As 2023 winds down, Senior Vice President of Operations Rochelle Nick reflects in this Q & A on her first year in her new role, how she’s made an immediate impact on NASH, and what excites her about 2024.
You have extensive experience in employee benefits consulting, management and organizational leadership. How do you think that’s helped in your role with NASH?
“Prior to NASH, I accumulated over 20 years of experience in an employee benefits consulting firm, specializing in account management, client relationship development, employee management and operations. Given NASH’s capacity to enhance employer group benefit plans, having a comprehensive understanding of all the facets of employer-provided group healthcare is invaluable. This includes familiarity with benefit plan design, regulations governing benefit plans, plan funding and key stakeholders. Our objective is to assist our clients in attracting and retaining employees by enhancing the appeal of their benefit offerings while delivering substantial cost savings to the employer. Leveraging my background in management and operations, I aim to contribute to NASH’s administrative and operational excellence as we continue to expand.”
What appealed to you most about the opportunity with NASH?
“While I enjoyed my role as an employee benefits consultant, I became fatigued with communicating client benefit plan renewal increases each year. More often than not, delivering positive news wasn’t an option and it became the norm to deliver double-digit increases to clients. Compounding the issue, obtaining justifications for these increases from payors was consistently challenging. Clients were actively seeking ways to improve their benefit plans without increasing cost, but unfortunately for many clients, reducing costs meant sacrificing benefits. When introduced to NASH’s model, I was instantly intrigued with the prospect of being able to provide clients improved benefits while simultaneously reducing costs. The NASH model, aiming to be a positive disruptor in healthcare, elevating service while significantly lowering costs, is truly innovative and the idea of being a part of it was refreshing.”
What do you find most fulfilling about your role with NASH?
“The most rewarding aspect of my position is contributing to an exceptional and expanding team. We are actively working to broaden and diversify our product portfolio to tackle the issue of restricted patient access to specific medical procedures and medications, primarily due to the exorbitant costs in the United States. Being a member of a team that is dedicated to enhancing the quality of care while simultaneously reducing costs has been a great experience.”
What excites you most about NASH in 2024?
“Growth! Our tremendous team and partnerships with highly qualified clinical professionals in Mexico and Canada have positioned NASH favorably to amplify our market impact in 2024.”