As one of nine managed care organizations in the state of Maryland, Priority Partners provides health care services for more than 340,000 recipients of Medicaid, Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP) and Medical Assistance for Families.

Serving the health care needs of many low-income residents, issues such as food insecurity, transportation, literacy and financial stability often make it difficult for these individuals to get necessary health care. Kathy Pettway, senior director, and Dr. Nina Everett, chief medical officer, from Priority Partners explain the clinical impacts of these life challenges and the work Priority Partners is doing to support its health plan members and local communities.

For a  glimpse at what one community organization is doing with hands-on support of the Latin immigrant community, continue your listening with this episode featuring Dr. Gabriela Lemus, executive director of Maryland Latinos Unidos.

Health Care Collaborations is presented by Johns Hopkins HealthCare, which seeks to redefine the value of health insurance through collaboration.

Johns Hopkins HealthCare LinkedIn Profile

In 2022, Johns Hopkins HealthCare (JHHC) awarded a $20,000 grant to Maryland Latinos Unidos, an organization dedicated to supporting the Latin immigrant population. Especially through its managed care organization, Priority Partners, JHHC is helping immigrant, low-income and other individuals and families overcome social determinants of health.

In this conversation with Dr. Gabriela Lemus, executive director of Maryland Latinos Unidos, we learn more about the organization and how this grant will allow them to expand its support for the immigrants it serves.

For more about the work Priority Partners is doing to combat social determinants of health, including food insecurity, transportation, and more, listen to the companion episode to this conversation featuring two leaders of the health plan.

Health Care Collaborations is presented by Johns Hopkins HealthCare, which seeks to redefine the value of health insurance through collaboration.

Johns Hopkins HealthCare LinkedIn Profile

Offsetting the perception of limiting choice, the benefits of a strong provider network ultimately put health plan members first, by making care more affordable and improving quality through collaboration.

Janice Henry, AVP of Network Management for Johns Hopkins HealthCare, discusses the importance of the element of collaboration and how starting with the Johns Hopkins "family" can create innovative initiatives that can be applied globally across a robust network.

Janice Henry's LinkedIn Profile
Fostering a Strong Provider Network - companion article
Johns Hopkins HealthCare's LinkedIn Profile

"Quality impacts everything that we do. It impacts every decision that we make. It impacts every process, every IT decision. Quality is a ubiquitous piece."

As Chief Medical Officer for Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Dr. Marketa Wills is at the intersection of payer-provider collaboration. In this episode, she discusses her clinical psychiatry background and how that influences her work on the health care management side. Dr. Wills examines the continuous pursuit of quality care and how provider-sponsored health plans can partner to improve patient outcomes.

Health Care Collaborations is presented by Johns Hopkins HealthCare, which seeks to redefine the value of health insurance through provider collaboration.

Dr. Marketa Wills' LinkedIn Profile
The Pursuit of Quality - companion article
Johns Hopkins HealthCare LinkedIn Profile

We sit down with Matt Muenster, HGTV host, to discuss his partnership with Priority Partners on an initiative to address food insecurity in Maryland. With the help of Matt and fellow host Chris Grundy, Priority Partners is designing, building, and installing small food pantries in areas of need throughout Baltimore and Maryland. Learn more about the project and why Matt wanted to get involved.

Priority Partners Cupboards Project website
Matt Muenster's website
Johns Hopkins HealthCare website

Dan Chojnowski, SVP and CFO with Johns Hopkins HealthCare, discusses the evolving role of Finance teams as strategic partners. No longer sought exclusively for guarding budgets and reporting numbers, Dan illustrates how Finance teams can develop the narrative behind the numbers to propose and implement solutions to affect the share mission of payers and providers of improving the health of individuals and populations. Dan also discusses the benefit of "healthy tension" between health care payers and providers and how that leads to better alignment.

Read the article

Dan's LinkedIn profile

Welcome to Health Care Collaborations, a podcast by Johns Hopkins HealthCare. As an emerging leader in provider-sponsored health plans, that's the territory we're going to explore on this podcast.

We're all about redefining the value of health insurance through provider collaboration. Each episode will feature leaders in the integrated health care landscape discussing value-based care in pursuit of innovative health solutions. We'll also have special episodes highlighting the exciting work we are doing for our health plan members and the communities we serve.

If you're a health care professional--payer or provider--or if you're curious about transformations in health insurance and value-based, member-centric health care, this podcast is for you.

Learn More
JHHC Website
JHHC LinkedIn