Building for 2030 starts today

In this podcast from RISE, Shariff Baseer, VP of Product for Quality, Optum, explores the forces reshaping quality performance and shares practical insights on how organizations can adapt. 

From CMS and NCQA requirements to the growing importance of analytics, provider collaboration and personalized member engagement, the conversation highlights what leaders should be doing now to prepare for the future of quality. 

Key insights from the episode 

Here are the 5 leading insights shared by Shariff during the podcast, each offering actionable guidance for health plan leaders looking to drive quality performance improvements: 

2. Digital quality is happening now 

CMS and NCQA have made their direction clear: The future of quality is digital. With the 2030 target discussed in the episode, organizations should begin modernizing their data infrastructure and operating models now rather than making changes under tighter regulatory deadlines. As Shariff highlighted, “it’s not a matter of when, it’s a matter of how you adapt to the change.” 

3. Building a closed-loop quality strategy creates accountability across all teams.  

A member journey, from pre-visit notifications to an actual visit with a primary care physician through post-care follow-up, creates many data points. All evidence of care needs to be documented and accessible before the care gap can be considered closed. Once all evidence is captured, results flow back into the system. As Shariff articulates: “Through measurement and optimization, we’re actually able to close these gaps.” 

4. Turning data into action helps identify and streamline quality improvements more efficiently. 

Shariff points out the power to move from insight into action is critical. In his words: “We’re not just making the data visible, we’re also making it actionable.” Having near real-time data access to clinical data and claims data allows organizations to identify quality opportunities earlier in the measure year, so that care gap identification and closures can be ongoing rather than seasonal. 

5. The role of analytics and automation in quality transformation is changing by the day, creating opportunities for better patient care and more efficient operations.

Shariff summarizes, “Quality is becoming a strategic operating discipline rather than just a regulatory requirement.” The future of quality depends on more than reporting performance. It requires connecting data, people and workflows in ways that support faster action and better outcomes.

Listen to the podcast here.