Healthchangers

Jessica Westbrook, data analyst on Regence's special investigations unit, talks about the unit's mission to protect Regence's Medicare members from fraud and "phantom providers." 

Dr. Mike Franz, executive medical director for behavioral health for Regence, discusses the current state of mental health in the U.S. and what Regence is doing to expand access to mental health care – for our members and across the states we serve.

Laurent Rotival, executive vice president and chief information officer for Regence, answers some of the biggest questions facing AI. Are the big AI companies spending too much? How should the average person approach the AI boom? And how will AI affect health care? 

Charity Duckett, director of member experience and engagement at Regence, talks about how Regence created a Member Experience Office to improve how our members interact with us and get their health care needs met in an increasingly complicated marketplace. 

Laurent Rotival, executive vice president and chief information officer for Regence, talks about how Regence first started its work in AI a decade ago and how that work has evolved in helping Regence meet the needs of members. 

Dr. Donna Milavetz, chief medical officer for Regence, talks about how prior authorization helps make health care safer, more effective and more affordable, and the pain points that the industry is committed to improving.

Dr. Lisa Bielamowicz, chief clinical officer at TrustWorks Collective, explores the market forces impacting American health care today, and how hospitals and health systems can best adapt to rapid change.  

Brennan Wood, executive director of the Dougy Center, and Peggy Maguire, president of Regence’s corporate foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, explore how Dougy Center supports so many grieving families around the world and why the Cambia Health Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the group.

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.