Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Strengthening Payer Provider Collaboration and Advancing Site Neutral Care with Saria Saccocio, MD, MHA
Feb 28, 2026
Saria Saccocio, MD, MHA, a physician and health plan chief medical officer with clinical and payer leadership experience. She talks about deeper payer-provider collaboration and real-time data sharing. She discusses site neutral care and pharmacy reform. She highlights investing in cardiometabolic and population health and the role of quality, member experience and social determinants in planning.
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Data Driven Payer Provider Partnerships
- Payer-provider relationships are deepening into collaborative partnerships driven by shared goals.
- Saria Saccocio says real-time member-level data and transparent joint strategy let payers and providers act together on prior authorization, pharmacy spend, and product expansion.
Mother Example Shows Ambulatory Access Gap
- Ambulatory access has declined, shifting care back to costlier hospitals and creating member burden.
- Saria uses her Medicare-age mother as an example to show how site-of-service shifts increase patient travel and plan costs when ambulatory options disappear.
Pharmacy Cost As A Systemic Gap
- Pharmacy cost is a major gap driving overall healthcare spend and member burden.
- Saria highlights that high drug prices and member responsibility complicate access and are a central challenge alongside site-of-care issues.