Our October Health TechNet meeting was both an in-person and Zoom event held at Nelson Mullins’ offices in Washington, D.C.
The meeting focused on two subjects: (1) increased regulation of Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plans; and (2) transitioning from being a healthcare executive to being a trusted advisor and consultant in the healthcare industry.
Discussion of the first topic was led by David Main, who is a partner in the healthcare practice at Nelson Mullins, served as Counsel to the Senate Health Subcommittee, and is currently the Co-Founder and General Counsel of MAPA, the Medicare Advantage Plan Alliance. David, along with its CEO Gail McGrath and the health plan members of MAPA, seek to facilitate compliance of MA Plans with the myriad of federal regulations, in collaboration with the staff of CMS, which regulations are often found to be confusing, inconsistent, and expensive to cope with. New legislation is currently working its way through Congress on a bi-partisan basis that would encourage the use of technologies and techniques to speed up prior authorization of medical treatments by MA Plans. David described that legislation, the history of the fast-growing MA program, and how MAPA and the industry are dealing with increased regulation.
Discussion of the second topic was led by Scott Mason, D.P.A., FACHE, who has recently published a book entitled: “Executive Turned Consultant: Transitioning from Experienced Executive to Trusted Advisor in Healthcare.” A career change is not something to be taken lightly. So begins one’s journey through the Career Change Decision Framework employing a number of strategy tools in a structured discernment process. There are a number of common career choices available to experienced executives. By comparison, consulting is often considered a natural fit; but it is tricky. The reality of a healthcare consulting career can be vastly different from how people often imagine it. The simple reality is that management experience and knowledge alone do not guarantee success in consulting. Scott explored strategies and lessons learned for transitioning into management consulting. Scott is a long-time member of Health TechNet, an experienced healthcare executive and consultant, and a widely respected speaker and counselor to the healthcare industry. He is a graduate of Duke, Pennsylvania State, and George Washington Universities.