In California, high health care costs have created widespread access and health problems for millions of Californians, particularly those with low incomes. 36% of Californians report having medical debt, and 1 in 10 Californians report having trouble paying medical bills.

Blue Shield of California is a non-profit health plan serving approximately 4.8 million members and with approximately $24 billion dollars in annual revenue. The organization’s core mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price.

My CHIP project was to define a programmatic approach for Blue Shield of California to materially improve our management of health care costs, with the goal of lowering our insurance premiums for our members, improving health outcomes, and member experience. My approach to this CHIP project was to focus on three key actions: (1) developing a robust discipline of data-driven analytics and benchmarking of our health care costs and drivers, (2) leading through a clinician lens focused on quality and value, not cost reduction, and (3) scaling innovative payment models tying quality and cost together.