EPISODE 9: Accountable Care in Action, featuring Jeff Micklos and Leah Binder
“We keep our eyes on true north, which is the wellbeing of the patient, and build from there and look at the different payment models and to what extent do they support this excellence… I think that’s where we will succeed together.”
— Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group
The LAN’s newest initiative, the Accountable Care Action Collaborative (ACAC), is turning talk about health care payment reform into action. The ACAC is thinking beyond payment reform to ensure the delivery of quality care for every patient, every time.
Listen as host Frank McStay, assistant research director on the Health Care Transformation team at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, interviews Jeff Micklos, executive director of the Health Care Transformation Task Force, and Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. In this episode, Jeff and Leah describe how the ACAC intends to support stakeholders to achieve their accountable care goals, discuss how their experience in health equity and quality-centered care aligns with ACAC goals, and the importance of accountable care in improving patient health care experiences and outcomes.
What to listen for:
- [4:13] How the Accountable Care Curve will help stakeholders model transformation
- [6:31] How patients and organizations will benefit from the ACAC’s efforts
- [9:17] Jeff and Leah share how their experience aligns with ACAC goals
- [11:16] The importance of collaborative action
- [20:42] Health equity calculator
- [22:34] The value of accountable care
Policy Makers
Enabling Organizations | 
Community-Based Organizations
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.
Mr. James Sinkoff is the Deputy Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Sun River Health (formerly known as Hudson River HealthCare), and the Chief Executive Officer of Solutions 4 Community Health (S4CH); an MSO serving FQHCs and private physician practices.
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.
Dr. Brandon G. Wilson, DrPH, MHA (he, him, his) joined Community Catalyst as the Director of the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation, where he leads the Center in bringing the community’s experience to the forefront of health systems transformation and health reform efforts, in order to deliver better care, better value and better health for every community, particularly vulnerable and historically underserved populations. The Center works directly with community advocates around the country to increase the skills and power they have to establish an effective voice at all levels of the health care system. The Center collaborates with innovative health plans, hospitals and providers to incorporate communities and their lived experience into the design of systems of care. The Center also works with state and federal policymakers to spur change that makes the health system more responsive to communities. And it provides consulting services to health plans, provider groups and other health care organizations to help them create meaningful structures for engagement with their communities.
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.
