The Patient Empowerment Workgroup is focused on advancing strategies that help individuals take an active role in their health by making informed decisions, following through on care, and maintaining health behaviors over time. The workgroup focuses on three interconnected priorities: making care more affordable, ensuring patients can access the services they need, and helping them navigate the health care system with confidence. By developing practical guidance for designing, implementing, and scaling patient empowerment strategies, the workgroup aims to help organizations advance better care, better outcomes, and continue progress toward value-based care.
Objectives
- Promote strategies that drive behavior change to increase patient empowerment and ultimately improve health outcomes
- Identify leading practices and aligned actions for implementing and scaling strategies across the health care ecosystem (e.g., payers, providers, ACOs, others)
Co-Chairs

Judy Zerzan-Thul MD, MPH
Washington State Health Care Authority

Karen Dale
AmeriHealth Caritas District of Columbia
Members
Amy Bucher, PhD
Lirio
William Bleser, PhD, MSPH
Administration for Community Living
Carol Challas
Patient Representative
Susan Cook
Patient Representative
Chris Craytor
Welld Health
Natalie Davis
US of Care
Kit Delgado, MD, MS
University of Pennsylvania
Susan Dentzer
America’s Physician Groups
Theresa Dreyer, MPH
Health Care Transformation Task Force
Merrill Friedman
Elevance Health
Nzinga Harrison, MD
Eleanor Health
Libby Hoy
PFCCpartners
Agustina Ishmael, MBA
Providence
Josh Liao, MD, MSc
Ascension
Rebecca Oran
BCBS MA
Gerald Parker
Patient Representative
Nick Reddy
Baylor Scott & White Health
Tamara Thomas
Aledade
Gloria Winters, DPT
YMCA



















Emily DuHamel Brower, M.B.A., is senior vice president of clinical integration and physician services for Trinity Health. Emphasizing clinical integration and payment model transformation, Ms. Brower provides strategic direction related to the evolving accountable healthcare environment with strong results. Her team is currently accountable for $10.4B of medical expense for 1.6M lives in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid and Commercial Alternative Payment Models.
Victor is the Chief Medical Officer for TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid Agency. At TennCare, Victor leads the medical office to ensure quality and effective delivery of medical, pharmacy, and dental services to its members. He also leads TennCare’s opioid epidemic strategy, social determinants of health, and practice transformation initiatives across the agency. Prior to joining TennCare, Victor worked at Evolent Health supporting value-based population health care delivery. In 2013, Victor served as a White House Fellow to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Victor completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Emory University still practices clinically as an internist in the Veteran’s Affairs Health System.
Tamara Ward is the SVP of Insurance Business Operations at Oscar Health, where she leads the National Network Contracting Strategy and Market Expansion & Readiness. Prior to Oscar she served as VP of Managed Care & Network Operations at TriHealth in Southwest Ohio. With over 15 years of progressive health care experience, she has been instrumental driving collaborative payer provider strategies, improving insurance operations, and building high value networks through her various roles with UHC and other large provider health systems. Her breadth and depth of experience and interest-based approach has allowed her to have success solving some of the most complex issues our industry faces today. Tam is passionate about driving change for marginalized communities, developing Oscar’s Culturally Competent Care Program- reducing healthcare disparities and improving access for the underserved population. Tamara holds a B.A. from the University of Cincinnati’s and M.B.A from Miami University.


Dr. Peter Walsh joined the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing as the Chief Medical Officer on December 1, 2020. Prior to joining HCPF, Dr. Walsh served as a Hospital Field Representative/Surveyor at the Joint Commission, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.





