Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

This episode, recorded live at the Becker’s Hospital Review 15th Annual Meeting, features Nirnay Patel, EVP and GM of Benefits1™ and Chief Digital Officer at Simplify Healthcare. He shares how integrated benefits data, AI, and platform thinking are transforming payer operations and personalizing the member journey across Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial markets.This episode is sponsored by Simplify Healthcare.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable features Dawn Maroney, Chief Executive Officer of Alignment Health Plan and President of Alignment Health. She shares how Alignment uses AI-assisted care, culturally aware outreach, and a deep commitment to equity to deliver affordable, personalized care for seniors while preserving the human touch at every step.

In this episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, Lukas Voss is joined by Chad Kersting, Business Development Director, and Dr. Eric Gratias, National Physician Executive of Medical Benefit Services, both from EviCore by Evernorth. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of utilization management (UM) beyond prior authorization—highlighting common misconceptions, the challenge of underutilization, and the growing push toward preventive, personalized care. Tune in for real-world examples, emerging strategies, and a future-focused look at how UM can better serve both clinicians and patients.This episode is sponsored by Evernorth.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable features Samuel Wollner, Vice President, Strategy and Partnerships, EmblemHealth. He shares how EmblemHealth is advancing health equity, leveraging Net Promoter Score for improvement, and focusing on deep community engagement to transform care delivery across New York.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Rebekah Hughey, Medical Director at Highmark Health. She shares how Highmark’s Living Health model streamlines care delivery, tackles health equity through maternal health and food access programs, and enhances member satisfaction through a patient-centered, tech-enabled approach.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable features Crissy Turino, Chief Plan Officer & Chief Operating Officer, CountyCare. Crissy shares how CountyCare is advancing health equity through housing and food access programs, while boosting member satisfaction and outcomes through value-based care and community engagement.

This episode, recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable, features Catherine Tabaka, Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Michael Cantor, Chief Medical Officer. They discuss how Matrix Medical Network’s in-home care model addresses gaps in the healthcare system by enabling whole-person care, improving coordination, and supporting better health outcomes at lower costs.This episode is sponsored by Matrix Medical Network.

In this episode of the Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast, Jakob Emerson speaks with Dr. Tracy Gayeski, Chief Health Officer at Catalight, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming care for individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Dr. Gayeski discusses how Catalight is addressing affordability, individualized care at scale, and social determinants of health—all while preparing for the transformative role AI will play in the next two years. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of what meaningful, sustainable, and person-centered care really looks like.This episode is sponsored by Catalight.

This episode, recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable, features Raj Ronanki, Chief Executive Officer, Lyric. Here, he discusses the company's evolution, its focus on real-time, AI-powered payment integrity, the strategic acquisition of ClaimShark, and Lyric’s vision for enabling autonomous healthcare operations and greater transparency across the system.This episode is sponsored by Lyric.

This episode recorded live at the Becker's 3rd Annual Spring Payer Issues Roundtable features Dr. Sachin Jain, President and Chief Executive Officer, SCAN Group. Dr. Jain discusses how SCAN is redefining member experience through human-centered care and highlights the urgent need for deeper payer-provider partnerships to drive true innovation and better outcomes in healthcare.