The Granite List Live

With the intensification of fiduciary scrutiny across the employee benefits landscape, self-funded employers are facing a new reality: the appeals process is no longer just an administrative function; it's a critical component of fiduciary responsibility.    This week, Sally is joined by Jennifer McCormick, Vice President, Consulting, and Ron Peck, Chief Legal Officer, of The Phia Group as they di...

Federal tax compliance in employee benefits is not optional; however, it does not have to be complicated.    This week, host Sally Pace is joined by Sanju Sriram, CEO of Simple720, and Stuart Gibson, Tax Consultant, as they dive into one of the growing pain points in benefits administration - federal tax and reporting compliance.    With PCORI fees (Form 720), ACA reporting, Form 5500 filings, and...

This week, Sally is joined by Kristen Nicholson, Chief Operating Officer of Comfort Imaging, as they dive into the barriers women face when trying to access a crucial aspect of care.  Despite rapid advancements across healthcare, traditional mammography has remained stagnant for over 25 years, causing women to delay care due to discomfort and fear.  Kristen shares how Comfort Imaging is creating a...

On this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Huy Tran, Founder and CEO of Together Health, and together they dive into the challenges of today's healthcare system as well as how to create a better path forward. Together Health explores what primary care should look like today—accessible, affordable, and built around real relationships. As a modern direct primary care model,...

The No Suprises Act (NSA) was designed to protect patients from unexpected and surprise medical bills. However, for health plans, it’s created a complex and evolving landscape of disputes, compliance requirements and rising costs.   On this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Christine Cooper and Jack Towarnicky as they break down what has changed, what’s still unclear, an...

Emergency room visits are one of the most misunderstood and expensive drivers of employer healthcare spend. In this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Al Lewis, Founder and Quizmeister-in-Chief of Quizzify and longtime health policy veteran, to uncover how smarter member education leads directly to smarter utilization. Al breaks down why ER visits now account for roughly...

On this week’s episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Anthony Hartley, Co-Founder and CEO of Patient Advisor LLC, as they dive into the hidden driver of pharmacy spend. Patients with autoimmune conditions and other chronic conditions take prescriptions that manage/mask symptoms without leading to remission or reversal of disease. This group of individuals may equal as much as 50% of...

In this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Ryan Rice and Jake Goll of Prism Health Group as they dive into Prism's new clinical performance engine, Spectra. Designed to enhance pharmacy benefits management, Spectra leverages pharmacist-led analysis and retrospective oversight to improve patient outcomes and cost savings. 

This week, Jessica Landin, CEO of Vori Health, joins The Granite List. Live to share Vori Health's innovative approach to musculoskeletal (MSK) care. With a physician-led, hybrid-care model, Vori Health provides patients with effective, conservative care pathways for MSK conditions. 

Paid leave isn't just a benefit—it's a strategic investment in your most valuable asset: your people.    On this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Grace Erickson, VP of Revenue for Cocoon. Together, they dive into why comprehensive leave policies are the secret weapon of forward-thinking companies and how supporting employees through life's pivotal moments is your compet...

This week on The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Jessica Lea, PharmD and CEO of Tria Health, as they dive into the fast-changing landscape of GLP-1 medications for obesity and diabetes. Jessica shares her insight on why pharmacist-led oversight is important, especially with complex and costly drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Additionally, together, Sally and Jessica explore: Challenges employ...

This week, Ron Peck, Chief Legal Officer for The Phia Group joins Leigh on The Granite List. Live. The Phia Group is a health care and benefits cost containment expert, servicing employers and insurance carriers - as well as those that service them. Listen as Ron dissects societal trends resulting in mass confusion, dependence upon networks, and systemic issues that all combine to result in skyroc...

This week, Justin Zimmerman, Sales and Business Development, Work Right NW, joins the Granite List. Live to share his insight on Work Right NW's total worker health approach. As a leader in industrial sports medicine, Work Right NW provides the industrial athlete with proactive care to reduce injuries, improve employee health, and foster a culture of safety.    Beyond sharing what differentiates t...

As 2025 comes to a close, Alycia Riedl, Immediate Past President of NABIP, joins Sally to discuss the biggest trends in employee engagement, the importance of access for employer-sponsored health plans, and solutions to the fragmentation in healthcare. 

In a special episode of The Granite List. Live, Dr. Erica Barnell, Chief Medical Officer for Geneoscopy, and Lauren Roberson, Head of Clinical Advocacy for Connect Healthcare Collaboration, join Sally for a discussion about the importance of colon cancer screening through the lens of an employer/plan member. Dr. Barnell will also dive into Geneoscopy's lead product, ColoSense, an FDA-approved canc...

This week, Cristin Dickerson MD, Founder and CEO of Green Imaging, joins The Granite List. Live to discuss the current trends she is seeing in the imaging space. With imaging costs continuing to rise and private equity impacting the industry, Dr. Dickerson urges employers to seek solutions, such as direct contracting, that bring greater access to members and lead to better health outcomes. 

On this week's episode of the The Granite List. Live, Sally is joined by Bruce Roffé, CEO of H.H.C. Group, and Bob Serber, Vice President of H.H.C. Group, as they share how H.H.C. has spent three decades helping payors and brokers reduce medical claim costs without sacrificing care. From out-of-network negotiations to reference-based pricing and Independent Medical Reviews, Bruce and Bob detail th...

This week, Sean Kelley, CEO and Founder, and Javier Lira, VP of Clinical Operations, of Texas Medical Management join Leigh on The Granite List. Live to discuss Texas Medical Management's focus on surgery quality and how its Quality Bundled Surgery model benefits employers and patients alike.  

This week, Laura Carabello, Principal Owner and Chief Creative Officer of CPR Strategic Marketing Communications, joins The Granite List. Live to discuss recent trends in benefit communications and publishing. Specifically, Sally and Laura dive into the importance of content creation, the evolving role of AI in communications, and the impact of private equity in the industry. In a costly and compl...

This week Paul Fried, founder of I Made the Arrangements, joins Leigh on The Granite List. Live to talk about why end-of-life planning is one of the most overlooked, yet most human, benefits an employer can offer. Paul shares how his team has reimagined wills, advance directives, and funeral planning into a compassionate, easy-to-use platform that empowers employees and relieves families during li...

On this week's episode of The Granite List. Live, Leigh is joined by Kevin Lee, CEO of MindClub America, as he explains the shift from sick to preventative care in the mental health space. Kevin also details how MindClub America delivers their mental health services to employers in a way that generates engagement, and he further lays out what differentiates MindClub from other mental health servic...

This week, Stew Baskin, CEO of CannaPlan, joins the show to discuss the launch of CannaPlan, the first medical cannabis employee wellness program designed specifically for today’s workplace. Backed by emerging data from states with legalized medical cannabis, Stew dives into the real-world impacts on workplace productivity, claims reduction, and even bottom-line performance. If you're exploring in...

Pets are reshaping the concept of family - whether they are "starter children" or the substitute for those who decide not to have children at all, the pet at the center of the American home is a trend that's here to stay. Pets have officially graduated to the status of full-fledged family members, with budgets to match- and a someone with a sick pet at home can often mean a distracted, anxious, an...

In this episode, we explore the powerful impact of Five Wishes at Work, an innovative employee benefit that integrates end-of-life planning into workplace healthcare offerings. This week, Paul Malley, President of Aging with Dignity, joins the show to share how Five Wishes was inspired by the need for more compassionate and comprehensive healthcare benefits, addressing gaps in employee well-being...

Brokers know the drill: Open Enrollment rolls around, and suddenly you're juggling tech questions, client confusion, and a whole lot of noise. This week, Joe Fernandez, Chief Strategy Officer of Selerix, joins the show to dig into the often overlooked strategies that help brokers provide true solutions to their clients during open enrollment season. From better processes to real talk on personaliz...