Honest Health’s Rob Bessler and Banner Health’s Amy Perry on the Future of Value-Based Performance
On a recent episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, Honest Health CEO Rob Bessler, MD, joined Banner Health President and CEO Amy Perry to discuss the next chapter of primary care — and what it will take to drive measurable performance in value-based care.
The conversation explored access, risk stratification, physician alignment, financial accountability, and the practical realities of moving from volume to value in today’s environment.
Listen to the full episode here
Primary care as the operating engine
Primary care is under pressure nationally — from workforce shortages to rising complexity and changing reimbursement models. Yet both leaders emphasized that primary care remains the foundation of sustainable healthcare transformation.
For Banner Health, primary care serves as the system’s connection point to the community — driving access, navigation, and prevention. For Honest Health, it is the operating engine for performance under risk.
Rob shared how his journey from emergency medicine to leading large-scale physician organizations shaped his view:
“There’s a recipe to deliver on the promise of value-based care. The ingredients matter — physician leadership, analytics, care coordination, incentives — and our job is to make sure none of them are left out.”
Access is the starting point
Both leaders acknowledged the access challenge facing healthcare systems. But expanding supply alone won’t solve it.
Rob emphasized the importance of risk stratification:
- Not every patient requires the same level of clinical intensity.
- High-risk patients need proactive engagement.
- Lower-risk patients may need efficient, technology-enabled access.
He shared a practical example: shifting outreach from phone calls to AI-enabled text engagement to dramatically improve patient response rates and expand care team capacity.
The result? Smarter allocation of clinical time and more meaningful interactions with patients who need it most.
Aligning purpose, performance, and financial accountability
The conversation turned to one of healthcare’s most pressing questions: how to align clinical excellence with financial sustainability.
Rob outlined three drivers of provider performance in value-based care:
- Professional pride in care delivery
- Comparative data that drives accountability
- Clear, simple financial incentives tied to meaningful behaviors
Importantly, he noted:
“You can’t start with incentives. You have to start with care. Are providers more proud of the care they’re delivering? That’s where performance begins.”
Amy Perry reinforced that high-quality care should win in any reimbursement model:
- Strong chronic disease management
- Reduced length of stay
- Better discharge planning
- Safer transitions home
“These are wins in both fee-for-service and value-based care,” she noted.
Moving from pilot to enterprise
One of the most practical parts of the discussion focused on how systems move from early wins to enterprise-wide transformation.
Rob stressed:
- Start with providers ready to lead.
- Deliver measurable results.
- Build belief.
- Expand deliberately.
He cautioned against overengineering at the outset:
“Do not make perfect the enemy of good.”
By focusing first on the highest-risk patients and building processes that work, health systems can create momentum without overwhelming clinicians or infrastructure.
Culture as the multiplier
Both leaders emphasized that transformation is not purely economic — it is cultural.
Amy Perry highlighted Banner’s commitment to balancing compassion and operational discipline:
“When we tightly align purpose with practicality, we accelerate progress.”
Rob echoed the theme:
“Culture trumps strategy.”
A shared understanding of why change matters — to patients, providers and communities — ultimately determines whether value-based care initiatives scale successfully.
The path forward
The conversation made clear: whether systems formally define themselves as “in value-based care” or not, many are already operating in risk environments.
The opportunity now is to:
- Strengthen primary care infrastructure
- Invest in data transparency
- Simplify incentives
- Focus on preventable, low-value utilization
- Build scalable processes that support clinicians
As primary care evolves, alignment between providers, payers, and systems will define the next era of healthcare performance.
To learn more how Honest Health is partnering with health systems, visit partnerwithhonest.com.