HealthChangers

Dr. Jeff Wessler, a cardiologist and CEO and co-founder of Heartbeat Health; and William Krenz, senior vice president of government programs for Regence, discuss how Heartbeat and Regence are using virtual cardiac care to improve heart health and cardiac care for Regence members.  

Kevin Curtis, clinical operations director at the Mental Health Crisis Care Center, and Dr. Mike Franz, executive medical director for behavioral health at Regence, talk about the new crisis care center in Utah and what it can teach us about how to best address the national mental health epidemic. 

Dr. Daniel Meltzer, executive medical director at Regence, talks about the benefits of digital health to save lives and make underserved communities healthier. 

Ali Esquea, vice president of federal affairs at Regence, and Stephen Foxley, vice president of state affairs at Regence, look at how the fall election results could impact not just health policy in the White House and Congress, but in the four states where Regence operates: Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington.   

Bill Kramer, senior advisor for health policy at the Purchaser Business Group on Health, talks about how the country's largest employers figure out how to keep the cost of health care sustainable for their employees. 

Dr. Stefen Ammon, medical director of DispatchHealth, and Lara Magnani, director of clinical program management at Regence, talk about the innovative DispatchHealth in-home care model and how the DispatchHealth-Regence partnership has made care more affordable, accessible and effective for Regence members. 

Noelle Redmond, assistant director of clinical pharmacy services, and Danny Wallenslager, pharmacy clinical program director, discuss the encouraging and evolving treatment option of gene therapies. They also talk about how the Regence pharmacy team ensures that covered gene therapies provide a clear net benefit for health plan members.

Dave Roberts, chief human resources officer for the West Ada School District, talks about the innovative way his district, with help from Regence and moves from the Idaho Legislature, cut the cost of premiums for employees, and what we can all do to ensure we're getting effective, affordable health care. 

Keith Bell, the CEO of Homage Senior Services, talks about how to meet the evolving health care needs of the fast-growing senior population, including the urgent need for mental health services.

Ashley Fosberg, the vice president of philanthropy for Sounders FC and the executive director of RAVE Foundation, talks about the club's new partnership with Regence to improve the health of local youth, and how the club connects so profoundly to the community. 

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Michael Ann Benchoff, assistant director of health equity programs at Regence, talks about why the fight for health equity is so important. We also discussed the work that Regence is doing to make the health care system more inclusive and effective for everyone.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Dr. Zak Ramadan-Jradi, vice president of network management at Regence, talks about the increasingly contentious contract negotiations between insurance carriers and hospitals, and the critical role that Regence plays in keeping health care affordable for its members.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Katie Lai, clinical pharmacist client manager at Regence, talks about two of the biggest trends in pharmacy today: the surge in popularity of GLP-1 drugs to lose weight, and mass pharmacy closures around the U.S. that have created “pharmacy deserts” in underserved communities.

On this episode of HealthChangers, we're joined by a panel of health care professionals to discuss the critical role that nurses play inside and outside of Regence. This includes Dr. Donna Milavetz, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Regence, who is an internal medicine physician by training; Cheryl Carter, senior clinical transformation advisor as well as a nurse; and Sarah Robilotta, supervisor of behavioral health utilization management who is also a licensed mental health counselor.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Dr. Nicole Saint Clair, obstetrician-gynecologist and executive medical director at Regence, explains how the U.S. has some of the worst rates of maternal and infant health outcomes among high-income nations. And how health disparities are significantly worse for Black women and pregnant people.

On this episode of HealthChangers, Dr. Erin Parks, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Equip Health, and Dr. Mike Franz, Regence's senior medical director for behavioral health discuss eating disorders and innovative ways of treating them, including virtual care and family-based treatment. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, Stephanie Strong, CEO and founder of Boulder Care and Dr. Mike Franz, Regence's senior medical director for behavioral health discuss new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing drug and alcohol-related deaths are on the rise among Americans over 60. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, we're joined by Regence's senior medical director for behavioral health, Dr. Mike Franz, to talk about how mental health and physical health are equally important components of our overall health and what we can do to improve access. 

On the HealthChangers podcast, presented by Regence, we share real-life stories and expertise from leaders who are working to make healthcare simpler, personalized and more affordable. I'm your host, Ben Furr. The end-of-year holidays are a highlight for many people. Bright lights and social gatherings help take the edge off the long nights and dreary weather. But when January rolls around, the excitement can fade and less pleasant emotions arise for some of us. Today on HealthChangers, we're joined by Andree Miceli, Regence's clinical director for behavioral health, to talk about post-holiday blues and what we can do to feel better. Andree, welcome to HealthChangers.

In this episode of HealthChangers, Peggy Maguire, president of Cambia Health Foundation, speaks with Paula Jones, who recently retired after serving on the board of directors for Cambia Health Solutions for 12 years. Paula was instrumental in the formation and strategic direction of Cambia Health Foundation. In honor of the Foundation's 15th anniversary, Peggy and Paula recall the Foundation's beginnings, its lasting legacy and its plans for the next 15 years. 

In this episode of HealthChangers, Andree Miceli, Cambia Health Solutions' clinical director of behavioral health, speaks with Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, and Emily Moser, director of Lines for Life's YouthLine program. The group highlights YouthLine's critical work including the positive impact YouthLine has on the teens who are trained to receive the calls. They also discuss the new 988 emergency phone number for mental health crises that will go live in July 2022, and how Lines for Life and YouthLine are expanding nationally. The episode concludes with reflections from Peggy Maguire, president of the Cambia Health Foundation.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Call (800) 273-TALK (8255). Starting July 16, 2022, you can also call, text or chat 988, the new national dialing code.   

When a child is seriously ill or injured, the entire family is affected. While the child requires medical attention and effective treatments, their family also needs to be supported with compassion and care. Families can find this support at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which works to ease the burdens of everyday life so families can focus on being with their children. To expand the resources available to families, RMHC of the Intermountain Area has created a new family support program funded by the Cambia Health Foundation. This pioneering program includes a full-time staff person and provides crisis intervention, mental health support, grief and bereavement support, and collaborative case management to help address social determinants of health. This can include helping families at home after their stay by connecting them to community resources for job placement, food security, school, support groups and other services. RMHC is a longtime community partner of Cambia Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cambia Health Solutions. The new family support program aligns with the Foundation's new strategic vision to advance equity through whole-person health in underserved communities. With this renewed focus on behavioral health and belief in building a just and inclusive health care system for all, the Foundation is amid a multi-year, $11.5 million community initiative to increase access, improve quality of care and reduce the stigma of mental health. This episode of HealthChangers highlights the innovative family support program founded at RMHC Intermountain Area. Carrie Romano, CEO of RMHC Intermountain Area, and Maria Gamvroulas, Family Support Services Manager, talk with Jim Swayze, president of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, about the work of RMHC and the support of families. The episode concludes with reflections from Peggy Maguire, president of the Cambia Health Foundation.

It's no secret that health data is a complicated topic, but when health data is connected, great things can happen. On this episode of HealthChangers, Cambia's Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Kirk Anderson and physician and informaticist Steven Kassakian discuss what the future of health data could hold and how interoperability can empower patients and providers alike, resulting in better health outcomes.

What happens when 219 teams from around the world come together try to find a solution to make COVID-19 tests easier, accessible, and more affordable? You get the XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing Competition. Hear from Dr. Amy Khan, Cambia’s Executive Medical Director and advisory board member for the XPRIZE competition, about the 6-month, $6 million dollar competition and the future of health care innovation.

Communication affects everything we do - how we work, how we live and even how we give and receive care. On this episode of HealthChangers, hear from Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholar and Research Associate Carey Candrian about the impact of communication and bias on LGBT seniors who are seeking serious illness or end-of-life care and the challenges they and their partners face.

What do barbershops have to do with community health? On this episode of HealthChangers, hear from Cambia employee and North by Northeast board member Kilaa Slaughter-Scott; Jamaal Lane of Champions Barbershop and Champions Barbering Institute, North by Northeast and Dr. Kenji Taylor from Stanford on how barbers around the country are stepping up to fight heart disease and high blood pressure in Black men. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, strategic investing expert and managing partner at Echo Health Ventures Karim Botros discusses his experiences judging the UCSF Rosenman Institute’s ADAPT competition, how startup companies are using tech to solve challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability drive the renaissance of health care. Learn more about virtual innovation competitions and up-and-coming startups that are streamlining health care and transforming the industry.

On this episode of HealthChangers, we share a conversation with Cambia’s CEO Mark Ganz and Susannah Fox, who serves as a researcher and adviser to health and technology companies. Mark is retiring at the end of 2020; during his tenure as CEO, he’s guided the company and industry along a path of reimagining and reshaping health care to be more empathetic, transparent, and economically sustainable.

Until recently there were 44 million caregivers in the United States. Now in the midst of a global pandemic, we are all caregivers. Caregivers include medical teams, grocery workers, truck drivers, and others working to find balance, trying to perform at work while all at the same time, not jeopardizing the care provided to their loved ones. For this special episode of HealthChangers we hear a personal story from Jennifer Danielson, Cambia Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy and Peggy Maguire from the Cambia Health Foundation.

Until recently there were 44 million caregivers in the United States. Now in the midst of a global pandemic, we are all caregivers. Caregivers include medical teams, grocery workers, truck drivers, and others working to find balance, trying to perform at work while all at the same time, not jeopardizing the care provided to their loved ones. For this special episode of HealthChangers we hear a personal story from Dr. Ranak Trivedi from Stanford and a Sojourns Scholar, and Peggy Maguire from the Cambia Health Foundation.  

This HealthChangers episode is part of a special mini-series highlighting our nation's caregivers in partnership with Archangels, a national movement recognizing and honoring caregivers. Until recently there were 44 million caregivers in the United States. Now in the midst of a global pandemic, we are all caregivers. Caregivers include medical teams, grocery workers, truck drivers, and others working to find balance, trying to perform at work while all at the same time, not jeopardizing the care provided to their loved ones. For this special episode of HealthChangers we hear a personal story from Dr. James Polo and Peggy Maguire, both from Cambia.

In this episode of HealthChangers Cambia’s Chief Innovation Officer and SVP Mohan Nair sits down with Dr. Naomi Fried, CEO of Health Innovation Strategies – who is experienced in the art and science of innovation strategy and understands how to create an infrastructure for corporations who design innovation to be part of the bloodstream and culture of the organization.    

This HealthChangers episode is part of a special mini-series highlighting our nation's caregivers in partnership with Archangels, a national movement recognizing and honoring caregivers. In this episode, we share a conversation between Cambia employees Laura Dyer and on Laura’s experience working and caring for her young son during the pandemic while her spouse was on the front lines of the public health crisis. You'll also hear a reflection from Alex Drane, the co-founder of Archangels, on how to #LookLoveLift caregivers during the time of coronavirus.

In this episode of HealthChangers Cambia’s Chief Innovation Officer and SVP, Mohan Nair, sits down with industry leaders and influencers to explore the real stories behind health care innovation and transformation. You’ll hear thought leaders share their motivation for changing the way consumers experience health care and learn about the challenges they’ve faced. And you'll gain practical insights to inform your own health care journey.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced health care providers to think outside the box when it comes to delivering critical medical services to underserved populations. On this episode of HealthChangers, we’ll hear about the work that’s happening at the Oregon-based Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center on the front lines of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The mission of the Center is to provide high quality, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate primary health care with a special emphasis on people who face barriers to receiving care. We’re joined by Peggy Maguire, President of the Cambia Health Foundation, which has been a long-time philanthropic partner of Virginia Garcia; Serena Cruz, the Executive Director of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation – and by Dee Cruz, who serves on the center’s board.

The Cambia Grove helps drive the development of new solutions for health care. The industry-specific hub has been convening the health care community for the past two years, providing a point of connection for Cascadia’s innovators and catalyzing action. As a reflection of the Cambia Grove’s growing role, reputation and visibility in our community, Cambia Grove’s Co-founder and Executive Director, Nicole Bell, was recently selected to serve as one of five judges nationally at the Alexa Diabetes Challenge—an international competition looking for comprehensive solutions that use Alexa’s voice technology to improve the experience of those who have been newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. “I’m excited to be a judge because of what this technology represents for our industry,” said Bell. “This concept is about engaging people where they’re at, using a technology with a very low barrier to entry to give them a way to manage their care on their own terms and in their own homes.” Nicole recently sat down with the Cambia Grove’s Community Executive, David Shepard, for a brief conversation about what​ the honor of being selected as a judge means to her, the Cambia Grove and Cambia. You can listen to the pop-up podcast here (eight minutes in length).

The COVID-19 outbreak has also forced health care providers to rapidly change their long-established delivery models in order to tackle this sudden and widespread pandemic and keep patients safe. In this episode of HealthChangers, we’ll hear from two health care innovators who talk about how one company, Upfront Healthcare, pivoted to meet the demands of this new world of care, and how they think the coronavirus could impact health care over the long run. Rob Coppedge is the CEO of Echo Health Ventures, an investment firm that seeks out and grows tomorrow’s great health care companies. And Ben Albert is co-founder of Upfront Healthcare, a company that has created a platform to personalize care navigation to efficiently engage all patients and improve health outcomes.

Until recently, there were 44 million caregivers in the United States. Now, in the midst of a global pandemic, we are all caregivers. Caregivers include medical teams, grocery workers, truck drivers and others - working to find balance, trying to perform at work, while not jeopardizing the care provided to their loved ones. In this episode of HealthChangers, we spoke with two people who are working to provide caregivers the support and recognition they need to perform well amid some of the most challenging conditions they’ll ever face.Peggy Maguire leads Cambia’s companywide palliative care and caregiver strategy, andAlex Drane is the co-founder of Archangels, a national movement recognizing and honoring caregivers.

As COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, continues to spread, so does its impact on the health of our communities. Barriers to food access have increased significantly as a result of the virus, as this public health crisis continues to leave millions of children, families and elderly adults at risk. Last season on HealthChangers, we highlighted The Oregon Foodbank with our podcast Healthy Food, Healthy Communities. Forty-five million people in the United States live with food insecurity. That is one in every eight households, an especially sobering statistic during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 860,000 people rely on the Oregon Food Bank Network each year, and tens of thousands of additional families are expected to turn to their local food pantries, many for the first time, as a result of COVID-19. We want to take a look back at this conversation with Susannah Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank on how the food bank is addressing our communities’ need for nutritious food today, while also creating a long-term solution to hunger.

The end of 2019 marked the completion of our third season of the HealthChangers podcast. We wanted to take a look back and revisit some of our fan favorite episodes of the year, all of which have a common theme – health and the good of the community.  

When we or a loved one gets a new diagnosis or has a health-related question, we turn to the internet for information and advice. Our guest on HealthChangers today has been working to find new ways to connect people online with communities who share the same needs and concerns. Susannah Fox is a researcher and advisor to health and technology companies. She’s the former Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and she worked previously at the Pew Research Center.

Cambia’s partnership with ARCHANGELS is starting a national conversation about how we can better identify, thank and support caregivers. Because caregiving is such an individualized experience, we sat down with several Cambia employees who have served as caregivers to understand the highs, lows, and lessons learned from their journey. In this episode, we talked with Georgann, who shares the experience of caring for her mom. One of her takeaways was how to support other caregivers in their time of need. “I’m there for them. I’m present,” said Georgann. “You don’t even have to speak or talk…just be there. Whatever that looks like.”

Welcome to Episode 1 of our New Special Edition Series of the HealthChangers Podcast – Powered by Innovation Force. This first episode is a conversation with Dr. Don Rucker, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the ONC. Dr. Rucker and Mohan discuss how the government is working to increase interoperability below and above the line that we draw as the possible. In HealthChangers, Powered by Innovation Force, Cambia’s Chief Innovation Officer and SVP, Mohan Nair, sits down with industry leaders and influencers to explore the real stories behind health care innovation and transformation. You’ll hear thought leaders share their motivation for changing the way consumers experience health care and learn about the challenges they’ve faced.  

Each year, over 40 million Americans of every age, gender, race and socioeconomic background serve as unpaid caregivers for their loved ones. The value these caregivers provide is incredible, but they can also face huge challenges as they navigate the health care journey.  Cambia has partnered with ARCHANGELS in starting a national conversation about how we can better identify, thank and support caregivers. ARCHANGELS is a national movement creating a revolutionary caregiving culture. Alexandra Drane is the co-founder of ARCHANGELS, along with Engage with Grace and Eliza Corporation (among other companies), all rooted in a core belief that the definition of health should include “life.” Listen to a conversation below between Alexandra and one of our employees, Thom, who is a caregiver.

There are more than 35 million people living with limb loss around the world. Luckily, advances in medicine, robotics, sensors and 3-D printing have transformed what’s possible for human mobility. In this episode of HealthChangers, we explore how human-centered design is helping to make health care better for those who live with limb loss. We’re joined by Erica Rife, the Managing Director for the Design Museum Foundation, a non-profit focused on educating the world about design.

In health care, we never know where the next great idea might come from. It might not even be from someone working in health care. It was in that spirit where the #WTFix-A-Thon, a social movement created by HealthSparq, was born. We’ve shared What-The-Fix before here on HealthChangers. HealthSparq holds #WTFix events where regular people with amazing stories teach the health care industry and offer solutions to pain points in their personal experiences. The What-The-Fix-Athon stemmed from that approach to gather solutions through a hackathon. The event took place at Techfest Northwest 2019 and was sponsored by Cambia company, HealthSparq, which is focused on helping people make smarter health care decisions. In this episode of HealthChangers, we go live to the hackathon and talk to a group of students from coding schools in Portland, Oregon, who brought their personal stories and tech experience to design apps aimed at solving health care problems. There were four What-The-Fix-Athon teams. Each had 36 hours to investigate a health care problem and design a solution. With the help of judges, they refined their ideas and then presented them at TechFestNW’s Pitchfest.

A recent report from Cambia Grove found that the health care innovation economy in Utah is booming. We'll discuss what's made Utah so successful for both entrepreneurs and traditional health care systems in growing this economy, as well as opportunities to improve collaboration. Our guests are Maura Little, Executive Director of Cambia Grove, and Chris Klomp, CEO of Utah startup Collective Medical Technologies.

In this episode of HealthChangers, we are taking a closer look at what is being done to help address hunger in our own communities. We’re joined by Angela Dowling, the President of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and Susannah Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank. The Oregon Food Bank is addressing our communities’ need for nutritious food today, while also creating a long-term solution to hunger. 

Time after time Americans have said their number one concern is health care. Especially the cost of health care. In this episode of HealthChangers, Cambia’s CEO and President, Mark Ganz interviewsMarcus Osborne, Walmart's vice president for health and wellness transformation. Both share a passion for making health care more consumer-centric.

Every day in the United States more than 130 people die from an opioid overdose. More people in the U.S. die from overdoses than car accidents. In this episode of HealthChangers, we talk with Dr. Jim Polo, the behavioral health medical director for Regence health plans, and Phil Caruso from Walgreens to take a closer look at the opioid crisis and what is being done to help address this epidemic in our own communities.