Ana Handshuh, principal of CAT5 Strategies, Melissa Smith, founder and senior advisor of the Newton Smith Group, and Rex Wallace, founder & principal of Rex Wallace Consulting, join us for the latest episode of RISE Radio, our podcast series that focuses on issues that impact policies, regulations, and challenges faced by health care professionals responsible for quality and revenue, Medicare member acquisition and experience, and/or social determinants of health.
During this 70-minute podcast, they discuss the major changes in the 2025 Medicare Advantage Final Rule that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released on April 4. The conversation delves into the Medicare Advantage marketing changes, including supplemental benefits and compensation to MA brokers and agents; dual eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs); network adequacy standards; Star rating measures; and strategies for compliance.
For those who want to learn more about these changes, check out RISE’s upcoming spring conferences:
Special Needs Plan Leadership Summit, May 1-3 in New York City
Risk Adjustment Forum, May 20-22 in New Orleans
Qualipalooza 2024, June 2-4 in Atlanta
About Ana Handshuh
Ana Handshuh, principal at CAT5 Strategies, is a government programs executive with expertise in creating and implementing corporate programs for the health care industry. Her background includes quality, core measures, care management, benefit design and bid submission, accreditation, regulatory compliance, revenue management, communications, community-based care management programs and technology integration. She is a sought-after speaker on the national health care circuit in the areas of quality, Star ratings, care management, member and provider engagement, and revenue management.
About Melissa Smith
For more than a decade, Melissa Smith has been at the forefront of leading Medicare Advantage and Star Ratings teams. As the founder of Newton Smith Group and a senior advisor to Oliver Wyman, Smith is a widely recognized thought leader and health care strategist. Her proven track record of success lies in developing comprehensive enterprise-wide solutions that enhance Star Ratings, quality performance, health outcomes, and the overall member experience.
As the former chief consulting officer at Healthmine and senior vice president at Gorman Health Group, her leadership spans across prestigious organizations like Cigna-HealthSpring and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
About Rex Wallace
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. Wallace assesses plans and guides them in the development and implementation of-leading strategies to drive material quality Improvement. Since its inception in 2017, his consulting firm has helped multiple Medicare Advantage contracts achieve significant improvements in Star ratings, including single-year full-Star improvements. Prior to launching Rex Wallace Consulting, Wallace spent 23 years in strategic health care 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.