Candace Shaffer on the purchasing strategies that saved Purdue University millions
March 06, 2023
Suzanne calls up Candace Shaffer, Senior Director, Benefits at Purdue University to discuss the benefits purchasing strategies that she…
Catalyst Commentary
Read Catalyst for Payment Reform's blog and Listen In (With Permission) to our podcast to access fresh content on the health care topics you care about most.
Allison Sesso on the Crisis of Medical Debt
February 06, 2023
Andréa call Allison Sesso, President and CEO of RIP Medical Debt (RIP) to discuss the crisis of Medical Debt and…
Vikas Saini on The Lown Institute’s Hospital Index
January 31, 2023
Andréa calls Dr. Vikas Saini, President of the LOWN Institute to discuss their Hospital Index which measures a hospital’s social…
2023 Health Plan User Groups: No dog and pony shows allowed
January 23, 2023
Once upon a time, I used to work for a health plan (I won’t name it here, but it’s obvious…
Doug Aldeen takes a deep dive into Reference Based Pricing
January 23, 2023
Julianne calls up Doug Aldeen, ESQ an ERISA Healthcare Attorney and General Counsel to discuss the Reference Based Pricing (RBP)…
Sarah Hostetter on how market consolidation affects independent physician practices
January 13, 2023
Sarah Hostetter, Managing Director, Physician and Ambulatory Research at Advisory Board speaks with Suzanne about the landscape of physician practices.…
Mythbuster: Purchasers Can’t Fight the Wave of Provider Market Power
January 13, 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic had worldwide effects of which we are still feeling the aftershocks today, and in the U.S., the…
Whatever we’re doing, it’s not working: The Case for State Policy Intervention in Health Care, as told through a parable about toddlers and swimming lessons
January 09, 2023
When my younger daughter Dylan was three, she emphatically declared that she hated swimming lessons. Unfortunately for her, she has a mother (me)…
CPR’s New Year’s Resolutions
December 23, 2022
As an independent, nonprofit organization with the mission to catalyze employers, public purchasers and others to implement strategies that produce…
Catalyst for Payment Reform Filed Amicus Brief in Support of Plaintiff’s Appeal in Sidibe vs. Sutter Health
December 05, 2022
In the one dozen years since CPR began, we have tackled a number of big issues in health care, pushing…
Gloria Sachdev on Sage Transparency
November 28, 2022
Suzanne calls up Gloria Sachdev to discuss the Employer’s Forum of Indiana’s (EFI) latest tool, Sage Transparency. Sage Transparency is…
Marilyn Bartlett on NASHP’s Hospital Cost Tool
November 28, 2022
Suzanne speaks to Marilyn Bartlett about the National Academy for State Health Policy’s (NASHP) Hospital Cost Tool and her role…
CPR’s Thanksgiving Top Pods Blog
November 18, 2022
CPR is thankful for all the top health care minds who have taken time out of their busy schedules to…
Is Payment Reform Exiting a 2+Year Shelter-in-Place?
November 14, 2022
It was late 2019. CPR was approaching its tenth year of leading the payment reform movement and wanted to take…
Karen Sepucha on shared decision making
November 07, 2022
Suzanne calls up Karen Sepucha, PhD, director of the Health Decision Sciences Center in the General Medicine Division at Massachusetts…
Nick Reber on Doctor Quality Analytics
October 31, 2022
Suzanne calls up Nick Reber, CEO and Founder of Garner Health to talk price transparency, analytics, and quality. So what…
A Peek at CPR’s Equity Journey
October 24, 2022
As 2020 came to an end and the call to address equity in all facets of society, health care included,…
Jen Porto on Mental Wellness in the Workplace
October 17, 2022
Suzanne calls Jen Porto, Manager of Leader Education at Headspace Health to discuss strategies on developing a culture of mental…
Dr. Doug Salvador on the prevalence of diagnosis errors and what to do about it
October 03, 2022
Suzanne calls up Dr. Doug Salvador, Chief Quality Officer at Bay State Health and Board Member of the Society to…
Thi Montalvo and Elodie Olsen on Data, Point Solutions, and Trend Guarantees
September 26, 2022
Suzanne calls up Thi Montalvo, VP, Analytics and Reporting at Transcarent, and Elodie Olsen, Senior Director North America Health Analytics…
Kelsey Brykman on the intersection of Primary Care and Health Equity
August 12, 2022
Suzanne calls Kelsey Brykman, Senior Program Officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies to talk about the intersection of…
Health Disparities Within ESI Revealed by New Analysis from NORC and Morgan Health
July 29, 2022
New Morgan Health-NORC analysis reveals important insights about the largest source of health insurance coverage in the U.S. — employer-sponsored…
Rachael Jones on Health Equity Strategy
July 29, 2022
Suzanne calls Rachael Jones, Senior Vice President, Performance Analytics & Quality at Cotiviti, to discuss health equity and what employers…
Innovative, bold, progressive: The latest public news from some of CPR’s membership
July 22, 2022
32BJ Health Fund | 32BJ Health Fund releases report and analysis on hospital prices Aon | Aon tool quantifies impact…
Bob Galvin revisits the state of payment reform
July 22, 2022
Suzanne calls up Bob Galvin, CMO of Blackstone and chairman of CPR’s board of directors, to follow up on their…
I decided to shop knee surgery in the San Francisco Bay Area, using the Sage Transparency tool. Here’s what I found…
July 18, 2022
In full disclosure, at the moment, I (thankfully) do not need knee surgery. But I might easily need it someday. …
Featured Experts who have advised our Members
July 01, 2022
Being a member of CPR is about so much more than being a leading national voice in the fight for…
Dr. Jeff Wells speaks about advanced primary care and Marathon Health
June 27, 2022
Suzanne calls up Dr. Jeff Wells, CEO and co-founder of Marathon Health to talk about advanced primary care models and…
The Time is Now: Purchasers, Give High-Performance Networks a Serious Look
June 20, 2022
At the risk of appearing tone deaf, we think it’s time for employers and other health care purchasers to give…
Peter Lee on the last twenty years in health care reform
June 20, 2022
Suzanne calls up Peter Lee, the former Executive Director of Covered California to talk about the last twenty years in…
Aneesh Chopra on Price Transparency and Data
June 13, 2022
Suzanne calls up Aneesh Chopra, Co-Founder and President of CareJourney, to talk about the current state of health care transparency…
One More Thing to Add to the Benefits Manager’s Job Description
June 06, 2022
If you go to any job search site and look at open positions for a Director of Benefits, you’ll likely…
Alice Hm Chen on Covered California’s commitment to health equity
May 25, 2022
Suzanne calls Alice Hm Chen, Chief Medical Officer at Covered California, and asks about her work in quality measurement and…
Is it Time to Throw the Book at the Health Care Market?
May 23, 2022
Purchasers, brace yourselves for a radical idea: the time has come for state governments to restore balance, competition and affordability…
Mental Health Care is Evolving. So Are Purchasers’ Strategies.
May 16, 2022
If ever there was a worldwide phenomenon that perfectly captured the concept of “two sides of the same coin” it…
Roslyn Murray on Value-Based Payment Models in the Commercial Sector
May 13, 2022
Suzanne Delbanco speaks with Roslyn (Roz) Murray, a doctoral candidate at The University of Michigan School of Public Health and…
Reunited and it Feels So Good: CPR’s April 2022 Staff Retreat
May 02, 2022
Catalyst for Payment Reform, like many employers or teams, has operated in a fully remote work environment since the start…
Implicit Bias: The Outcomes Tell Us What Black Mothers Already Know
April 11, 2022
April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week, which shines a spotlight on the disproportionately poor maternal health care and health…
From Political Organizing to CPR: Why the Two are not that Different
March 14, 2022
My name is Torie Nugent-Peterson and I’m the newest member of the Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) team. As CPR’s…
Has Price Inflation Got Your Attention? Carpe Diem!
February 14, 2022
On February 10, the U.S. Department of Labor released its latest monthly report on inflation. It was unwelcome news; the…
Massachusetts Slams the Breaks on Mass General’s Expansion Plans: Insights into the Value of State Health Policy Commissions
February 07, 2022
Just last week, the State of Massachusetts made headlines when its Health Policy Commission (HPC) launched what the press called…
Alexandra Drane on Supporting Caregivers as Critical Care Partners
January 27, 2022
“80% of providers believe that the unpaid caregiver should have a seat at table, but only 20% believe they actually…
THE TOP 10 PODCASTS OF 2021
December 27, 2021
December is wrapping up and the New Year is right around the corner. But just before looking ahead to 2022,…
Jo Porter Gives Suzanne the Scoop on All Things APCD
December 20, 2021
Suzanne Delbanco calls Josephine (Jo) Porter to get the latest scoop on activities and developments regarding All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs).…
All I Want for Health Care in 2022…
December 13, 2021
December is a time for reflection: both on the year that passed, and on the year to come. December is…
Enhanced telehealth and behavioral health access: rays of light in the eye of the storm?
November 29, 2021
In a prior blog article, we offered perspective on the latest findings from the 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health…
KFF 2021 Employee Benefits Survey: Welcome to the Eye of the Hurricane
November 15, 2021
On Wednesday, November 10th, the Kaiser Family Foundation released results from its 2021 survey on trends in employer health benefits. …
CPR’s Health Plan User Groups: An Antidote to the Dog and Pony Show
October 25, 2021
Purchasers: how many times have you attended a meeting with your health plan that focused solely on high-level concepts and…
Unlocking the Power of the All Payer Claims Database – Use Cases from Colorado
October 18, 2021
In case you missed it, the Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC), which operates Colorado’s all-payer claims database…
Katy Spangler on what employers need to know about federal price transparency regulations
October 04, 2021
Suzanne Delbanco speaks with Katy Spangler, Principal at Spangler Strategies, a boutique consulting firm focused on health care policy, advocacy,…
The Action is on the Field, Not the Sideline
September 27, 2021
I’m writing today with an important ask of employers and other health care purchasers – to step off of the…
Erin Fuse Brown, JD, MPH, on what employers need to know about surprise billing legislation
September 27, 2021
Suzanne Delbanco, PhD, Executive Director of Catalyst for Payment Reform, connects with Erin Fuse Brown, JD, MPH, Associate Professor of…
Three Provisions to Give Your 2022 ASO Agreement Extra Spice
September 20, 2021
It’s almost that time of year – a warm pumpkin spice latte (PSL) is the drink for many at the…
Niall Brennan answers tough questions on the price and utilization data behind health care cost growth for employers
September 20, 2021
Suzanne Delbanco catches up with Niall Brennan, President and CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), to ask the tough…