In this episode of Quality Talks With Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President Peggy O’Kane has an energizing, constructive conversation with Dr. Will Shrank, a Venture Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Will shares his vision for a more cohesive health care system that works based on aligned incentives, meaningful measurement of patient outcomes and savvy implementation of value-based care. Peggy and Will discuss: The ‘Systemness’ Solution: Will emphasizes that while American health care has the right compone...
Jun 30, 2025•31 min
In this episode of Quality Matters , Jules Reich, NCQA Senior Health Care Analyst in Population Health, and Grace Glennon, NCQA Director of Digital Quality Informatics, join host Andy Reynolds to discuss the latest tool in the long crusade against tobacco use: NCQA’s new HEDIS measure, Tobacco Use Screening and Cessation Intervention (TSC-E). This measure replaces an outdated survey-based approach. It also facilitates the transition to digital measurement by using the Electronic Clinical Data Sy...
Jun 25, 2025•19 min•Ep. 152
In this episode of Quality Matters , Julie Seibert, Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health at NCQA, joins host Andy Reynolds to explore the rise of—and the relationship between—two trends in behavioral health: measurement-informed care and peer support. Julie breaks down how these strategies improve outcomes, engage patients and close gaps in access and accountability. Listen to this episode to discover: How Measurement-Informed Care Engages Patients: Learn how measurement-informed care s...
Jun 11, 2025•20 min•Ep. 151
In this episode of Quality Talks With Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President Peggy O'Kane sits down with Dr. Rita Redberg , a cardiology pioneer and fierce advocate for evidence-based care. Dr. Redberg, who famously served as Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Internal Medicine for 14 years, shares her "Less is More" philosophy — a perspective that challenges the view that "more" care is always better. Join Peggy and Rita as they explore: The Problem with "More": Why a health care culture focused on technology and v...
Jun 09, 2025•29 min
In this episode of Quality Matters , Tonya Winders, President and CEO of the Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP), joins host Andy Reynolds to unpack the diagnosis and care gaps that plague asthma treatment—from delayed access to spirometry, to underuse of biologics. Tonya explains what high-quality, patient-centered asthma care requires, and what health care leaders can do to close that gap. Tonya also discusses: Why a definitive diagnosis of asthma isn’t necessarily the norm. Wh...
May 28, 2025•23 min•Ep. 150
In this debut episode of Quality Talks With Peggy O’Kane , Founder and President of NCQA, Peggy is joined by Dr. Sachin Jain, CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, to explore a provocative question: Why isn’t health care better at getting better? Measuring—Not Missing—What Matters: Anxieties about access and affordability plague everyday people. But quality measurement’s focus is elsewhere. Is health care chasing the wrong metrics and missing the big picture? The Complacency Crisis: Sachin say...
May 19, 2025•30 min
Why isn't health care better at getting better? Join Peggy O'Kane, founder and outgoing president of NCQA, as Quality Talks tackles this critical question. This engaging, limited-series podcast brings together health care's most innovative thinkers and doers to explore powerful ideas and real solutions needed to transform care. If you're ready to reimagine costs, quality and care delivery, tune in to discover the future.
May 14, 2025•1 min
In the second episode of our special series on recommendations to the Trump administration, Quality Matters host Andy Reynolds welcomes Ryan Howells, Principal at Leavitt Partners, for an illuminating discussion on transforming digital quality and data exchange.. Ryan shares fresh ideas from the Leavitt Partners roadmap to reshape digital health infrastructure by embracing scalable, internet-based standards and dismantling policy barriers. At the core of this conversation is that effective data ...
May 14, 2025•21 min•Ep. 149
One-hundred days into the second Trump administration, Quality Matters host Andy Reynolds welcomes Eric Musser, Vice President of Federal Affairs at NCQA, for an insightful discussion about NCQA’s recommendations to the Trump administration for improving health care quality. Eric shares ideas to shape a strong quality future for value-based care, digital health infrastructure and behavioral health. The conversation focuses on value-based care models that prioritize care integration to prevent or...
Apr 30, 2025•20 min•Ep. 148
In this special edition of Quality Matters , we explore what three powerful conversations have taught us about one of health care’s most pressing and perplexing questions: What do we know about the economics of care in America, and how can we make substantial, sustainable improvements? We look back at previous episodes of Quality Matters to reflect. We begin with health economist Sanjula Jain, who challenges conventional thinking around value-based care and urges a shift toward a more intuitive ...
Apr 16, 2025•20 min•Ep. 147
In this episode, we sit down with NCQA leaders Stacy Grundy, Rachel Harrington and Kristine Toppe for a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Health Quality Forum 2025, and a discussion about the complexities and possibilities of modern health care, with a focus on data sharing and strategies to address health inequities. Learn about data-driven collaborations in states like Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where public agencies, health systems and community groups are uniting to impr...
Apr 02, 2025•20 min•Ep. 146
Why does a potentially deadly condition that affects 1 in 7 adults fly under the radar, undetected and undiscussed? Join us on this episode of Quality Matters as we explore Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), a silent killer that’s finally coming into the limelight of quality improvement. Our conversation begins with Dr. Ben Oldfield, a primary care physician, who sheds light on the startling prevalence and hidden complexities of CKD. Why is it so hard to detect, even with simple blood and urine tests...
Mar 19, 2025•19 min•Ep. 145
Continuing the last Quality Matters episode, host Andy Reynolds and NCQA Chief Technology Officer, Ed Yurcisin, break down the complexities of the digital transformation in health care quality and explore the importance of high-quality data exchange, particularly in the context of HEDIS reporting and the FHIR interoperability standard. Ed explains how NCQA’s work in digital HEDIS measurement not only improves health care quality reporting, but also lays the groundwork for broader industry advanc...
Mar 05, 2025•22 min•Ep. 144
In this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Ed Yurcisin, Chief Technology Officer at NCQA, to break down the complexities of digital transformation in health care quality. Ed explains how NCQA’s push for digital measurement cuts through inefficiencies and inconsistencies in assessing quality. Traditionally, HEDIS® quality measures have existed as large, text-heavy PDFs, leaving room for misinterpretation. By digitalizing these measures into computer code—Clinical Quality ...
Feb 19, 2025•18 min•Ep. 143
On this episode of Quality Matters , host Andy Reynolds is joined by Brittany Cunningham, Vice President of Episodes of Care and Population Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to discuss how value-based care is reshaping health care through MyHealth Bundles. By packaging treatments into predictable, all-inclusive bundles, employers save money, patients avoid surprise bills and providers can focus on delivering high-quality care instead of navigating insurance complexities. But does b...
Feb 05, 2025•16 min•Ep. 142
In this engaging episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Aaron Neinstein, Chief Medical Officer at Notable, to explore how AI is reshaping health care. It’s not all robotic efficiency and cold algorithms. Aaron shares how AI takes over repetitive and data-heavy tasks so doctors can focus on their patients. Imagine spending less time sorting through charts and more time asking, “How does your illness affect your life?” That’s the transformative hope of AI. The conversation tak...
Jan 22, 2025•20 min•Ep. 141
This week on Quality Matters , we dive into a complex discussion on the often perplexing landscape of the health care economy with guest Sanjula Jain, Chief Research Officer at Trilliant Health. This isn’t your standard health policy chat; it’s a bold exploration of how costs, value, and quality intersect—and often misalign—in America’s health care system. Sanjula challenges us to rethink buzzwords like "value-based care" and "value for money," peeling back the layers to reveal stark realities b...
Jan 08, 2025•20 min•Ep. 140
On this episode of Quality Matters , we highlight a thought-provoking panel from the NCQA Health Innovation Summit, featuring experts Dr. Bryan Buckley, Tosan Boyo, Dr. LaShawn McIver, Camille Burnet and Daniel Dawes. The conversation cuts through labels and buzzwords to remind listeners that equity is about giving everyone an opportunity to be as healthy as they can be. The wide-ranging discussion references rural health, maternal care and veterans health as areas where an equity lens can help ...
Dec 19, 2024•13 min•Ep. 139
In this episode of Quality Matters , we dive into the complexities of behavioral health care with Julie Seibert, Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health at NCQA, and Tom Tsang, founding CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at Valera Health. Together, they explore the interconnected challenges of access, quality and payment in behavioral health, emphasizing the need to treat the whole person by addressing both mental and physical health. Julie highlights NCQA’s three-part framework for behavioral...
Dec 05, 2024•19 min•Ep. 138
This episode of Quality Matters features highlights from the NCQA Health Innovation Summit panel discussion on data interoperability, held on November 1st in Nashville. Moderated by Arcadia’s Aneesh Chopra, the panel explored how to make health data accessible and usable for improving patient care. Panelists (Laura McCrary of KONZA, Dr. Marc Overhage of Elevance Health and Abdul Shaikh of AWS) emphasize interoperability is critical for quality reporting, care coordination and closing care gaps. ...
Nov 21, 2024•16 min•Ep. 137
n this episode of Quality Matters , host Andy Reynolds sits down with Tosan Boyo, President of Sutter Health East Bay Market, to discuss his inspiring journey from Nigerian immigrant to leading a major health care institution. Boyo shares how his early experiences as a patient in a safety-net hospital shaped his commitment to health equity and continue to shape his leadership. He reflects on key moments that drove his passion for providing equitable care and the responsibility health care leader...
Oct 30, 2024•20 min•Ep. 136
In this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds previews the upcoming Women in Quality panel at NCQA’s Health Innovation Summit. He speaks with Vanessa Guzman, CEO of SmartRise Health and Ella Es Health, who will moderate the panel. Vanessa shares her insights on empowering women in quality by cultivating self-awareness, fostering connections and building a culture of quality. She also introduces two thoughtful panelists, Khanh Nguyen, CEO of Cozeva, and Lynn Todman, Vice President of Hea...
Oct 16, 2024•15 min•Ep. 135
In this episode of Quality Matters , host Andy Reynolds is joined by Dr. Tiffany Inglis, National Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Health at Carelon Health, to explore the Elevance Health Obstetrics Practice Consultants program. A winner of an NCQA Health Innovation Award, the Elevance Health program breaks new ground by bringing value-based care to obstetrics, a field where value-based strategies remain rare. Dr. Inglis discusses the program’s focus on improving maternal health outco...
Oct 02, 2024•16 min•Ep. 134
On this episode of Quality Matters, we explore the growing importance of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs) with Laura McCrary, President and CEO of KONZA National Network. Laura discusses the pivotal role these systems play in quality care, enabling the secure and efficient sharing of medical records across diverse networks. By advancing the digitalization and interoperability of health data, these networks enhance patient safety and care coord...
Sep 18, 2024•18 min•Ep. 133
In this episode of Quality Matters , host Andy Reynolds delves into the transformative impact of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) on health care data interoperability. Joined by Amol Vyas, NCQA Vice President of Interoperability, and Eric Musser, Vice President of Federal Affairs, the discussion uncovers how TEFCA is reshaping the landscape of health information exchange. Amol explains TEFCA’s function as a voluntary, national network (analogous to the postal service i...
Sep 04, 2024•15 min•Ep. 132
In this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds sits down with Rebecca Jacobson, CEO of Astrata, to explore the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to digital quality measurement in health care. Rebecca offers an in-depth look at the sociotechnical shifts required for this evolution, sharing practical strategies to help organizations navigate this complex process. Discover how to overcome common obstacles, and learn about the real financial benefits that can convince even the mo...
Aug 21, 2024•23 min•Ep. 131
In this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds discusses the U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health with its lead author, Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford. Dr. Ford, a pediatrician and public health advocate with extensive experience at both local and federal levels, highlights the necessity of looking beyond clinical care to factors like housing, nutrition, and transportation. She emphasizes the importance of expanding data gathering and sharing, supporting flexible funding, an...
Aug 08, 2024•18 min•Ep. 130
On this episode of “Quality Matters” with host Andy Reynolds, we explore the vital role of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data in healthcare. Our expert guests, Kellan Baker, Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, and Dr. Carl Streed, a primary care physician at Boston University, share why SOGI data are essential for delivering personalized health care interventions and improving overall health outcomes. Understanding sexual orientation and gender identity alongside ...
Jul 25, 2024•18 min•Ep. 129
In the first episode of a two-part series titled, 'In Data We Trust,' host Andy Reynolds and Tam Ward, Senior Vice President of Business Strategy and Operations at Oscar Health, discuss the intersection of technology and health care to improve care equity, especially in underserved communities. Focusing on initiatives by Oscar Health, Tam highlights efforts to build culturally competent care networks and improve data-driven solutions for marginalized groups, including African Americans and the L...
Jul 11, 2024•19 min•Ep. 128
Join us for an insightful conversation with North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley, as he shares how growing up without health insurance influences his drive to improve health care access and affordability in his home state. Discover the transformative impact of the state’s recent Medicaid expansion and substantial investments in behavioral health. Secretary Kinsley emphasizes North Carolina’s novel, bipartisan approach to improving care. The discussion covers innova...
Jun 27, 2024•24 min•Ep. 127
