Chief Growth Officer,
Reema Health
Melissa Kjolsing serves as the Chief Growth Officer at Reema Health, a health tech company transforming how people navigate the gaps between health care and social care through technology and Guides from the communities they serve. She’s responsible for sales, overseeing implementation in new markets and account management across the US.
Prior to joining Reema, Melissa was the Chief Commercial Officer at Cludo, a B2B SaaS company in site search. She led a global team focused on three primary markets: US, Denmark and England. In addition to managing Cludo’s sales and
marketing teams, she was point for US operations.
Before joining Cludo, Melissa co-founded and led a behavioral health technology company for nearly four years called Recovree, a mobile solution to connect and engage individuals with drug and alcohol addiction. Notable customers of the company included Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and Schwan’s Food Company.
She’s had the great pleasure of building and leading numerous programs dedicated to advancing Minnesota’s startup ecosystem, with a special emphasis on underfunded and underrepresented entrepreneurs, including Lunar Inc., Grow North, WE*, Twin Cities Startup Week and Forge North.
Melissa led the MN Cup for five years, the largest statewide startup competition in the country and is responsible for scaling the University of Minnesota program and positioning it as one of the pillars in Minnesota’s startup ecosystem. She has been recognized for this work as a Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient, 100 People to Know by Twin Cities Business Magazine and Power 50 by Minnesota Business.
Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Minnesota State University, Mankato, an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and Executive Education from Harvard Business School through their
Young American Leaders Program focused on the competitiveness of states, cities and communities. She serves on the board of directors for Lunar Inc. and Anatomic Inc.
Chief Strategy Officer,
Optum at Home
Catherine Mitchell leads Strategy and Operations for OptumAtHome, a national provider group focused on full-risk population health solutions leveraging in-home care delivered by multi-disciplinary teams. Catherine comes with extensive executive experience in strategy, health plan and care delivery operations, government relations, and clinical integration with commercial and Medicaid/DSNP/Medicare programs in non-for-profit and for-profit organizations to include Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Amerigroup/Anthem, Community Health Choice, and Prospero-Health.
Catherine currently services as Board Chair for the San Jose Clinic, an indigent care clinic in Houston, TX.Catherine holds an M.S. in Organization Leadership from the University of South Dakota and an B.B.A. in Marketing from Sam Houston State University.
VP, Medicare Integrated Health Plans and Revenue
Management,
AmeriHealth Caritas
He is responsible for oversight of multistate Medicare and Medicaid plans for dual-eligible beneficiaries, overseeing all aspects of plan operations, quality, financial performance, and growth. In this position he guided his plans to a first-time 4.5-star rating by implementing provider-centric strategies and an improved focus on the customer experience. He also helped to increase plan risk-adjusted revenue by over $100 million through increased risk-score accuracy, while achieving a 100% risk-adjustment data compliance score.
Before joining AmeriHealth Caritas, McDade served as Director, Consumer and Service Channel Business Insights for UnitedHealthcare in Minneapolis. Prior to that he served as Director, Government Markets Analytics and Performance Optimization for Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia.
McDade earned his Master of Business Administration from La Salle University in Philadelphia and his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a certification in strategic decision making from Yale Executive Education.
He is an experienced speaker with prior engagements at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, AHIP, and World Health Care Congress Medicare Advantage conferences.
Managing Director of the
Duals Market,
BCBS of Rhode Island
Leanna Moran leads the dual-eligibles market for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, with responsibility for their newest product, a Duals Special Needs Plan. She has 25 years of experience in healthcare and health insurance, all focused on the care of older adults and disabled Medicare beneficiaries. Leanna has held management roles in sales, operations, marketing, and oversight of a health center. Prior to joining Blue Cross in June of 2021 she spent 10 years at Fallon Health, a Massachusetts health plan. She has a Masters in Social Work from Boston College, and a bachelors degree from Brandeis University.
There are 12.5 million people who are jointly enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. Hear our expert panel discuss novel and streamlined tactics to engage their dual eligible members.
Discussion topics include:
Excellent programming. This was my first time attending, and I will be a regular listener. Topics are relevant and timely.
— Margot Ozyp, Vice President, Contract Operations and Performance, Equality Health
I learn something practical every time I tune in!
— Heather Peterman, Director of Healthcare Research and Quality, Minnesota Department of Health Services
These webinars are very helpful and relevant. They are easy to listen to and have a great variety of topics, speakers and information. The pace is really engaging.
— Michelle Nelson, Senior Director, Health Improvement, United Regional Health Care
Great conversation about real-life problems caring for real-life patients!!!
— Kim Tjanden, Medical Director, Community Health, CentraCare
Enjoy your programming. Always much needed and relevant information.
— Mary Freeman, Director, Baptist Memorial Health Care
The topics were directly aligned with our company’s missions!
— Tracy Fennessy, Senior Relationship Manager, Business Development & Community Health, Point32Health
Who knew there would be a podcast about my actual job? I appreciate hearing how others are navigating the health plan world.
— Hayley Peebles, Lead Care Manager, Network Health
The Bright Spots series is always very well organized. Provides insight and recapping of key points. Happy to never be lectured or read to, but rather a great productive conversation style.
— Marie Wendt, Director of Clinical Quality & Care Management, Great Lakes Physicians Organization, P.C.
Your programming is spot-on for presenting new and innovative ways to improve health outcomes and care to our members.
— Shelley Krawchuk, RN, CPHQ, Clinical Program Manager, Health Net, Inc
I appreciate the well-balanced nature of the presentation. It gave me great ideas that can be easily implemented.
— Eileen Esposito, Vice President, Ambulatory Clinical Practice, Catholic Health
This is a great opportunity to bring together experts and have an open conversation. There are so many questions. One whole session could be on questions about how engaging it is! Thank you!
— Tracey Greene, Vice President, Personalized Health, Aetna National Medicaid
I picked up quite a bit that I had not considered with SDoH digital divide. It was especially interesting to hear from the panelists their thoughts and the programs they have put into place to improve the member experience, as well as barriers with language and culture. Thank You!
— Jesse Stakes, Associate Director, Clinical Quality, United Healthcare
Great information! Very timely and relevant to what is happening in healthcare.
— Laurie Evans, Director, Business Analytics, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee
The session inspired ideas and initiatives to share across my team at Humana on how we can strengthen our service delivery and implement these strategies in the buildout of new lines of business.
— Nicole Bell, Senior Market Development Professional, Humana
My first time connecting with Bright Spots and I am hooked! We are all managing through uncertainty and this group has amazing thinkers in their field, living in this real healthcare world and providing clarity for the future.
— Robert Santilli, CEO, Gunnison Valley Health
Your programming provided a real-world perspective. This approach created relatability; moreover, it will be easy to apply some of the work to enhance the patient experience.
— Leslie Marsh, CEO, Lexington Regional Health Center
Excellent overview of value and importance of video marketing; as a medical director myself, it opened my eyes to various opportunities for our health system to improve.
— Gerard Isenberg, MD, Chief Medical Quality Officer, University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center
A pirate’s bounty of meaty information!
— Julianne Eckert, Director, Quality Improvement, Clover Health
The Medicare Advantage Leadership Council (MALC) is an invitation-only peer community for senior Medicare Advantage leaders to exchange proven strategies and real-world “bright spots” across STARS, CAHPS, HEDIS, benefit design, risk adjustment, operations, and provider partnerships.
By activating your Medicare Advantage Leadership Council (MALC) membership, you’re choosing to be part of a small, trusted peer community of leaders who believe progress happens through honest conversation, shared learning, and the willingness to challenge what’s comfortable.
If you’re here, you likely already know: doing this work well can’t happen in isolation.
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