Three Questions for our Team of Experts
Yesterday, we shared insights from our experts, check out part 1!
Internally, we strive to grow as an organization with experts as part of the Softheon team. Our experts have knowledge about behavioral health, telehealth, diabetes, avoidable ER with years of experience in our industry.
The experts sat down and answered three questions:
- Why did you join Softheon Technologies?
- What experience do you bring to your role that you believe will impact healthcare?
- What’s not wrong in healthcare?
Our director of client programs and analytics is Geoff Urland, Ph.D. He shares why he wanted to join Softheon, “Almost a decade ago when I first started working as a data scientist in health insurance, I quickly realized that there are far more important questions we need to answer with analytics than there is time or people to tackle them! And even more importantly, there was a need to speed up the cycle between initial insights, follow-ups, and changes in delivery. I had been hoping for some analytic solutions that could help increase analysts’ capacity and make it easier to develop a culture of test and learn, and it’s exciting to help create that at Softheon.”
When we asked Geoff about his experience, “The thing I love about analytics is the power to shape data into a true and compelling story. Helping people both discover that power and enabling them to make more and better stories faster is what drives me. My background working for Kaiser Permanente both as an analyst and managing an analytic team means I understand the challenges plans and their teams face in program evaluation and my background in market research and social science gives me a broader perspective on analytic techniques and behavioral perspectives.”
Geoff talks about what is not wrong in healthcare, “The talent of the people working in health care and coverage continually impresses me, as does their dedication to helping improve people’s lives. There is also a strong willingness to use data to make decisions and a desire to continuously improve how we frame, deliver, and conceive of health and care.”
Aria Ward is our Senior VP of Client Services and she tells us why she joined Softheon, “We provide the next opportunity for me to show up to have an impact on healthcare….the power in our platform and the expertise within our organization position NHT to help our clients do more in a faster more expert way with data…. From my perspective, knowing more faster helps guide each of us as we navigate the healthcare systems to receive the right care at the right cost and at right time.”
Read about how Aria’s experience impact her role with us, “Perspective and an operations mindset. Having worked with a multitude of healthcare providers in their clinical settings – both managing operations, accounts receivable, and installations of EMR mixed with healthcare supply chain experience I see the struggle that the HC system has in zeroing in on the details at a level that can be actioned on. Creating that visibility, bringing the right expertise and recommendations to our clients so they can take action is a way I can help them achieve the outcomes for their members and the business.”
We asked Aria, ‘What is not wrong in healthcare?’ She said, “Healthcare is FILLED with passionate committed professionals that are wanting to truly have an impact on the system, its costs and ultimately the experience of each patient.”
Our Executive VP of Healthcare Solutions is Jeff Maxwell. He shares why he joined Softheon, “Prior to joining Softheon I spent six years at a Blue health plan where we were constantly trying to bring innovation to our members and employers. But like other health plans, we struggled to really know what was driving impact. When I would talk with other health plans across the country we all were wanting to improve cost, quality, and access; and spending billions every year trying to move the needle on outcomes. The first time I heard how Softheon could impact activation, engagement, and optimize efficiencies I knew there was a huge market need and NHT could truly make a difference!”
Jeff spent time at Blue plan before joining Softheon, but he explains how his passion and experience in healthcare started much earlier in his life. He says, “My healthcare journey started when I was a child watching my mom struggle to get the care she needed, my father negotiating with doctors to try and get care for his family, and a system that wasn’t setup to help a family that was far below the poverty line. That experience made me angry at our system and when I was young was focused on changing the things that I could see, feel, and experience within our healthcare system that left my family in need. My family was one of the nearly 500k Americans who are forced to file bankruptcy every year because of medical bills. I knew that our system needed change and as a young entrepreneur wanted to be part of that.”
Finally, Jeff shares what is not wrong in healthcare, “Through the pandemic this last year we have been forced to think about healthcare very differently. I love seeing Americans embrace challenges and have looked to bring innovation to our system during the very challenging times over the last year. The pandemic moved public policy and regulation to ensure care was available for everyone. This meant providing care through untraditional means with virtual care, community programs, and new innovations that once were thought could never happen in our regulatory environment. Health plans, providers, and government agencies started looking closer at health equity and how race and ethnicity, income, and geography impact the care that Americans receive. I truly believe that through a crisis we are opening doors and bringing resources, innovation, and a new care model that can help change some of the challenges my family experienced in our healthcare system.”
We continue to establish expertise to help you and your plan. Want to start a conversation with us? Let’s talk today!
