Healthcare Innovation Warriors

Innovation Leaders Creating Significant Impact Nationally
Innovative Benefit Advisors
Bryce Heinbaugh has spent his entire career advising employers on how to best purchase healthcare for employees and their families. Driven by a passion to systematically change the Sickcare System, Bryce believes removing the misaligned financial incentives of the healthcare financial model is the most effective way to truly achieve the best health outcomes while protecting patients from financial harm. Employers have the power to change the healthcare system for the better; they simply need bold encouragement and a proven patient-centric model which Mr. Heinbaugh enjoys providing the roadmap for following.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryce-heinbaugh-mba-healthcare-trailblazer-2216368/
Colby Denton runs an insurance consulting firm, Impact Beneficial, specializing in optimizing major medical plans to drive significant cost savings and enhance the member experience. Through direct contracting with providers and labs, and reducing administrative burden, the firm helps clients achieve substantial savings. Focused on delivering the right care at the right time and place—whether on-demand, in-person onsite, at a facility, or virtually—Impact Beneficial ensures both accessibility and cost-effectiveness. Leveraging advanced analytics, the firm reprices fraudulent or incorrect claims while continuously identifying opportunities for ongoing cost mitigation. Additionally, by improving contracts with PBM vendors and lowering acquisition costs for high-cost medications, Impact Beneficial helps clients unlock maximum value from their healthcare strategies.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colby-denton-b7472051/
Cristy Gupton is a forward-thinking healthcare strategist who works directly with employer health plan sponsors, helping them design “employer-built” healthcare vs. “insurer-built” healthcare. She successfully eliminates the counterproductive barriers to employee healthcare by introducing, embedding, and implementing health plans built on the foundation of direct primary care and the accompanying point solutions that enhance the care experience. She also analyzes and demonstrates year-over-year reductions in medical expense trends, allowing plan sponsors “found money” to reinvest into better care and better outcomes. Employers who collaborate with Cristy are afforded the opportunity to incrementally reduce employee out-of-pocket costs with a goal of eventually reaching a zero-cost outlook for employees who engage in their high-performing health plan.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristygupton/
David is Founder of E Powered Benefits. As a native of New York, David began his career in the insurance industry at the age of 14 and has since become a leading expert in the realm of employee benefits over the last 21 years.
Among his many accolades, David received a Broker Spotlight in 2004 and was recognized as an outstanding Broker of Service in 2005 through 2014 by Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has continually received the Echelon Award by United Healthcare since 2003, reserved for the top 1% of agents nationally, and was a 2015 “40 Under 40” Award Winner presented by Charlotte Business Journal. Most recently, David was Benefits Selling Magazine’s 2015 Broker of the Year and, in March 2016, Forbes deemed him “One of America’s Most Innovative Benefits Leaders.”
David is a member of the Board of Directors for both the Charlotte Association of Health Underwriters and Healthreach Community Clinic. He served on the NC Insurance Commissioners Life and Health Agent Advisory Committee, as well as participated in the Technical Advisory Group that helped with the Market Reforms required under the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. He is a long-time member of the Lake Norman and South Iredell Chambers of Commerce as well as the National, North Carolina, New York and Long Island Associations of Health Underwriters. David contributes to numerous publications, including Forbes, Benefits Selling Magazine, Business Leader Magazine and Insurance Thought Leadership.
David is committed to giving back to his community and actively participates in the membership drive for the United Way, assisting the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and supporting The Dove House Child Advocacy Center. When he is not working, he enjoys boating and traveling.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcontorno/
Dennis J Walker of Salt Lake City, UT has been selling health plans since 2012. He left his large, comfortable corporate position to start a firm with controlling costs as the center focus of his new firm. He firmly believes in getting the CEO on board as quickly as possible for them to retake ownership of the healthcare process for their people, giving guidance to the HR and finance teams, and providing the employees under their care with choices. n under a year, Dennis was able to build his team of agents to nearly a dozen, all focused on reshaping the face of healthcare by gathering as much information as possible, analyzing it in a proprietary and unique way, and then guiding the clients they work with on changing and controlling healthcare costs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisjwalkerjr/
Donavan is the Founder & CEO of Health Compass Consulting. While working on the carrier and brokerage sides of the employee benefits industry, Donovan identified a fundamental misalignment in the market: Brokers make more money when their clients’ costs go up, and this undermines their ability to maximize the return on an employer’s benefits investment.
The problem inspired Donovan to develop and found one of the first fee-based, carrier-agnostic employee benefits consulting firms in 2018. By working directly for employers instead of vendors, Donovan’s firm — Health Compass Consulting — escapes the financial conflicts of interest that prevent employers from fulfilling their fiduciary responsibility or maximizing the return on their benefits investments.
Today, Health Compass’s clients have anywhere from 100 to 10,000 employees, and their average client saves $1,856 per employee per year — with better coverage. Just as importantly, their employees live happier, healthier lives because of the financial stability Health Compass services create.
Pyle is a Senior Advisor at Validation Institute, where he chairs the Certified Health Value Professional (CHVP) advisory board, which elevates the professional standards of the benefits consulting industry by providing the leading education on health plan innovation.
He is one of a handful of consultants in the U.S. who holds the highest certification and designation in the employee benefits industry and has also earned the top certification from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) – Senior Certified Professional.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovanpyle/
For 20 years, Eric has been working in the insurance industry, helping clients and partners achieve their goals and optimize their value. As a Senior Vice President and Strategic Team Leader at NFP, one of the largest insurance brokerage, consulting and wealth management firms, he leads a high-performing team of associates who specialize in employee benefits and health insurance solutions for the corporate and municipal marketplace.
He leverages his credentials as a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), to design and manage data-driven cost containment strategies, health plan designs, and risk management techniques for our clients. He is passionate about the transformation in the health care industry and how to best position our clients for success. He also shares his knowledge and expertise as an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College, where he teaches a course on group health plan design for students pursuing their CEBS designation. Eric’s mission is to collaborate with our clients and partners to evaluate their current state and determine where a call to action is needed, while maximizing the value for the end user and containing costs for our clients.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-avrumson/
Frank M. Stichter, President of Strategic Healthplan Consulting LLC, earned the Managed Healthcare Professional (MHP) designation through the Health Insurance Association of America. He is also a Certified Health Rosetta Advisor, is on the Board of Advisors for the Association For Corporate Health Risk Management, the Broker Advisory Council for ELAP Services, and has served on the Board of the Colorado Healthcare Association for Human Resource Management (CHAHRM). Frank has spoken numerous times on the subjects of Self-Funding and Healthcare Risk Management programs at national conferences and seminars throughout the country, and has written a variety of articles and position papers on these topics as well. Frank is also the author of his Best Selling book “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.”
Previously, Frank had his own Agency for 14 years, and worked for 2 large regional insurance Agencies as a broker and consultant in Ohio and Colorado. Frank also was a Partner and Co-Founder of a Wellness, Lifestyle and Disease Management company, HyHealth LLC.
Locally, Frank is active in the Crested Butte and the surrounding area serving as Member and Past President of the Chamber of Commerce, Member and Past President of the Crested Butte / Mt. Crested Butte Rotary Club, and Assistant District Governor of Rotary District 5470.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankstichter/
Johnathan Harris. Jonny is an insurance consultant that specializes in self-funded health plans for employers with 50 or more enrolled employees. He seeks to bring the principles and best practices taught in the Aspirational Healthcare model to employers across the country at scale. Jonny firmly believes in the individual responsibility of brokers to empower the true customers of healthcare—employers—to achieve superior results for their organization’s health plan.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-r-harris/
Kevin Brown. Kevin is a 40-year student of the Employee Benefits industry, spending his first 20 years with insurance carriers before moving to the brokerage/consulting side these past 20 years. “What I have learned is that there is a tremendous amount of waste in the healthcare system and several uninspired as well as unscrupulous players in the benefits arena”. As a health & welfare broker/consultant, Kevin takes his role of stewardship for his clients very seriously. Simply put, follow the money, find the quality, expose the pretenders, tell the truth, develop a roadmap, always be learning, embrace innovation, and be the caliber of a Benefits Broker or Consultant he would want to hire himself. He believes employers can save a tremendous amount of money while enhancing their employee benefit plans, particularly with Self-Funding strategies. He have seen a lot of gunk, a lot of waste, and a lot of pretenders in his 40-year career in this industry. It is his quest to change the paradigm with the way healthcare is purchased and experienced. Orriant is one of those partners who is equally as passionate about this needed transformation in Healthcare, and he is pleased and honored to be aligned with Darrell Moon in his mission.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-brown-1016348/
Louis Bernardi, Founder & Chief Benefit Optimization Officer, BritePath. Lou has dedicated over 30 years to navigating the evolving landscape of employer-sponsored healthcare. In his role as a general agent and trusted advisor, he has guided thousands of employers through the complexities of managed care. Throughout his career, Lou has witnessed firsthand the deterioration of traditional health plans, largely driven by the inefficiencies of the managed care delivery system.
Today, Lou channels his expertise into BritePath, where he serves as Founder and Chief Benefit Optimization Officer. His passion lies in helping forward-thinking employers revamp outdated health plans into high-performance healthcare solutions that empower the American healthcare consumer while simultaneously elevating businesses. Lou’s approach reduces healthcare costs while enhancing employee engagement and delivering better health outcomes.
As a proud Health Rosetta and Aspirational Healthcare member, Lou is part of a network of innovative advisors and solution partners committed to transforming healthcare. In early 2024, Lou will also launch the Benefits Champions Network (BCN), a community focused on pioneering best practices in health benefits.
Lou hosts the podcast Benefits with Friends, where he educates listeners on alternative healthcare ecosystems and empowers the American healthcare consumer to make informed decisions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lougpi2/
Mark Holland. Mark has worked in the employee benefits industry for 26 years and knows first-hand the challenges employers, agencies, and brokers face due to the broken status quo of the benefits industry. With our health care system, ACA, and constantly changing regulations spinning in different directions, the administrative and compliance burden put on employers and HR and is overwhelming. Benefit administration has become too complex and manual of a process, resulting in time wasted and administrative errors, costing employers enormous dollars and liabilities. On the employee side, they do not value their employers tremendous investment in them (an average of 42% of payroll). On top of that, employees do not understand the how to manage and utilize their benefits. Let’s face it, most companies do not have the capabilities or resources to show their employees the value they truly are providing to each benefit eligible employee. Mark is passionate about challenging this mindset and leading others to a better way. As a NextGen Benefits member, he is constantly finding new ways to help others navigate the benefits industry by overcoming adversity, taking risks, and achieving their goals. He has brought together an innovative team of people who are dedicated to disrupting the current system to bring Mark’s clients better benefits with lower costs. BenefitHelp specializes in assisting HR professionals to increase their employees level of understanding by communicating the value of their benefits package through customized enrollment solutions and educating employees on ways to save themselves and the company money. Mark and his team work collaboratively and cohesively with their clients to bring the best service and provide the best outcomes.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcholland/d
Michael Juergens is a Father, Husband, Colorado Native, Registered Employee Benefits Consultant, and Founder/Owner of Rise Benefit Solutions. He thrives on guiding his clients on how to develop result-driven top-tier health plans – making the complex simple. He is passionate about what he does. Michael’s goal is to empower employers, their employees, and their families on how to get the best healthcare at the best price.
In 2017 his second son (Chase) was born with a condition called CDH. His son’s hospital bill was $222,367 of which $99,000 was said to be his responsibility. This experience opened his eyes to how much variability and bureaucracy exists in the US healthcare system and drives his passion to deliver value for consumers and businesses.
Michael has his REBC certification through the national association of health underwriters, as well as certificates in accident, health, and life insurance, human capital management, and leadership. Currently serving as a committee member on the Arvada Healthcare KAPS Council, serving as a board member on the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, he is highly engaged in the community. He has been featured as a keynote speaker on what it means to be an “Engaged Healthcare Consumer” and featured on the TrendBreakers podcast. Michael is a current volunteer with the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, Community Table of Arvada, Team Rubicon, Helping Hands, and Colorado Friendship. As an active member of the Colorado community, he makes it a priority to give first.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-juergens-60429321/
Nathan Ballash, CAA. Operations Officer and Agent at Coordinated Insurance’s Employee Benefits Pro team
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanballash/
Nicholas L. Manion, PharmD, RPh, MS is the Founder and CEO of Pointer Health Solutions, where he leverages his extensive expertise in managed care pharmacy and population health to innovate transformative healthcare solutions for employers and communities. With career-spanning roles at prominent organizations like OhioHealth, Dr. Manion has excelled in managing medical and pharmacy benefits and directing clinical and financial outcomes in at-risk payor contracting. His diverse experience includes community and specialty pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and healthcare operations. He earned his PharmD from Ohio Northern University and an MS in Health System Pharmacy Administration from The Ohio State University.
Scott Haas – After 40 years of learning, making mistakes and evolving, where Scott is today is helping independent physicians and plan sponsors align in common sense ways to create a new pathway to serve their beneficiaries in a sustainable and cost-efficient manner. Paying it forward is an obligation.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-haas-a961b85/
Scott S. Ferrin. CAA. Employee Benefits Specialist at Employee Benefits Pro.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottsferrin/
Steve Nielsen is the President at NBG Benefits. Steve has spent his career working at the intersection of health care providers and employer purchasers. He’s held executive positions with Intermountain Healthcare and Community Medical Centers of Central California. He founded the Western Business Group on Health, an employer purchasing coalition. He served on the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions’ Board of Directors. He is a founder of NBG Benefits. He works to improve health, satisfaction and affordability. He participated in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s value improvement project. He is a member of the Utah State Health Department’s Transparency Advisory Group and the Utah Partnership for Health Care Value. He served as Co-Chairman of the Utah Health Underwriters Association Legislative Committee. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Registered Health Underwriter. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Washington University at St. Louis, with an M.H.A in healthcare management.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-e-nielsen-mha-rhu-fache-8a827b57/
Al Lewis, author of the bestselling textbook Why Nobody Believes the Numbers, is universally considered the industry’s premier authority on vendor outcomes measurement. He currently runs Quizzify, the leading employee health literacy company.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-lewis-%F0%9F%87%BA%F0%9F%87%A6-57963/