Puneet Budhiraja joined CDPHP in 2013 and currently serves as chief actuary. In this role, he oversees the preparation and submission of all Commercial and Medicare rate filings. He is also responsible for creating new value-based initiatives and monitoring existing ones. Value-based programs allow CDPHP to partner with providers to attain the common goal of reducing overall health care costs while also improving quality.
Puneet has over 15 years of health care actuarial experience, working for insurance companies as well as consulting companies. Prior to joining CDPHP, Puneet worked as an actuary at Cigna Healthcare and was an actuarial consultant at Milliman Consulting.
Puneet holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering and program in M.S. electrical engineering from New Mexico State University, N.M. He graduated from the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Executive Leadership Program (ELP) for healthcare executives. He is a member of the Society of Actuaries and the American Academy of Actuaries. Puneet also served as a committee member for the American Academy of Actuaries, and he has peer-reviewed and published multiple papers for the Society of Actuaries journals.
Tim Courtney, FSA, MAAA works in the Tampa office of Wakely Consulting Group, LLC, an HMA Company. He joined Wakely in 2010. Tim is the Medicare Advantage Principal where he oversees the Medicare Advantage consulting practice and is responsible for tool oversight, regulatory compliance, quality control, staffing, and CMS relations. He provides assistance to a variety of entities, including HMOs, PPOs, insurance companies, PBMs, states, employers, risk taking health care providers on actuarial and financial issues, managed care entities regarding Medicare Advantage bids, small group, large group and individual ACA and non-ACA lines of business. Tim also provides assistance analyzing detailed claims experience, projecting medical and pharmacy expense budgets, preparing premium rate certifications, analyzing provider contracts and evaluating unpaid claim liabilities.
Omar joined Community Health Plan of Washington, CHPW, as the Director of Pharmacy in 2019 after sixteen years with Walgreens Co., where he led Specialty Pharmacy operations for the Pacific Northwest Region.
Omar has extensive experience in Specialty Pharmacy, Managed Care including government programs, and Clinical Pharmacy quality initiatives. Omar’s current role is focused on PBM relationship oversight, clinical pharmacy integration, and utilization management of medical and prescription drug benefits.
Omar received his Doctorate of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Washington in 2005 and continues to reside in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Michael de la Guardia co-leads the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model where he focuses on new policy development across Part C and Part D, as well as the Model’s data and reporting requirements, communications and marketing requirements, and technical support for Model participants. His major projects within CMMI focus on strategy for Medicare Advantage health plan innovation models and the intersection of climate change and health. Prior to CMMI, Michael was a Health Policy Fellow on the Senate Finance Committee where he worked on the Inflation Reduction Act and climate change and health legislation. Michael received an MBA and MPH from UC Berkeley, where he focused on health equity and access.
Dr. Shannon Decker is principal at VBC One, a consulting firm assisting physician groups, health plans and vendors maximize the performance of their value based contracts and offerings. Dr. Decker has more than 20 years experience in health care and most recently led teams in risk, quality, data and analytics, telehealth, COVID response and delegation compliance. Of her more than 20 years of experience in healthcare--15 include working with risk adjustment, quality and Medicare. Dr. Decker has a PhD. in Interdisciplinary Studies, dual MBA degrees--in Finance and in Marketing, as well as an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and a M.Ed. in Administration and Leadership. Dr. Decker is on the faculty at Arizona State University and is also an associate professor of Higher Education & Adult Learning (HEAL) and chief methodologist for Walden and Capella Universities where she chairs and oversees the dissertations of doctoral students. An author of two books and several peer-reviewed articles, and a prolific national public speaker, her interests include the study of human behavior and how theories on motivation and learning may be brought to bear on population health management.
Ethan Frederick, Consulting Actuary, has supported and overseen projects across multiple content areas, such as Medicare Advantage bid development, Medicare Advantage analytics support and dashboard delivery, year-end opinion support, and providing strategic insights for ESRD disease management focused organizations.
Prior to joining Wakely, Ethan worked as a strategy consultant for healthcare payors, providers, integrated systems, and start-ups. He has supported payors in strategic initiatives in Medicare Advantage including product design and network creation and has led model creation teams focused on forecasting Medicaid budgets for state agencies.
Anant joined BCBSM in 2023 after holding positions in various plans and consultancies across the country. His responsibilities include managing the Bid process, forecasting revenue, claims, and risk scores, and developing ad hoc projects to support Medicare Advantage Joint Ventures.
Anant has over 25 years of experience in the private Medicare arena, and has dealt with all aspects of the business, including, revenue, claims, reserves, contracting, benefits, and audits.
Anant received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin. He resides in the Kansas City area.
Rose Gawrych
Senior Manager of Product Delivery, Government Markets, Benefits1
Rose Gawrych Senior Manager of Product Delivery, Government Markets, Benefits1
Simplify Healthcare
Rose Gawrych is associated with Simplify Healthcare as a Senior Manager, Product Delivery for Benefits1™.Medicare. She manages implementations and production support for clients, with a focus on client success, experience, and growth.
Ana Handshuh, CHC, is a government programs executive with expertise in creating and implementing corporate programs for the healthcare industry. Ms. Handshuh is the Principal at CAT5 Strategies, a healthcare advisory practice specializing in Regulatory and Operational Compliance, Revenue Management, Communications, Quality, Care Management Programs, Benefit and Formulary Design, Program Bid Submission, Accreditation, and Technology Integration. She recently founded TRACSCOUT, a technology startup SaaS platform for managed care processes.
Her recent consultancy roles include conducting compliance risk assessments, performing Compliance Program Effectiveness audits, conducting FDR and PBM pre‐delegation audit, preparing for CMS program audit, and writing and implementing post‐audit corrective action plans. Ms. Handshuh has also assisted government program sponsors achieve higher Star ratings, create and implement care management programs, document their processes and procedures, achieve accreditation status, design and submit government program bids, institute corporate‐wide programs and create communications strategies and materials. She is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association and is Certified in Healthcare Compliance by the Compliance Certification Board. Ana currently serves on the Board of the Resource Initiative and Society for Education (RISE), the preeminent national professional association dedicated to managed and accountable care financing and delivery.
Ms. Handshuh previously served as the Vice President of Managed Care Services at Central Florida Inpatient Medicine (CFIM), providing leadership and strategy on CFIM projects with physicians, risk entities, hospital systems, and health plans. Prior to that assignment, she worked with Precision Healthcare Systems as their Vice President of Quality Improvement, leading the IPA’s collaborations with payers to implement Quality and Star Rating initiatives. Ms. Handshuh also served as the Director of Corporate Program Development at Physicians United Plan (PUP), leading the Medicare health plan’s Quality Management and Corporate Communications departments and spearheading the development of innovative integrated technology solutions to drive business excellence and Star Rating achievement. Prior to joining Physicians United Plan Ms. Handshuh was the founder of I-Six Creative. Under Ms. Handshuh’s vision and leadership, I-Six provided expertise in the areas of managed Medicare benefit design, MSO/IPA operations, provider network strategy, new market launches, technology integration, corporate communications and quality improvement.
Gabriel Hitchcock Vice President of Business Development
Healthrageous
Gabriel is an experienced healthcare entrepreneur with far-reaching expertise in policy, investment strategy, and SDOH. Gabriel currently serves as VP of Business Development at Healthrageous, where he leads strategic planning and implementation to enhance member satisfaction and retention. Gabriel also leads Member Insights, using qualitative and advanced analytic approaches to identify gaps in care and unmet needs.
Prior to Healthrageous, Gabriel served as the VP of Strategy at NationsBenefits, managing and executing on supplemental benefit design and crafting an M&A strategy. In 2019, Gabriel co-founded Nightingale Partners with John Gorman. Nightingale is a boutique SDOH investment fund and advisory group. In this role, Gabriel sourced, diligenced, and executed transactions totaling over $10M.
A life-long founder, Gabriel has started companies ranging from pharmaceuticals, science communication, and real estate. His first exit came in 2018 through the sale of Onconetics Pharmaceuticals, inc. Gabriel graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Finance and is currently pursuing his MBA/MS in Biotechnology at Harvard Business School.
Kaleb began his career in health insurance in 1999 when he first joined the SelectHealth customer service team. He has worked in claims, provider relations, coverage policy management, product management, product development, and pretty much anything else they would let him get his hands on. In 2011 when the decision was made for SelectHealth to launch an MA plan, Kaleb enthusiastically joined the team and has never looked back. Medicare Advantage has been an incredibly challenging and rewarding field and he isn’t sure he could ever leave it. Kaleb has been described by work colleagues as a true Medicare Advantage nerd, which essentially just means he is really fun at parties.
Kaleb spends most of his personal time with his wife and best friend, Sarah Jean. They have four children in total. None yet show any inclination toward Medicare Advantage, but there is still time. They like to watch movies, go on picnics, and take the occasional road trip when they can get everyone together.
Meg Jordan is the SNP Program Director for Prominence Health Plan, a provider owned Medicare Advantage plan operating in Florida, Nevada, and Texas. In this current role, she launched new SNP products in the Prominence Health markets and maintains accountability across all aspects of Special Needs Plan functions, including product development, compliance, implementation, plan performance, growth, and sustainability. Meg has been in the Managed Medicaid and Medicare industry for more than 14 years and has worked directly with LTSS and Dual Eligible Populations since 2016 across several states. She has focused her career on creating accessibility and seamless healthcare experiences for our most vulnerable and at-risk populations. Meg is based out of Chicago, Illinois where she enjoys spending time with her family.
Jenn brings their deep understanding of the complexities and nuances within the Medicare Advantage & Value Based Care landscape to their work at DUOS, where they lead business development, go-to-market strategy, and marketing. By leveraging data-driven insights and market intelligence, they spearhead the development of tailored products and services that cater to the unique needs of Medicare Advantage plans and deliver unparalleled value to clients and beneficiaries alike; previous leadership roles include FarmboxRx, Excelera Health and NationsBenefits. Beyond their role at DUOS, Jenn actively contributes to the industry's progress as a thought leader leveraging expertise and advocacy for innovative healthcare practices to enhance healthcare accessibility and quality.
Matt Kridgen is a Consulting Actuary for Milliman. He has over 10 years of experience working as a healthcare actuary. His main area of focus is supporting health plans in the Medicare Advantage and Medicaid markets. Matt assists plans in bid development, reserving, year-end reporting, audits, revenue optimization, benefit pricing, financial projections, experience monitoring, provider contracting, capitation rate setting, and risk score analysis. He also does extensive research into the effects of medical management on member costs in commercial healthcare markets. Matt received his Bachelor of the Arts in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently resides in Seattle.
Katie has over 15 years of experience in health care business development. She currently works as the Director of Business Development in Medline’s Health Plan division, and has partnered with plans across the continuum of insurance to provide them with effective strategies and solutions to deliver the highest quality of care to their members. Katie has spearheaded and developed numerous programs within Medline's Health Plan division that work to improve plan Star Ratings/HEDIS Scores, enhance member satisfaction/engagement, and boost member outcomes.”
Eddie Maria is the Head of Sales for Birdsong Hearing. In his role, Eddie provides leadership of Birdsong Hearing Benefits, LLC Sales while partnering with clients to make their plans more impactful, personal, and meaningful for members. He is passionate about improving peoples’ lives by bringing a whole health focus to hearing benefits that also helps health plans bring additional value to their members.
Eddie is a client-focused leader with extensive experience bringing solutions to Commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Managed Medicaid plans. He is passionate about the customer experience, focuses on nurturing relationships, and appreciates the importance of understanding the customer’s needs.
Eddie has more than 20 years of experience building client partnerships and leading sales teams in the healthcare industry, including the pharmaceutical, women’s healthcare, and hearing benefits sectors. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from California State University – Sacramento. Outside of work, Eddie volunteers with Blessings in a Backpack – an organization that provides children on a free-lunch program with food every Friday during the school year so that they have food for the weekend.
Dr. Meyer is a clinical audiologist with over 30 years of experience in diagnostic assessment of hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance dysfunction as well as hearing aid evaluation, fitting, and verification. In her role as Director of Clinical Programs, Dr. Meyer works with providers, health plans and members to optimize member hearing health outcomes by improving clinical care pathways through provider innovation, member education and support. In 2021, Dr. Meyer successfully led her team through the accreditation process and Amplifon Hearing Health Care was granted full accreditation for Health Utilization Management by the Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC), the first hearing health care organization to receive this accreditation. Dr. Meyer is Chair Elect for the American Board of Audiology.
Josh Phelps is the Vice President and Chief Actuary for Florida Blue Medicare and is a graduate of the University of Florida where he majored in Statistics. He has the distinction of holding the Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), Certified Healthcare Insurance Executive (CHIE), Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA), and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) credentials. Josh specializes in strategic thinking, leadership, team development, and one-on-one coaching.
Josh’s career has seen him serve in roles both within and outside the Actuarial department. He credits his broad experience with allowing him to have a holistic view of the business and think through problems with multiple different lenses. He states that he gets the greatest satisfaction from his job when he sees members of his team achieve their professional and personal goals.
Josh resides in Jacksonville Florida with his wife Gina and his two dogs Bentley and Bailey. He enjoys mixed martial arts, cooking, and spending time with his family. He has a passion for helping his community and has completed volunteer work for United Way, American Heart Association, and writing programs to assist with analyzing Alzheimer’s research data. He can be reached at phelps.joshua9@gmail.com.
Amit serves as the Chief Information Officer at Birdsong Hearing Benefits, LLC. In this role, he leads Business applications, IT Security, Cloud Infrastructure, Digital Platform, IT Operations Data/Analytics including Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence.
Amit is a highly accomplished Chief Information Officer with 25 years of experience in various technology leadership roles. He has spent the last 17+ years specializing in healthcare-- leading various business capability initiatives across Healthcare Payer, Provider, and third-party administration companies. Amit has worked with several BlueCross BlueShield Plans across the country leading numerous strategic initiatives to optimize health outcomes, scale for cost savings, improve member/patient care experience and data transparency. His deep knowledge of the healthcare industry along with his experience in technology provides an excellent bridge between business and technology to enhance and boost business growth.
Amit has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a master’s in information technology. He has several certifications including project management, information technology infrastructure library and agile practice.
Laura Sheriff, RN, MSN, CPC, CRC Vice President Operations, Risk Adjustment
Southwestern Health Resources
Laura Sheriff, RN, MSN, is currently working as VP, Risk Adjustment for SWHR. She is also a consultant with physician groups and health plans to capitalize on risk adjustment performance and operations. Laura is an MSN with >12 years’ experience in Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace Managed Care and has led teams in risk, quality, telehealth, and population health analytics. Laura demonstrates effective leadership, innovative problem-solving techniques, and goal-oriented focus to execute business objectives and meet performance metrics. Laura has designed and coordinated activities including provider education, training, auditing, data mining, and data analysis to direct program success. Laura has a Master’s in Nursing Education and is also a certified professional coder and a certified risk coder. Laura is also a frequent speaker for RISE, a best-in-class organization for all things related to accountable care and government healthcare reform.
Brandon Solomon is Convey's Vice President & Chief Growth Officer. Brandon has over 15 years of healthcare experience as a strategic advisor and partner to health plans and providers, mainly operating government markets (MA, ACA, Medicaid). In his current role, Brandon focuses on developing strong partnerships with our Convey customers to help them attract, retain, and better manage members through supplemental benefit management and advanced analytics.
Mike leads the product innovation team of portfolio managers, researchers, and analysts at CDPHP in Albany, NY. Mike’s team is always seeking out new trends and disruptions in healthcare to enhance CDPHP’s product portfolio, running the gamut from digital health technologies to high deductible plans paired with HSAs.
Mike is most interested in studying and utilizing consumer behavior trends in healthcare, including the choices people make, why they make those choices, and the influences required to help them make choices that are more appropriate.
Originally from Syracuse, New York, Mike relocated for his post-secondary education, including a B.S. from Union College focused in Neuroscience and Quantitative Economics, as well as a master’s of Business Administration (M.B.A.) focused in Healthcare Management from Clarkson University. Mike now resides with his family and dachshunds in Latham while continuing to work on his golf game.
Rex Wallace is the founder and principal of Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC, a firm that specializes in improving Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage health plans. Rex assesses plans and guides them in the development and implementation of-leading strategies to drive material Quality Improvement. Since its inception in 2017, RWC has helped multiple Medicare Advantage contracts achieve significant improvements in Star Ratings, including single-year full-Star improvements. Prior to launching RWC, Rex spent twenty-three years in strategic healthcare roles, with a strong focus on Medicare Advantage. Most recently, he led Stars for a large, multi-state plan that consistently achieved 4 and 4.5 Stars across its multiple contracts.
Daniel Weaver Senior Vice President, Stars and Quality
Zing Health
Daniel Weaver recently became the Senior Vice President of Stars and Quality at Zing Health. With over 25 years of experience in Operations and Star Ratings strategy, Daniel has previously served as VP, Government Quality Programs at Gateway Health and Director of Stars Programs at Highmark Health, helping both organizations achieve and maintain their first 4.5 Star Ratings. In his career, Dan has overseen the development and implementation of many analytics-driven and customer-focused programs, and he advocates for continuous improvement and operational excellence philosophies for sustained success. In his new role with Zing Health, Daniel will focus on implementing a high-performing Stars infrastructure to support the organization’s rapid growth with a focus on servicing special needs members in several states.
Zachary White is an Associate Actuary for Milliman Tampa. He is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Certified Public Accountant. Zach's experience covers a wide range of healthcare topics including supporting health plans in Medicare Advantage bid development, Commercial ACA rate development, reserving, and financial projections, among others. He also assists in pharmaceutical and device manufacturers in claims analytics.
Prior to joining Milliman, Zach has worked in the actuarial department at a large MCO and has several years of public accounting experience. He holds a Master of Accountancy from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Steve Wrangham Associate Vice President, Medicare Product
Molina Healthcare
Steve has been working for regional and national health plans in the Medicare Advantage space for 14 years and has been dedicated to designing MA products for the last decade. His experience includes work in 15 states and nearly all MA flavors, including HMO, PPO, POS, Cost, Med Supp, and group MA products. He currently leads product development activities for two distinct brands in California, both of which serve unique populations. Steve has been a Healthrageous client for 3 years.
