About us
The Health Care Transformation Hub is bringing together the people, research and expertise to fundamentally improve our nation’s health system. We are focused on exploring how patient-centered care enables better experiences for patients and doctors, higher quality care, better health outcomes and lower health care costs – for everyone.
Our mission is to advance research and discussion about care delivery that is centered around keeping patients healthy and supporting them when they are not, in contrast to the current health system, which can be frustratingly siloed and inconsistent in its quality. Value-based care represents a version of this vision, and there is growing consensus around the promise of this care model.
- Preventive and holistic care for patients, resulting in better health outcomes and lower costs.
- Clinicians are empowered with the time, tools and insights needed to provide high-quality care.
- A simpler, less expensive and more responsive health system for everyone.
We aim to support the move towards patient-centered care by leveraging peer-reviewed research, thought leadership and collaborative partnerships to empower health care providers, policymakers and other health care stakeholders with actionable insights.
Together, we can tackle some of the biggest challenges facing health care today with credible research that will inform the health system of tomorrow.
Our Leadership
Dr. Wyatt Decker Dr. Decker previously served as chief executive officer of Optum Health, UnitedHealth Group’s national integrated care delivery platform. During his nearly five-year tenure, he played a vital role in building out and accelerating Optum Health’s value-based care delivery capabilities and helping over 90,000 affiliated and employed physicians achieve lower costs and deliver better outcomes for more than 100 million people – including the nearly 5 million people Optum now serves in fully accountable, value-based arrangements. Under his leadership, Optum Health established national platforms for care delivery, home and community care, behavioral care, benefits chronic disease management solutions, and the Center for Advanced Clinical Solutions, applying cutting-edge technologies to solve some of health care’s toughest problems. Prior to joining Optum, Dr. Decker served as CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. In that role he established Mayo Clinic in Arizona as the safest hospital in the United States, launched a state-of-the-art cancer center, the second campus of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and was acknowledged by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s top 20 hospitals. At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Decker pioneered the use of digital technologies, including telemedicine and artificial intelligence, to deliver health care expertise to affiliated care providers nationwide, as well as led the digital strategy around engaging and empowering patients. Dr. Decker also served as the founding chair and professor of emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine where he established and directed the emergency medicine residency training program. Dr. Decker holds an M.D. from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science from University of California, Santa Cruz. He has published numerous scientific articles and has been recognized among the nation's top 100 health care leaders by Modern Healthcare. |
Kenneth Roy Cohen, MD Dr. Kenneth Cohen is an experienced physician executive and researcher who has attained national recognition for the design and implementation of value-based care models. He publishes and lectures extensively on VBC. He was a founding physician of New West Physicians, one of the largest medical practices in Colorado, where he served as Chief Medical Officer for 24 years. He currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of the Health Care Transformation Hub and the Executive Director of Translational Research at Optum Health, leading the Optum Center for Research and Innovation. Dr. Cohen has received awards of recognition and distinction for teaching, including the Lutheran Medical Center Physician of the Year award in 2011. Under his stewardship, New West Physicians won the AMGA Acclaim award in 2015 and the Million Hearts Hypertension Champion Award in 2017. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Cohen holds degrees from Dickinson College and Hahnemann University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honor societies. |
Lauren Oliver Nevins Lauren is currently the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances at UnitedHealth Group. She has been at UnitedHealth Group since 2020, holding various roles across Corporate and External Affairs, and currently works on developing and strengthening external partnerships as well as strategy and innovation projects. Prior to working at UnitedHealth Group Lauren worked as the Executive Director of Federal Affairs, Strategy and Communications at AHIP, leading a team responsible for analyzing and writing policy briefs, educating external stakeholders on the role of health plans in the system and communicating with health plan partners. Lauren also worked at CMMI in the Seamless Care Models Group Division of Financial Risk, working on operations and policy for the Next Generation ACO Model, the Value Based Insurance Design Model, and new model development. Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College and a master’s in public policy from Duke University. |