health AI hub

Health AI Hub Collaboratory Rounds bring together experts and practitioners to share and explore various aspects of AI lifecycle management in healthcare. These monthly gatherings are designed to keep you informed about the latest trends, best practices, and challenges in the dynamic field of healthcare AI.

Date and Time

October 22 at 3 PM EST / 12 PM PST

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join the meeting.

Topic

Prior Authorization Reform: Preparing Providers for What’s Next

Session Description

Major changes to prior authorization are on the horizon. By January 1, 2027, many health plans will be required to support electronic prior authorization through standardized APIs, and CMS has also proposed extending similar rules to prescription drugs by the following fall. For provider organizations that have spent years navigating faxes, portals, and phone calls, this shift could open the door to real efficiency gains if teams are prepared for it.
In this health AI hub session, Julie Barnes, Steve Kim, and Michael Lunzer will share what health care organizations should know about the regulatory landscape ahead and how AI can play a role in easing administrative work as the rules take shape. Expect a candid look at what’s coming and what to start working on now.

Speakers

Julie Barnes, JD

Julie Barnes, founder and CEO of Maverick Health Policy, is a strategic advisor to health care organizations, technology companies, and investment firms that need guidance about federal health policy. As a former policy analyst, health care attorney, and Capitol Hill staffer, Ms. Barnes offers clients deep expertise on the political and policy landscape about many issues, including emerging health technology and AI models, data privacy and interoperability, and public and private health insurance reimbursement of services and products.

Steve S. Kim, MD, MBA, MSCE

Dr. Steve Kim is Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Valer. Valer’s mission is to simplify and speed today’s manual prior authorization and referral workflows so that patients can get the care they need and deserve. Valer provides prior authorization and referral workflow automation for hospitals/health systems, ambulatory practices, and national DME suppliers. Dr. Kim founded Valer out of his own personal frustrations with today’s manual prior authorization and referral processes that negatively impacted his patients and staff.

Prior to Valer, Dr. Kim was an attending pediatric urologic surgeon at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine where his research interests focused on improving pediatric surgical outcomes and access to care. He served as a physician lead during CHLA’s ambulatory EMR deployment, clinical site lead at CHLA for the NIH-funded Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and served on various committees ranging from revenue cycle optimization to data governance. He received his BS from Yale University and his MD from Cornell University Medical College. He completed his urology residency at the University of Southern California and his pediatric urology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he completed a Master’s of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Michael Lunzer

Michael Lunzer is the Founder and President of Itiliti Health, Inc., where he leads efforts to transform the healthcare industry by streamlining and automating prior authorization. With a career spanning decades of entrepreneurial success, Michael is known for his ability to leverage technology to drive significant efficiencies and deliver measurable returns.

He co-founded the first-ever technology-based vendor management system for the staffing industry, acquired in 2002 by PeopleClick. Under Michael’s leadership, by 2005 the business processed $2 billion in annual revenue from customers using the VMS platform to manage their staffing needs – tasks previously handled with mere paper and pen.

Michael then co-founded Warm Health to replace the cumbersome process of care management communications with plan members with a virtual assistant. Altegra Health (now Change Healthcare) acquired Warm Health in 2012. Michael remained at Change Healthcare serving as business leader of the Smart Connect product until joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2018. While at BCBSMN, Michael observed a vital opportunity to optimize the slow and friction-filled process for applying, authorizing and improving medical policies. Michael and Kurt incubated Itiliti Health inside BCBSMN.

Throughout his career, Michael has focused on solving industry-wide problems with technology-driven solutions. His forward-thinking approach continues to shape the future of healthcare, making him a sought-after speaker on innovation, efficiency, and the power of technology in transforming complex systems.