The ShiftShapers Podcast

The concept of patient advocacy isn’t new, but current trends are shining a spotlight on the growing need for this critical service. Forty years ago, Anne Llewellyn was a hospital-based nurse. She has seen every aspect of care up close – including a stint as a patient herself. Over that time she has developed a deep understanding and a passion for patients to have the help of an advocate who can h...

Talking politics and benefits is like walking a tightrope in heavy winds, but our guests say it can be done without falling off. Hear more of their advice in the second part of this two-part interview. With healthcare so tied to politics these days, many advisors feel they have no way to avoid the subject when speaking with prospects and clients. Can you maximize your impact as an advisor and rema...

Talking politics and benefits is like walking a tightrope in heavy winds, but our guests say it can be done without falling off. With healthcare so tied to politics these days, many advisors feel they have no way to avoid the subject when speaking with prospects and clients. Can you maximize your impact as an advisor and remain politically neutral? Jess Waltman and Dave Mordo say, “yes”. In fact,...

Eric Silverman is one of the most disruptive forces in the area of “enhanced benefits”. You may have been calling them “voluntary” or “ancillary”, but Eric is passionate in his belief that neither of those words make the case for a benefit offering that is more important to clients and employees than ever before. In this fast-paced interview, Eric explains how advisors interested in enhanced benef...

Every time talk turns to single payer, folks use the Canadian healthcare system as a reference. How does that system really work and does it provide better care for our northern neighbors? For answers, we went to our Canadian friend Ron Hansell, President of Cross Border Benefits. We start by asking Ron for an overview of their system – just to level-set the discussion. He explains how their syste...

Last week we explored buying leads. This week, in part 2 we will discuss how to maximize the potential of those purchased leads. If you were surprised at how much has changed if you are buying leads, our guest this week, Don Runge, President of DMR and LeadGuru, believes that the established methodologies still work best for getting the most out of those leads. Don contends that advisors need to m...

Buying leads has become more of a science than an art and the process is infused with new technology that helps you treat each lead like a $1000 bill.  We asked Richard Bufkin, President of Target Leads to update us on lead purchasing, a traditional process that has been brought very much up to date. Richard is the second generation of a business that is 32 years old and that has been in his famil...

Drug costs are soaring and driving more of medical spend than ever before. The good news is that there are tools coming to market to help consumers and plans alike. That is what our guest, Gary Becker, CEO of ScriptSourcing and I discuss on this episode. We begin with an exploration of why prescription drugs are so much more expensive in the United States than they are in other countries. We discu...

“Consumer” and “shopping” go together everywhere in our lives – except in healthcare. What would happen if consumers could easily shop for non-emergency surgery and get bundled pricing, all with the help of a concierge to guide them through the process? That is the question that Dr. Sanjay Prasad, Founder and CEO at SurgiPrice discusses on this episode. We begin by discussing how the current syste...

Should you enroll enhanced benefits yourself, or can a professional enroller help to create clear communication while maximizing enrollment and delivering better client satisfaction – and what are the financial considerations of that decision? That is the question that Allison De Paoli discusses in this episode. Her firm, De Paoli Professional Services, specializes in becoming an extension of your...

Deb Ault and some of her fellow RNs were against managed care when they were working at patients’ bedsides – but now she thinks it could help innovate and improve care while saving money.   Nurse Deb is the President of Ault International Medical Management and a pioneer in the medical management field. As an advocate of proactive and predictive case management, she helps patients and their case m...

We spend a lot of time and effort on enrollment, but how can we use the other 364 days to gain engagement and create health care consumers?   That is the question Justin Holland, CEO and Founder of Healthjoy will help us explore on this episode of Shiftshapers . HDHP designs have shifted more of the financial burden to employees, but that shifts a great deal of the knowledge burden to them as well...

Last week the Senate failed to bring their reconciliation bill to a vote. Nationwide, the individual market is in trouble and advisors need to know what to tell their clients. In Jessica Waltman’s quarterly conversation with the ShiftShapers audience, she offers her unique perspective on what really happened on the Hill and where we go from here. We explore whether the 2015 clean repeal bill is st...

Group Medicare may sound paradoxical, but it can help expand your practice while freeing up significant benefit dollars for your group clients. Jason McClellan is the President & CEO of Insurance Advisors Direct-Agency, LLC, and knows exactly what you need to do to take advantage of this rapidly growing practice area. In this episode, Jason explains what Group Medicare is and how different pro...

Al Lewis, our guest on this episode of The ShiftShapers Podcast , is a serial entrepreneur, author, renaissance man, and the CEO of Quizzify. Quizzify is a healthcare education app that uses fun and games to teach employees how to buy and use healthcare. The service makes for smarter consumers and saves their companies a lot of money in healthcare costs. In this interview Al shares his interesting...

The story of our industry over the last decade has been one of mergers and acquisitions. The ACA has propelled new levels of activity as benefit advisors are leaving the industry and selling their practices. This episode’s guest is in the middle of the action, and here to share his expertise and opinions on the advantages some firms have found by becoming part of a larger organization. Brett Rosen...

On this episode of ShiftShapers, our guest and I discuss the new and diverse tools that advisors within the insurance industry are using to market their businesses. The fastest growing method happens to be video, and Bart Camarata is an expert on the topic. Bart is the creator and host of BenefitAdvisor TV , where he leverages his Middle Tennessee State education to produce quality video content....

Mark Gaunya and Jennifer Borislow continue their discussion from last episode about why healthcare is so expensive and share their ideas to slow rising prices. With the release of the second edition of their book Bend the Healthcare Trend , Mark and Jennifer are advocating for consumer-driven healthcare as the solution to rising expenses. In analyzing the healthcare system, inflation greatly outpa...

Nine years ago, Mark Gaunya and Jennifer Borislow wrote “Bend The Healthcare Trend” to explore how healthcare consumers could counteract the damaging effect of a system with misaligned incentives, opaque pricing schemes, and unnecessary complexity. They are about to release the 2nd edition of their definitive book and ShiftShapers talks to them about how much has changed; and how little has change...

The move from “wellness” to “wellbeing” requires a more holistic approach which includes helping employees become financially well. Understanding the need and bringing the right technology to employers can help advisors expand their offerings and differentiate themselves. Chris Whitlow of Edu(k)ate joins us to talk about the need, the approaches and how technology and unbiased financial advice are...

Dr. Keith Smith believes that healthcare pricing in the United States is “scam” — and he’s working to change that. He is the medical director and managing partner of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma. Keith’s outlook on transparent healthcare pricing is a valuable one, especially since he’s had several years putting it into practice. This is part 2 of our two-part episode series on transparency – fin...

Transparency is the single topic with the most potential to transform every aspect of health and health insurance. We’ve decided to devote two episodes to this potentially innovative topic. For part one our guest is Ralph Weber, President and CEO of MediBid. Ralph is a passionate subject matter expert and serves as a member of NAHU’s Healthcare Cost and Quality Transparency Workgroup. In this inte...

Benefits advisors have a huge opportunity with individual disability. Recent estimates are that the market in the blue, gray and white collar segments is only 30% penetrated. If your clients and prospects can’t afford to retire today, you need to be discussing how they can insure their paychecks. Patrick Irving, Managing Director of Covala Group, joins us to share his Disability Income (DI) expert...

Many of the precepts on which health reform efforts are based are nothing more than myths. ShiftShapers guest Greg Scandlen explodes 30 of those myths and why those incorrect assumptions continually doom efforts at health care reform.  Based on flawed research, incorrect assumptions and flimsy evidence, these myths may make great bumper stickers but they yield miserably screwed up health care poli...

Absolute engagement can help you design a business that supports the life you really want to live. You can work less, earn more, and build a world-class business that delivers an exceptional client and team experience. This week on ShiftShapers, Julie Littlechild joins us to talk about the concept of absolute engagement. Jullie’s new book, “The Pursuit of Absolute Engagement” outlines the process...