Episodios

  • Episode 31: The 5 skills every health leader needs to succeed in value-based care
    Mar 12 2026

    Dawn Carter, senior director of health policy and regulatory affairs at Centauri Health Solutions, joins RISE Radio for a lively discussion on the five skills health care leaders need to succeed in value-based care, starting with how to turn analytics into decisions that actually change outcomes.

    During this hour-long episode, Carter shares practical frameworks for working with data, regulations, interoperability, strategic storytelling, and social determinants of health.

    To learn more, see Carter in person at RISE National March 23-25 in Orlando where she will lead an interactive "Bingo" game roundtable discussion to uncover smarter strategies for risk adjustment. She'll also speak at the upcoming RISE webinar on interoperability that powers SDoH referral loop closure in value-based care on April 28 at 2 p.m. EDT.

    About Dawn Carter

    Dawn Carter, BSBA, MHA, CPC, CRC, CPMA, CDEO, CPCO, AAPC Fellow, is the senior director of health policy and regulatory affairs at Centauri Health Solutions, with over 30 years of experience in the health care industry. She has a proven track record of success in developing innovative products and services for the Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial health plan markets and is a sought-after industry speaker and author as well as independent consultant and educator.

    She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration and Healthcare Management. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Her extensive AAPC certifications and recent appointment to the AAPC National Advisory Board for the 2025 -2027 term further demonstrate her deep commitment to knowledge and expertise in the health care field.

    About Centauri Health Solutions

    Centauri delivers data-driven technology solutions that transform fragmented clinical and member data into actionable intelligence—maximizing accuracy, quality performance, and outcomes for health plans and health systems. Through close collaboration with our customers, Centauri improves patient and member outcomes by providing advocacy, advanced data insights, and intelligent clinical data delivery future-proofed for interoperability.

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    1 h
  • Episode 30: Navigating the shift to prospective risk adjustment with hybrid AI
    Feb 13 2026

    In this 20-minute episode of RISE Radio, Editorial Director Ilene MacDonald sits down with Dr. Matt Lambert, the former chief medical officer at Reveleer, to unpack the rapidly evolving landscape of Medicare Advantage risk adjustment. Together, they discuss the implications of the 2027 Advance Notice, new OIG compliance guidance, and the industry’s shift toward encounter-based, prospective risk adjustment.

    Dr. Lambert explains how hybrid AI—combining generative AI with long‑standing clinical rules—can improve accuracy, reduce false positives, and streamline workflows for providers, payers, and risk adjustment teams. He also shares practical strategies for organizations beginning this transition, emphasizing partnership, user‑friendly workflows, and technology that meets clinicians at the point of care.

    About Matt Lambert, M.D.

    Dr. Matt Lambert, is the former chief medical officer at Reveleer and a leader in health care innovation, blending clinical expertise with technology, policy, and payment strategies. He previously served as CMO of Curation Health (acquired by Reveleer in 2024) and led digital transformation at Clinovations and The Advisory Board. He has been CMIO for New York City Health + Hospitals, RWJ Barnabas, and Johns Hopkins, overseeing Epic and Cerner implementations. An emergency medicine physician for 20+ years, he authored two books on health care reform. He earned his MD from Marshall University and trained at West Virginia University.

    About Reveleer

    Reveleer, a health care software and services company, uses machine learning and intelligent automation technology to empower health plans control over their quality improvement, risk adjustment, and member management programs. With one transformative solution, Reveleer allows plans to independently execute and manage provider outreach and data retrieval, coding, abstraction, member management, and reporting. Reveleer leverages proprietary technology, robust data sets, and subject matter expertise, so health plans can execute programs that deliver value and improved outcomes. Click here for Reveleer’s Guide to AI in Value-Based Care.

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    20 m
  • Episode 29: Agile Engagement: A Cost-Effective Path to Better Member Behavior
    Feb 5 2026

    Join RISE Radio Editorial Director Ilene MacDonald for this 15-minute episode that explores how agile engagement replaces slow, campaign-centric outreach with rapid testing, hyper-personalization, and real-time learning that lower cost of care and raise member trust.

    Our guest is Kathleen Ellmore, cofounder and managing partner of Engagys, a health care consumer engagement consulting and advisory services firm, who shares proof points, practical steps, and why 2026 is the moment to act.

    About Kathleen Ellmore

    Kathleen Ellmore, cofounder and managing partner of Engagys, is one of the earliest pioneers in bringing the best of consumer marketing and data-driven methodologies to health care. Instead of getting you to eat when you are not hungry and buy things you don’t need, Ellmore uses the same strategies to instead change the health equation in America.

    Ellmore previously led the consumer engagement consulting practice for Welltok (formerly Silverlink) for 12 years, leveraging its data repository of over a billion consumer health interactions, the best of behavioral economics, and the latest in clinical research, to create evidenced-based communications on what works to drive consumer health care behavior yielding better outcomes and lower costs. She is often quoted in the trade and national press and is a regular speaker on the national stage, having spent the first 20 years of her career in brand marketing at leading consumer marketing organizations, including General Mills and P&G.

    She also was a vice president at Digitas, a leading direct marketing firm. Recently she was selected as consultant member of the first ever FDA’s Patient Engagement Advisory Committee.

    About Engagys

    Founded in 2017, Engagys is a leading health care consumer engagement consulting and advisory services firm. With decades of combined experience in health care and having deployed hundreds of engagement and marketing projects, Engagys has driven significant value in revenue generation, consumer behavior change, and more.

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    16 m
  • Episode 28: Inside the 2027 MA and Part D Proposed Rule: Star ratings, equity, and what plans must do next
    Dec 5 2025

    In this hour-long episode of RISE Radio, Editorial Director Ilene MacDonald sits down with industry experts to break down the changes in CMS’ 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D proposed rule, why removing 12 measures and bringing back the reward factor is a true Stars redesign, and how plans can pivot from operational wins to outcome performance. We also explore the new depression screening measure and the new SEP when providers exit networks, with clear steps to protect quality and retention.

    Our guests are Ana Handshuh, principal of CAT5 Strategies, Melissa Smith, founder and senior advisor of the Newton Smith Group, and Rex Wallace, founder & principal of Rex Wallace Consulting.

    For more on these changes, join us at The RISE Star Ratings Master Class, December 16-18 in Frisco, Texas or RISE National 2026, March 23-25 in Orlando, Fla.






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    58 m
  • Episode 27: Innovation roadmap: Cotiviti on a proactive approach to risk adjustment
    Nov 20 2025

    As regulatory pressures intensify and the demand for measurable ROI grows, health care organizations are rethinking how they approach risk adjustment. The landscape is shifting—from retrospective reviews to real-time, proactive strategies powered by smarter technology and deeper clinical insight.

    In this 38-minute episode of RISE Radio, senior leaders from Cotiviti and Edifecs share how their recent partnership is fueling a new era of innovation across the full risk adjustment lifecycle. From Medicare Advantage to Medicaid and ACA markets, they explore how scalable tech, strategic foresight, and clinical expertise are helping organizations stay ahead of compliance demands and financial pressures.

    About the speakers

    Branka Sustic, vice president of risk and quality solutions, Cotiviti, provides leadership and oversight into product and business development, client program management, and strategy to assist health plans in meeting their quality and risk adjustment goals, optimization of revenue, and risk mitigation. She is a leader with more than two decades of health care experience, blending a strong customer service and analytic foundation with experience leading change management throughout her career. Sustic is known for creating and establishing operational and support plans leading to increased client satisfaction and performance.

    Dr. Summerpal Kahlon, chief medical officer at Edifecs, a Cotiviti business, works across products and functions to guide clinical strategies and policies. His career spans over 20 years of experience in diverse health care settings, businesses, and markets. Dr. Kahlon has deep expertise in value-based care and risk adjustment, and brings unique insight to help customers make the most comprehensive, informed, and clinically relevant decisions for their populations. He is a practicing physician with Veterans Affairs and an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Central Florida.

    About Cotiviti

    Cotiviti is a leading solutions and analytics company that is reshaping the economics of health care, helping its clients uncover new opportunities to unlock value. Cotiviti’s solutions are a critical foundation for health care payers in their mission to lower health care costs and improve quality through higher performing payment accuracy, quality improvement, risk adjustment, consumer engagement, and network performance

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    38 m
  • Episode 26: What to know about the new era of RADV audits
    Sep 9 2025

    Medicare Advantage plans are about to face unprecedented scrutiny as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implements a dramatically expanded approach to RADV audits. Starting in 2025, every Medicare Advantage plan will be subject to contract-level RADV audits—a significant departure from the historical approach of randomly selecting 60 plans annually.

    During this 17-minute podcast, Deborah Curry, risk adjustment programs director at Medical Mutual. breaks down the critical changes that compliance teams need to prepare for immediately. She offers practical strategies for surviving this new audit environment, emphasizing the importance of designated backup personnel, weekly progress huddles, and careful oversight of vendors retrieving medical records.

    Whether you're already facing a RADV audit or preparing for the inevitable, this episode provides essential guidance for navigating CMS' aggressive new approach. For deeper insights, join RISE in Tampa, Fla. on October 21-23 for the 26th Risk Adjustment Forum, where Curry will be sharing additional strategies for RADV readiness.

    About Deborah Curry

    Deborah Curry, risk adjustment programs director, Medical Mutual, joined Paramount Healthcare in May 2013 and oversees the Risk Adjustment, Coordination of Benefits, and Subrogation departments. Prior to her position with Paramount, she had 21 years’ experience working with the State of Ohio workers’ compensation program, both for the government and a contracted managed care organization. She came to Paramount with extensive knowledge in medical coding, provider billing and education, Medicare payment methodologies, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

    Curry attended The University of Toledo for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees and currently holds a Master of Business Administration with major in Healthcare Systems Management. She is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and Certified Coding Specialist, physician based (CCS-P).Curry is also an active member of the America Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and is a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC). She holds certificates as a Risk Adjustment Practitioner (RAP) and Advanced HCC Auditor (AHCCA and serves as a Board Member of the University of Toledo Health Information Administration Advisory Board, Health and Human Services Alumni Affiliate at The University of Toledo, and Health Information Technology Advisory Committee at Owens Community College.

    About the Risk Adjustment Forum

    RISE’s Risk Adjustment Forum is designed for leaders in risk adjustment, coding, compliance, finance, and analytics across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and commercial plans.

    The three-day event, which will take place Oct. 21-23 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, will tackle RADV audit ramp‑up and extrapolation, the Big Beautiful Bill Act, V28/RxHCC shifts, internal audit design, and CDI.

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    17 m
  • Episode 25: The political shift: How Medicare Advantage plans can navigate coming changes
    Aug 8 2025

    The Medicare Advantage (MA) landscape is shifting dramatically. With over half of all Medicare beneficiaries now enrolled in MA plans, the program faces unprecedented scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators, and beneficiaries themselves. During this 40-minute podcast, MA policy experts Carrie Graham and Neil Patil dissect the changing political and regulatory climate surrounding MA and offer crucial insights for health plans navigating these turbulent waters. They explore how the Trump administration is approaching MA reform through payment adjustments, increased oversight, and technological innovation.

    Graham and Patil delve into hot-button issues driving the reform conversation: prior authorization practices that frustrate both providers and patients, marketing tactics that have drawn Department of Justice attention, and the accuracy of provider directories that directly impact beneficiary access to care. They discuss key bipartisan legislative proposals gaining traction, including the No UPCODE Act and the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act.

    Want to learn more? Graham and Patil will speak at RISE West 2025, the Medicare Advantage senior leadership event of the year, August 25-27, at Paris Las Vegas. Also check out additional information from the Medicare Policy Initiative blog posts, publications, tools, and resources, including a compendium of Medicare Advantage policies and a comparison tool of legislation that's been rumored to be included in a potential end-of-the-year legislative package (the Improving Seniors Access to Timely Care Act) and CMS regulations.

    Carrie Graham, Ph.D., is a research professor and the director of the Medicare Policy Initiative at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reform (CHIR), where she oversees a portfolio of policy analysis, research, and technical assistance for policymakers on Medicare Advantage and original Medicare. Previously she was the director of aging and disability policy at the Center for Health Care Strategies. She also holds an adjunct professor appointment at the University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health and Aging.

    Neil Patil, MPP, is a senior fellow and the policy director at the Medicare Policy Initiative at CHIR, where he conducts policy analysis and provides technical assistance to policymakers on Medicare Advantage issues. Prior to joining CHIR, he was a senior analyst at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Legislation, where he provided technical assistance to Congress on issues related to Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. In this role, he served as the lead analyst on Medicare Advantage issues.

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    40 m
  • Episode 24: Post-Election Insights for Medicare Advantage
    Nov 26 2024

    Welcome to the latest episode of RISE Radio, our podcast series that focuses on issues that impact policies, regulations, and challenges faced by health care professionals responsible for quality and revenue, Medicare member acquisition and experience, and/or social determinants of health.

    Special thanks to DUOS for sponsoring this episode, which features Ana Handshuh, principal of CAT5 Strategies, and Jenn Kerfoot, chief strategy and growth officer, DUOS, discussing the impact of the election on Medicare Advantage and the potential changes ahead under President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary and Dr. Mehmet Oz as CMS administrator.

    During this 55-minute podcast, they discuss the overall outlook for Medicare Advantage, as well as regulations that address marketing practices, prior authorization, Star ratings, health equity, and social determinants of health.

    About Ana Handshuh

    Ana Handshuh, principal at CAT5 Strategies, is a government programs executive with expertise in creating and implementing corporate programs for the health care industry. Her background includes quality, core measures, care management, benefit design and bid submission, accreditation, regulatory compliance, revenue management, communications, community-based care management programs and technology integration. She is a sought-after speaker on the national health care circuit in the areas of quality, Star ratings, care management, member and provider engagement, and revenue management.

    About Jenn Kerfoot
    Jenn Kerfoot, chief strategy & Growth officer, DUOS, is a visionary health care leader with deep expertise in Medicare Advantage and value-based care. Kerfoot leverages her extensive background in health care policy, regulation, and business development to drive strategic growth and innovation at DUOS, developing tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of Medicare Advantage plans. A seasoned podcast host, Kerfoot regularly explores critical issues like the looming threat of Medicare insolvency, the challenges of financing care for an aging population, the impact of rising health care costs, and disparities in care access. With previous leadership roles at FarmboxRx, Excelera Health, and NationsBenefits, Kerfoot has a proven track record of navigating complex health care regulations and aligning strategies with market demands. Beyond her executive role, she is a recognized thought leader and advocate for progressive health care practices, advising venture capital and private equity firms on investments in transformative health care solutions. Kerfoot’s pragmatic optimism and relentless problem-solving approach are key to her success in fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in health care.

    About DUOS
    DUOS is a health care technology company building solutions to improve plan performance and enhance the continuum of care. Our AI-powered digital experiences match social determinants of health (SDoH) and care navigation needs with more than 100,000 Medicare benefits, community resources and government programs to improve health outcomes and beneficiary satisfaction and close gaps in care.

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    55 m