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.

Rachael Jones and Emily Walker on Value-Based Contracting: It’s not magic, it’s math.

November 21, 2023

On our latest podcast episode the tagline is, “Value-Based Contracting: It’s Not Magic, It’s Math.” 🏥 AndrĂ©a Caballero calls the co-founding…

Rob Andrews on HTA’s National Advanced Primary Care Network

November 06, 2023

In our latest episode of Listening In (With Permission), Guy calls Rob Andrews, founding CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance…

Julie Selesnick on the Impact of Recent Health Care Data Litigation

October 16, 2023

Part three of our three-part Data Podcast Series. In this episode of Listening In (With Permission), CPR’s Director of Member…

Jeffrey Hogan on the Evolving Role of CFOs in Healthcare Purchasing

October 09, 2023

Part two of our three-part Data Podcast Series. In this insightful podcast episode, we dive deep into the evolving role…

Hugh O’Toole on why the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) is a gift to employer-purchasers

October 02, 2023

Part One of our three-part Data Podcast Series. “So when I say it’s a gift, anytime a consumer gets enough…

Overly-complex, inefficient, ineffective. How the health care industry wastes nearly a trillion dollars a year.

August 28, 2023

$935 billion. It’s hard to imagine what that number really means. It’s approximately the amount the United States spends on…

Addressing Food Insecurity through Creative Employer-Sponsored Benefits

August 14, 2023

Food insecurity is more prevalent in the United States than you might think, and it has wide-ranging implications on health…

The No Surprises Act: It’s Impact to Date and the Hurdles it Faces

July 24, 2023

Imagine recently having a medical procedure and you’re on the road to recovery. You’re beginning to feel well, planning to…

Virtual-First Health Plans: What to Know Before Taking the Leap

July 10, 2023

Before the pandemic, the use of telemedicine was steadily increasing as a care modality, but still faced regulatory, payment, and…

Defining and Empowering the Role of Chief Health Equity Officers

June 15, 2023

Job postings and new C-Suite openings for chief health equity officers (CHEOs) have become more and more common over the…

Insights into Action: Empowering Consumers By Defining and Tracking Progress

June 12, 2023

In 2020, CPR started its work with the NY Health Foundation (NYHealth) to track the state’s progress toward creating an…

Innovative, bold, progressive: The latest public news from some of CPR’s membership

June 05, 2023

32BJ Health Fund | New York’s pricey hospitals draw pushback from labor Aon | U.S. Employers Eye Provider Networks Amid…

You too can be a health care Catalyst.

April 03, 2023

Imagine for a moment, a U.S. health care system that performs as well or better than its international peers, or…

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…

Allison Sesso on the Crisis of Medical Debt

February 06, 2023

AndrĂ©a 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

AndrĂ©a 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) landscape,…

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…

Black Mamas

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…

Catalyst for Payment Reform

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,…

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…

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…

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…

Forgot Password

.