Pop Health Podcast

Meg and Melissa

Join hosts Melissa Cohen and Meg Koepke from Coral Health Advisors as they discuss all things population health, value-based care, and making health care work better for us all. 

  1. JAN 5

    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.

    44 min

  2. 09/29/2025

    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.

    26 min

  3. 09/23/2025

    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.

    42 min

  4. 09/09/2025

    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.

    16 min

  5. 08/26/2025

    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.

    35 min

  6. 08/07/2025

    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.

    11 min

  7. 07/18/2025

    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.

    32 min

  8. 06/24/2025

    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.  Accountable Care Organizations – General Information  ACO REACH Model Performance Year 2026 Model Update – Quick Reference ACO REACH PY 2026 Changes Explained – Milliman

    21 min
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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Join hosts Melissa Cohen and Meg Koepke from Coral Health Advisors as they discuss all things population health, value-based care, and making health care work better for us all. 

Information

  • Creator
    Meg and Melissa
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    23
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Pop Health Podcast
  • Show Website
    Pop Health Podcast