Rise

Raheleh Barznia Senior Manager, Clinical Quality Member Experience

Blue Shield of California

Raheleh Barznia currently serves as the Senior Manager of Clinical Quality Member Experience at Blue Shield of California. In her role, she is responsible for the end-to-end CAHPS reporting and performance improvement strategies across Blue Shield’s Medicare line of business. With over 13 years of experience in the health care industry, Raheleh is deeply committed to understanding and enhancing interactions, services, and value that members receive from their Health Plan. In her spare time, Raheleh enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, and spending quality time with her husband, daughter, and their teacup yorkie.

Ryan Bernstein Consultant

Rex Wallace Consulting

Ryan is a proficient Star Ratings expert with over five years of dedicated experience in the Medicare field. As a consultant with Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC, his expertise covers data analysis, program management, and strategic planning, ensuring that clients achieve substantial improvements. Before joining RWC, Ryan was the Program Director for Medicare Star Ratings at a regional health plan in the Pacific Northwest, where he led initiatives to improve quality of care, health outcomes, and member experience for the Medicare Advantage population across multiple states. Ryan is deeply committed to leveraging data to inform decision-making processes and enhance outcomes for vulnerable populations, consistently driving operational efficiencies and performance improvements.

Ana Berridge Executive Advisor, Consulting and Professional Services

Healthmine

Ana brings more than 20 years of healthcare and health plan experience. The last two years she has been a consultant with Healthmine and has helped health plans and companies improve their quality programs. In her prior positions she had oversight of work related to Stars, HEDIS®, NCQA, Quality Rating System, External Quality Review Organization, population health programs, new product implementation, value-based care programs, policy advocacy and health equity programs.  

Ana developed multiple innovative member and provider interventions that were integral in the successful improvement of key HEDIS and Consumer Asessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) quality measures and meeting corporate and contractual goals. She has experience with successfully identifying and implementing new to industry initiatives, such as texting, with proven quality and financial improvement. Ana is bilingual in English and Spanish and has used this in community initiatives to help engage members and improve the quality of care for the Medicaid, Medicare, Affordable Care Act, and Commercial populations. 

Liz Carr VP of Product Delivery & Customer Experience

Ingenia

As VP of Product Delivery and Customer Experience at Ingenia Health, Liz directs the account management, operations and support teams for new client implementations and production clients. Liz is a trusted advisor to health plan leaders on all things related to Quality organization and analytics. She enjoys taking creative yet pragmatic approaches to problem solving in order to deliver the most value to clients.

Liz began her career at MedVentive, a startup acquired by McKesson, and was on the product team for a Quality & Med Econ tool. She was a Certified Scaled Agile scrum master for the product development team and supported new client implementations. Liz made the transition to consulting, joining a boutique firm that focused on Quality and Risk Adjustment optimization for health plans. She led client accounts ranging from small Duals payers to national multi-state managed care organizations and worked with vendor partners to design new specialized software. Her projects ranged from new Quality tool implementations and multi-year HEDIS and STARS projects to organizational strategy consulting.

Liz has a BA in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University

Jessica Columbus VP, Value Based Care Operations

Memorial Herman Health Plan/Apex Health Solutions

Jessica Columbus, LVN, CCS-P, CRC, CPHQ is currently the Vice President of Value Based Care for Apex Health Solutions. Her expertise in physician performance engagement and value-based care best practices are built on a foundation of more than 18 years’ experience in managed care focusing on end-to-end health plan operations related to Risk Adjustment and the CMS Star Rating Program. 

She began her healthcare career in direct patient care as a Pediatric/NICU nurse and in 2005 took an opportunity at a managed care company in their Referral/Pre-Cert Department where she was first exposed to quality and risk adjustment concepts. Once promoted into a leadership role that allowed her to own and create both risk adjustment and HEDIS programs from scratch she discovered those to be her true passion.

For 15 years her career has concentrated on innovative provider engagement strategies and implementing real world solutions that positively impact provider and contract performance. Her enterprise-wide physician education programs that aim to improve understanding of clinical documentation requirements have proven successful through accuracy of HCC recapture, increased year-round closure of HEDIS gaps in care and strengthened positive health plan experiences among both providers and members. 

Prior to joining Apex in August of 2020, Jessica worked at Universal American/WellCare for 6 years as the Sr. Director of Quality Improvement directly overseeing all quality improvement programs, HEDIS, Stars operations and prospective risk adjustment activities for their Texas and Louisiana markets. During her tenure at WellCare she was able to consistently deliver solid Star Ratings for all contracts under her responsibility, including achieving a 4.5 STAR in 2019 for their flagship MAPD plan in Texas.  Jessica’s continued career journey is centered on improving clinical outcomes for patients through advancing provider and payer partnerships that will revolutionize value-based care. 

Jessica enjoys spending her free time traveling with her husband Brandon and their 3 daughters (Gabriella, Alexis and Jordan) in Houston Texas. 

Nick DiMauro Director of Sales

Medline

Ryan Dodson Chief Operating Officer/Co-Founder

New Vision Healthcare Solutions

His background is in management and operational processes for 15 years, and began working in the Risk Adjustment arena 12 years ago. Ryan has proven himself by helping Medical Groups raise their RAF scores to their proper levels. He directed the movement of a 10,000 member group up 43% over a two year period, and an 1800 member group up 53% in the first year. Ryan achieves these results through chart documentation audits, provider and staff documentation training, and provider relationship building. In his most current role Ryan works with multiple groups to optimize their RAF score, while at the same time achieving CMS 5 Star quality. Ryan explains to these groups that getting their RAF score to the correct level will not only drive revenue, but it will also lead to better patient care with improved documentation habits. Ryan is a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) credential through the AAPC.

Tina Dueringer CEO, Principal Advisor

Dueringer Advisors, Inc

Tina Dueringer, BSN, RN, CCM, PCC, is the CEO and Principal Advisor at Dueringer Advisors Inc., a distinguished consulting firm dedicated to supporting health plans, vendors, and leaders in the health insurance and provider sectors. With a robust background spanning Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Duals, ACA, and commercial markets, Tina brings extensive expertise in care management, utilization management, clinical quality, Model of Care development, Stars ratings, HEDIS measures, and accreditation standards such as NCQA and URAC.

Tina's career is marked by strategic insights into health plan operations, including strategic planning, joint ventures, partnerships, delegated relationships, and the advancement of value-based care models. She is deeply committed to advancing Health Equity, Population Health, and integrated care initiatives across the industry.

Previously, Tina served as Vice President of Clinical Quality and Stars at Rebellis Group, specializing in Medicare Advantage and government consulting. Her leadership journey includes pivotal roles at Cityblock, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Medicaid Policy Division.

Tina earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and holds a post-graduate certification in Population Care Coordination from Duke University. She is also a Board-Certified Case Manager (CCM), underscoring her dedication to enhancing healthcare delivery and outcomes through comprehensive care coordination strategies.

Rhonda Farrar Clinical HEDIS Supervisor

Healthy People, Inc.

Rhonda is the Clinical HEDIS Supervisor for Healthy People, Inc.  Her clinical nursing experience includes critical care nursing in the ICU and ED, home health nursing, and Chronic Care Management.  Recognizing the increasing frequency of ED and Home Health Care utilization by the same patients, Rhonda shifted to a healthcare quality focus.  Rhonda has spent the last 9 years supporting patients, providers and health plans with significant experience in HEDIS and Quality Improvement.  Rhonda’s health plan experience as the manager of HEDIS and Risk Adjustment departments on the payer side helps bring the clinical perspective to the technical needs of Quality.  She has now transitioned from the vendor side to work with the Healthy People Team to continue those efforts!  She is currently based in Marion County, FL and spends her free time with her husband, family, and their precious dogs Creek and River.

Sharon Fletcher President & CEO

Birdsong Hearing Benefits

Sharon Fletcher is President of Birdsong Hearing Benefits. In addition, she serves as President to Birdsong’s subsidiaries, AudioNet America (ANA), Your Hearing Network (YHN) and Advanced Hearing Providers (AHP) and Great Lakes Provider Network (GLPN). She is a highly accomplished three-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with a history for being thrust into completely new businesses, quickly determining the leverage points, developing a plan to grow shareholder value, staffing the organization for success, and motivating the team to deliver the Plan. She has deep experience in the Healthcare sector but has also demonstrated the same approach and results in industries ranging from technology, to consulting, and even airlines. Sharon is focused on awakening people to the sounds of life through better hearing healthcare. She is an outstanding coach by the thousands of people she has touched.

With over 18-years of managed care experience, she has served as the President of Fluent Health, a technology-enabled application platform delivering cost effective value to the healthcare sector.

Her numerous achievements include being nominated to be a member of Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation and was also recognized as one of Oklahoma’s Outstanding 2018 Chief Executive Officer of the Year. Her extensive Board experience includes several United Way chapters, The American Heart Association, Tulsa’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Healthcare Advisory Board. She is also a member of The National Association of Corporate Directors.

She serves on JAX Chamber Board of Directors and as Vice President of Programs for JAX SHRM, including serving on the Board of JAX Society of Human Resources.

Fletcher holds a PhD from Northcentral University, MBA from University of Mary, MS from La Roche College, and a Bachelor of Science from Point Park University. She also obtained an Executive Leadership Program Certificate from Cornell University in Finance. She enjoys time with family, travel, and reads five books a month.

Savannah Gonsalves Director of Quality Improvement

Hometown Health

Savannah Gonsalves, RN, BSN, MHA is the Director of Quality for Hometown Health. Savannah specializes is regulatory quality programs, including MIPS, ACO, and HEDIS and has a passion for population health.  She has an extensive background in clinical informatics as well and uses this to integrate quality into clinician workflows effectively and efficiently. In her role at Hometown Health, she oversees the Stars and Accreditation Programs. She enjoys hiking and camping with her family in the paradise that is Lake Tahoe.  

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it” George Bernard Shaw.

Ana Handshuh Principal

CAT5 Strategies

Ana Handshuh, Principal at CAT5 Strategies, is a government programs executive with expertise in creating and implementing corporate programs for the healthcare industry. Her background includes Quality, Core Measures, Care Management, Benefit Design and Bid Submission, Accreditation, Regulatory Compliance, Revenue Management, Communications, Community-based Care Management Programs and Technology Integration. Ms. Handshuh currently serves on the Board of the Resource Initiative and Society for Education (RISE), the preeminent national professional association dedicated to managed and accountable care financing and delivery. She is a sought after speaker on the national healthcare circuit in the areas of Quality, Star Ratings, Care Management, Member and Provider Engagement, and Revenue Management. Her recent consultancy roles have included assisting organizations create programs to address the unmet care management needs in the highest risk strata of membership, document their processes and procedures, achieve accreditation status, design and submit government program bids, institute corporate-wide programs and create communications strategies and materials. She possesses sophisticated business acumen with the ability to build consensus with cross-functional groups to accomplish corporate goals. Ms. Handshuh served as the Vice President of Managed Care Services at Central Florida Inpatient Medicine (CFIM). In this role, she provided leadership and strategy on CFIM projects and collaborations with physicians, risk entities, hospital health care systems, and health plans. CFIM is the largest Hospitalist group in Central Florida, with 70 providers discharging over 50,000 patients annually from multiple hospitals across two health care delivery systems and 24 skilled nursing facilities. At CFIM Ms. Handshuh previously served as the Vice President of Operations. Prior to those assignments, she worked with Precision Healthcare Systems as their Vice President of Quality Improvement. In that capacity, she led the IPA’s Quality efforts and collaborated with payers on implementing programs to move the needle on Quality and Star Rating initiatives. Ms. Handshuh also served as the Director of Corporate Program Development at Physicians United Plan. In this role, she led the Quality Management and Corporate Communications departments and spearheaded the development of innovative integrated technology solutions to drive business excellence and Star Rating achievement initiatives. For the past fifteen years Ms. Handshuh has taken an active role in redefining and implementing changes that have led to improvements and greater efficiency within Government programs and healthcare delivery. Prior to joining Physicians United Plan Ms. Handshuh was the founder of I-Six Creative. Under Ms. Handshuh’s vision and leadership, I-Six Creative provided expertise in the areas of managed Medicare benefit design, MSO/IPA operations, provider network strategy, new market launches, technology integration, corporate communications and quality improvement.

Leah Hannum Director, Government Funding Operations

Blue Cross of Idaho

Approaching 20 years of experience in healthcare, Leah Hannum has played a pivotal role in the planning, oversight, and strategy development for risk adjustment programs in Medicare Advantage and Affordable Care Act products. Leah is enthusiastic about discovering innovative, collaborative solutions across risk adjustment , quality, and Stars. Her favorite moments at work are the ad hoc brainstorming sessions that lead to improvements in the status quo today and for the future. She leads a team of analysts, program managers and engagement specialists who work hard every day to ensure members and healthcare providers have access to the information needed for high quality, affordable healthcare

Adam Higman Partner, Strategic Consulting

Press Ganey

Adam leads the Payer Solutions team and brings extensive management and consulting experience to his role. He is passionate about improving our experiences navigating complex health decisions to ultimately improve the quality of life for members, patients and communities. He has carried this work out leading data-driven experience improvement initiatives to identify the moments that most impact both our perception and the outcomes of care.

He has worked with large national payers, state and regional non-profits, provider sponsored health plans and directly with more than 75 health systems and independent provider organizations ranging from local specialty groups to large national and academic organizations throughout the United States.

In addition to leading a number of large-scale redesign projects requiring strategic planning, market analysis, and provider alignment, Adam has conducted assessments and overseen implementations focusing on quality, operational efficiency and growth planning; care
management/coordination; and structural/governance improvement. He also has analyzed staffing, redesigned scheduling and coordinated transformational engagements for medical practice and ambulatory services; has extensive experience in vendor management and in standardization of SLAs; and has led a number of model-of-care redesign projects to improve key moments of the member/patient journey.

During his career, Adam worked for a full-service strategic health and science communications agency advising health systems, health plans, advocacy groups, and life sciences companies.

Nikki Hungate Product & Quality Strategy Consultant

FarmboxRx

Nikki is an accomplished professional with over 17 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in Medicare and Medicaid product strategy. With extensive knowledge and expertise in the field, Nikki is a trusted leader who has consistently contributed to the growth and success of various organizations.

Nikki holds a Master's degree in Health Administration. Additionally, she has pursued a Doctorate in Executive Leadership. 

As a passionate advocate for accessible and affordable healthcare, Nikki remains dedicated to driving innovation in the Medicare and Medicaid sectors.

Katharine Iskrant Practice Leader

Healthy People, Inc.

Katharine is the President of Healthy People, an NCQA-licensed HEDIS audit firm and CMS Data Validation firm. She is a member of NCQA’s Audit Methodology Panel and NCQA’s HEDIS Data Collection Advisory Panel. Katharine has been a Certified HEDIS® Compliance Auditor since 1998 and has directed more than two thousand HEDIS audits.

Previously, as CEO of the company Acumetrics, Katharine provided consultancy services to NCQA which helped their initial development and eventual launch of the NCQA Measure Certification Program.

Katharine is a frequent speaker at HEDIS conferences. 

She is featured on an NCQA podcast, discussing the HEDIS Electronic Clinical Data System Measures:
https://blog.ncqa.org/inside-h...

She received her BA from Columbia University and her MPH from UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She is a member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality and is published in the fields of healthcare and public health.

David Kao Principal Program Manager, Clinical Quality

Blue Shield of California

Jenn Kerfoot Chief Strategy and Growth Officer

DUOS

Jenn brings her deep understanding of the complexities and nuances within the Medicare Advantage & Value-Based Care landscape to their work at DUOS, where they lead business development, go-to-market strategy, and marketing. By leveraging data-driven insights and market intelligence, they spearhead the development of tailored products and services that cater to the unique needs of Medicare Advantage plans and deliver unparalleled value to clients and beneficiaries alike; previous leadership roles include FarmboxRx, Excelera Health, and NationsBenefits. Beyond her role at DUOS, Jenn actively contributes to the industry's progress as a thought leader leveraging expertise and advocacy for innovative healthcare practices to enhance healthcare accessibility and quality.

Katherine Lanza Manager, Medicare, Stars

Blue Shield of California

Katie has been working to improve Blue Shield of California’s Medicare Star Rating for over five years, and she is now the Manager of the Stars Strategy team. In this role she leads the team through the annual and monthly Stars process to ensure the performance engine is running smoothly. On a day-to-day basis, she works with enterprise leaders to evaluate their measures’ performance, review workplans, and implement mitigation strategies. Katie holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan.

David Larsen Senior Advisor, Member Experience

Press Ganey

David L. Larsen has been the Director of Quality Improvement for SelectHealth in Salt La¬ke City, Utah for the past 31 years and has worked for Intermountain Healthcare for 38 years. SelectHealth is a mixed model HMO with more than 900,000 members in Utah, Idaho and Nevada. Intermountain Healthcare is an integrated health care delivery system with 23 hospitals and over 1500 employed physicians.

As the Director of Quality Improvement, David has responsibilities for oversight of the Medicare Advantage Stars program for which SelectHealth received a 4.5 Star rating in 2020 and 4 Star rating in 2021, maintaining NCQA accreditation; HEDIS performance measurement; CAHPS measurement and reporting, public reporting (transparency) and population health.

David has also been responsible for the oversight and development of chronic disease registries, performance measurement and web based reporting systems, quality improvement pay for performance incentives for providers, and direct patient improvement interventions related to chronic illnesses including patient adherence monitoring, reminders and incentive programs.

Eddie Maria Head of Sales

Birdsong Hearing Benefits

Eddie Maria is the Head of Sales for Birdsong Hearing. In his role, Eddie provides leadership of Birdsong Hearing Benefits, LLC Sales while partnering with clients to make their plans more impactful, personal, and meaningful for members. He is passionate about improving peoples’ lives by bringing a whole health focus to hearing benefits that also helps health plans bring additional value to their members.

Eddie is a client-focused leader with extensive experience bringing solutions to Commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Managed Medicaid plans. He is passionate about the customer experience, focuses on nurturing relationships, and appreciates the importance of understanding the customer’s needs.

Eddie has 27 years of experience building client partnerships and leading sales teams in the healthcare industry, including the pharmaceutical, women’s healthcare, and hearing benefits sectors. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from California State University – Sacramento. Outside of work, Eddie volunteers with Blessings in a Backpack – an organization that provides children on a free-lunch program with food every Friday during the school year so that they have food for the weekend.

Traco Matthews Chief Health Equity Officer

Kern Health Systems

Dr. Christie McMullen CEO

AIM...Analyze, Improve, Move

Dr. Christie McMullen is a seasoned educator turned entrepreneur, dedicated to infusing work with genuine fun. With 25 years of experience and expertise in educational leadership, she's impacted organizations like FAMP, ReMax, Aetna, Solaris, and RISE, enhancing human interactions.

With a master's and doctorate in Educational Leadership, Dr. McMullen connects with individuals across industries, from CEOs to educators to salespeople. As a coach, networking specialist, and keynote speaker, she offers transformative experiences, using her AIM approach: Analyze, Improve, Move towards extraordinary relationships.

Dr. McMullen's coaching is personalized, tailored to diverse needs, whether in the corporate world or personal relationships. She helps humans overcome mediocrity and unlock the potential for extraordinary connections.

LaShawn Moore Project Manager, Stars, Quality, and Risk Adjustment

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

LaShawn Moore has over 12 years of experience in healthcare operations and informatics working to drive excellence in quality metrics.

Mallory Mueller VP, Population Health & Equity

Healthmine

Mallory has over 15 years of leadership, quality and clinical experience delivering 5-Star quality care for senior populations in managed care plans and assisted living settings. She serves as Vice President of Population Health and Equity at Healthmine, guiding the brand's strategy in eliminating barriers to care, serving diverse populations and helping plans meet evolving health equity requirements. She previously served as the Director of Quality Health Integration at Network Health Plan where she oversaw all regulatory programs and led the plan to achieve 5-Star performance.

Claude Pinnock MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Pinnock is a healthcare industry veteran with deep clinical strategy and digital health experience and brings a strong passion for improving access and quality to -elevate health for all with a focus on social determinants of health (SDOH).

As Chief Medical Officer at Wider Circle, Dr. Pinnock is responsible for crafting, directing, and overseeing the execution of the company’s clinical strategy for expanding its Medicare and Medicaid business. In addition, he leads research, business development and supports the senior leadership team in their efforts to further shape and grow the organization, including collaborating closely with Wider Circle’s product
development, marketing, and sales teams.

Dr. Pinnock began his clinical career in the United Kingdom, earning his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) at the University of Nottingham and his master’s in public health from Cambridge University. While he began his career as a practicing physician in rural Cambridgeshire, a personal interest in driving the adoption of value-based healthcare in EMEA eventually led to a position at International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM). Following a move to the United States, he held leadership positions addressing service redesign, quality improvement, and strategy in public and private health sectors (Stanford University School of Medicine,
Clarify Health Solutions). Most recently, he managed global strategic partnerships in health at Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and led their health partnerships innovation team driving global adoption of vaccines.

Kempton Presley Chief Strategy Officer, Office of the President

Adhere Health, Vanderbilt University

Kempton leads a multi-disciplinary analytics, product, and strategy team to meet current and future market needs using all enterprise data combined with a framework of subject matter intelligence. With 12 years of tenure at Adhere, he has also led account management and other operations teams for the company.

With two decades of healthcare payor experience, Kempton previously worked at Anthem (now Elevance) where he received the New York Presidents’ Award and participated in the Emerging Leader Program. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University, was a Lecturer at Columbia University, and has co-authored work published in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics. He holds a BA in Economics from Washington & Lee University, a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University and a Master’s in Medical Informatics from Northwestern University.

Kempton currently serves on the Board of the Center for Living and Learning, the Board of the Blake McMeans Foundation, the Board of Elders at Woodmont Christian Church, and the Alumni Board of Montgomery Bell Academy. Previously, he served on the Board of United Cerebral Palsy of Middle TN, was Chair of the Board of Friends Life Community, was Treasurer of the Percy Priest Elementary PTO and was Alumni Chair for Montgomery Bell Academy’s Annual Fund giving campaign.

Diana M. Rodriguez HEDIS Project Manager

Cigna Medicare

Diana Rodriguez is a Quality Manager within the HEDIS department at Cigna Healthcare. She has been with the organization for 13 years, serving in various rolls across Claims, Stars, and HEDIS. For the last six years, Diana has worked alongside the HEDIS team to conduct successful medical record review projects, educating business partners on their contributions to the Medicare Advantage Stars program, and partnering with provider enablement teams to increase supplemental data sharing across markets in Cigna Medicare products.

Heidi Salerno Member Experience Consultant

Rex Wallace Consulting

Heidi has deep expertise in helping health plans improve their Member Experience. Prior to joining RWC, she led the CAHPS and HOS national strategy for Cigna.

Maria Sanchez de Varona Director, Medicare Stars Program

Blue Cross of Idaho

I am an executive with broad expertise in Clinical Operations Management of healthcare industry organizations and diverse knowledge multi-specialty provider groups and insurance plans.

I have lead teams charged with transformation of medical operations, driving organizational change with strong emphasis in strategy, innovation, process improvement, regulatory compliance, customer service and staff engagement.

Have a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master in Business with a specialization in Healthcare from the University of Miami.

Transformational Leadership | Process Improvement | Build Productive Relationships | Resolve Complex Issues | Streamlined Operations | Creates Standard Operating Procedures | NCQA Quality Measures |HEDIS | CAHPS/HOS

Melissa Skelton Duke Executive Director, Stars Strategy

Banner Medicare Advantage Health Plans

Missy Skelton Duke is the Executive Director of Medicare Stars Strategy at Banner Health. In this role, she builds the strategic vision and strategies that optimize Banner Health Plans’ Medicare Advantage Star Rating. In this role, she drives alignment across complex provider networks, provider aggregators, population health services organizations, and health plan departments to provide the highest quality health care and service to their Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and Dual-Eligible members. Prior to this role, Missy served as the Executive Director of Population Health Pharmacy Solutions and Ambulatory Pharmacy Services and Senior Director of Specialty and Home Delivery Pharmacy Services at Banner Health. She has also served as the Clinical Pharmacy Services Manager for Intermountain Healthcare, where she was responsible for the growth and development of clinical services, collaborative pharmacy practice agreements, and professional development and competency assessment.

Missy has been active in pharmacy advocacy issues throughout her entire pharmacy career. She has served in numerous pharmacy leadership and advocacy roles at the state and national level, most recently serving as APhA Speaker of the House of Delegates.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University Of New Mexico College Of Pharmacy in 2008, and a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research from the University of Utah. She completed a 24-month residency program in Health-System Pharmacy Administration from Intermountain Healthcare in June of 2010.

Melissa Smith Founder, Senior Advisor

Newton Smith Group

For more than a decade, Melissa Smith has been at the forefront of leading Medicare Advantage and Star Ratings teams. As the founder of Newton Smith Group and a Senior Advisor to Oliver Wyman, Melissa is a widely recognized thought leader and healthcare strategist. Her proven track record of success lies in developing comprehensive enterprise-wide solutions that enhance Star Ratings, quality performance, health outcomes, and the overall member experience.

Melissa excels in crafting strategic and tactical solutions to meet client needs, forging productive partnerships across internal teams and external vendors, and improving performance on various quality measures.  Her unique background in business, finance, regulatory compliance, and healthcare quality provides clients unparalleled access to healthcare strategy, quality performance, and revenue optimization.

As the former Chief Consulting Officer at Healthmine and Senior Vice President at Gorman Health Group, Melissa's leadership spans across prestigious organizations like Cigna-HealthSpring and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Graduating from Purdue University, Melissa began her career at KPMG, LLP and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Elissa Toder VP of Quality Improvement Strategies

Reveleer

Elissa Toder, Vice President of Quality Improvement Strategy and Solutions has worked in managed care for over 16 years as a former Staff Vice President of Quality Improvement.

Mick Twomey Chief Executive Officer

Hyperlift

Mick Twomey is the founding Chief Operating Officer (COO) and current Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) of Hyperlift Logic, Inc. Coming from a management consulting background, Mick set his vision on redefining how plans approach Stars optimization. Out of that was born Stars Monitor, Hyperlift's SaaS technology platform.

Crafted by Stars professionals for their peers, Stars Monitor is the industry's leading Stars analytics solution that gives Stars teams time back while redefining how plans approach Stars optimization. Mick's dedication to creating a scalable and universally applicable model has helped establish Hyperlift's innovation-driven approach into a trusted partner in the healthcare sector.

Through a combination of leading-edge technology, Stars experts, and a year-round engagement framework, Hyperlift propels healthcare plans of all magnitudes to elevate their Stars performance management. Mick's leadership catalyzes these solutions, enabling healthcare plans to embark on a transformative Stars management journey that outperforms conventional performance management. 

Kyra Valdez-Shipp Founder & Principal

Peak Performance Solutions Group

Kyra Valdez-Shipp stands out as an esteemed healthcare executive and is the Founder & Principal of Peak Performance Solutions Group. Her mission is straightforward: to Inspire, Motivate, and Elevate individuals and organizations to infinite potential. Boasting two decades of experience in healthcare across various products, Kyra assists health plans, providers, and healthcare technology vendors in achieving peak performance with a focus on member-centric strategies. Her deep passion lies in pioneering healthcare solutions that cater to the dynamic and varied needs of populations managed by healthcare professionals daily.

Peet van Biljon Adjunct Professor

Georgetown University, McCourt School of Public Policy

Peet van Biljon serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches a graduate course, Innovation & Public Policy, to students at the McCourt School of Public Policy. His recent research employs the Medicare Advantage program as a case study for exploring the ability of public-procurement spending to induce innovation in private firms.

He was formerly a management consultant and strategy expert at McKinsey & Company, where he also managed its global innovation practice. Subsequently, Peet founded BMNP Strategies LLC, an advisory firm, where he consults to clients on innovation management, R&D and business transformation, as well as on public policies to promote innovation and economic growth. Peet serves clients in all sectors, but has particularly deep expertise in the high-tech, electronics, software, and advanced manufacturing industries. He has held executive positions in several technology and advisory companies internationally. 

Peet’s book, Innovation for Value and Mission: An Introduction to Innovation Management and Policy (published by De Gruyter in 2022), covers innovation in both the public and private sectors, as well as public policy for innovation. Articles on innovation and R&D management that he coauthored have been published in MIT Sloan Management Review, Research-Technology Management, and mckinsey.com. 

Rex Wallace Principal

Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC

Rex Wallace is the founder and principal of Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC, a firm that specializes in improving Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage health plans. Rex assesses plans and guides them in the development and implementation of-leading strategies to drive material Quality Improvement. Since its inception in 2017, RWC has helped multiple Medicare Advantage contracts achieve significant improvements in Star Ratings, including single-year full-Star improvements. Prior to launching RWC, Rex spent twenty-three years in strategic healthcare roles, with a strong focus on Medicare Advantage. Most recently, he led Stars for a large, multi-state plan that consistently achieved 4 and 4.5 Stars across its multiple contracts.

Daniel Weaver SVP Stars and Quality

Zing Health

Daniel Weaver recently became the Senior Vice President of Stars and Quality at Zing Health. With over 25 years of experience in Operations and Star Ratings strategy, Daniel has previously served as VP, Government Quality Programs at Gateway Health and Director of Stars Programs at Highmark Health, helping both organizations achieve and maintain their first 4.5 Star Ratings. In his career, Dan has overseen the development and implementation of many analytics-driven and customer-focused programs, and he advocates for continuous improvement and operational excellence philosophies for sustained success. In his new role with Zing Health, Daniel will focus on implementing a high-performing Stars infrastructure to support the organization’s rapid growth with a focus on servicing special needs members in several states.

Kate Wolin Senior Advisor

Wellth

Dr. Kate Wolin is a behavioral epidemiologist, digital health entrepreneur, investor and professor. Following her academic medicine career at Washington University School of Medicine and Loyola University, Dr. Wolin co-founded and served as CEO of a digital health start-up that was acquired by Anthem, Inc. She then served as Chief Science Officer of a population health platform company and as head of product for Optum's direct-to-consumer business. Dr. Wolin is an advisor to start-ups and enterprise organizations on bridging clinical and behavioral science with commercial product strategy and execution. She is an investor in early-stage digital health companies. Kate earned her doctorate at the Harvard School of Public Health and completed her fellowship training at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She is currently on the entrepreneurship faculty at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. She has been named as a Forbes Healthcare Innovator That You Should Know and a Notable Woman in STEM by Crains. Dr. Wolin is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine.