By Healthesystems
Jill Bleile, AVP of Marketing Communications and Customer Experience sat down with Mike Theis, AVP of Product Analytics & Business Strategy, to talk about the evolving role that analytics play in the success of workers’ compensation managed care programs, and where Healthesystems is headed.
JB: Mike, it’s been super exciting to see some of the initiatives you’ve been spearheading over the past few years come to life, and I know there is even more to come as you take on this elevated role of AVP. With so much opportunity out there, what is a key focus or priority for you right now?
MT: A key priority right now is cutting through the hype surrounding advanced analytics and AI. There's an overwhelming amount of potential in these technologies, but success ultimately depends on your ability to execute effectively and drive meaningful, actionable change. My focus is on ensuring we leverage the right innovations in the right way that deliver real impact, improving the experience of claims teams, supporting injured workers and enhancing outcomes for our customers.
JB: I’ve heard you speak many times about the value in analytics that drive meaningful action. Can you expand on that a bit?
MT: Insights are valuable, but their true impact comes when they drive meaningful action. To drive change, we must integrate these insights into the right systems, work streams and decision-making processes. It's not about generating more data, it's about ensuring the right people have access to insight in a way that's clear, actionable, and seamlessly embedded into their everyday work.
JB: Regarding that last point, why do you think Healthesystems is uniquely positioned in this regard?
MT: What makes this role unique is how we're already deeply integrated with stakeholders on either side of the workers’ compensation healthcare supply chain – payers, TPAs, vendors, providers – and within their systems and everyday workflows. This existing infrastructure provides a natural pathway for incorporating these insights, minimizing one of the biggest challenges that many organizations face, finding a way to operationalize their data. Because we already have that foundation in place, our focus can be on identifying the right insights and ensuring they seamlessly enhance decision making processes and outcomes without adding unnecessary friction
JB: Finally, what are you excited about for Healthesystems in our own journey?
MT: It truly is an exciting time to be in analytics, and that sentiment is echoed across the industry. With advancements in machine learning, natural language processing, and generative AI, it's exciting to see years of work come together. We're at a point that we have enough data to not only predict outcomes but to understand what's driving those predictions, uncovering the “why” behind negative claim outcomes especially in pharmacy and physical therapy services.
