By Amanda Eisel
Amanda Eisel has focused the last 20 years of her career at the intersection of healthcare and technology. She has been deeply involved creating and scaling multiple growth technology companies including Waystar, Applied Systems and Viewpoint. Amanda has been a member of the Zelis® team since 2019, playing a leadership role across Zelis’ growth, operational and talent strategies. Amanda started her career at McKinsey & Company, where she spent nearly a decade advising consumer companies. Prior to Zelis, Amanda was an Operating Partner at Bain Capital focused on technology and healthcare IT companies.
We’re not just “closing out the year” but building on our momentum for 2023
Yep, that’s me, atop a skateboard in heels and a dress. Just over a year ago, I hopped aboard as CEO of Zelis® and it wasn’t unlike being on that skateboard: my team and I started rolling and the momentum propelled us into a year of incredible highlights. It’s been a wild ride, from preparing our clients to meet new regulations, to adding new organizations and capabilities to dealing with challenges from the Great Resignation to battling the beast of COVID (still!). It certainly has been a year—one with many celebrations and preparations for the future. We’ve been busy laying the groundwork for what this amazing organization will become in 2023 and beyond.
Transformational Moments to Celebrate
This year has been a transformational one for Zelis, as we continue to evolve from successful “point solution companies” to being a deeply connected culture of big-thinking dreamers and collaborative do-ers with the shared purpose of modernizing the healthcare financial experience for all.
We’ve welcomed three such companies to our organization in the last 12 months: Sapphire Digital, Payer Compass and Payspan, which is incredibly exciting and a large endeavor. Such intense labor only occurs in organizations that are passionately committed to their vision, and I couldn’t be prouder of how this team shows up to deliver value for our clients.
Beyond our journey toward becoming a true platform player, there are myriad successes to celebrate, from the launch of the first-of-its-kind Payment Harmonization Index commissioned with Aite-Novarica, to a super-charged Zelis Forum, incredible progress on our application of artificial intelligence to drive more efficient claims integrity operations, to delivering BIG on helping clients meet massive regulatory changes, investments and advancements in our data strategy… and did I mention we’re just getting started?
These initiatives have been a force-multiplier for Zelis’ operational performance and has positioned us well to weather whatever recession storm is brewing. My team and I are beyond bullish on Zelis’ ability to meet any challenges that come before us.
We were thrilled to be recognized as “Best Overall Digital Health Company” in the 2022 MedTech Breakthrough Awards Program and one of the Top 150 Places to Work in Healthcare. Equally exciting was celebrating Kali Durgampudi, Chief Technology Officer for being named Technology Leader of the Year at the Tampa Bay Tech Awards and Pete Hinden, CTO of our Payments Optimization business, for being named the 2022 St. Louis ORBIE CIO of the Year in the corporate category. Technological innovation is critical to improve the healthcare financial experience for everyone and I’m proud of the team we’ve assembled to get the job done.
Also at the core of this organization is making an impact on the lives of our associates, their families and our communities. In 2022, we launched ZelisCares, a holistic program to support the wellbeing of our team and the places where we live and work. It spans everything from benefits and compensation considerations to wellbeing support and charitable giving. This year, I’m proud to say we’ve collectively donated to over 200 charitable organizations and have incorporated a ZelisCares Giving moment during every employee gathering, from operating committee meetings, to acquisition welcome events and of course, holiday parties.
In one of the more impressive campaigns, this October we sponsored our first-ever virtual relay race in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s race to the cure for Breast Cancer. Regional volunteer events also helped us impact our communities on a more local level–like the one in Atlanta for Together We Rise where that skateboard photo was taken. I appreciate that volunteering for a cause together is a prime example of our teamwork and collaboration.
Looking Ahead: Market Pressure Continues
The coming years in healthcare will be interesting. The perfect storm of societal pushes, regulatory changes, technological advances and economic pressure is propelling us into a dynamic time for the industry.
We’re seeing an increase in market competition for healthcare providers, increasing investments by payers in member experience tools and more engagement from consumer-members—and it’s all moving at a speedy clip.
For Zelis, this means very thoughtful and thorough integration of the new capabilities we’ve acquired in 2022—bringing together the “best-of” existing solutions, expanding teams and germinating exciting ideas for new solutions.
Zelis is well-positioned to weather any industry or economic storms and we will continue to guide our clients through it all. I can’t wait to share more with you in January about what you can expect from us and the industry in 2023.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. Best wishes and good health to you and your loved ones in the new year.
