Healthcare Champions captures stories from visionaries at the forefront of healthcare business strategy, and innovation. Each episode highlights healthcare industry opportunities that could drive real impact, from individuals that are champions of real change.
Krista Nelson discusses her work transforming pediatric care at Children’s Mercy Hospital through human-centered innovation and the PedsMrkt marketplace, highlighting the importance of a platform for pediatric innovation in this interview.
27 Aug 2025
Making Healthcare Work for Real People – Monica Engel
Healthcare leader Monica Engel and host Sam Meers explore fixing broken trust in healthcare by addressing administrative bloat and misaligned incentives.
28 Jul 2025
Restoring Trust with ClearPoint Health – Jeb Dunkelberger
ClearPoint Health CEO Jeb Dunkelberger recounts his personal healthcare struggles and explains how ClearPoint Health addresses high costs and restores trust for employers and patients in this interview.
3 Dec 2024
Episode 10: Lessons in Healthcare Innovation Part 4: Innovation into Reality with Spira Care
In the fourth and final installment of the "Lessons in Healthcare Innovation" series on Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers revisits the groundbreaking journey of Spira Care with Jimmy Keown, VP of Health Innovations and Growth, and Jason Spacek, EVP of Health Innovations at BarkleyOKRP. This episode uncovers the triumphs of the final push to bring Spira Care to life. Spira Care is a revolutionary approach to advanced primary care that transformed healthcare delivery in the Kansas City...
24 Nov 2024
Episode 8: Real-Time Data Transforming Healthcare - Part 1 - Dan Low
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers from BarkleyOKRP welcomes Dan Low, Chief Medical Officer at AdaptX, to discuss his visionary approach to harnessing data and Lean principles for a transformative shift in patient care. As a pediatric anesthesiologist with an unconventional journey through critical care, neonatology, and emergency medicine, Dan shares how his vast experiences led him to identify critical inefficiencies in healthcare systems. Observing that healthcare ofte...
24 Nov 2024
Episode 9: Real-Time Data Transforming Healthcare - Part 2 - Dan Low
In this episode, host Sam Meers continues our conversation with Dan Low, Chief Medical Officer at AdaptX, we explore how healthcare systems can transform patient outcomes by harnessing real-world data. Dan shares the challenges of clinical variation and explains how this overlooked issue can significantly impact care quality, efficiency, and equity. With AdaptX, months-long data analysis processes are now reduced to seconds, giving clinicians the tools to make informed decisions that directl...
17 Nov 2024
Episode 7: Lessons in Healthcare Innovation Pt. 3: Bringing Advanced Primary Care to Life
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers reconnects with industry innovators Jimmy Keown and Jason Spacek from BarkleyOKRP’s Health Innovations team to delve into the critical implementation stage of Spira Care. Following the initial planning and design phases, Jimmy and Jason now share how they brought their vision to life, navigating complex pivots and orchestrating a “well-choreographed dance” of multidisciplinary collaboration to make Spira Care a reality. Discover how the...
17 Nov 2024
Episode 6: Innovating Healthcare Savings with New Perspectives - Stuart Rosenblum
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers from BarkleyOKRP sits down with Stuart Rosenblum, a transformative leader at Elevance Health, where he’s known as an “intrapreneur” with a talent for driving efficiencies and pioneering cost-saving strategies. Stuart shares his unique journey from the world of infomercials to an executive role in a Fortune 20 healthcare giant, where he is empowered to explore innovative solutions that reimagine the healthcare industry’s complex payer mod...
27 Oct 2024
Episode 5: People vs. Patients: A Healthcare Shift - Munzoor Shaikh
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers from BarkleyOKRP, sits down with Munzoor Shaikh, Founder and CEO of Long Game Health, to explore patient empowerment, value-based care, and the long-term transformation of healthcare systems. With a background in healthcare consulting, Munzoor is a leader in digital transformation, health equity, and value-based care—delivering strategies that generate tangible outcomes for healthcare organizations. Munzoor shares his experiences and vi...
18 Aug 2024
Episode 4: Sick Care vs. Healthcare: A Rebel's Crusade - Terry Burke
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, we sit down with Terry Burke, a senior healthcare leader, strategic advisor, and executive performance coach at Oliver Wyman. With decades of experience in healthcare, Terry shares his straight-shooting insights on the critical shift from "sick care" to "health care." Terry discusses the significant impact he aims to make by tackling inefficiencies and championing innovation within the healthcare system. He emphasizes the importance of moving from a v...
11 Aug 2024
Episode 3: Lessons in Healthcare Innovation Pt. 2 - The Birth of Spira Care
In the second episode of our "Lessons in Healthcare Innovation" series on Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers continues the conversation with Jimmy Keown and Jason Spacek from BarkleyOKRP’s Healthcare Innovations team. This time, they delve into the critical friction points in healthcare that hinder innovation and how the innovation of Blue KC’s Spira Care was designed to address these challenges. The discussion begins with Jason and Jimmy outlining the challenges with the healthcare indus...
4 Aug 2024
Episode 2: Healthcare Overhaul: Reinventing Insurance Models - Ron Rowe
In this episode of Healthcare Champions, we sit down with Ron Rowe, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. With nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Ron brings his straightforward and candid insights into the evolving payer models. Ron dives into the complexities that plague our current healthcare system, exploring how misaligned incentives and outdated models contribute to rising costs and inefficiency. He als...
28 Jul 2024
Episode 1: Lessons In Healthcare Innovation Pt 1. - Jimmy Keown & Jason Spacek
In our inaugural episode of Healthcare Champions, host Sam Meers sits down with Jimmy Keown from the BarkleyOKRP Health Innovations team and Jason Spacek, formerly of Blue Cross Blue Shield now the EVP at BarkleyOKRP Health Innovations. They kick off this first season with a series called Lessons in Health Innovation. They dive deep to discuss the critical impact they aim to make in healthcare by addressing friction points and driving innovation. Jimmy and Jason share their initial phases of&...
Who has been a guest on Healthcare Champions
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Krista Nelson
Monica Engel
Jeb Dunkelberger
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
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