Pop Health Podcast

Strong population health programs can still fall short when the clinical, behavioral health, and community-based organizations surrounding them lack the shared workflows, communication structures, and alignment needed to work effectively together. Purva Rawal, PhD, and Leigh Wilson-Hall, MSW, Senior Advisors at the Camden Coalition, join Coral Director Ashley Fitch to discuss the Community Ecosystem Alignment Tool, or CEAT, and how it helps organizations turn cross-sector collaboration into a more intentional and operational capability. Their conversation explores why fragmented ecosystems can undermine otherwise promising interventions, how CEAT helps partners identify and reduce friction, what implementation looks like in practice, and how stronger alignment can support better execution across maternal health, behavioral health, transitions of care, and integrated or value-based models.

Artificial intelligence has no shortage of potential applications in health care, but deciding where to begin and how to implement it responsibly is another matter. Rob Fields, MD, MHA, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Beth Israel Lahey Health, joins Coral Founder Meg Koepke to discuss how the health system is putting AI into practice. Their conversation explores the organization’s rollout of ambient clinical documentation, the results and responses it has seen so far, and what leaders are learning about selecting use cases, supporting adoption, engaging patients, and managing change. 

This year's proposed physician fee schedule includes a wide range of changes that could affect accountable care organizations, clinicians, and Medicare beneficiaries—from updates to financial methodology and quality measurement to new ideas for prospective payment and specialty care.  In this episode, Coral's Joy Chen and Maria Alexander speak with Jake Quinton, Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicare about which proposals matter most, what they signal about CMS’s longer-term vision for accountable care, and where CMS is seeking practical feedback from organizations working on the ground. 

In this episode of Bright Spots, Coral’s Kate Freeman speaks with Gretchen Heinen, Founder and CEO of Authsnap, about how AI-enabled tools can help reduce the administrative burden of insurance-denial appeals and medical-necessity documentation. The conversation explores how Authsnap supports clinics, hospitals, and health care organizations by streamlining work that has traditionally required hours of manual review, helping providers manage growing volumes of commercial-payer and specialty-drug denials with greater speed and accuracy. Gretchen shares how her experience as a utilization-management nurse shaped the development of Authsnap, what implementation looks like in real-world provider workflows, and what tools like Authsnap could mean for the future of prior authorization, revenue cycle operations, and patient access to care. 

Specialty care has long been one of the harder pieces of accountable care to operationalize. In this episode, Coral’s Joy Chen speaks with Theresa Dreyer, CEO of the Health Care Transformation Task Force, about what CMS’s Long-term Enhanced ACO Design, or LEAD, Model could mean for ACOs and specialty groups. They discuss why specialty engagement has been challenging across payer lines, how LEAD creates more formal pathways for ACO-specialist arrangements, what different types of specialty groups may need to consider, and what it will take for these models to move from payment design to practical changes in care delivery. 

In this episode of Bright Spots, Coral’s Kate Freeman speaks with Beth Blaise, MPA, Director of State Programs at Truentity Health, about how Truentity’s ANCHOR model is working to expand access to care in rural and underserved communities. The conversation explores how community pharmacies, connected health infrastructure, and coordinated care models can help address persistent gaps in chronic disease management and care access across rural areas. Beth shares how the model operates in practice, the challenges of implementing innovative rural health approaches within today’s health care system, and what models like ANCHOR could mean for the future of rural care delivery, workforce sustainability, and community-based health care access. 

As accountable care models continue to evolve, organizations are increasingly being asked to engage specialists in more meaningful and coordinated ways. In this episode, Coral Health Advisor’s Joy Chen sits down with Aisha Pittman, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at NAACOS; Dr. Erin Hurlburt, Chief Medical Officer of Population Health Services at Lumeris; and Dr. Gene Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Envoy Integrated Health, to discuss the growing role of specialty care in value-based care and accountable care models. The conversation explores challenges and opportunities related to incentives, care accountability, data sharing, network design, and specialist alignment, along with insights from NAACOS’ new Specialty Engagement in Accountable Care Toolkit. 

In this episode of The Pop Health Podcast, Brian Lobley, CEO of tango, sits down with Coral Founder Meg Koepke to discuss how post-acute care is evolving and why the home is becoming the preferred setting for recovery after hospitalization. Brian shares how tango is aligning payers and home health providers through value-based approaches that prioritize faster access to care, better outcomes, and lower total cost of care. Together, they explore the implications for Medicare Advantage and emerging policy models, the operational realities of managing post-acute episodes, and what the future of home-based recovery could look like as health systems continue shifting care beyond traditional facility walls.

In this episode of the Pop Health Podcast, Coral's Maria Alexander and Joy Chen welcome Meredith Yinger, Model Lead for the Innovation Center’s LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design) Model and Emily Bezold, Senior Advisor to the Center’s ACO portfolio. Together, they explore more about the mission and vision for LEAD, how the model came to fruition, the Center’s rationale for key design features, and what potential applicants may want to know before they apply.   

In this episode of the Pop Health Podcast, Coral's Trevor Abeyta is joined by Araceli Santistevan, Payment Reform Unit Supervisor at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and Andy Wilson, Managing Director for Analytics at Third Horizon Strategies. Together they discuss Colorado Medicaid’s APM 2 primary care capitation model, exploring what has worked, key challenges such as rate setting and post-COVID utilization changes, and lessons for states pursuing value-based payment. 

In this episode, Melissa Cohen, Founder of Coral Health Advisors, is joined by Maria Alexander, EVP & Partner, and Joy Chen, Director, to unpack CMMI’s newest accountable care model — LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design). Together, they explore how LEAD builds on MSSP and ACO REACH, what’s actually new (and what’s familiar), and how ACOs should start thinking about readiness, risk, and strategy ahead of a potential 2027 launch. 

As 2025 comes to a close, CMS signals are becoming clearer across rural health, specialty care, chronic care, prevention, and accountable care. In this end-of-year episode, Coral Founder Meg Koepke is joined by Maria Alexander, Kate Freeman, and Trevor Abeyta to unpack what the latest federal models reveal about where policy and accountability are heading in 2026 and beyond. They discuss what RHTP signals about rural transformation, how ASM expands mandatory accountability into specialty care, what ACCESS shows about the future of digital chronic care, how LEAD reflects a shift toward longer-term accountable care, and why MAHA ELEVATE represents a new bet on prevention. Together, they reflect on what this mix of mandatory and voluntary models and fast experimentation with long horizons means for organizations preparing for the next phase of health care transformation.

The Rural Health Transformation Program represents a $50 billion investment in the future of rural health care. In this episode, Coral Directors Kate Freeman and Trevor Abeyta are joined by Caitlin Westerson, Senior Director for State Policy and Advocacy at United States of Care, to explore what this program means for states, providers, and communities. Together, they unpack the opportunities and challenges in applying for funding, the role of value-based care in building sustainable models, and how states can align stakeholders to create lasting change in rural health systems.

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have quickly moved from niche treatments to the center of high-stakes conversations across payers about cost, access, and coverage. In this episode, Coral Partner Alison Falb talks with Laura Rudder Huff, Vice President at Gallagher Research & Insights, about how the rise of GLP-1s is shaping employer benefit strategies, equity considerations, and policy debates.  

In this episode, Coral’s Founder Meg Koepke talks with Alison Falb about her journey from CMS to FDA to Coral. We explore current policy trends and challenges in Life Sciences –what they mean for organizations navigating drug pricing reforms, coverage, and access challenges. 

In this episode, Coral’s Kate Freeman and Trevor Abeyta talk with Megan Burns and Carol Sakala about CMS’s Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model, lessons from value-based maternity care, and strategies states can use to improve maternal health outcomes.

In this episode, Melissa Cohen is joined by Coral Health Advisors’ Alison Falb and Joy Chen to break down key updates for ACOs in the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule and explore the new mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model. 

In this episode, Partner and EVP with Coral Maria Alexander talks with Dr. Michael Zaplin and David Taback of Inpatient Physician Management Services (iPMGMT) – a hospitalist and SNFist network – about how they partner with ACOs and risk-bearing entities to improve patient outcomes and experience and manage total cost of care.  

CMS rolled out major updates to the ACO REACH Model for Performance Year 2026, with new policies affecting benchmarks, risk scores, and quality incentives. Joining us is guest expert Noah Champagne from Milliman, who will share insights on the key reforms and what they mean for the field. We break down what’s changing, why it matters, and what it could mean for ACOs and the future of value-based care. Accountable Care Organizations – General Information  ACO REACH Model Performance Year 2026 Model Update – Quick Reference ACO REACH PY 2026 Changes Explained – Milliman  

In this special episode, Coral’s Meg Koepke and Melissa Cohen break down the newly released CMS Innovation Center strategy, exploring what we heard and what it could mean for the future of health care transformation. CMS Innovation Center Strategy to Make America Healthy Again 

In this episode, Coral’s Director, Kate Freeman sits down with Hope Glassberg and Shira Hollander to unpack the challenges, promising prospects, and public policy that could support caregivers. Recognizing and Supporting Informal Caregivers: A Key to a More Sustainable Health System Decipher Health website Tripp Hollander website Caregiving Health Engagement Scale "Hospital at Home" Programs Improve Outcomes, Lower Costs But Face Resistance from Providers and Payers 

In this episode, we’re joined by Emily Brower, President and CEO of the National Association of ACOs, and Mara McDermott, CEO of Accountable for Health, for a deep dive into the current state of value-based care. Emily and Mara reflect on recent policy developments, emerging trends, and the challenges their members face in advancing accountable care. They also share where they’re seeing alignment, or misalignment, with federal priorities, and offer practical guidance on how to track meaningful changes in the VBC policy landscape. Spring 2025 Conference – NAACOS Alliance for Value-Based Patient Care Accountable for Health – News and Perspectives 

In this episode, we explore the new Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) with Rob Mechanic and Jennifer Perloff from the Institute for Accountable Care. They discuss the model’s implications for value-based care, the Institute’s analysis, and the tools available to support its adoption. Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) Mandatory Medicare Bundled Payment and the Future of Hospital Reimbursement 

In our first episode of the new year, we explore what ACOs can anticipate in 2025. Featuring insights from Milliman experts Noah Champagne and Cory Gusland, we cover changes to the ACO REACH financial methodology and considerations for ACOs considering a move from REACH to MSSP.  Seeking a Partner for Accountable Care Building Resilient, High-Performing Networks of Care PY2025 ACO REACH RTA tailwind The next generation of Medicare bundled payments: Considerations regarding TEAM ACO REACH PY2025 changes: What do they mean for my ACO? Using machine learning to identify the key drivers of MSSP results: Performance year 2022 update ACO Primary Care Flex: A guide for ACOs interested in the latest CMS Primary Care Innovation Model 

The Pop Health Podcast talks final Physician Fee Schedule Rule, what to watch for in new MA policy, and more as the cast out 2024 and look forward to 2025.Key Takeaways from the CY2025 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule — Coral Health AdvisorsCMS Fact Sheet: Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the ElderlyProposed Coverage of Anti-Obesity Drugs in Medicare and Medicaid Would Expand Access to Millions of People with Obesity – KFF

The Pop Health Podcast meets with Vinay Aggarwal and Aditya Thaduri from AvvaCare about their solution and support for dementia care after a brief discussion of what to expect when you’re expecting the final PFS rule.Notes:GUIDE Model fact sheet: Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model Overview Factsheet (cms.gov) Alzheimer’s Association Evidence Based Dementia Care: Health Systems & Clinicians | Alzheimer's Association AvvaCare: AVVACare Vinay Aggarwal on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinayaggarwalhealthtechmd/Aditya Thaduri on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaduri/https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trc2.12408 

The Population Health Podcast talks with Jeff Davis from McDermott+ about the recent mandatory models, the future of MACRA, the need for PTAC reform and more.Notes:Subscribe to Regs & Eggs here: https://www.mcdermottplus.com/blog/regs-eggs/Learn more about Jeff: https://www.mcdermottplus.com/professionals/jeffrey-davis/Check out McDermottPlus: https://www.mcdermottplus.com/

Maria Alexander from the Population Health Podcast talks with Aisha Pittman, of NAACOS and the Alliance for Value Based Patient Care, about current congressional interest in Medicare physician payment, quality reporting and incentives, and accountable care.  For more on the Alliance for VBC: https://valuebasedcare.org/To read the NAACOS Senate Finance Response visit: https://www.naacos.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NAACOSSenateFinanceCommitteeWhitePaperResponseFINAL.pdfhttps://www.naacos.com/The Alliance for Value-Based Patient Care on Linked InNAACOS on LinkedIn

The Pop Health Podcast sits down with Renee Hungerford and Scott Dillingham to discuss the partnership between Community Action of Orleans and Genesee and Continual Care Solutions to build a comprehensive data ecosystem for CBOs and the implications for this moment in health care with the growing use 1115 waivers to establish and support social networks of care.Additional information on today’s guests is available at:Community Action of Orleans & Genesee (caoginc.org)Home | IMPOWR (continualcaresolutions.com)For more on what’s happening with 1115 waivers take a look at these recent articles:KFF: Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver Watch: A Closer Look at Recent Approvals to Address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN)HSG Global: Everything You Need to Know about New York’s Newly-Approved $6B Medicaid WaiverFierce Healthcare: Here's how New York Medicaid plans to bring social care networks and revamp its value-based payment programFierce Healthcare: Massachusetts 1115 waiver success can translate to New York: expertsHealth Affairs: Improving Health And Well-Being Through Community Care Hubs 

The Pop Health Podcast meets with Carol Vargo of the American Medical Association to discuss the needs and resources to help physician and their colleagues understand and participate in value-based care. For resources mentioned throughout the interview see:Physician payment & delivery models | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)AMA STEPS Forward® | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)Compendium of behavioral health integration resources for physician practices | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)Voluntary-Best-Practices-to-Advance-Data-Sharing.pdf (aurrerahealth.com)

Pop Health Pod welcomes Maria Alexander to the Coral Health Advisors Team, discusses the final Physician Fee Schedule rule, and looks ahead to 2024.

Pop Health Pod hosts Dr. Venice Haynes from the US of Care to dive into their new report Patient First Care Model.You can learn more about the US of Care and their report at their website: United States of Care – Building a Better Health Care SystemFor a full fact sheet on their findings check out: Fact-Sheet-Payment-Models-that-Prioritize-Quality-Over-Quantity-AKA-Value-Based-Care.pdf (unitedstatesofcare.org)Finally to check out the tool-kit Dr. Haynes mentioned, visit: VBC Talking About Health Care Payment Models That Prioritize Quality Over Quantity copy.indd (unitedstatesofcare.org)

Melissa and Meg kick off a brand new season of population health inspiration with special guest, former fed and population health executive and educator, Dawn Alley.   You can learn more about MCP, GUIDE, AHEAD, AHC, and Vermont models on the CMS Innovation Center website. https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/models#views=models 

Coral Health Advisors brings you a new, revamped season of shows about what it will take to achieve population health—where’s it working and what we can all learn from the experience. Announcing the Pop Health Podcast with Melissa Cohen and Meg Koepke.