Moving Healthcare Forward Means Looking Back
Healthcare is constantly looking for what’s next. But some of the best clues for where the industry needs to go are hiding in what we’ve already learned.
In Episode 5 of GrowthDx, host Ashley Kent (Founder & CEO of Clearstart) is joined by Jenn Kerfoot, President & Chief Operating Officer of DUOS. With a career spanning Medicare Advantage, Value-Based Care, healthcare policy, regulation, member experience, and growth strategy, Jenn brings an insider’s perspective on why healthcare leaders need to understand how the system got here before deciding where it goes next.
Together, Ashley and Jenn explore what Medicare’s history can teach us about today’s market, why healthcare can be so quick to repackage old ideas as innovation, what COVID proved about the industry’s ability to move fast, and how leaders should think differently about AI, value, complexity, and long-term Medicare Advantage strategy.
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A monthly dose of healthcare growth insights, including the industry shifts we're watching, what they mean for healthcare leaders, and practical perspectives on marketing, sales and growth.
What’s Covered in this Episode
Healthcare Is a Poor Historian of Its Own Industry
Why understanding the evolution of Medicare and Value-Based Care matters when evaluating today’s “new” ideas, and how short institutional memory can lead healthcare leaders to repeat old mistakes under new names. Jenn’s intake explicitly identifies this as the central theme she wanted to build the episode around.
AI Can Fix a Process. It Can Also Make a Bad Process Faster
Before automating anything, healthcare leaders need to ask whether the underlying process is worth accelerating. Jenn and Ashley discuss how AI can create real efficiency, but only when organizations are clear about the outcomes they are trying to improve.
COVID Proved Healthcare Can Move Faster Than It Thinks
Health plans transformed operations almost overnight when the stakes were clear. Jenn reflects on what made that speed possible, why healthcare slipped back into slower patterns, and what leaders can learn from a moment when priorities became impossible to ignore.
Value-Based Care Requires a Value-Based Buying Mindset
Why evaluating innovation primarily on price can undermine the outcomes health plans say they want. Jenn explains why plans should align on value first, then determine pricing around the impact a solution is expected to create.
Medicare Advantage Is Entering a More Complex Era
As enrollment grows, regulation shifts, and member choice becomes more constrained in some markets, plans are being forced to think more carefully about where they grow, how they retain members, and how they make long-term decisions in a system where the rules continue to evolve.
About Our Guest
Jenn Kerfoot is President & Chief Operating Officer of DUOS and a healthcare leader with deep expertise in Medicare Advantage and Value-Based Care. She leverages her extensive background in healthcare policy, regulation, and business development to drive strategic growth and innovation at DUOS, developing tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of Medicare Advantage plans.
A seasoned podcast host, Jenn regularly explores critical issues including the looming threat of Medicare insolvency, the challenges of financing care for an aging population, rising healthcare costs, and disparities in care access. With previous leadership roles at FarmboxRx, Excelera Health, and NationsBenefits, Jenn has a proven track record of navigating complex healthcare regulations and aligning strategies with market demands.
Beyond her executive role, Jenn is a recognized thought leader and advocate for progressive healthcare practices, advising venture capital and private equity firms on investments in transformative healthcare solutions. Her pragmatic optimism and problem-solving approach inform her work fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare.
About GrowthDx
GrowthDx is Clearstart's healthcare thought leadership podcast, featuring conversations with the people closest to healthcare's biggest shifts. Hosted by Ashley Kent, Founder & CEO of Clearstart, GrowthDx gives healthcare leaders practical perspectives on where the industry is headed and what they need to prepare for what's next.
Get GrowthDx in your inbox.
A monthly dose of healthcare growth insights, including the industry shifts we're watching, what they mean for healthcare leaders, and practical perspectives on marketing, sales and growth.
