Making Healthcare Sustainable

Navigating healthcare benefits can be confusing, especially when employees need specialized care. Adrienne Lee-Jones , Director of Payroll and Benefits at Loomis , shares her personal experience using Lantern, how concierge-style healthcare support can improve outcomes, and the communication strategies she uses to help employees understand and engage with complex benefits year-round. In this episo...

Open enrollment season is coming, and we're spending the summer getting ready for it. All season long, we're bringing in guests who've been in the trenches of OE to share what's actually working, what's flopped, and the creative ideas worth stealing. By the time October hits, you'll have a fresh playbook and a lot less dread. Making Healthcare Sustainable will drop new episodes all summer. Follow...

Most healthcare innovations fail for the same reason: they don't address the underlying incentive misalignment baked into a fee-for-service system. Omair Ahmed , Principal at Echo Health Ventures , explains why solving that problem first is what separates the solutions that actually move the needle from the ones that just add to the vendor stack. In this episode, you'll learn: Why incentive misali...

Healthcare costs keep rising, but many employers are still approaching benefits the same way they did 20 years ago. And those who are taking a more radical approach might want to consider these three words: design dictates disruption. Lee Lewis , Chief Strategy Officer and GM of Medical Solutions at the Health Transformation Alliance , shares a blueprint for getting the lower costs you need while...

Substance use disorder is a growing issue in workplace healthcare, but it often remains hidden.  Dr. Suzette Glasner , Clinical Psychologist and Chief Scientific Officer at Pelago , discusses the hidden impact of addiction in your claims data, how employers are taking action,  and what might surprise you about the latest research on effective addiction treatment.  In this episode, you'll learn: Th...

Healthcare costs keep rising, and most employers feel stuck. Carl Pecoraro , Chairman of the Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Health and Welfare Fund , and Lindsay Leeder , SVP of Labor Union and Trust at Lantern , share how one fund changed that. Carl walks through building a plan with 21-point solutions and holding inflation to 1%. Lindsay brings the provider's view on what better care looks like....

Healthcare feels impossible to navigate when it matters most. Even doctors struggle to find the right care.  In this episode of Making Healthcare Sustainable, Nancy Ryerson speaks with Grant Zarzour , MD, orthopedic surgeon and Lantern Medical Advisory Board member, on what actually drives better surgical outcomes. He shares how volume shapes results, why appropriateness comes first, and what fast...

Healthcare costs are rising, especially for cancer, but there’s a better way to provide care that’s both affordable and effective. In this episode of Making Healthcare Sustainable, host Nancy Ryerson talks with Dr. Troyen Brennan , a healthcare expert, about the high costs of cancer care and specialty treatments. Dr. Brennan explains how a shift to value-based care can help reduce costs while impr...

Data and AI are transforming how we deliver healthcare, making it smarter, more affordable, and personalized for every employee. In this episode of Making Healthcare Sustainable, host Nancy Ryerson chats with Tammy Fennessy , Senior Director of Benefits at DICK'S Sporting Goods . They talked about how data, behavioral economics, and a sharper focus on specialty care are changing healthcare benefit...

Specialty care serves a small group but drives 50% of employer healthcare spend, yet many benefits leaders still overlook its value. In this episode of Making Healthcare Sustainable, Nancy Ryerson chats with Erin Tatar , SVP Consultant Relations at Lantern, about the complexities of specialty care. Erin breaks down the key components of specialty care (including plannable surgeries, cancer care, a...

Choosing a surgeon shouldn’t feel like guessing on Google. Yet most patients make high-stakes decisions about surgery with little visibility into what actually drives better outcomes. Star ratings and hospital billboards don’t tell you whether a procedure is appropriate, how often a surgeon performs it, or what their real complication rates look like. In this episode of Making Healthcare Sustainab...

Cancer care is one of the most complex and expensive parts of employee healthcare. Decisions are made quickly, often before patients understand their options. In this episode, Nancy Ryerson speaks with Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS , Chief Medical Officer at AccessHope , about where cancer care breaks down and what actually changes outcomes. They explore why even experienced oncologists struggle to stay c...

Rising medical costs and mounting pressure on benefits leaders to do more with less have made employee healthcare more complex than ever before. Lantern presents Making Healthcare Sustainable, a show and media experience that puts the spotlight on high-cost problems and life-changing solutions in specialty care. In each episode, host Nancy Ryerson speaks to medical experts and changemakers who are...