Consumer Activation in Healthcare: Novel Approaches to Performance Measurement

Benjamin has over 15 years of combined experience in the healthcare sector. He is passionate about building and scaling solutions that improve patient access and engagement while lowering the total cost of care, and driving clinical outcomes. In his role at Highmark, he is responsible for multiple elements of clinical design and innovation, reimaging healthcare by developing and scaling new capabilities in advanced analytics, human-centered design and digital technology as well as the strategy and execution of case management operations (~250 nurses). In addition, Benjamin drives initiatives and key outcome metrics to improve quality, reduce cost and improve the patient experience. He previously worked at McKinsey & Co.

Alexandra is Banner’s Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the Banner Health senior executive team. She leads the development and rollout of an enterprise-wide customer engagement platform, making Banner the first US health system to build one of this scope and functionality. This digital front door connects all back-end data for a seamless patient experience—a sense that Banner knows them in all interactions. She led similar transformations at Kaiser Permanente, AAA, Schwab, and American Express. Alexandra is a three-time winner of a “Most Influential Women in Business” Award from the San Francisco Business Times. She has been featured in Forbes, Business Week, The Economist, and Direct Marketing magazine for her achievements in driving profitable growth throughout her career. Ms. Morehouse serves on the board of Harvard Business School Community Partners, the Chief Marketing Officer Council and SharpBrains Neuroscience Research Institute. She holds bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Harvard.

With a background in physical and mental health marketing, Molly Kurtz joined UPMC Health Plan’s Marketing & Communications Department in 2018. As a Product Manager overseeing SMS, her work focuses on making digital communication innovative, interactive, and personal. She launched 17 new programs that aligned with UPMC Health Plan’s vision of using text messaging and natural language processing to improve member experience, increase program/product engagement, and close gaps in care by serving as an interactive and personal solution tool.

Dr. Ahern is the Director of the Digital Behavioral Health; Informatics Research Program within the Department of Psychiatry at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital(BWH) and Assistant Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School.

Over his 35-year career, Dr. Ahern has focused on the intersection of informatics and behavioral science to improve health and healthcare. He was National Program Director for the Health e-Technologies Initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation from 2002-2009 where he managed a technology research portfolio of 26 grants promoting the use of technology for health behavior change and chronic disease management. He has published over 100 articles, book chapters, and technical reports.

In 2013, Dr. Ahern began a detail to the National Cancer Institute whereby he served as a special advisor on health information technology (HIT) to the Healthcare Delivery Research Program (HDRP) within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. During his tenure at NCI, he has co-edited a book entitled Oncology Informatics published by Elsevier and co-facilitated the President’s Cancer Panel workshop series on Connected Health, with the release of the final report to President Obama in November 2016. In 2017, Dr. Ahern began a detail with Connect2Health Task Force of the Federal Communications Commission. In that role, he served as Chair of the L.A.U.N.C.H. (Linking & Amplifying User-Centered Networks for Connected Health) Initiative, which is a public-private partnership to co-create patient-centered technologies for cancer symptom management in rural and underserved communities.

Chris has been in the healthcare industry for the past 20 years, currently as founder and CEO of Insignia Health whose mission centers upon helping individuals become more active and engaged managers of their health and healthcare. For our worldwide clients, gains in consumer health activation, through the use of our proprietary measurement model and health activation programs, have consistently shown in published research to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

Previously, he was Chief Marketing Officer, Definity Health. Each of these organizations disrupted traditional approaches in healthcare, and each introduced successful products and services centered on helping individuals become more successful managers of their health and healthcare. Prior to healthcare, Chris spent a decade in brand management with leading consumer food product companies — The Pillsbury Company, Health Valley Foods, and Dreyer’s/Edy’s Grand Ice Cream. Understanding consumer behavior in new ways anchored innovative, and in the context of the food industry, disruptive new products within the Pillsbury New Ventures group, and through joint Dreyer’s/Edy’s ventures with Starbucks, Godiva and M&M Mars.