The ShiftShapers Podcast

EP 516 ENCORE: Rethinking Provider Networks - with Scott Smith

Published: December 23, 2025

Duration: 25:37

We revisit how PPOs got built on discounts and show why total value beats sticker price. Scott Smith joins us to explain nationally curated high-performance networks that rank providers on effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost, and how that changes renewals, member experience, and fiduciary risk.

• why traditional PPO discounts miss total cost of care
• how consolidation and narrow networks increase abrasion
• claims-based scoring at the provider NPI level
• quality metrics that matter: effectiveness, appropriateness, cost
• member tools: stars, plain-language summaries, mobile access
• plan design that waives cost sharing for high-quality choices
• PEPM pricing withou...