Tuning in to the C-Suite

Briana Contreras, associate editor of MHE, spoke with Robin Fiorelli, senior director of bereavement and volunteers at VITAS Healthcare, for this week's episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite. Robin and Briana talked about the grief that has affected millions of Americans and millions more throughout the world due to losing loved ones to COVID-19. They also discussed the implications of grief, strategies for coping and efforts underway to help the healthcare industry and consumers train and prepare for a suspected wave of grief that’s to come.

In this week's episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Dr. Rob Kowal, chief medical officer of the Cardiac Rhythm and Heart Failure division at Medtronic. The two discussed how remote monitoring and IoT is changing healthcare and how remote technology is also gaining a wide-spread adoption to monitor patients at home who have chronic conditions like heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes.

MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Bill Coletti, CEO, and Founder of Kith, a firm serving organizations in communication crisis and reputation management, in this week's episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite. Bill and Briana discussed how working with healthcare leaders during a crisis has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, how leaders in the C-Suite can be prepared for a crisis and what to do in the journey post-crisis.

In this episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite, MHE Associate Editor Briana Contreras spoke with Associate Dean for Equity Inclusion and Research Professor in the College of Nursing at Penn State University, Dr. Sheldon Fields. He is also the first Vice President for the National Black Nurses Association. In celebration of Black History Month, the two discussed racial equity in healthcare and what is being done for patients and nurses of color toward the improvement of the racial and health disparities that take place in care.

MHE Associate Editor Briana Contreras and Senior Editor Peter Wehrwein speak with Julie Olson, senior director of Population Health and Product Development at Navitus, a full pass-through pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company. In this discussion they talked about how Navitus has created a Clinical Engagement Center designed to improve medication adherence and reduce both member and plan prescription costs, while easing benefit transitions. Additionally, they discussed what it means to be a “full pass-through” PBM and how it compares to other PBMs.

In this week’s episode of Tuning In to the C-Suite podcast, MHE's Senior Editor Peter Wehrwein and Associate Editor Briana Contreras spoke with CEO of Syntellis Performance Solutions, Kermit Randa. In the discussion they talked about a recently released survey by Syntellis called the 2021 Healthcare Financial Trends Survey report, which highlights how finance leaders pivoted in 2020 and the way they will continue to evolve in 2021.

Briana Contreras of MHE spoke with Josh Claman, CEO of Rimidi about the strong need for a permanent remote patient monitoring, or RPM, reimbursement reform, and how our health industry can come together to influence this change. The two also discussed the benefits of RPM technology for underserved, uninsured or Medicaid populations, and the benefits of RPM during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode, Briana Contreras of MHE spoke with Dr. David Moen, president of Prospero Health Partners. The two discussed how Prospero is closing a gap in the healthcare system by taking care of patients with chronic, serious health issues, who are not yet in hospice care, but are prone to frequent, costly hospital admissions. They also talked about the skyrocketing demand for in-home care and telehealth during the pandemic, especially for seniors with advanced illnesses and compromised immune systems.

Briana Contreras of MHE spoke with Manik Bhat, founder and CEO of Healthify – a company that works with managed care organizations to integrate social determinants of health (SDoH) into the healthcare ecosystem. Manik and Briana spoke about how the need to address SDoH has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began and what the importance of addressing these social and economic issues are during and after the pandemic. They also touched on how SDoH contribute to the spread of viral diseases, but worsen the issues for individuals already struggling.

MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Amy Dirks Stevens, EVP of Digital Strategy Performance and Practice Lead at AVIA health, for this week's episode of Tuning Into the C-Suite. The two talked about automation in health systems and how it can be a solution to challenges such as budget issues and creating more efficiency in the workplace. Also discussed were areas where health system leaders can begin to leverage artificial intelligence.

In this week’s episode, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Anthony Gabriel, M.D., MBA, chief operating officer at Radiology Partners. Anthony shared the importance of health entities having physicians in the C-Suite, or executive levels in their health organizations, as Radiology Partners does. He and Briana also discussed what type of training a health professional needs to get to this level and some decisions he’s made as a health professional in the C-Suite.

MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Matthew Michela, President and CEO of Life Image, the world’s largest medical evidence and image exchange network. The two delved through the specific steps each type of healthcare organization - from health systems, payers and IT companies - must follow to comply to meet the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) new interoperability and patient access rules.

In this episode, Briana Contreras of MHE spoke with Aaron Fulner, Senior Director of Edifecs, a global health IT company. The two had a conversation about open enrollment and how private and public insurance markets have been preparing or are now experiencing an influx of new enrollees due to approximately 12 million people losing access to employer coverage from job losses since February.

This week, Briana Contreras of Managed Healthcare Executive spoke with Doctors Art Papier and Nada Elbuluk of VisualDx. Art is a practicing dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology and medical informatics at University of Rochester, as well as the CEO of VisualDx. Nada is also a dermatologist in Los Angeles and she is Director of Clinical Impact for VisualDx. The three discussed how providers can leverage health IT to reduce cognitive bias and racial disparities in healthcare.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Kate Ryder, CEO of Maven, which is the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health. In this discussion, they talked about the role of telemedicine in pregnancy care, how it impacts the prenatal model and how it will influence the patient journey post-coronavirus pandemic.

In this week’s episode of Tuning Into the C-Suite, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Denise Basow, president and CEO of Clinical Effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer. Briana and Basow discussed the importance of uniting prescribers and pharmacists at the point of care and how this form of care can create more efficient and effective operations within health systems.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Dr. Peter Alperin, Vice President of Doximity and a physician in private practice in San Francisco. They discussed the recently released 2020 State of Telemedicine Report conducted by Doximity and how it reflects into the adoption of telemedicine among physicians and patients alike, how the report analyzed telemedicine’s usage since COVID-19 and its market potential beyond the pandemic.

In this week’s episode of Tuning Into the C-Suite podcast, MHE's Briana Contreras spoke with Sebastian Seiguer, CEO of emocha Mobile Health. The two talked about the key health challenges schools are facing as some are reopening across the country for the '20-'21 school year, how telehealth services like emocha are successfully using telehealth to open schools in a Return to Learn program, and paths forward for our nation’s largest school districts.

This week on Tuning Into the C-Suite, Managed Healthcare Executive's Senior Editor, Peter Wehrwein, spoke with Georgetown's Sabrina Corlette, JD. The two discussed the possible motivations behind health insurer announcing premium credits and discounts in recent weeks and months after their profits (net income, for not-for-profits) swelled due to the drop-off in routine healthcare utilization.

This week on Tuning Into The C-Suite Briana Contreras spoke with Dr. Scott Hayworth, president and CEO of New York-based CareMount Medical. In this interview, the two discussed the importance of patients staying in contact with their doctors for the sake of reducing public health risks and to discuss ongoing care options with them.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into the C-Suite podcast, Briana Contreras of MHE speaks with Ben Kanter, MD, board-certified pulmonologist and chief medical information officer for Vocera Communications, not only about how critical it is for hospitals to have sufficient supplies of non-contaminated PPE for the safety of patients and healthcare workers, but also to discuss solutions of technology, collaboration and more that address the challenges of delivering patient care while wearing PPE.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite podcast, Senior Editor Peter Wehrwein has a conversation with John "Jack" Linehan, a lawyer for Epstein Becker Green, about coupons and accumulators. Jack is an expert on drug distribution and reimbursement, and few people know as much about coupons and accumulators as he does. Peter and Jack go over some of the basics, who is advantaged and disadvantaged, and then dive into some the details on CMS regulations and how recent proposed changes to Medicaid best price rules would, if finalized, affect coupons and accumulators.

In this week's episode of Tuning Into The C-Suite podcast, MHE's Briana Contreras chatted with David Calabrese, R.Ph, MHP, who is senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer of pharmacy care services company, OptumRx. David is also a member of Managed Healthcare Executives’ Editorial Advisory Board. During the discussion, he shared the OptumRx Quarter 2 Drug Pipeline Insights Report of 2020. Some of the information shared includes the three notable drugs currently being reviewed or those that have been recently approved by the FDA. Also discussed were any interesting industry trends to watch for.