"The problem with a lot of healthcare is everybody is coming in, making their own solution. So you have thousands of point solution vendors and all we're doing is confusing the end user and the people that we really want to be educated." - Chelsea Ryckis

One of the most influential duos in healthcare, Chelsea and Donovan Ryckis, joined me this week to discuss their company Ethos Benefits, running a benefits agency based on values, and producing the documentary “It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Healthcare.”

Along the way, we get into each of their origins in insurance, how they met each other, and what it’s like to run an insurance agency with your spouse. Chelsea and Donovan also share why they’re so passionate about promoting transparency and accountability in this space. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Chelsea & Donovan Ryckis
00:11:20 Getting Started In Health Insurance Consulting
00:18:08 Client-First Financial Advising
00:29:47 Building A Business Based On Values
00:35:32 Enhancing Client Value Through Self-Funding
00:37:33 Performance-Based Compensation
00:41:06 Value-Based Employee Retention
00:53:15 Compensation Transparency
00:59:08 Producing A Healthcare Documentary
01:07:49 Promoting Accountability in Healthcare

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Insurance Consulting, Fiduciary, Ethos, documentary, producing, filmmaking, movie, film, Client Retention, Employee Retention, Compensation Structure, Compensation, Transparency, Employee Benefits, fixing healthcare, podcast benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#InsuranceConsulting #Fiduciary #Ethos #documentary #producing #filmmaking #movie #film #ClientRetention #CompensationStructure #EmployeeRetention #Compensation #Transparency #EmployeeBenefits #fixinghealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"I think I'd say our patients deserve better. Our Americans who are encountering the healthcare system deserve better." - Binu SamuelBinu Samuel, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Carrum Health, joined me for the first podcast of 2025 to discuss how we lower healthcare costs for self-funded employers. Binu, and Carrum’s, mission is to make healthcare easier for the employers, employees, and physicians, which includes focusing on making healthcare cost nothing out of pocket to employees. That also typically increases the amount of proactive care that members engage with, which is key to catching huge health problems before they happen.Join us this week to learn how to save money for employers and employees! Chapters:00:00:00 Meet Binu Samuel

00:04:42 Outcome-Driven Healthcare

00:05:12 Value-Based Care

00:10:55 Cost-saving Strategies For Employers

00:20:01 Enhanced Healthcare Cost Savings

00:25:51 Carrum's Mission

00:29:51 Predictive Member Care Outreach for Procedures

00:34:20 The Benefits Of Proactive Healthcare

Key Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/Key Words: Value Based Care, Patient Experience, network, Employers, Cancer Treatment, Cost Savings, Proactive Care, Warranty System, Healthcare Innovation, Quality Care, Transparent Healthcare, fixing healthcare, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding#ValueBasedCare #PatientExperience #network #Employers #CancerTreatment #CostSavings #ProactiveCare #WarrantySystem #HealthcareInnovation #QualityCare #TransparentHealthcare #fixinghealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"Everybody makes an excuse at the end as to why they didn't post or why they didn't start the thing they really wanted to start." - Me


Happy New Year! As a bonus episode this week, I’m sharing a talk I gave at a recent ParetoHealth event about getting started with social media content, and how it can be used effectively for sales.

Whether you’re new to the industry or you’ve been in it for decades, it’s never too late to start a social media presence, and I share some practical tips on how to get started.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Social Media Presence

00:01:43 Utilizing Social Media To Boost Sales


00:04:01 How To Build Your LinkedIn Network


00:07:32 How To Get Started With Video Content


00:14:00 How The Podcast Impacts My Industry Presence


Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words:

Social Media Sales, social media, linkedin, brandbuilding, Engagement, Podcasting, content, networking Content Creation, Authenticity, Consistency, Virtual Networking, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#SocialMediaSales #socialmedia #linkedin #brandbuilding #Engagement #Podcasting #content #networking #ContentCreation #Authenticity #Consistency #VirtualNetworking #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"They have to understand the value. That’s how you get people to use it." - Megan Glaros

“I had somebody who said once, why take a pill when you can get a shot? That's the way we kind of treat health, is like, just treat us with medication.” - Matt Glaros


For the final podcast of 2024, Matt and Megan Glaros joined me (in a different studio than usual!) to discuss the unique ways that they both approach benefits.

Matt helped grow his family’s agency before co-founding the Meyers Glaros Group, while Megan is a former meteorologist and TV personality who joined the insurance world recently to film benefits education content for employers, and she shares the fresh perspective she has as an industry outsider.

I’m obviously passionate about the role that content plays in broadening the understanding of the healthcare system in America, and we talked about the impact that their content has had so far, both on cost containment for employers and on individual employees lives.

Join us for a conversation on the power of educational content and how it can (help) solve some of this industry’s biggest challenges.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Matt and Megan Glaros


00:03:08 Megan’s Experience As A Meteorologist


00:19:45 Why Megan Left The TV Industry


00:28:29 Engaging Insurance Education


00:36:05 How Do We Get Employees To Understand Their Benefits?


00:40:15 It’s Hard To Get Employees To Engage With Their Benefits


00:53:07 Empowering Employees


00:55:58 Cost-Effective Healthcare Education


01:08:39 Enhancing Cost Containment Through Employee Education


01:12:23 AI's Impact on Benefits

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words:

Effective Communication, Communication, Meteorology, TV Industry, Employee Benefits, Storytelling, AI, AI Healthcare, healthcare tech, health tech, Employer, Education, Care Navigation, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#EffectiveCommunication #Communication #Meteorology #TVIndustry #EmployeeBenefits #Storytelling #AI #AIHealthcare #healthcaretech #healthtech #Employer #Education #CareNavigation #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"I felt like I was putting $10,000 bandaids on someone's diabetic ketoacidosis instead of actually helping them to never be there in the first place." - Tiffany Ryder


Tiffany Ryder, medical physician associate and healthcare advocate, joined me this week to continue the theme of my previous episode: how do we empower patients to make informed decisions, and to advocate for a better system?

Tiffany shared with me her journey to this space, which took her from the world of NFL cheerleading to providing care as a medical physician associate, and why that gives her a unique perspective on the industry.

We talk about the critical lack of awareness that the average American has of how the healthcare and health insurance industries work, why there needs to be much more transparency in these spaces, and what the future looks like for healthcare in America.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Tiffany Ryder


00:00:38 Veterans' Healthcare


00:24:39 Empowering Patients


00:29:08 Healthcare Cost Transparency


00:37:50 Informed Decision-Making in Healthcare


00:40:33 Simplifying Healthcare Communication 


00:45:12 Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare


00:54:23 Advocating For A Better System

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words:

Impact, Patient Advocacy, advocacy, Transparency, Patient Care, education, Effective Communication, fair, provider, Ethical Healthcare, Healthcare Awareness, Veterans Healthcare, Patient Empowerment, affordable healthcare, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#Impact #PatientAdvocacy #advocacy #Transparency #PatientCare #education #EffectiveCommunication #fair #provider #EthicalHealthcare #HealthcareAwareness #VeteransHealthcare #PatientEmpowerment #affordablehealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"I think that the general public thinks that health care is just expensive and this is just the way it has to be. It doesn't. And I think if more people knew that they would rise up and fight the system, fight for change.” - Jenni Nolan


Jenni Nolan, Board-Certified Patient Advocate at Clear Healthcare Advocacy, joined me this week to discuss the need for more patient advocacy in America, and how she goes about negotiating medical bills with hospitals, on the behalf of patients.

The number one thing we need in this industry as a whole is more consumer education. As Jenni shares, many people will get a huge hospital bill and assume that the only option they have is to go into a huge amount of debt.

The emergence of patient advocates has helped so many across the country get their bills corrected/lowered, and Jenni and I discussed the sector as a whole and what the future looks like for medical billing in this country.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Jenni Nolan


00:03:23 Advocating For Patients


00:10:01 Correcting Healthcare Billing Mistakes


00:15:39 Understanding Medical Billing

00:23:05 Healthcare Costs' Long-Term Financial Impact


00:29:36 Negotiating Fair Hospital Bills


00:32:09 Fair Hospital Billing Rate Negotiations


00:48:11 Navigating Healthcare As A Consumer


00:53:41 Empowering Individuals through Healthcare Education

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words:

Patient Advocacy, Medical Billing, advocate, advocacy, Billing, errors, Hospital Bills, medical bills, Transparency, affordable healthcare, Patient Advocates, Healthcare Literacy, Hospital Billing, Education, Fair Healthcare, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#PatientAdvocacy #MedicalBilling #advocate #advocacy #Billing #errors #HospitalBills #medicalbills #Transparency #affordablehealthcare #PatientAdvocates #HealthcareLiteracy #HospitalBilling #Education #FairHealthcare #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"Any time you can reward employees for doing the right thing, to me, it's benefiting the employer group, it’s benefitting everybody.” - David Mallen

You can provide employees with the best healthcare benefits in the world, but if they don’t know how to navigate the healthcare system, those benefits aren’t very effective.

David Mallen, EVP of Partnerships at HealthJoy, joined me this week in studio to discuss care navigation and how we make benefits plans more effective for employees. 

Having personally used Healthjoy, I think there’s immense value in a care navigation solution like this; we need to empower healthcare consumers to understand that they can often get the same/better care for cheaper, both to them and the health plan.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet David Mallen

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

HealthJoy, Healthcare Tech, Care Navigation, Digital Healthcare, virtual care, Wellness, wellness programs, baseball, advocacy, advocate, Healthcare Integration, FitnessJourney, Telemedicine, Member Experience, Future Healthcare, Preventive Health, podcast, benefits, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#HealthJoy #HealthcareTech #CareNavigation #DigitalHealthcare #virtualcare #Wellness #wellnessprograms #baseball #advocacy #advocate #HealthcareIntegration #FitnessJourney #Telemedicine #MemberExperience #FutureHealthcare #PreventiveHealth #podcast #benefits #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"Looking back now, cancer gave me something to fight for at a time when I felt like maybe life wasn't worth fighting for." - Dylan Slattery

Dylan Slattery, VP at ClaimsBridge and motivational speaker at Stage Four 2 On Stage, joined me this week to share his powerful story of beating stage four cancer against all odds, beating it again when it recurred, and how that experience completely changed his perspective on life and healthcare.

Dylan was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma completely out of nowhere at the age of 23. We discussed the traditional treatment plan that he initially followed, and the somewhat experimental immunotherapy treatment that actually worked. 

We also discussed the impact that diagnosis had on his family, his friends, and him, what kept him fighting in his darkest moments, and why he wants to continue to share his story to inspire others. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Dylan Slattery

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

melanoma, terminal, immunotherapy, cancer survivorship, healthcare journey, healthcare costs, cancer awareness wellness management, patient advocacy, survivor, cancer, stage four, stage 4, podcast, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#melanoma #terminal #immunotherapy #cancersurvivorship #healthcarejourney #healthcarecosts #cancerawareness #wellnessmanagement #patientadvocacy #survivor #cancer #stagefour #stage4 #podcast #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

“I’m going to say something that people claim isn’t true, but it is. I’m an ear nose and throat doctor. I don't remember your eardrum from last year. I don't care what people tell you, doctors don't remember 3,000 eardrums.” - Danish Nagda

Danish Nagda, founder of Rezilient, has come up with a pretty unique solution to doctor burnout in primary care: a hybrid model, where patients go in-person to checkups, an attendant takes all of their vital signs, and the data is uploaded directly to a doctor. 

As an ear, nose, and throat doctor himself, Danish understands the importance of the human touch in healthcare, but also sees the future of primary care as data-based: for instance, if a doctor has your exact EKG readings from a year ago, they have a baseline to measure your current data off of. 

Rezilient haș also focused on making all of this appealing to employers, and he shares why this model has positive ROI within the first year for most. 

Join us this week as we explore the future of primary care! 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Danish Nagda

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Obesity Drugs, GLP1s, GLPs, Physician Mental Health, Rezilient, Concierge Medicine, Tech Enabled Care, Healthcare Transparency, Healthcare AI, Healthcare Innovation, Virtual Care Model, virtual care, podcast, primary care, doctor, health, healthcare, health insurance, self funded, self funding

#ObesityDrugs #GLP1s #GLPs #PhysicianMentalHealth #Rezilient #ConciergeMedicine #TechEnabledCare #HealthcareTransparency #HealthcareAI #HealthcareInnovation #VirtualCareModel #virtualcare #podcast #primarycare #doctor #health #healthcare #healthinsurance #selffunded #selffunding

"In what other industry could a purveyor put out 99% bad bills and stay in business?" - Linda Komisak

“They're diagnosing things for things that you don't even have. And that’s scary.” - Kimberly Carleson

Kimberly Carleson, CEO of US Beacon, and Linda Komisak, founder of Upturn Consulting LLC, joined me to talk about two critical ways of increasing healthcare transparency: claims reviews and quality metrics. 

These two topics are key to understanding why the healthcare system is so broken. If you buy any other service, you can (a) expect to only be billed for the services that were performed and (b) have the ability to research the quality of vendors and pick the best one. 

Why can’t we do that in healthcare? 

This is an incredibly informative episode, and we cover more than just those two topics including nurse staffing shortages, how to identify the best hospital systems, and why it’s so important to gather feedback from nurses. 

Chapters:

00:00:00 Meet Kimberly Carleson and Linda Komisak

Key Links for Social:

@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFunded

Listen on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02

Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286

Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/

Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Key Words: 

Healthcare Quality, Nurse Insights, Patient Experience, Claims Integrity, Quality Metrics, Upcoding Practices, Nursing Shortage, Billing Transparency, Nurse Anonymity, Healthcare Billing, Hospital Quality, Nurse Feedback, insurance, nursing, healthcare, health insurance, podcast, self funded, self funding

#HealthcareQuality #NurseInsights #PatientExperience #ClaimsIntegrity #QualityMetrics #UpcodingPractices #NursingShortage #BillingTransparency #NurseAnonymity #HealthcareBilling #HospitalQuality #NurseFeedback #insurance #nursing #healthcare #healthinsurance #podcast #selffunded #selffunding