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People

Negotiation, relationships, and career growth

Portfolio

Contract terms, rates, and payer mix

Process

Making contracts pay as written

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Contracting, denials, revenue cycle and more

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People-Portfolio-Process Field Guide

A self-assessment you can run with your team this week

Managed Care Glossary (PDF)

All 100+ terms in a printable guide for your team

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Article Archive

Every Tuesday Edition, in one place. Search by topic or start with the latest.

Browse by pillar of the People-Portfolio-Process Model

People

Negotiation skills, payer relationships, building your team, and growing your career.

Read People articles

Portfolio

Your contract book as a portfolio: terms, rates, payer mix, and market shifts.

Read Portfolio articles

Process

Making signed contracts pay as written: implementation, denials, underpayments, and credentialing.

Read Process articles
Value-Based Care Fails in the Contract, Not the Clinic

Oct 20, 2026

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4 min read

Value-Based Care Fails in the Contract, Not the Clinic

Five (5) things every healthcare finance leader needs settled before signing a value-based care agreement with a payer

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
New Negotiators Don't Lose Deals Over Rates. They Lose Them Over Words.

Oct 13, 2026

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5 min read

New Negotiators Don't Lose Deals Over Rates. They Lose Them Over Words.

Eight managed care contracting terms every new negotiator, benefits manager, and plan sponsor needs to know before their first payer meeting

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
AI Isn't Coming for Your Contracting Job. Complacency Is.

Oct 6, 2026

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4 min read

AI Isn't Coming for Your Contracting Job. Complacency Is.

What managed care and payer relations professionals need to change before artificial intelligence changes it for them

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
The Denial Nobody Owns Is the One Costing You the Most

Sep 29, 2026

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4 min read

The Denial Nobody Owns Is the One Costing You the Most

Why payer contracting must collaborate across patient access, coding, billing, collections, and revenue integrity to close the revenue cycle's most expensive blind spot

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
Nobody Was Checking. One Analyst Found $2 Million.

Sep 22, 2026

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3 min read

Nobody Was Checking. One Analyst Found $2 Million.

The most innovative payment methodology means nothing if nobody checks whether it works. Without that, it's not an innovation. It's an assumption.

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
Front-Line Staff Are Costing You Millions. It's Not Their Fault.

Sep 15, 2026

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2 min read

Front-Line Staff Are Costing You Millions. It's Not Their Fault.

How healthcare organizations can turn payer relationships into revenue strategy: denial reduction, cash acceleration, and staff education as infrastructure

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
Your Payer's Directory Is Wrong. Your Contract Doesn't Care.

Sep 8, 2026

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3 min read

Your Payer's Directory Is Wrong. Your Contract Doesn't Care.

Why the most-used document in managed care gets the least attention by your contracting team.

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
You Don't Have a Contract Portfolio. You Have a Pile.

Sep 1, 2026

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5 min read

You Don't Have a Contract Portfolio. You Have a Pile.

The payer contracts were never the asset. What they add up to is the asset, and until somebody does the math, you're just managing a very well-organized pile of documents.

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
Walking Away Isn't a Strategy. It's What You Do Without One.

Aug 25, 2026

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5 min read

Walking Away Isn't a Strategy. It's What You Do Without One.

When the only remedy available is contract termination, that is what gets used. Not because it is right, but because it is the only thing left in the drawer.

Kevin W. Barron
By Kevin W. Barron
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What Readers Say

“Managed care strategy and negotiations for hospitals and other provider groups has always been an apprentice model. This is great content that helps deepen your knowledge of this vital work, and highlights the new issues and approaches that the current dynamic environment requires. Kudos to Kevin for bringing this to life.”

Brandon Edwards

Brandon Edwards

CEO (Retired), Unlock Health | Partner, Oxeon

"Kevin has a unique ability to take complex payer relations and managed care contracting issues and turn them into practical, relevant insights. ... That is what I value most about Kevin’s content: it isn’t just informative and educational; it gives healthcare leaders something they can actually use."

Valerie Daniel, MBA, CHFP, CRCR, CSPR

Valerie Daniel, MBA, CHFP, CRCR, CSPR

Director, Revenue Cycle - Baylor, Scott & White Health

"Payers get away with so many interferences that go unchecked, this gives us the ammunition to push back and hold them accountable instead of just absorbing the fallout."

Michelle McGinnis, BBA, MHA

Michelle McGinnis, BBA, MHA

Director, Managed Care - UT Health, San Antonio

In the Media


250,000+ article views · 9,000+ LinkedIn followers · 34 years in healthcare finance
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Free Resources: Managed Care Glossary (PDF) | People-Portfolio-Process Field Guide

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