In this episode of Broken Benefits, we delve into the intricate world of health care solutions with a seasoned expert, Barbara Flitsch. With years of experience at the helm of a Fortune 500 health plan, Barbara brings invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities within the industry.

Join us as we explore Barbara's journey, from her early days in the field to her current role at the helm of innovation. From navigating regulatory hurdles to addressing the evolving needs of consumers, Barbara shares firsthand accounts of the complexities inherent in managing a large-scale health plan.

Through candid discussions and real-world examples, Barbara sheds light on the strategies and tactics she employs to stay ahead in an ever-changing landscape. Whether it's implementing new technologies or fostering collaboration across departments, her approach offers a blueprint for success in an industry ripe for transformation.

Chapters:

0:00 - Cold open

0:40 - Introduction and overview on the topic of the day

1:32 - Barbara's background in Health Care and the impact employers have on American Health Care

4:25 - What health plans should be doing

8:25 - Pushing new innovations through despite pushback

16:42 - Tactics to improve communications and feedback

20:30 - Which key questions are more important than others?

27:40 - How to solve issues without a big staff or budget

34:35 - Some of the biggest risks in Barbara's career

40:01 - Health Care can be a game of inches

46:05 - Exciting endeavors Barbara is focusing on right now

48:28 - How to connect with Barbara online and learn more

49:10 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

In this illuminating episode of Broken Benefits, we delve deep into the dynamic world of healthcare innovation with a true trailblazer, Pat Pitsch. As a distinguished Medical Benefits Expert, Pat brings a wealth of experience and insight to the table, offering a captivating narrative of her journey through the labyrinth of the healthcare industry.

Join us as we explore the challenges and triumphs that have defined Pat's career, and how she has fearlessly tackled obstacles to drive innovation in her field. From navigating complex regulations to revolutionizing traditional practices, Pat's story is a testament to the power of perseverance and innovation in the face of adversity.

Throughout our conversation, Pat shares invaluable lessons learned and strategies for thriving in an ever-evolving landscape. We explore the importance of embracing scrutiny as a catalyst for growth, and how it can fuel innovation by challenging the status quo. Drawing from her own experiences, Pat offers practical insights on harnessing feedback and criticism to drive meaningful change and propel the healthcare industry forward.

Chapters:

0:00 - Cold open

1:05 - Welcoming Pat Pitsch to the show

2:48 - Working as part of a Berkshire Hathaway company

4:24 - Getting multiple employers to come together in a unified sense

10:36 - How benefits leaders can get more involved and make a difference in their organization

13:52 - What can be done to rally employers together

20:48 - Paying too much in rebates throughout the year

30:54 - How to educate a massive employee base who doesn't want to be educated

34:51 - What years four and five look like after implementing changes

41:13 - When diagnosis and surgeries don't align

44:27 - A story of Pat fixing a big issue during her career

47:18 - How to get in touch with Pat to learn more

48:00 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

On the latest episode of Broken Benefits, we're thrilled to welcome a true expert at her craft. Candace Jodice, Former CVS Health Executive, brings over 20 years experience managing a health plan of over 300,000 people and expenditures in excess of $4 billion annually.

We dive into the intricacies of managing benefits inside of a PBM, as well as the importance behind leveraging the data to generate the highest level of value for those inside a health plan.

Enjoy!

Chapters:

0:00 - Cold open

1:48 - Welcoming Candace Jodice to the show

4:49 - How contracts are structured when you're essentially negotiating with yourself

8:28 - How do you become an educated consumer of medical care

13:19 - Being able to see new products and programs coming about before others

21:28 - Dealing with a situation when 'everyone is an expert'

27:42 - How Candace measured if her benefits were being appreciated or enjoyed

32:17 - The importance of flexibility within your health plan

40:11 - The market optimization strategy that Candace leveraged

44:50 - Analyzing your data and drawing important details

48:19 - Advice to a new benefits leader to make a quick impact

52:20 - How to connect with Candace online

53:00 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

On the latest installment of Broken Benefits, we're joined by an esteemed guest, Jason Parrott. With a wealth of experience as a Former Benefits Executive at both Boeing and AT&T, Jason provides unique perspectives and valuable insights into the complex world of healthcare management.

Tune in as Jason delves into the challenges and triumphs of overseeing billions in healthcare spending, sharing stories from his dynamic career in two of the largest corporations in the world. From navigating the intricacies of employee benefits to implementing innovative solutions, Jason offers a behind-the-scenes look at the decisions that shape the well-being of thousands of individuals.

Enjoy!

Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction and welcoming Jason to the show

2:06 - The highlights and rewarding moments from Jason's career

4:18 - Developing strategies around medical spend for each year

6:43 - A culture of productivity and curbing spend

8:25 - How Jason got started and learned how to play 'the numbers game' effectively

13:50 - Focusing on costs instead of quality

17:31 - How employers can work with today's system to demand higher quality for employees

22:28 - Designing a brand-new health plan, so people didn't hate it

27:09 - Examining the successes from other Fortune 50 companies

32:06 - Advice for smaller employers

39:41 - The three things you need to have in your medical RFP

47:20 - The bottomline to improve the cost vs quality issue

50:15 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

In this thought-provoking episode of Broken Benefits, we take a journey into the world of corporate healthcare innovation with a true trailblazer, Erik Sossa, the former Vice President of Global Benefits and Wellness at PepsiCo, Inc. Join us as we explore the remarkable initiatives he spearheaded during his tenure that defied the status quo and redefined what is possible in the realm of employee wellness and healthcare.

Erik Sossa's impressive career at PepsiCo was marked by a relentless pursuit of groundbreaking solutions for the company's healthcare and benefits programs. With a reputation for pushing boundaries and challenging conventions, he led the charge to create a healthier, more engaged, and productive workforce.

Get your notepad ready because this episode is packed with helpful takeaways for your own benefits team!

Timecodes:

0:04 - "I never followed protocols"

0:30 - Background information on Erik Sossa

1:20 - Welcoming Erik Sossa to the show

2:02 - Testing new concepts in healthcare

3:53 - The big ideas Erik was able to test during his time at PepsiCo

13:01 - Creating an ROI preemptively within your RFP

17:23 - Stepping into the unknown as a benefits manager

25:12 - How to handle change or disruption on a large scale

32:21 - Consumerism became an easy way out for employers

37:00 - The biggest wins of Erik's career

43:21 - Carriers continue to trip over themselves trying to figure out Erik's solution

49:50 - How to get in touch with Erik to learn more and connect

51:00 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

Advanced healthcare benefits strategies didn't just happen overnight. They were created, enhanced, and innovated over time thanks to the efforts of some key individuals. One of those people, is Sally Welborn.

On the latest episode of Broken Benefits, we're thrilled to welcome Sally Welborn, the Former Senior Vice President of Global Benefits for Walmart Stores, Inc., and hear numerous stories that provide benefits leaders with insight into developing strategic benefits strategies at the highest of levels!

Sally is an institution in American healthcare, in running the benefits strategy for America's largest retailer for nearly a decade! This episode is packed with nuggets of insight and stories from Sally's decorated career in benefits. Enjoy!

Timecodes:

0:15 - Introduction and overview on the guest of today's show

1:39 - How Sally approaches healthcare problems different than most

4:25 - If Sally could steer the whole industry in one direction...

7:02 - How to know which benefits strategy to use?

13:40 - Sally's process for identifying trends in healthcare

20:50 - The biggest opportunities that Sally is excited about these days

24:46 - Is an innovation really an innovation if it's impossibly unaffordable?

31:40 - How to run small tests as a large employer

36:32 - How Sally would sell new programs internally

40:20 - Getting leaders to be comfortable with "taking risk"

43:50 - How to connect with Sally

44:40 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

Dr. Bob Galvin looks at healthcare through a unique lens. After graduating medical school, he later became the Executive Director of Services and Chief Medical Officer for General Electric. Later, in 2010, he transitioned over to Blackstone and became the CEO of Equity Healthcare for Blackstone.

As a physician, Bob was able to provide a special perspective into the healthcare and medical solutions that were presented to self-funded employers. Bob's medical expertise, alongside his countless years of experience in healthcare benefits, provides our audience with a wide range of stories and key takeaways to help reinforce your company's benefits strategy.

Enjoy!

Timecodes:

0:03 - Self-funded employers are handling their own risk

0:33 - Who is Dr. Bob Galvin?

1:30 - Bob's big realization in the healthcare industry

4:00 - Self-funded employers are essentially their own insurance company

8:09 - How many stakeholders are misaligned against employers

15:36 - Fixing misaligned incentives

22:07 - What we should be adding to our healthcare plan management

28:07 - The variation in physician and hospital performance is staggering

32:38 - Apply business principles from one side of your organization to the other side

36:09 - Internal support from your leadership team

41:07 - A story from Bob's career

47:35 - At the end of the day, healthcare is personal

50:40 - How to connect with Dr. Bob Galvin

51:09 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

It's not easy to pave the way for innovation among large employers, but Marilyn Bartlett was always up for the challenge!

On the latest episode of Broken Benefits, we're joined by Marilyn Bartlett who has quite the decorated resume... to say the least. Marilyn held financial management positions in various industries, narrowing her focus to health care financial management and serving as controller for a Blue Cross Blue Shield carrier, chief financial officer for a regional third-party administrator, Montana State Employee Health Plan administrator, and special projects coordinator for the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. When she took the helm of the Montana Employee Benefit Plan, she led efforts to move the plan from projected reserves of minus $9 million to positive $112 million in less than three years. For her accomplishments, she was selected as #13 of Fortune Magazine’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders of 2019.

In today's episode, we're unpacking some of the key takeaways from her career and advice for those looking to further innovate healthcare.

Timecodes:

0:33 - Introduction and overview on the guest for today's show

1:24 - Marilyn's groundbreaking idea while working for Montana

7:32 - Additional business practices that are lacking within healthcare

10:17 - The mistakes that people are commonly making in healthcare

14:56 - The biggest risk that we might be sitting on without knowing

18:36 - You need to be taking a hard look at your data

23:34 - Employers are going to be held more accountable moving forward

29:24 - Reference based pricing models

33:01 - Marilyn not being able to do direct contracts with hospitals

37:49 - Leverage your data in making strategic decisions

42:30 - Analyzing a transparent pass-through

45:35 - How to get in touch with Marilyn

46:40 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

On the latest episode of Broken Benefits, we're taking a closer look at the innovative work Arielle Bogorad has done throughout her career in healthcare, as well as the importance behind advocating for implementing fresh perspectives and strategies.

Arielle is a healthcare innovator to her core. Currently, she is the Senior Vice President at Progyny, where she's developing new ways to advance healthcare for the greater good.

In this episode, Arielle shares her experiences running benefits at Cerner Corporation for over a decade and running a self-administered program.

Let's get right into it!

Timecodes:

1:00 - Who is Arielle Bogorad?

4:03 - Landing at Cerner Corporation and working on Executive Development

5:32 - Bringing a big university and a privately held company together

9:36 - Getting to try new things, which is rare in healthcare

11:21 - Working alongside many minds that have different perspectives on healthcare

17:48 - Positive metrics that Arielle was able to generate with Cerner

21:05 - The guiding principles at Cerner

25:11 - Getting metrics to help drive decision-making

31:40 - Bariatrics and the considerations Arielle was faced on this front

33:30 - Advice for people entering the healthcare benefits space

37:15 - How Arielle's employer was able to be self-administered

43:06 - Ways that Arielle and her team designed benefits

48:35 - How Arielle and her team calculated ROI

54:10 - How you can get in touch with Arielle and ask questions

55:20 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn

She's led benefits for a Fortune 100 employer, provided countless bits of insight through her consulting work, and was influential in the changing of healthcare costs over the years!

On the latest episode of Broken Benefits, we're thrilled to welcome Hellen Darling, a revolutionary healthcare innovator, to share her experiences from a lengthy career in healthcare.

Throughout her career, as well as her time leading the National Business Group on Health, Hellen was the primary lead business voice in Washington, DC advocating for jumbo employers.

Let's get started!

Timecodes:

0:06 - Introduction and welcome to the show!

1:51 - Welcoming Hellen Darling to the show

4:28 - About 2/3 of people with healthcare have it paid for by employers

7:16 - Why the healthcare market doesn't deliver what customers want

14:58 - Developing the appropriate plan design changes

19:19 - The invisible subtext of healthcare

25:33 - When Hellen realized that we were lacking quality measures in healthcare

31:00 - Hellen and her team wanted the health plans to provide reporting

33:50 - A message from today's sponsor

35:52 - How Hellen built internal support within her organization

43:58 - Bringing people together and conducting a multi-employer effort

49:04 - The recipe for finding success when enacting change in healthcare

52:25 - How you can get in touch and connect with Hellen Darling

53:20 - Closing remarks

Connect with Lee Lewis:

LinkedIn