Pop Health Podcast
Real conversations about what’s working and what’s next.
The Pop Health Podcast brings you smart, accessible discussions with leaders on the front lines of health care transformation. Hosted by the Coral team, each episode dives into timely topics across policy, care delivery, drug pricing, and payment innovation. These episodes are built to inform, challenge, and inspire action.
From Concept to Model: The Making of LEAD
In this episode of the Pop Health Podcast, Coral's Maria Alexander and Joy Chen welcome Meredith Yinger, Model Lead for the Innovation Center’s LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design) Model and Emily Bezold, Senior Advisor to the Center’s ACO portfolio. Together, they explore more about the mission and vision for LEAD, how the model came to fruition, the Center’s rationale for key design features, and what potential applicants may want to know before they apply.
Primary Care Population-Based Payment and Value Based Payment State Lessons
In this episode of the Pop Health Podcast, Coral's Trevor Abeyta is joined by Araceli Santistevan, Payment Reform Unit Supervisor at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and Andy Wilson, Managing Director for Analytics at Third Horizon Strategies. Together they discuss Colorado Medicaid’s APM 2 primary care population-based payment model, exploring what has worked, key challenges such as rate setting and post-COVID utilization changes, and lessons for states pursuing value-based payment.
What the LEAD Model Means for ACOs and the Future of Value-Based Care
In this episode, Melissa Cohen, Founder of Coral Health Advisors, is joined by Maria Alexander, EVP & Partner, and Joy Chen, Director, to unpack CMMI’s newest accountable care model — LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design). Together, they explore how LEAD builds on MSSP and ACO REACH, what’s actually new (and what’s familiar), and how ACOs should start thinking about readiness, risk, and strategy ahead of a potential 2027 launch.
New Model Mania: Unpacking CMS's RHTP, ASM, LEAD, ACCESS, and ELEVATE
As 2025 comes to a close, CMS signals are becoming clearer across rural health, specialty care, chronic care, prevention, and accountable care. In this end-of-year episode, Coral Founder Meg Koepke is joined by Maria Alexander, Kate Freeman, and Trevor Abeyta to unpack what the latest federal models reveal about where policy and accountability are heading in 2026 and beyond. They discuss what RHTP signals about rural transformation, how ASM expands mandatory accountability into specialty care, what ACCESS shows about the future of digital chronic care, how LEAD reflects a shift toward longer-term accountable care, and why MAHA ELEVATE represents a new bet on prevention. Together, they reflect on what this mix of mandatory and voluntary models and fast experimentation with long horizons means for organizations preparing for the next phase of health care transformation.
Season 1 | Episode 20 | Rural Health Transformation: How States Can Align Stakeholders for Lasting Change
The Rural Health Transformation Program represents a $50 billion investment in the future of rural health care. In this episode, Coral Directors Kate Freeman and Trevor Abeyta are joined by Caitlin Westerson, Senior Director for State Policy and Advocacy at United States of Care, to explore what this program means for states, providers, and communities. Together, they unpack the opportunities and challenges in applying for funding, the role of value-based care in building sustainable models, and how states can align stakeholders to create lasting change in rural health systems.
Season 1 | Episode 19 | Beyond the Hype: What GLP-1s Mean for Policy and Employers
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have quickly moved from niche treatments to the center of high-stakes conversations across payers about cost, access, and coverage. In this episode, Coral Partner Alison Falb talks with Laura Rudder Huff, Vice President at Gallagher Research & Insights, about how the rise of GLP-1s is shaping employer benefit strategies, equity considerations, and policy debates.
Season 1 | Episode 18 | Navigating Drug Pricing, Policy, and Access with Coral Partner Alison Falb
In this episode, Coral’s Founder Meg Koepke talks with Alison Falb about her journey from CMS to FDA to Coral. We explore current policy trends and challenges in Life Sciences – what they mean for organizations navigating drug pricing reforms, coverage, and access challenges.
Season 1 | Episode 17 | Designing Maternity APMs That Work: Lessons from the Field
In this episode, Coral’s Kate Freeman and Trevor Abeyta talk with Megan Burns and Carol Sakala about CMS’s Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model, lessons from value-based maternity care, and strategies states can use to improve maternal health outcomes.
Season 1 | Episode 16 | PFS 2026 & ASM: What ACOs and Specialists Need to Know
In this episode, Melissa Cohen is joined by Coral Health Advisors’ Alison Falb and Joy Chen to break down key updates for ACOs in the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule and explore the new mandatory Ambulatory Specialty Model.
Season 1 | Episode 15 | Caring for Patients Across Care Settings
In this episode, Partner and EVP with Coral Maria Alexander talks with Dr. Michael Zaplin and David Taback of Inpatient Physician Management Services (iPMGMT) – a hospitalist and SNFist network – about how they partner with ACOs and risk-bearing entities to improve patient outcomes and experience and manage total cost of care.
Season 1 | Episode 14 | Unpacking CMS Reforms to ACO REACH for 2026
CMS rolled out major updates to the ACO REACH Model for Performance Year 2026, with new policies affecting benchmarks, risk scores, and quality incentives. Joining us is guest expert Noah Champagne from Milliman, who will share insights on the key reforms and what they mean for the field. We break down what’s changing, why it matters, and what it could mean for ACOs and the future of value-based care.
Coral Commentary | Breaking Down CMS’ New Direction
In this special episode, Coral’s Meg Koepke and Melissa Cohen break down the newly released CMS Innovation Center strategy, exploring what we heard and what it could mean for the future of health care transformation.
Season 1 | Episode 13 | Caregiving In the United States
In this episode, Coral’s Director, Kate Freeman sits down with Hope Glassberg and Shira Hollander to unpack the challenges, promising prospects, and public policy that could support caregivers.
Season 1 | Episode 12 | Advancing Value-Based Care
In this episode, we’re joined by Emily Brower, President and CEO of the National Association of ACOs, and Mara McDermott, CEO of Accountable for Health, for a deep dive into the current state of value-based care. Emily and Mara reflect on recent policy developments, emerging trends, and the challenges their members face in advancing accountable care. They also share where they’re seeing alignment, or misalignment, with federal priorities, and offer practical guidance on how to track meaningful changes in the VBC policy landscape.
Season 1 | Episode 11 | Making the TEAM Model Work
In this episode, we explore the new Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) with Rob Mechanic and Jennifer Perloff from the Institute for Accountable Care. They discuss the model’s implications for value-based care, the Institute’s analysis, and the tools available to support its adoption.
Season 1 | Episode 10 | THE ACO AGenda
In our first episode of the new year, we explore what ACOs can anticipate in 2025. Featuring insights from Milliman experts Noah Champagne and Cory Gusland, we cover changes to the ACO REACH financial methodology and considerations for ACOs considering a move from REACH to MSSP.
Season 1 | Episode 9 | Auld Lang Syne ‘24
The Pop Health Podcast talks final Physician Fee Schedule Rule, what to watch for in new MA policy, and more as the cast out 2024 and look forward to 2025.
Season 1 | Episode 8 | Examining Dementia Care & the new GUIDE Model
The Pop Health Podcast meets with Vinay Aggarwal and Aditya Thaduri from AvvaCare about their solution and support for dementia care after a brief discussion of what to expect when you’re expecting the final PFS rule.
Season 1 | Episode 7 | Mandatory Models, MIPS, and More
The Pop Health Podcast talks with Jeff Davis from McDermott+ about the recent mandatory models, the future of MACRA, the need for PTAC reform and more.
Season 1 | Episode 6 | Medicare Payment Reform
Maria Alexander from the Population Health Podcast talks with Aisha Pittman, of NAACOS and the Alliance for Value Based Patient Care, about current congressional interest in Medicare physician payment, quality reporting and incentives, and accountable care.