Advertise on podcast: Be Health Connected

In this episode of Be Health Connected, we sit down with Dr. Lisa Shah, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Twin Health, to discuss the powerful connection between metabolic health and cardiovascular disease. Together, we explore why conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension continue to drive poor health outcomes in working-age populations, how personalized health metrics can motivate meaningful behavior change, and the role employers can play in reducing chronic disease risk. Dr. Shah shares insights into Twin Health’s innovative approach to improving metabolic health, the results employers are seeing from these investments, and practical strategies for creating a culture of health that supports long-term employee well-being.

In this episode of the Be Health Connected podcast, two leading health benefits experts, Wendy Smith of Mercer and Patti Wahl of Aon, come together for a candid conversation on the future of employer-sponsored healthcare. Former colleagues turned industry counterparts, Wendy and Patti discuss rising healthcare costs, delivery system transformation, direct contracting, point solutions, and the growing pressure on employers to make meaningful changes. While representing competing firms, the two found remarkable alignment on the strategies employers should prioritize to manage trend and improve outcomes in the years ahead.

What does it take to build a workplace wellness strategy that actually works? In this episode, we sit down with Candace Rodman, Executive Director, Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition, to explore how MOCAN is helping employers take a more strategic, evidence-based approach to improving employee health. From understanding today’s biggest opportunities—and common gaps—to leveraging proven programs like Work@Health, this conversation offers practical insights for HR and benefits leaders.

In this episode, we are joined by two members of the Gateway Business Health Coalition Board of Directors, Linda Brady, Global Benefits: Healthcare & Well Being Strategy at Boeing and Kirsten Tidd, Manager of Health and Wellness at Spire. Join us as we reflect on how employers are using data, share insights and takeaways from the 2025 Annual Meeting, and look ahead to BHC’s priorities for 2026.

High-cost claims remain one of the toughest challenges for employer health plans. In this episode, Dr. Christine Hale, a nationally recognized physician leader with a track record of helping employers tackle their toughest healthcare challenges, reveals key takeaways from our employer workshop to help decode the data, manage complex cases, and drive smarter health spend.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been a full year since Laurel Pickering stepped into her role leading the Gateway Business Health Coalition and our sister organization, the Midwest Health Initiative. Over the past 12 months, Laurel has brought fresh energy and strategic vision to the coalition, guiding our work in new and exciting directions while remaining deeply committed to our mission of improving health, well-being, and value in health care.In this episode, we reflect on what’s been accomplished, what we’ve learned, and what lies ahead.

During a recent tour of our membership, we asked employers about the top health conditions impacting their workforce. Every employer cited cancer among their top three concerns. With cancer affecting more people each year and treatment costs continuing to rise, the need for effective employer solutions has never been more urgent.In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Rebecca Miksad, Chief Medical Officer at Color. Color is the first 50-state Virtual Cancer Clinic led by oncologists, delivering high-quality, patient-centered, and technology-enhanced care across the entire cancer care continuum—from screening, risk assessment, and prevention to diagnosis, treatment support, and survivorship.

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. Leapfrog collects and transparently reports hospital performance, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. In this episode, we are joined by Jill Berger, Senior Advisor for Employer & Payor Engagement at The Leapfrog Group to discuss the recent Leapfrog Safety grade release and the many ways The Leapfrog Group is improving hospital and patient safety.

BHC actively monitors and testifies on bills that could potentially impact employer-sponsored benefits. We are dedicated to advocating on behalf of our employer members to lower health care costs while ensuring quality and access for members. In this episode, we discuss current policy topics at the state and federal levels that have the potential to impact employer sponsored benefits. To provide insight on this topic, we are joined by two experts in the policy space, Shawn Gremminger, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and Mark Dalton, Political Director for the Carpenters Union of Missouri.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Bob Chestnut, who serves as the Chief Medical Executive Director at Cummins Inc. Dr. Chestnut leads the clinical operations strategy for over 70,000 employees in more than 190 countries and oversees the delivery of occupational health, primary care, and telemedicine. Through his work, Dr. Chestnut drives improved health care experiences for thousands of Cummins employees by prioritizing patient-centered and advanced primary care in Cummins worksite clinics.

In this episode, we discuss chronic kidney disease, or CKD, the impact that CKD has on the American workforce, and how employers are uniquely positioned to help prevent late-stage CKD by increasing employee awareness and education and encouraging their employees to seek appropriate care for early identification. CKD occurs when the kidneys have been damaged over time, impairing their important functions in our bodies, such as removing waste and regulating blood pressure. More than 1 in 7 adults in the U.S. are estimated to have CKD and about 9 in 10 people that have CKD but do not know they have it. Kidney disease can significantly affect quality of life, lead to other serious comorbidities, and can be incredibly costly to treat, making it an important issue for employers to tackle.To provide insight on this topic, we are joined by Elizabeth Montgomery, the National Vice President of Clinical Practice Innovation and Population Health Programs with the National Kidney Foundation.

In this episode, we are excited to recap our recent Annual Meeting, where nearly 300 healthcare and benefits leaders from across the nation came together to discuss how employers can drive meaningful change in health care. The energy in the room was palpable, and we left feeling truly inspired by the potential employers have to reshape the healthcare landscape for the better. Joining us in this episode are two distinguished members of the BHC Board of Directors: Alison Casler, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Drury Hotels Company, and Misi Holmberg, Director of Benefits at Panera, to share their takeaways from the meeting.

In this episode, we have a compelling discussion focusing on weight management and medications. GLP-1s, are a class of medications generating a lot of buzz for their efficacy in weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes. Through this conversation, we will explore the findings, eligibility criteria, supply challenges, cost management implications, and more. We'll also discuss the impact of GLP-1s on employers and strategies they can adopt to navigate this evolving healthcare landscape. To provide insight on this topic, we are thrilled to be joined by Dr. Halperin, who is the Chief Medical Officer with Form Health.

In this episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Marty Makary. Dr. Makary is a practicing surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and a New York Times bestselling author. Known for a couple of his key publications such as Unaccountable and The Price We Pay, Dr. Makary is here to tell us about his new book release: Blind Spots: When Health Care Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health, and some key takeaways for employers focused on improving the health of their employees and navigating the “blind spots” in health care.

In this episode, we sit down with the new President and CEO of the St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition, Laurel Pickering. Laurel comes to the BHC with over 20 years of coalition experience and more recently worked for Centivo, focusing her efforts on health care and technology innovation to improve health outcomes and affordability. Laurel started with the BHC in early June and has already begun to make her mark by engaging with our members and laying the groundwork for exciting new initiatives. Listen in to learn more about her vision for the future of the BHC, her plans to build on the strong foundation we've established, and how she intends to continue serving our member companies with innovative and effective health and wellness strategies.