug costs. She also explores pharmacy industry trends, California policy changes and the importance of aligning financial incentives with better patient outcomes.

In this episode, Kali Ihde, Director, Ventures & Innovation, Northwestern Medicine, discusses how AI voice agents helped schedule 252 lung cancer screenings from 1,700 calls in three days, including nine patients with positive findings. She shares lessons on patient safety, clinical trust, and selecting the right use cases to expand AI driven outreach and improve access to care.  This episode is sponsored by Hippocratic AI.

In this episode, Jennifer St. Thomas, SVP Commercial and Medicare Markets at Mass General Brigham Health Plan, discusses the plan’s new Value HMO offering for large employers, designed to lower healthcare costs while preserving access to leading regional health systems.

In this episode, Marc Jeffreys, General Manager, Health, Gradient AI, discusses how AI can streamline group health underwriting while keeping human judgment at the center of decision-making. He explores risk assessment, model transparency, and what health plans should look for in AI partners.

In this episode, Dr. Patricia Henwood, EVP, Chief Clinical Officer at Jefferson Health, discusses the health system’s approach to AI integration, including its intent, integration, and impact framework, ambient AI results, and patient facing AI voice agents designed to improve care access, clinician efficiency, and patient experience. This episode is sponsored by Hippocratic AI.

In this episode, Dr. Sanjiv Shah, Chief Medical Officer, MetroPlusHealth, discusses how care management, provider partnerships, and timely information exchange have helped MetroPlusHealth earn consecutive four star Medicare Advantage ratings. He also shares strategies for closing care gaps, improving transitions after hospital stays, and preparing providers for digital quality reporting requirements.

In this episode, Dr. Alice Chen, Chief Health Officer at Centene, discusses how health plans can use evidence based prevention frameworks to improve outcomes, guide investments, and reduce waste. She shares lessons from food as medicine initiatives and explains why interventions must be supported by rigorous data, tailored to underserved populations, and proven effective before scaling.

In this episode, Ganesh Padmanabhan, CEO and Founder, Autonomize AI, discusses the risks of token maxing, reducing AI variability, and building scalable AI infrastructure for more consistent and accountable payer operations. This episode is sponsored by Autonomize AI.

In this episode, Munjal Shah, Co-Founder & CEO of Hippocratic AI, discusses how healthcare AI can improve patient access and outcomes through rigorous safety testing, clinical safeguards and responsible deployment.  This episode is sponsored by Hippocratic AI.

In this episode, Dan LaVallee, Associate Vice President of Community Engagement at UPMC Health Plan, discusses how an AI powered virtual reality simulator is helping EMT students build clinical readiness, confidence and communication skills. He shares how UPMC’s Freedom House program supports workforce development and how this training model could expand to other communities.

In this episode, Fiona Fang, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Florida, discusses Medicaid challenges, maternal and infant health, whole person care and efforts to help members maintain coverage. She also shares how data, community partnerships and targeted outreach can improve outcomes.

In this episode, Meredith Duncan, president and CEO of Texicare, discusses expanding access to affordable health coverage for small businesses, virtual care, provider network growth and the importance of building strong local relationships with providers and brokers.