Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

In this episode, Jennifer St. Thomas, SVP Commercial and Medicare Markets at Mass General Brigham Health Plan, discusses the plan’s new Value HMO offering for large employers, designed to lower healthcare costs while preserving access to leading regional health systems.

In this episode, Marc Jeffreys, General Manager, Health, Gradient AI, discusses how AI can streamline group health underwriting while keeping human judgment at the center of decision-making. He explores risk assessment, model transparency, and what health plans should look for in AI partners.

In this episode, Dr. Patricia Henwood, EVP, Chief Clinical Officer at Jefferson Health, discusses the health system’s approach to AI integration, including its intent, integration, and impact framework, ambient AI results, and patient facing AI voice agents designed to improve care access, clinician efficiency, and patient experience. This episode is sponsored by Hippocratic AI.

In this episode, Dr. Sanjiv Shah, Chief Medical Officer, MetroPlusHealth, discusses how care management, provider partnerships, and timely information exchange have helped MetroPlusHealth earn consecutive four star Medicare Advantage ratings. He also shares strategies for closing care gaps, improving transitions after hospital stays, and preparing providers for digital quality reporting requirements.

In this episode, Dr. Alice Chen, Chief Health Officer at Centene, discusses how health plans can use evidence based prevention frameworks to improve outcomes, guide investments, and reduce waste. She shares lessons from food as medicine initiatives and explains why interventions must be supported by rigorous data, tailored to underserved populations, and proven effective before scaling.

In this episode, Ganesh Padmanabhan, CEO and Founder, Autonomize AI, discusses the risks of token maxing, reducing AI variability, and building scalable AI infrastructure for more consistent and accountable payer operations. This episode is sponsored by Autonomize AI.