Rethinking Employer Health Plans with Kristen Rivers

Rethinking Employer Health Plans with Kristen Rivers

What if the future of employer health care depends less on shifting costs and more on helping people get healthier earlier? In this episode of Get to the Root, Kristen Rivers, SVP at Pareto Health, joins Dr. Erica Armstrong to discuss the growing pressure employers face as health care costs continue to rise. Kristen shares why traditional models often leave employers with limited options beyond raising deductibles or passing more expenses onto employees, and how self-funded models, better data, and transparency can help them move beyond band-aid fixes to address the root causes driving claims. Tune in to hear why proactive, personalized care can change lives, improve productivity, and help employers build smarter, more sustainable health plans. About Kristen Rivers: Kristen Rivers is the Senior Vice President of Sales at ParetoHealth, where she leads sales growth and strategic initiatives across the West Region. With nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare, she has seen firsthand the systemic challenges and biases employers face when trying to offer sustainable, effective health benefits. Her work focuses on helping employers regain control of their healthcare strategy, improving outcomes, and reducing unnecessary costs. Before joining ParetoHealth, Kristen spent more than a decade at UnitedHealth Group in sales and leadership roles, where she managed teams and developed business strategies that drove meaningful results. Today, she is passionate about creating a more equitable and efficient healthcare system by advocating for fairer practices, smarter plan design, and innovative solutions that empower employers and better support their people. Things You’ll Learn: * Employers are reaching a breaking point as rising medical costs and high-cost therapies make traditional health plan strategies harder to sustain. * Fully insured and level-funded models often leave employers with few options beyond shifting more costs onto employees. * Self-funded models can give employers more flexibility, transparency, and control over the solutions they offer their teams. * Functional medicine can help address the root causes of chronic conditions by using deeper lab data, nutrition, lifestyle support, and personalized care. * Proactive health benefits can improve employee productivity, reduce long-term risk, and create stronger loyalty by giving people access to care they may not otherwise afford. Resources: * Connect with and follow Kristen Rivers on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenrivers/]. * Follow Pareto Health on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pareto-health/] and visit their website [https://www.paretohealth.com/]. * Follow Root Functional Medicine on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/root-functional-medicine/] and visit their website [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/]. * Get your own Root Cause Panel to uncover root potential causes and optimize health here [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/product/root-7]!

Ep 22: Breaking Down the New Dietary Guidelines With Amy Masterson, MS, RDN

What do the newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans really mean for everyday health? On this episode of Get to the Root, Dr. Erica Armstrong sits down with Amy Masterson, Lead Dietitian at Root, to break it all down. They dive into the big updates on protein, vegetables, fats, and grains, as well as what the guidelines still miss. You’ll learn why personalization and tools like the Root Plate™ matter when applying population-wide guidance. Tune in to learn how to interpret the guidelines in a way that actually works in real life. Resources: * Connect with and follow Amy Masterson on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybloom/]. * Follow Root Functional Medicine on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/root-functional-medicine/] and visit their website [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/]. * Get your own Root Cause Panel to uncover root potential causes and optimize health here [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/product/root-7].

EP 21: Engineering the Future of Root Cause Care with Allen Ahner

In this episode, we talk with Allen Ahner, Root’s VP of Engineering, about how technology makes root cause medicine scalable for employers. We explore why functional medicine needs a dedicated platform, how RootOS supports consistent, protocol-driven care, and how we track engagement and outcomes at scale. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the infrastructure powering preventative and chronic condition care. Resources: * Connect with and follow Allen Ahner on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenahner/]. * Follow Root Functional Medicine on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/root-functional-medicine/] and visit their website [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/]. * Get your own Root Cause Panel to uncover potential root causes and optimize health here [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/product/root-7]!

EP 20: How Root gets to ROI for people and companies with Emily Cordes

Healthcare ROI starts with addressing what actually drives costs. Nearly 90% of employer healthcare spend comes from chronic conditions, many of which are preventable. In this episode, Dr. Emily Cordes, CMO at Root, explains how Root delivers real ROI for self-funded employers by reducing high-cost medications, cutting fragmented specialist care, and treating root causes through a doctor–dietitian care model—resulting in healthier employees and lower overall costs. Resources * Connect with and follow Dr. Emily Cordes on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-cordes-do-ifmcp-a4363423b/]. * Follow Root Functional Medicine on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/root-functional-medicine/] and visit their website [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/]. * Get your own Root Cause Panel to uncover root potential causes and optimize health here [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/product/root-7]! * Check out Dr. Emily Cordes’s previous episode on the Get to the Root podcast here [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-01-why-functional-medicine-is-the-future-of-health/id1791782868?i=1000691074723]!

EP 19: Nutrition Myth Busting with the Root Dietitians with Amy Masterson, Lauren Hanson, and Stephanie Nielsen

The loudest nutrition claims online often leave out the facts. In this myth-busting episode, Root dietitians Amy Masterson, Lauren Hanson, and Stephanie Nielsen cut through the noise with practical, science-based insights you can actually use. They share why quick fixes and viral trends spread so easily—and what really works instead. From the idea that all smoothies are healthy to confusion around seed oils, protein needs, and “sugar-free” foods, the team breaks down common myths with clarity and humor. A fast-paced Q&A covers even more hot topics like gluten-free diets, frozen produce, healthy fats, and coffee. Tune in to separate fact from fiction and build a balanced, sustainable way of eating that truly supports your health. Resources: * Connect with and follow Amy Masterson on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybloom/]. * Follow Lauren Hanson on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hanson-07864b267/]. * Connect with and follow Stephanie Nielsen on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-nielsen/]. * Follow Root Functional Medicine on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/root-functional-medicine/] and visit their website [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/]. * Get your own Root Cause Panel to uncover potential root causes and optimize health here [https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/product/root-7]!