The Granite List Live

The No Suprises Act (NSA) was designed to protect patients from unexpected and surprise medical bills. However, for health plans, it’s created a complex and evolving landscape of disputes, compliance requirements and rising costs.   On this week's episode of The Granite List.Live, Sally is joined by Christine Cooper and Jack Towarnicky as they break down what has changed, what’s still unclear, and how plan sponsors can take a more strategic approach to managing Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR), provider negotiations and overall plan spend. From regulatory updates to real-world insights, Cooper and Towarnicky offer practical guidance for navigating the NSA with confidence.

Emergency room visits are one of the most misunderstood and expensive drivers of employer healthcare spend. In this week's episode of The Granite List.Live, Sally is joined by Al Lewis, Founder and Quizmeister-in-Chief of Quizzify and longtime health policy veteran, to uncover how smarter member education leads directly to smarter utilization. Al breaks down why ER visits now account for roughly 6% of employer health spend, when in reality they should be closer to 3%, and how employers can close that gap through better literacy, consent awareness, and validation.

On this week’s episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Anthony Hartley, Co-Founder and CEO of Patient Advisor LLC, as they dive into the hidden driver of pharmacy spend. Patients with autoimmune conditions and other chronic conditions take prescriptions that manage/mask symptoms without leading to remission or reversal of disease. This group of individuals may equal as much as 50% of pharmacy spend for an employer. Anthony details how cell therapies can help patients get better health outcomes at a lower cost to plan sponsors, raising the question of why such innovation has not been widespread yet.

In this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Ryan Rice and Jake Goll of Prism Health Group as they dive into Prism's new clinical performance engine, Spectra. Designed to enhance pharmacy benefits management, Spectra leverages pharmacist-led analysis and retrospective oversight to improve patient outcomes and cost savings. 

This week, Jessica Landin, CEO of Vori Health, joins The Granite List.Live to share Vori Health's innovative approach to musculoskeletal (MSK) care. With a physician-led, hybrid-care model, Vori Health provides patients with effective, conservative care pathways for MSK conditions. 

Paid leave isn't just a benefit—it's a strategic investment in your most valuable asset: your people.    On this week's episode of The Granite List.Live, Sally is joined by Grace Erickson, VP of Revenue for Cocoon. Together, they dive into why comprehensive leave policies are the secret weapon of forward-thinking companies and how supporting employees through life's pivotal moments is your competitive advantage.   Spoiler alert: When you show up for your team, they show up for your business.

This week on The Granite List.Live, Sally is joined by Jessica Lea, PharmD and CEO of Tria Health, as they dive into the fast-changing landscape of GLP-1 medications for obesity and diabetes. Jessica shares her insight on why pharmacist-led oversight is important, especially with complex and costly drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Additionally, together, Sally and Jessica explore: Challenges employers face when deciding whether to cover these medications The impact of direct-to-consumer options The importance of combining medication with lifestyle changes for lasting results Future developments in GLP-1 treatments and their potential uses. Learn more about Tria Health on The Granite List!

This week, Ron Peck, Chief Legal Officer for The Phia Group joins Leigh on The Granite List.Live. The Phia Group is a health care and benefits cost containment expert, servicing employers and insurance carriers - as well as those that service them. Listen as Ron dissects societal trends resulting in mass confusion, dependence upon networks, and systemic issues that all combine to result in skyrocketing costs - as well as inadequate (and potentially damaging) legislative remedies.

This week, Justin Zimmerman, Sales and Business Development, Work Right NW, joins the Granite List.Live to share his insight on Work Right NW's total worker health approach. As a leader in industrial sports medicine, Work Right NW provides the industrial athlete with proactive care to reduce injuries, improve employee health, and foster a culture of safety.    Beyond sharing what differentiates the Work Right NW approach, Justin also equips employers with the five things they should have top of mind when evaluating and vetting different injury prevention solutions!

As 2025 comes to a close, Alycia Riedl, Immediate Past President of NABIP, joins Sally to discuss the biggest trends in employee engagement, the importance of access for employer-sponsored health plans, and solutions to the fragmentation in healthcare. 

In a special episode of The Granite List.Live, Dr. Erica Barnell, Chief Medical Officer for Geneoscopy, and Lauren Roberson, Head of Clinical Advocacy for Connect Healthcare Collaboration, join Sally for a discussion about the importance of colon cancer screening through the lens of an employer/plan member. Dr. Barnell will also dive into Geneoscopy's lead product, ColoSense, an FDA-approved cancer screening test that looks to provide more access and increase adherence to colorectal screening guidelines.  Learn more about Geneoscopy🔗: Website: www.geneoscopy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/geneoscopy Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeneoscopyCo

This week, Cristin Dickerson MD, Founder and CEO of Green Imaging, joins The Granite List.Live to discuss the current trends she is seeing in the imaging space. With imaging costs continuing to rise and private equity impacting the industry, Dr. Dickerson urges employers to seek solutions, such as direct contracting, that bring greater access to members and lead to better health outcomes. 

On this week's episode of the The Granite List.Live, Sally is joined by Bruce Roffé, CEO of H.H.C. Group, and Bob Serber, Vice President of H.H.C. Group, as they share how H.H.C. has spent three decades helping payors and brokers reduce medical claim costs without sacrificing care. From out-of-network negotiations to reference-based pricing and Independent Medical Reviews, Bruce and Bob detail the strategies that brokers, TPAs and others need to know to help clients save smarter in today’s high-cost healthcare environment.  

This week, Sean Kelley, CEO and Founder, and Javier Lira, VP of Clinical Operations, of Texas Medical Management join Leigh on The Granite List.Live to discuss Texas Medical Management's focus on surgery quality and how its Quality Bundled Surgery model benefits employers and patients alike.  

This week, Laura Carabello, Principal Owner and Chief Creative Officer of CPR Strategic Marketing Communications, joins The Granite List. Live to discuss recent trends in benefit communications and publishing. Specifically, Sally and Laura dive into the importance of content creation, the evolving role of AI in communications, and the impact of private equity in the industry. In a costly and complex healthcare landscape, Laura highlights the need for your plan to have an effective, patient-centric communications strategy. 

This week Paul Fried, founder of I Made the Arrangements, joins Leigh on The Granite List.Live to talk about why end-of-life planning is one of the most overlooked, yet most human, benefits an employer can offer. Paul shares how his team has reimagined wills, advance directives, and funeral planning into a compassionate, easy-to-use platform that empowers employees and relieves families during life’s most difficult moments. This conversation will challenge how you think about benefits and leave you with practical ways to support the people who make your business possible.

On this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Leigh is joined by Kevin Lee, CEO of MindClub America, as he explains the shift from sick to preventative care in the mental health space. Kevin also details how MindClub America delivers their mental health services to employers in a way that generates engagement, and he further lays out what differentiates MindClub from other mental health services providers.  

This week, Stew Baskin, CEO of CannaPlan, joins the show to discuss the launch of CannaPlan, the first medical cannabis employee wellness program designed specifically for today’s workplace. Backed by emerging data from states with legalized medical cannabis, Stew dives into the real-world impacts on workplace productivity, claims reduction, and even bottom-line performance. If you're exploring innovative, compliant, and cost-effective benefit enhancements, this episode is a must-listen.

Pets are reshaping the concept of family - whether they are "starter children" or the substitute for those who decide not to have children at all, the pet at the center of the American home is a trend that's here to stay. Pets have officially graduated to the status of full-fledged family members, with budgets to match- and a someone with a sick pet at home can often mean a distracted, anxious, and disengaged employee. This week, we are joined by Aaron Oaks, CEO of United Pet Care, who explores how forward-thinking brokers can leverage pet benefits into more engaged employees, and happier, stickier clients.

In this episode, we explore the powerful impact of Five Wishes at Work, an innovative employee benefit that integrates end-of-life planning into workplace healthcare offerings. This week, Paul Malley, President of Aging with Dignity, joins the show to share how Five Wishes was inspired by the need for more compassionate and comprehensive healthcare benefits, addressing gaps in employee well-being that often go overlooked. In this episode, Leigh and Paul dive into: • the common pain points HR leaders face when it comes to end-of-life conversations and planning • why it’s critical for organizations to offer proactive solutions • real-world case studies that demonstrate the tangible benefits of implementing Five Wishes at Work With trends around mental health and holistic well-being on the rise, this episode offers valuable insights into enhancing benefits programs with a thoughtful, impactful solution that truly supports employees!

Brokers know the drill: Open Enrollment rolls around, and suddenly you're juggling tech questions, client confusion, and a whole lot of noise. This week, Joe Fernandez, Chief Strategy Officer of Selerix, joins the show to dig into the often overlooked strategies that help brokers provide true solutions to their clients during open enrollment season. From better processes to real talk on personalization and tech overload, Joe provides his insight on the gaps brokers wish vendors would finally fill. Whether you’re a benefits broker, HR pro, or just someone who’s been through a chaotic OE season, this episode includes some “finally someone said it” moments you’ll want to hear.

This week, Vinay Patel, Chief Pharmacy Officer for Proactive MD, joins the Granite List. Live to discuss Proactive MD's new product offering - Proactive Rx. Providing an enhanced quality of care and cost savings, the Proactive Rx program utilizes virtual pharmacists to collaborate with clinic staff. Join the conversation as Vinay details their innovative and proactive approach to pharmacy services.

This week, Bill Hepscher, Founder, and Casey MacPherson, CEO, of RxManage join the show to discuss their international approach to pharmacy. With the increasing discussion about international pharmacy amid recent tariff talks, Bill and Casey help to answer some of the most frequently asked questions around international sourcing!  

Join Will Foster, Vice President of Total Rewards at USRS, and Paul Richmond, Chief Commercial Officer for Wellnecity, as they dive into a conversation around how data-driven solutions can address health plan challenges. We'll also see how data-driven solutions can empower groups to reduce costs, streamline operations, and enhance outcomes. 

Financial stress doesn’t always show up in obvious ways—but it’s quietly impacting your people, your productivity, and your retention. In this episode, Katie Rapley, Head of Marketing at BrightDime, shares why HR leaders should think of financial wellness as preventative care.   We explore what financial stress really looks like at work, the ripple effects organizations often overlook, and how the right support can completely shift an employee’s experience. Katie shares a powerful comparison of one employee’s journey—with and without access to financial guidance—that highlights just how much is at stake. Katie also breaks down the key ingredients of a financial wellness program that actually gets used—and how HR teams can make progress even without a big budget.   If you’re looking for practical, human-centered ways to support your employees’ financial well-being, this one’s for you.

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have received a lot of bad press due to increasing pharmacy costs and the limited control held by plan sponsors. As an innovator in the PBM space, Marc Cohen, VP, Marketing and Sales for ProCare Rx, joins the show to delve into the pharmacy services offered by ProCare Rx and their EDGE program. Join us as Marc dives into how ProCare Rx's clear-sight transparency provides value by containing costs while maintaining the efficacy of the clinical program.

This week, Zach Fiedler, COO, and Jake Goll, PharmD, Clinical Consultant, of Prism Health join the show to dive into Prism's Spend and Trend Report. With a focus on plan sponsors, Prism provides this report to payers so that they can benchmark how their plan is doing, and it allows them to see if market trends are also seen in their patient population. Join us as Zach and Jake dive into the biggest insights from this year's report!

This week, Anthony Hartley, CEO of MedAdvisor, joins the show to discuss how regenerative medicine has truly transformed patient care. Opposed to treating autoimmune disorders with pricey specialty medications, MedAdvisor advocates for patients to seek alternative therapies that can provide the medical outcomes they are seeking. Join us as Anthony discusses the impact of regenerative medicine on member health, the financial costs of the plan, and the future of medicine overall.

Everyday employees come to work in pain. Their pain not only impacts their day to day, but their pain impacts the entire health plan as other conditions such as diabetes, weight, and stress, for example, get worse. As an alternative to traditional surgeries, Regenexx utilizes a needle-based approach using the patient's own cells from their blood. To tell us more about Regenexx's approach, Mark Testa, Executive Vice President; Regenexx, joins the show to display the impact Regenexx can have - including how they've been validated as generating 49% cost savings across the board by replacing up to 70% of elective orthopedic surgeries.

Over 60% of the workforce is made up of working parents. The challenge of navigating parenthood while managing work duties can lead to higher rates of presenteeism and absenteeism among the working parent population. As a working parent himself, Han Kulberg. Co-Founder and CEO of Avocado Health, joins the show to discuss how he was inspired to create this solution and the benefit it provides to working parents by providing them with a reliable source of information and support.

On this week's episode, PJ Rescigno, AVP, Specialty Products for Planned Administrators, joins the show to discuss PAI's limited benefit and ACA-compliant plans offered on their specialty side. These plans provide significant benefits to members and employers alike, reducing costs and significantly improving retention. 

Long-term care, skilled nursing, and health and human service employers are facing a serious crisis at this current moment. These employers have been faced with significant challenges such as: A war for talent Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels The continuous increase in healthcare costs and premiums On the heels of their recent white paper addressing this crisis, Andy McMillan, Executive Vice President, National Head of Sales & Marketing for Homestead, joins the show this week to dive into the crisis and how Homestead's reference-based pricing approach can serve as a potential solution for employers! 

Benefits leaders are tasked with providing solutions to the needs of their employees. Joining us this week with years of benefits administration experience, Jenny Spring, Employee Benefits Manager for US Radiology Specialists, discusses the innovative solutions she's brought to her employees at US Radiology. Additionally, with the importance benefits play during times of need, Jenny displays the benefits that high-touch solutions with a human element provide employees.

A staggering 45% of American employees reports stuggling with their well-being. Employee Assistance Programs strive to be a resource for these employees, but have missed the mark. This week, we are joined by Will Busch III, Founder of Soteria Life, a well-being analytics program aimed at providing an innovative solution to employee benefits to address the struggles faced by American workers. We dive into Soteria's focus on family preservation, how they utilize technology and AI, and what makes Soteria Life different from other EAPs.

Jake Steepleton, Product Lead at Wellnecity, and Lauren Roberson, Head of Nurse Advocacy for Connect Healthcare Collaboration, join this week's show to discuss how their collaboration results in the improved efficiency of solutions and health outcomes through the use of data.

For individuals, the start of the new year often brings resolutions revolving around health. Additionally, their deductible amounts start over.    To kick off 2025, Al Lewis, Quizmeister-in-Chief at Quizzify, joins the show to discuss how Quizzify's education platform teaches and engages members in health literacy, healthcare literacy, and health benefits literacy through their curated trivia quizzes. Beyond education, Al also displays how Quizzify and the other tools they have built help members be better, wiser, stewards of both their own and the plan's money.    Be sure to attend Quizzify's webinar on January 25, where they will dive into The 10 "Greatest Hacks" of Employee Health Literacy: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jKP27PXNRa-9JYtms6CZ_A#/registration

For self-insured employers, the rising costs of care are one of their biggest management challenges. Often, these costs result from members starting in the wrong place on their care journey due to the design of the benefit package. This week, Michael Riley Jr., CEO of Sustainable Health Index (SHI), and Jennifer Gamboa, Managing Partner for SHI, join the show to discuss how SHI uses data to determine root causes of healthcare costs and strategies to reduce costs while improving health outcomes for members.

For many households, childcare is their second highest expense. Additionally, access to child care can be severely limited in specific industries and areas of the country. Jennifer Frantom, a working mother herself and Director of Business Development for Learning Care Group, joins this week's show to discuss how Learning Care Group provides various innovative, customized childcare solutions for any organization!

Work Right is focused on the industrial athlete and keeping them safe. Through their partnership with Longitude6, WorkRight has been able to bring wearable technologies to meet the specific needs of each individual worksite. In this week's episode, we are joined by Nic Patee, President of WorkRight, and Mark Heaysman, CEO of Longitude6, as we dive into the partnership and its impact on the working athlete.

Continuing to come to you on the heels of Health Benefits Nation, Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project, joins the show to discuss their mission and strategy for mitigating the risk of opioid addiction and overdose.   To learn more about the risk opioids present and prevention methods, check out these additional resources: Safe Surgery for Those in Recovery: https://www.forconstructionpros.com/business/business-services/coaching-consulting/article/22913133/goldfinch-health-avoiding-opioids-and-heal-prior-to-and-after-surgery-for-those-in-recovery Optimizing Outcomes and Containing the Costs of Surgery: https://blog.ifebp.org/optimizing-outcomes-and-containing-the-costs-of-surgery/ SAFE Project 5-Minute Opioid Overdose Reversal Training Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shwlqCWM4qM SAFE Project 30-Minute Opioid Overdose Reversal Training Video: https://safeproject-s-school-262f.thinkific.com/courses/naloxone-training Reversing Opioid Overdoses in Construction: A Jobsite Imperative: https://www.cfmabponline.net/cfmabp/09102024/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=2014391&temp=5b4a2f4d-b8ed-4bd8-8b5d-c4f998423983#articleId2014391  

We're coming to you live from the Validation Institute's Health Benefits Nation! In this week's episode, Stephanie Koch, Director of Human Resources for Hendry Marine Industries, joins the show fresh off being named one of the Top 25 Benefits Leaders in the Country to discuss the work she's done as an HR leader to assess the needs of those on the plan and provide them with a solution that works for them!

Recently it seems that the term 'PBM' has become a dirty acronym in the benefits space. Non-transparent practices and spread pricing have led to increased costs for the plan and its members. Bill Miller, Managing Director of Evo First, joins this week's show to discuss how Evo's approach to pharmacy benefits differentiates them from the "big guys" through transparency, flexibility, and independence.

Underwriting Management Experts is a full-service stop-loss provider who prides themselves on creating disruption through independence, flexibility, and innovation. As we head into 2025, Vince Lewis, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at UME, joins the show to discuss UME's new captive product Sapient Health set to launch at the beginning of the year!

The Direct Primary Care Model is transforming primary care for both patients and physicans. So in this week's episode, we're talking all things DPC! Alex George, Head of Marketing at Hint Health, Molly Breitenbach, COO of Candid Health Advisors, and Dr. Brandon Alleman, co-owner of Antioch Med, join the show to discuss how Hint Health has worked to make DPC accessible to the masses.

In a recent survey by Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM), employers rated family-forming inside as one of the Top-5 most important benefits that they should be focusing on. With an increased focus on these benefits, David Adamson, CEO of ARC Fertility, and Eliza Chin, Executive Director of the American Medical Women's Association, join this week's show to discuss why family-forming benefits are receiving more attention and the impact that offering these benefits can have on the workplace.

This week we are joined by Rhett Stover, President of Proactive MD, and Matt Farnum, SVP and Head of Strategic Markets for Proactive MD, as they discuss their roles with the company and how their advanced primary care model brings about significant benefit to any organization.

Advance Care Planning has begun to gain more and more traction in the employee benefits space over the past couple of years, so this week, Joanne Eason, President of Five Wishes, joins the show to discuss what Advance Care Planning is, why it is important for people of all ages to have, and how their Five Wishes at Work program brings Advance Care Planning to organizations as an employee benefit. 

Steve Zetzl, Vice President, Client Strategies, and Katherine Lurk, Vice President, Clinical Strategies, of Northwind Pharmaceuticals join this week's show to discuss Northwind's PSA (Pharmacy Services Administration) approach and how it serves to differentiate them from the PBMs on the market.

This week, Andy McMillan, Executive Vice President of Homestead Smart Health Plans, joins the show to take a deep dive into reference-based pricing. Specifically we dive into the savings associated with reference-based pricing, the myths around it, and what brokers and employers need to know as the consider moving to a reference-based plan. Additionally, Andy details how Homestead utilizes reference-based pricing and how they use the customer experience to differentiate themselves from other solutions on the market.

An important, and often overlooked part of employee well-being is financial wellness. With 78% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, and a significant increase in employees drawing loans on their 401(k), the recent partnership between BrightDime and Kashable looks to equip employees with financial coaching and low-cost loans to help them achieve their financial goals. This week we are joined by David Stedman, CEO of BrightDime, and Jameson Fauver, VP of Business Development at Kashable, as they talk through their partnership and the value it brings.