Executive Uninterrupted

From "Nice-to-Have" to Proven Strategy: The Evidence-Based Model for Health Equity with Nebeyou Abebe, SVP of SDoH at Highmark Health

What if the biggest drivers of health outcomes aren’t happening inside the healthcare system at all? In this episode, Nebeyou Abebe, SVP of SDoH at Highmark Health, talks about how to operationalize social determinants of health at scale through an integrated payer-provider model. He shares how building a coordinated social care network with community organizations is improving outcomes while reducing costs by nearly $700 per member per month. He explains why leadership alignment, trust, and consumer-centered design are essential to making social health a true enterprise strategy. He also highlights how cross-sector collaboration and rigorous measurement can turn health equity into a scalable, evidence-based model that influences policy. Tune in and discover how social health can move from intention to measurable impact. Resources * Connect with Nebeyou Abebe on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nebeyouabebe/]. * Find out more about Highmark Health on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/highmark-health/], and visit their website here [http://www.highmarkhealth.org]! * Learn more about Highmark Health’s Social Care here [https://www.highmarkhealth.org/hmk/livinghealth/socialhealth/socialhealth.shtml]! * Read Highmark Health’s paper on Social Care Network’s Impact on Health Care Costs here [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nebeyouabebe_social-care-networks-impact-on-health-care-activity-7447686140893085696-Nafx?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAC9pjesBvHV1XwSYbbeAEkfDbGVStkgkJEU]!

Meeting Patients Where They Are: A Deep Dive into Community Care Delivery with Dr. Eugene Hsu, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Optum Home & Community Care Delivery

Healthcare works best when it meets people where they are, especially in the most vulnerable moments after care transitions. In this episode, Dr. Eugene Hsu, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Optum Home & Community Care Delivery, discusses how home and community-based care can improve safety, access, and outcomes for complex patient populations. He shares how his path from business to medicine, anesthesiology, patient safety, CMS, health technology startups, and national payer leadership shaped his approach to protecting patients at a greater scale. Dr. Hsu also explains how Optum’s home and community care model supports millions of visits nationwide, why technology must keep humans in the loop, and how programs like House Calls and Care at Home can identify risks that traditional care settings often miss. Tune in and hear how care delivered in the home, supported by trust, technology, and clinical integration, can help patients age well and receive more compassionate, coordinated care. Resources * Connect with Dr. Eugene Hsu on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugene-hsu-md-mba-6b096021/] * Follow Optum on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/optum/] and visit their website here [https://www.optum.com/en/].

The Right Incentives, the Right Levers, and the Future of Care Delivery with Abe Sutton, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator at CMS

Healthcare reform works best when policy creates the right incentives and gives providers practical levers to deliver better care. In this episode, Abe Sutton, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator at CMS, shares how a deeply personal family experience with care coordination shaped his interest in healthcare reform and public service. He reflects on the frustration of watching his father navigate complex, fragmented care for his grandmother and explains how that experience continues to influence his work today. Drawing on both government and operational experience, Abe unpacks why many past value-based care models fell short, what makes a model truly capable of changing care delivery, and how the Innovation Center is working to build more durable systems for the future. He also discusses the promise of digital health tools, the importance of affordability, and why the next decade of healthcare innovation will depend on getting both policy and incentives right. Tune in and learn how smarter incentives, durable model design, and a long-term view of innovation could reshape care delivery in America. Resources: * * Connect with Abe Sutton on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abesutton/]. * Follow CMS Innovation Center on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/company/centers-for-medicare-&-medicaid-services/] and discover their website here [https://www.cms.gov/].

From FHIR to First Warnings: How Wearables Turn Early Signals Into Better Care with Ricky Bloomfield, Chief Medical Officer at Oura Ring

Better healthcare gets easier when we can spot meaningful changes early, using trustworthy data people can actually act on. In this episode, Ricky Bloomfield, Chief Medical Officer at Oura Ring, discusses his path from early curiosity about technology and medicine to hands-on work with web-based EHRs, clinical informatics, and the messy reality that innovation often looks like repeated failure before it works. He explains why interoperability matters, how standards like FHIR helped move the industry past one-off custom data pulls, and what happens when you combine clinical context with continuous wearable signals. The conversation also covers wearables as companions for care, early screening opportunities including insights linked to blood pressure and cardio-metabolic risk, and why nighttime measurements can be cleaner for long-term trend tracking. Dr. Bloomfield closes with a clear warning about incentives, engagement-driven products, and the trust gap in healthcare.  Tune in and learn how prevention, interoperability, and incentives shape what health tech should do next.  Resources * Connect with Dr. Ricky Bloomfield on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickybloomfield/]. * Follow Oura Ring on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oura/] and discover their website here [https://ouraring.com/].

The First Mile: Reimagining Healthcare from the Home Out with Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology

Healthcare was built around hospitals, but the future starts at home. In this episode, Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology, talks about reimagining healthcare through a “first mile” model that begins with patients in their homes and communities. She explains how remote care, wearables, and digital tools are shifting power toward patient agency and earlier intervention. Dr. Bhatt also explores why AI in healthcare must be a collaborative effort between clinicians and technology, focused on real patient outcomes rather than efficiency alone. The conversation examines emerging access and payment models that prioritize outcomes over billing codes, particularly in cardio-kidney-metabolic care. Tune in and hear how thoughtful innovation, collaborative intelligence, and patient-centered design can expand access and improve health at scale. Resources: * Connect with Dr. Ami Bhatt on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramibhatt/]. * Follow the American College of Cardiology on LinkedIn here [https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-college-of-cardiology/] and discover their website here [https://www.acc.org/].