Are employers actually purchasing healthcare, or are they just purchasing health insurance?
In Episode 35 of Digital Health Heavyweights, Norm Volsky sits down with Dr. Danny Seidman, Founder of DHS Advisors and Co-Founder of Kin Health, to explore why employers need to rethink how they purchase healthcare, manage their health plans, and take control of rising costs.
With a background spanning engineering, medicine, and employer healthcare strategy, Danny brings a unique perspective to one of the biggest challenges facing self-insured employers: understanding where their healthcare dollars are actually going.
From unnecessary spending on imaging to the influence of physician referral patterns, Danny explains how employers can uncover opportunities to improve care without sacrificing quality. He also discusses why advanced primary care, second opinions, centers of excellence, and direct contracting can play a meaningful role in building a more effective healthcare strategy.
But improving healthcare isn't always about adding another vendor or solution. Sometimes, it starts with understanding what you already have, where employees are receiving care, and whether your current approach is actually meeting their needs.
As Danny puts it:
“I hope they’re purchasing healthcare and not purchasing health insurance.”
Looking ahead, Danny shares his vision for a future where employers treat their health plans as businesses that need to be actively managed, potentially with a dedicated Chief Health Plan Officer leading the way.
In this episode, you'll uncover:
🏢 Why employers should treat healthcare as a strategic asset rather than a fixed insurance expense 🔍 How greater transparency can reveal hidden opportunities to improve healthcare spending 🏥 Why imaging, second opinions, and centers of excellence can make a significant difference in cost and quality 🩺 How advanced primary care and smarter referral patterns can improve the employee healthcare experience 🧩 Why adding more vendors and point solutions doesn't always lead to better outcomes 🤝 How direct contracting and customized provider networks could give self-insured employers greater control 📊 What employers should be measuring to better understand their health plan's performance 🔮 Why Danny believes the Chief Health Plan Officer could become an important leadership role in employer healthcare
About Dr. Danny Seidman:
Dr. Danny Seidman is the Founder of DHS Advisors and Co-Founder of Kin Health. With experience in medicine, engineering, and healthcare strategy, Danny works to help employers better understand their healthcare spending, improve care delivery, and develop more effective health plan strategies.
Through DHS Advisors, he helps organizations evaluate their healthcare programs and identify opportunities to improve quality and manage costs. He also co-founded Kin Health, a high-touch healthcare delivery model designed to bring care directly to patients in their homes and offices.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Dr. Danny Seidman and Employer Healthcare Strategy 01:10 From Mechanical Engineering to Medicine 02:12 Why Employers and Employees Experience Healthcare Differently 03:59 Why Danny Created DHS Advisors 05:32 Why Healthcare Spending Remains a Black Box 06:47 The Levers Employers Have Over Rising Healthcare Costs 07:16 Second Opinions and Centers of Excellence for High-Cost Care 09:03 Why Imaging Is One of the Clearest Savings Opportunities 11:42 How Health System Incentives Shape Referral Patterns 13:26 How Advanced Primary Care Amplifies Other Health Plan Strategies 14:53 When More Vendors and Point Solutions Create More Complexity 16:35 Why Employers Are Usually Trying to Do the Right Thing 17:29 Understanding Emergency Room Utilization More Intelligently 18:45 How Kin Health Built a High-Touch, Home-Based Care Model 20:09 Understanding Features Versus Benefits in Healthcare Delivery 21:05 What Employers Should Actually Measure in a Health Plan 22:24 Do Self-Insured Employers Really Need a Traditional Network? 23:19 Building Custom Networks and Lessons from Rosencare 24:53 Where Benefits Leaders Should Start Improving Their Strategy 26:03 Purchasing Healthcare Instead of Health Insurance 27:15 Genomics, Longevity, and Functional Medicine on the Horizon 29:04 Advice for Physicians Considering a Nontraditional Career Path 35:27 Trail Running, Family, and Managing Stress 37:00 Keeping Family Nutrition Simple 38:36 Closing Thoughts
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