Episode 9: RBP, Transparent PBMS & Direct Primary Care with Stephanie Porrino

In this episode of Bending the Trend, Norm Volsky sits down with Stephanie Porrino, CEO and Founder of Empower Healthcare Insights, to discuss practical strategies employers can use to control rising healthcare costs. Stephanie shares lessons from her 30 years in HR and benefits leadership, including how reference-based pricing, transparent PBMs, and direct primary care models can dramatically reduce healthcare spend while improving employee outcomes. The conversation also explores the growing disconnect between HR leaders and insurance advisors, the importance of controlling referrals through primary care, and why better healthcare consumer education remains one of the biggest gaps in the employer benefits ecosystem. Key Takeaways🏥 Healthcare cost containment strategies 🧩 Vendor selection for benefits optimization 🩺 Innovations in primary care and pharmacy benefits 📉 Reference-based pricing and claims cost reduction 💊 Transparent PBMs and pharmacy cost management 👨‍⚕️ Direct primary care and controlling healthcare referrals 🤝 Bridging the gap between HR leaders and insurance advisors 📚 The need for better healthcare consumer education Chapters00:00: Introduction and meeting at U Powered Symposium01:05: Stephanie’s background and founding Empower Healthcare Insights02:10: Vendor strategies that drive healthcare cost savings03:40: Reference-based pricing and $21M in claims savings05:00: Transparent PBMs and pharmacy cost reduction06:10: Direct primary care and controlling healthcare referrals08:10: Why consumer healthcare education is still missing09:45: Nomination for the next Bending the Trend guest10:40: Bending the Trend Outro Season