294: Live from ViVE: How payers can reduce friction when the rules change

Payers are operating at the center of converging pressures: rising costs, accelerating utilization, heightened public scrutiny, and a wave of CMS reforms that are reshaping expectations around transparency, interoperability, prior authorization, and accountability. Medicare Advantage has become the front line for these shifts—exposing tensions between regulatory oversight, margin compression, and growing demands for better member and provider experiences. Against this backdrop, health plans are being asked to do more with less—while proving real value through measurable outcomes, trust, and access. In this episode, recorded in February at the ViVE digital health and healthcare innovation conference, Rae Woods moderates a conversation with payer and technology leaders on how AI and data are being used to reduce payer–provider friction, rethink prior authorization, and improve the member experience—without losing sight of accountability or return on investment. Panelists include: Ali Khan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Medicare at Aetna (a CVS company) Kay Judge, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Medicare at Blue Shield of California Syed Mohiuddin, MD, Head of Healthcare, Anthropic We’re here to help: Podcast | 276: The AI gold rush is changing how humans (and clinicians) make decisions Research | How to succeed using AI: Lessons from 4 leading organizations Expert Insight | Inside CMS' final rule changes for 2026 Learn more about the ViVE conference Register today for the 2026 Advisory Board Summit in Washington, D.C. Updating COVID-19 management protocols may help address long-term impacts A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.