In the 14th episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast, the team sits down to speak with Morenike Ayo-Vaughan who represents The Commonwealth Fund. Morenike details the amazing origins of the organization as it was among the first private foundations started by a woman philanthropist, Anna M. Harkness, established in 1918 with the broad charge to enhance the common good. The mission of the fund today is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, and people of color. Tune in to hear from the amazing work that Morenike does at TCF!

Morenike Ayo-Vaughan – Program Officer at Commonwealth Fund

Morenike Ayo-Vaughan, MHSA is currently the Program Officer for the Advancing Health Equity program at the Commonwealth Fund. She is responsible for supporting the Vice President of Health System Equity, who leads the Advancing Health Equity program, and coordinates the overall work and efficiency of the team. Most recently Ayo-Vaughan served as senior manager at Avalere Health, where she was responsible for serving myriad health care clients who sought the advancement of health equity and improvement in patient access to optimal care. She also was responsible for conducting literature reviews and key informant interviews and synthesizing findings and feedback from the advisory committee to inform the goals and strategies of Avalere’s Health Equity Fund. Prior to Avalere, Ayo-Vaughan served as practice operations associate at Privia Health. She has an M.S. in health systems administration from Georgetown University and a B.S. in public health from Temple University.

The crew asked Morenike the following questions:

• For our listeners who may not be aware, can you speak to the great work that The Commonwealth Fund does and who they are?
• You currently serve as a Program Officer, Advancing Health Equity at The Commonwealth Fund. What does your work entail?
• How has the dynamic of health equity changed throughout your career?
• What encouraged you to pursue healthcare administration?
• Can you speak about your education and career path?
• Your background has been in a myriad of avenues in healthcare, can you talk to us about what led to your decisions to follow the opportunities and organizations you have?

Talking with Nakin – Expansion of Amazon Care Nationwide

Amazon Care launched primarily as a pilot program in 2019 for employees, designed to provide free telehealth visits and low-cost in-home visits for employees. Amazon Care’s in person offerings exist in 8 cities and plan to expand to 20 more by the end of the year. Even though Amazon Care is entering a crowded market, the news was somewhat bullish for Amazon with competitor Teladoc dropping 6% when the news was announced

The crew debates the impact of Amazon expanding its healthcare presence and what the onslaught of primary care entrants means for patients across the country. Grab a drink and join us for another episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast!

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