What if your health plan’s biggest opportunity to improve outcomes wasn’t in a hospital or clinic—but in a home, a grocery store, or a child’s support system?

Mark Rakowski, President of Chorus Community Health Plans (CCHP) and Senior Vice President of Children's Wisconsin, joins Eric to explore the plan’s innovative approach to social determinants of health. 

From its Housing Navigator Program and Foodsmart initiative to its groundbreaking mental health strategy,  CCHP is driving better health, lowering costs, and achieving remarkable results—including a 70% treatment adherence rate among Medicaid members.

If you’re a healthcare leader looking for scalable, high-impact strategies to address social determinants of health and improve member outcomes, this episode is a must-listen!

About CCHP

Chorus Community Health Plans, which is owned by Children’s Wisconsin – the state’s only health care system dedicated 100% to children and teens, is focused on improving the health and well-being of its members by providing access to a broad network of health services and providers, as well as prevention programs. CCHP is the second-largest Medicaid health plan in the state. The plan serves 150,000 Medicaid members in 28 counties in eastern Wisconsin. In 2017, CCHP began offering individual and family plans in the Marketplace in southeastern Wisconsin, and the plan has now expanded to 15 counties in eastern Wisconsin, covering 15,000 members in 2022.

About Mark 

Mark is responsible for the health plan's overall operation. He directs the development of strategies and budgets, negotiates contracts and ensures compliance. In addition to these roles, Mark oversees the contractual relationship with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and monitors and influences state and local healthcare policy.

Mark is also actively involved in the Children’s Wisconsin strategic plan to improve children’s health in Wisconsin. The plan focuses on increasing access to preventive services, addressing social drivers of health, and partnering with providers to improve care coordination.

Mark joined Children’s Wisconsin and the CCHP team in 1999 as director of managed care. 

Before that, he had 11 years of experience in healthcare-managed care roles. Mark earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and a master’s in accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. 

In 2010, Mark was recognized as a notable health care hero by BizTimes Milwaukee, which was an advancement in healthcare. 

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solutions or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

What if I told you that in 2025, the way we access and exchange healthcare data will be fundamentally different?

For years, we've talked about interoperability—but now, we’re seeing it take shape. Nearly 40% of the CommonWell network and most Q-HINs are responding to patient access requests, opening the door to a new era of seamless, secure, and patient-driven data exchange.

Paul L. Wilder, Executive Director of CommonWell Health Alliance, joins Eric to explore the future of healthcare data and the evolving landscape of healthcare interoperability. Learn about the CommonWell Marketplace, how patient access to data is improving, the increasing role of FHIR, and the critical aspects of trust and AI in healthcare. Paul provides key insights to help you and your organization position yourself for success.

This episode was recorded live at ViVE 2025 in Nashville. 

About CommonWell

CommonWell is a not-for-profit interoperability advocate and Qualified Health Information Network under the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), which facilitates the secure exchange of patient data across more than 36,000 provider sites, representing over 238 million individuals nationwide. CommonWell has enabled the exchange of more than 7.7 billion healthcare records. Visit https://www.commonwellalliance.org/.

About Paul

Paul is leading the organization as it enters a new chapter in its pursuit of empowering clinicians, practitioners and individuals with interoperability services via its robust, nationwide network. With more than two decades of experience in health IT, Paul has held various roles focusing on imaging, clinical informatics, and interoperability.

Before joining CommonWell, Paul was Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for Philips Interoperability Solutions. He also spent close to 10 years with one of the largest regional HIE networks in the world, the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC)—serving as its Chief Information Officer, Vice President of Product Management and Program Director for NYeC’s Regional Extension Center. During his time with the NYeC, he helped nearly 10,000 primary care providers attest to Meaningful Use and solidified the state’s status as one of the national leaders in health IT adoption. Each role enabled him to work and hear directly from providers and end-users of Electronic Health Records (EHRs)—which gives him an important perspective as a leader in health IT adoption and execution.

Paul received his Master of Business Administration from New York University, with a concentration in Finance and Operations. He also holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania: one from the College of Arts and Sciences in Economics and the other from the School of Engineering and Applied Science in Biomedical Science. Paul lives in the New York area with his wife, two daughters and their newest family member, their dog Penny.

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solutions or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

Highmark Health, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, SCAN, and TytoCare leaders discuss strategies for creating innovative, high-impact healthcare products. 

Tune in to learn:

• How traditional health plans are rethinking product design in the face of growing competition from direct-to-consumer models

• Strategies for creating more personalized, flexible, and transparent offerings that resonate with today’s healthcare consumers

• The role of data, technology, and innovation in modernizing health insurance products

• Real-world success stories from leading organizations who are successfully navigating this evolving market

Panelists: 

• Maria Baker, VP, Health Strategy & Delivery, Highmark Health

• Lena Perelman, VP, Medicare Product Operations, SCAN Health Plan

• Roni Mansur, Vice President of Product Management, Mass General Brigham Health Plan

• Suzi Pigg, Vice President, Payers, TytoCare

https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/innovating-product-design-for-growth-and-member-engagement/

This episode is sponsored by TytoCare:

TytoCare is a virtual healthcare company that enables leading health plans and providers to deliver remote healthcare to the whole family through its Home Smart Clinic. Combining a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, FDA-cleared device with AI-powered guidance and diagnostic support, the Home Smart Clinic enables the whole family to conduct remote physical exams with a doctor, replicating in-clinic exams for immediate answers from home. TytoCare drives utilization rates that are six times higher than traditional telehealth services; reduces the total cost of care by an average of five percent; diverts ED visits by an average of 10.8%; and has a high average NPS of 83. The Home Smart Clinic includes Tyto Engagement Labs™, a proven framework of engagement journeys designed for the successful deployment and adoption of the solution. To complete its offering, TytoCare also provides the Pro Smart Clinic, for professional settings outside the home to serve rural clinics, schools, workplaces, and more. TytoCare serves over 250 major health systems and health plans in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. For more information, visit us at tytocare.com.

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solutions or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

Health plan leaders from Cambia Health Solutions, Highmark Health and League share strategies for driving consumer engagement, improving health outcomes, and optimizing payer-provider relationships. Learn how health plans can shift from broad segmentation strategies to truly personalized, member-centric healthcare by harnessing data, AI, and digital transformation. 

 Learn how health plans are using AI-driven insights to deliver tailored interventions.

📈 Discover how personalization can enhance member satisfaction and retention.

🔍 Hear real-world examples of digital transformation in action.

Panelists: 

Karen Hanlon, EVP & COO, Highmark Health

Laurent Rotival (EVP & CIO, Cambia Health Solutions)

Michael Serbinis, Founder & CEO, League

Bios: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/podcast-episodes/

This episode is sponsored by League:

Founded in 2014, League is the leading healthcare consumer experience platform, reaching more than 20 million people worldwide and delivering the highest level of personalization in the industry. Payers, providers, and consumer health partners build on League’s platform to deliver high-engagement healthcare solutions that improve health outcomes. To date, League has raised $235 million in venture capital funding, powering the digital experiences for some of healthcare’s most trusted brands, including Highmark Health, Manulife, Medibank, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solutions or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

Top healthcare leaders from HAP, Independent Health, Johns Hopkins Health Plans and Prealize Health explore how predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionize risk management and care delivery. The discussion delves into real-world applications of AI-driven predictive analytics to enhance patient engagement, improve outcomes, and reduce costs.

Learn how leading health plans use AI to identify high-risk populations earlier, optimize care pathways, and improve patient outcomes. If you’re interested in the future of healthcare innovation, this is a must-listen!

Key Takeaways:

• How health plans are leveraging AI to transition from segmentation to personalization

• The role of unified data lakes in driving insights and improving member experiences

• Real-world examples of AI in chronic disease management, risk stratification, and end-of-life care

• The power of AI-driven predictive models in enhancing underwriting accuracy

• How Generative AI is transforming customer service and operational efficiency

Our expert panel includes: Bethany McAleer – Chief Actuary & Chief Analytics Officer, Johns Hopkins Health Plan Amin Serehali – SVP & Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Independent Health Mike Treash – SVP & COO, Health Alliance Plan Dean Noble-Tolla – Chief Product Analytics Officer, Prealize Health

https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/events/predictive-analytics-proactive-healthcare-leveraging-ai-to-transform-risk-management-and-care-management/

This episode is sponsored by Prealize Health

Founded by two industry thought leaders from Stanford University and through continuous partnership with Stanford, Prealize is a leading provider of AI-driven predictive analytics and insights to health plans, specialty care management companies, healthcare technology companies, employers, and providers across the nation. Committed to transforming healthcare from reactive to proactive, reducing healthcare costs and enabling more people to live healthier lives, Prealize and its partners positively influence the health trajectory of millions of people. www.prealizehealth.com

Marc Willard, CEO, Icario, joins Eric to discuss Icario’s new, innovative platform and how it improves member engagement and health outcomes. The conversation also touches on the challenges health plans face in adapting to changing member needs, the importance of data integration and organization, and the potential impact of AI-driven solutions on healthcare delivery and cost reduction.

Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:

The Power of Personalization – Health plans are lagging in using AI and data-driven insights to create truly personalized member experiences. Icario’s approach focuses on knowing the member through data to improve engagement and outcomes.

Beyond Transactions to Long-Term Engagement – Many health plans operate in silos, leading to disconnected member experiences. Icario’s platform shifts from one-time interactions to continuous, AI-driven engagement that adapts to member behaviors and preferences.

Smart Outreach Strategies – Effective member engagement requires understanding preferences (text, email, phone, or mobile apps), timing communication to when members are most responsive, and avoiding member abrasion through excessive outreach.

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning – Icario’s new platform, Aivella, goes beyond rules-based engines to incorporate machine learning. Based on member responses, it dynamically adjusts outreach strategies in real time.

About Marc

Marc Willard is responsible for Icario’s overall strategy, growth, and operations. Marc has over three decades of experience leading digital transformation and technology in the digital health sector. Marc is passionate about improving lives with industry-leading, cloud-first digital health platforms. 

Marc brings a unique and highly relevant set of abilities, operational experiences, and industry relationships to Icario at the perfect time in the company’s development. Before joining Icario, Marc founded Certify, where he pioneered the first cloud-based data and interoperability platform connecting providers and payors at scale. Marc founded Transcend Insights at Humana, the merger of three Humana acquisitions, including Certify. Transcend developed and launched an innovative cloud-based population health platform. At Humana Corp, as SVP, he led all member, patient, and provider digital engagement initiatives. These initiatives were focused on data and analytics to improve care delivery and quality and lower healthcare costs. In addition, Marc holds several board member positions.

Marc studied Electronic Engineering at Farnborough College of Technology and in classic entrepreneurial style, left to focus on his first start-up. Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, collecting classic cars, and being on the water. He also mentors entrepreneurs while supporting the start-up community, which he finds very rewarding. 

Find Marc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcwillard/

About Icario

Icario serves health plans using robust whole-person data, predictive behavioral science, and a proprietary engagement platform to offer personalized experiences that meet members where they are in their health journey. Icario combines the industry's largest member data repository with unparalleled industry expertise to implement health action programs that deliver personalized member engagement, reduce abrasion and encourage positive health behaviors. Visit Icariohealth.com.

Follow Bright Spots in Healthcare on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shared-purpose-connect/

Check our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@BrightSpotsinHealthcare

Ted Rath, former VP of Player Performance for the Philadelphia Eagles and two-time “NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year,” joins Eric to share the most effective approaches to creating a Super Bowl contender in the NFL and provide insights on goal setting, mindset shifts, and building sustainable habits. These lessons can be applied directly to your approach to lifestyle modification programs and value-based care strategies.

Links:

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink

Beyond Comfort, Master a Growth Mindset with Excellence through Urgency 

Ted Rath's YouTube Channel

Atomic Habits by James Clear

tedrath.com

About Ted Rath

Ted Rath is the author of Beyond Comfort, Master a Growth Mindset with Excellence through Urgency and the former Vice President of Player Performance for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

He has two decades of experience working with athletes, almost all of them in the NFL …his resume beyond the Eagles job includes the LA Rams, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and his alma mater, the University of Toledo. 

Rath was voted “NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year” not once but twice and was elected as the inaugural President to represent the Professional Football Performance Coaches Association (PFPCA) in early 2023. Before Detroit, Rath was an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at The University of Toledo, where he directed the strength and conditioning programs for all fifteen of the school’s Olympic sports.

Richard Feifer, MD, Chief Medical Officer of InnovAge, joins Eric to explore the transformative potential of the PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) model. Richard shares compelling stories and strategies showcasing how PACE integrates medical, physical, social, and emotional care to improve outcomes for seniors and individuals with complex needs.

Listeners will gain insights into:

• The unique interdisciplinary care team (IDT) approach and how it delivers personalized, efficient care.

• Innovations in reducing hospitalizations and shifting care to home-based settings.

• Lessons on advanced care planning and end-of-life support that prioritize patient goals. Operational strategies for managing costs while maintaining exceptional patient experiences.

Richard explores the economic and practical sustainability of the PACE model, providing actionable insights for healthcare leaders aiming to replicate its success.

Link to DC Bipartisan Report on PACE mentioned in podcast: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/press-release/improving-access-to-and-enrollment-in-programs-of-all-inclusive-care-for-the-elderly-pace/

About Richard

As a physician executive with broad healthcare industry experience, Dr. Richard Feifer helps organizations achieve their fullest potential in an ever-changing environment. Rich is a board-certified internist with clinical experience in primary care, geriatrics, and urgent care medicine.  As a health system leader, he has also developed expertise in population health management, value-based payment models, clinical analytics, and technology-driven healthcare transformation.

Rich has dedicated his career to improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare and the health of populations he has served. Most recently, as executive vice president and chief medical officer of Genesis HealthCare, he led one of the nation's largest skilled nursing and long-term care providers, operating over 400 facilities in 25 states in 2019. As president of Genesis Physician Services, a Genesis subsidiary with over 450 physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in 2019, he navigated the successful transition to value-based care delivery. In that capacity, he also launched and served as chief medical officer of the only national accountable care organization focused on nursing home residents, LTC ACO.

Prior to joining Genesis, Rich was Aetna’s chief medical officer of National Accounts, leading the department of Clinical Consulting, Strategy, and Analysis, which helped large employers improve the health and productivity of their employees and dependents. Before Aetna, Rich served as vice president of Clinical Program Innovation and Evaluation at Medco, where he was responsible for the organization’s portfolio of care enhancement programs.

A graduate of Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Rich received his master’s in health services management from Columbia University. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut and a board member of the Accreditation Commission on Health Care. 

About InnovAge

Our passion and mission is to help frail seniors age in their own homes with dignity. InnovAge has done this through PACE for more than 30 years. 

As the largest provider of the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) based on participants served, InnovAge is dedicated to expanding this successful program to serve as many seniors as possible nationwide. In some communities, like Philadelphia, PACE is known as Living Independence for the Elderly. 

With InnovAge's Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), older individuals have a team of healthcare professionals focused on providing all the connected care they need. This helps seniors live at home for as long as possible, instead of going to a nursing home or other care facility. 

Kenneth Harper, VP & GM of Dragon at Microsoft, joins Eric to discuss how health systems are deploying AI to help busy clinicians. He explains how Microsoft’s AI tool, DAX Copilot, improves access to care by streamlining administrative tasks and lightening clinicians' documentation workloads. Ken shares several examples of health systems successfully using the tool with positive results. The conversation also covers overcoming implementation challenges, including clinician adoption and the future of AI in healthcare.

About Kenn

Kenn Harper has been working in the conversational AI industry for 15+ years, helping to shape virtual assistant solutions across mobile phones, TV’s, cars, wearables, robotics, and most recently healthcare systems. He is currently responsible for running the Healthcare Virtual Assistant business at Dragon, a divisionof Microsoft ( formerly Nuance), which leverages an advanced suite of technologies combined with purpose-built hardware to streamline interactions with the EHR and creation of clinical documentation, allowing physicians to remain 100% focused on the patient without technology getting in the way.  Kenn holds a B.S. in human factors engineering from Cornell University and a M.S. in human factors from Bentley University

About DAX Copilot 

Serving as an AI assistant for automated clinical documentation, the Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot solution enables physicians to do more with less and improve clinical efficiency, physician and patient satisfaction and financial outcomes. Amplified by the power and scale of the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, it combines Nuance’s proven conversational and ambient AI with the newest and most capable generative AI model.

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solution or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com

Michael Serbinis, CEO and Founder of League, sits down with Eric to for a compelling discussion on how digital innovation is reshaping healthcare.

Discover how League’s platform empowers health plans like Highmark to deliver personalized, data-driven experiences that simplify navigation, improve engagement, and enhance member satisfaction. Mike shares fascinating insights on:

• The power of a unified digital front door for healthcare consumers 

• Real-world examples of how League amplifies care access and reduces costs 

• The role of personalization in creating Amazon-like experiences for healthcare 

Mike also reflects on lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, including his time working with Elon Musk and how it inspired his vision to transform healthcare.

Listen in for actionable strategies on leveraging technology to meet evolving consumer expectations and drive better outcomes.

About Mike

Michael Serbinis founded League in 2014. League accelerates the digital transformation of the healthcare consumer experience (CX). Serbinis has led the company since its inception, raising over $235 million in funding and driving exponential growth as League powers healthcare’s biggest brands. 

Mike has had a long and distinguished career as a serial entrepreneur, rocket scientist, engineer and investor. Most recently, Serbinis was the founder and CEO of Kobo, a digital reading company that rivals Amazon’s Kindle worldwide. Before that, he founded cloud storage pioneer DocSpace and then built Critical Path, a messaging service that handled one-third of the world’s email. Serbinis is also Chair of the Board of Directors for the Perimeter Institute, the world’s leading center for scientific research in theoretical physics. 

Now, as the CEO of League, Serbinis is focused on healthcare transformation. Payers, providers and pharmacy retailers build on the League platform to accelerate digital transformation and deliver high-engagement, personalized digital experiences. Millions worldwide use and love solutions powered by League to access, navigate and pay for care.

About League 

Founded in 2014, League is the leading healthcare consumer experience platform, reaching more than 20 million people around the world and delivering the highest level of personalization in the industry. Payers, providers, and consumer health partners build on League’s platform to deliver high-engagement healthcare solutions that improve health outcomes. To date, League has raised $235 million in venture capital funding, powering the digital experiences for some of healthcare’s most trusted brands, including Highmark Health, Manulife, Medibank, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Bright Spots in Healthcare is produced by Bright Spots Ventures

Bright Spots Ventures brings healthcare leaders together to share working solution or "bright spots" to common challenges. We build valuable and meaningful relationships through our Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, webinar series, leadership councils, customized peer events, and sales and go-to-market consulting. We believe that finding a bright spot and cloning it is the most effective strategy to improve healthcare in our lifetime.

Visit our website at www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com