Throughout the year, Becker’s touched base with a handful of Elevance Health leaders — including multiple C-suite executives, a clinical lead and a research VP — to get a pulse on the company’s priorities. They discussed AI, doulas and the importance of food security, among other topics.
Here is what six leaders had to say:
1. Cynthia Brown, MD, medical director and clinical lead for women’s health at Elevance Health, shared how the insurer is leaning into doula support. While Elevance already tested doula coverage in Medicaid, the payer is now opening up the resource to some employer-sponsored health plans. “In the same way that you would look for a cardiologist that met your needs or a dermatologist, you can now search for a doula who addresses the needs of your whole family during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum time,” she said.
2. “If you’re not as concerned about procuring food … you have more ability to turn attention to some of the other needs that you might have,” Jennifer Kowalski, vice president of the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute, said. Her team found that grocery card benefit use by Medicare Advantage dual-eligible enrollees corresponded to increased office visits.
3. Anita Allemand, PharmD, Elevance’s chief growth officer, said the company focuses on ensuring “the outcome matches the intent” while testing AI. She also said she believes Medicare members are growing more comfortable with these tools.
4. Chief Digital Information Officer Ratnakar Lavu said Elevance is “bullish” about its AI investments but also focuses on “responsible AI.” He said, “If we do this well, the entire U.S. healthcare system stands to benefit.”
5. Pete Haytaian is president of Elevance’s healthcare services division, Carelon. In op-eds for Becker’s, Mr. Haytaian advocated for “connected care” and a “whole health approach.” “Innovation in data connectivity, care navigation and digital platforms aims to make it possible to build more inclusive and responsive systems,” he said. “But technology alone isn’t enough. The future of healthcare depends on our ability to create meaningful relationships within the system.”
6. Carelon Chief Product Officer Gautam Shah said, to prompt innovation in healthcare products, one needs to “identify the gap,” “focus on patient-centered design” and “build, test, launch, optimize.”
