In this hour-long episode of RISE Radio, Editorial Director Ilene MacDonald sits down with industry experts to break down the changes in CMS’ 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D proposed rule, why removing 12 measures and bringing back the reward factor is a true Stars redesign, and how plans can pivot from operational wins to outcome performance.
Our guests are 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.
For more on these changes, join us at The RISE Star Ratings Master Class, December 16-18 in Frisco, Texas or RISE National 2026, March 23-25 in Orlando, Fla.
About the speakers
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.
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, Melissa is a widely recognized thought leader and healthcare 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. Melissa excels in crafting strategic and tactical solutions to meet client needs, forging productive partnerships across internal teams and external vendors, and improving performance on various quality measures. Her unique background in business, finance, regulatory compliance, and healthcare quality provides clients unparalleled access to healthcare strategy, quality performance, and revenue optimization. As the former Chief Consulting Officer at Healthmine and Senior Vice President at Gorman Health Group, Melissa's leadership spans across prestigious organizations like Cigna-HealthSpring and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Graduating from Purdue University, Melissa began her career at KPMG, LLP and is a Certified Public Accountant.
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. 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.
