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. Follow CMS Innovation Center on LinkedIn here and discover their website here.