Size Doesn’t Matter: Innovation Happens Everywhere, Says Anthem’s Bryony Winn

Bryony Winn is a Zimbabwe native and Rhodes Scholar who says her
background growing up in the developing world contributed to her
innate desire to pursue a career with an element of social
impact. And she says that background had a fundamental impact on
the voice she brings to the U.S. healthcare market and to her
leadership style.

Bryony spent the first decade of her career at McKinsey &
Company providing strategic and operational counsel to a wide
variety of clients across Europe and Africa. After relocating to
the U.S. in 2011 and being named a Partner in McKinsey’s Chicago
office, she worked with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Innovation (CMM) and advised numerous healthcare CEOs and
government leaders seeking to improve systems of care and
transform payment models.

After leaving McKinsey, Bryony spent two years as Chief Strategy
Officer at Blue Cross North Carolina and then joined Anthem as
Chief Strategy Officer. In September 2021, she was named
President of Anthem Health Solutions where she is now responsible
for ensuring that the more than 45 million consumers in Anthem’s
family of health plans have access to high-quality, affordable
care.

On this episode of Healthcare is Hard: A Podcast for Insiders,
Bryony shared her perspective with Keith Figlioli on a number of
topics, including:



The Fundamental roles of a payer. In Bryony’s view,
there are two central issues that define a healthcare payer and
its ability to deliver higher quality, lower cost care: how it
partners, and how it pays. She points out that organizations
signal what they value by the way they pay for care. For
example, how paying for care that drives affordability and
quality incentivizes collaboration.


Innovation inside incumbents. There’s a misconception
that innovation is not occurring inside large incumbent
healthcare organizations, according to Bryony. She says
startups do not have a monopoly on smart people taking
thoughtful approaches to the complexities and challenges of the
U.S. healthcare system that have developed over decades. While
the journey may be slower in these organizations, she says the
difference is that they have a longer track record for
sustainability – one of the most important factors in U.S.
healthcare. She believes in approaching the market with a deep
sense of humility for the people and companies that have come
before us.


Advice for entrepreneurs. Bryony says so many potential
partners and vendors looking to do business make promises on
issue like financial savings or Medicare star ratings. She
jokes that if she added up these promises, Anthem would be a
23-star plan. When asked how entrepreneurs and startups can
work best with Anthem, she warns of the importance of honesty –
but says it needs to come from both sides of the table.
Startups should expect honesty from a large company on things
like payment and implementation cycles. But they need to be
honest about what they have actually delivered versus what they
hope to deliver. Don’t pretend you have a track record when you
do not, because if you’re honest about what you hope to
deliver, a company like Anthem could work closely with you to
help make it happen.



To hear Bryony and Keith talk about these topics and more, listen
to this episode of Healthcare is Hard.