Meg is joined by Shruti Kothari, Director of Industry Initiatives at Blue Shield California, an independent member of the Blue Shield Association with 4.7 million members, 7,800 employees, and $22.9 billion in annual revenue that provides health care service plans to residents of California. Shruti is also the founder of Women of Community, an organization focused on increasing representation of women of color in healthcare leadership, as well as the co-founder of the start-up Crown Society. She serves as a Board Member/Advisor for several organizations, including the Family Caregiver Alliance, Reverence, and Asian Pacific Fund. 

In this episode, Shruti dives into her role as an equitable health care transformation advocate with experience working as a health educator, community mobilizer, quality improvement leader, early stage startup operator, and in venture capital. Meg and Shruti explore topics ranging from scaling transformative concepts, such as value-based payment models, to her career path and experiences as a woman of color in the healthcare sphere.

Further Reading:

• Blue Shield of California Annual Mission Report
• Rock Health’s 2023 Honoree - Shruti Kothari — Top 50 in Digital Health
• Named a US Best Managed Company for the fifth straight year and as a Gold Standard honoree for the second time (Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal)
• Recognized as one of the most #CommunityMinded companies in the U.S. by Points of Light, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to accelerating people-powered change. This is the third time we have been honored for our commitment to Stand for What’s Right.
• New Advisory Council Member Spotlight: Shruti Kothari
• Industry Initiatives Director Shruti Kothari Named to Business Insider "30 Under 40" Transforming Health Care
• Founder | Women of Community
• Why Health Data Sharing Needs To Be A Priority For LGBTQ+ Advocacy
• California’s homelessness crisis highlights need for optimized data sharing - Capitol Weekly
• Debunking Misconceptions: Health Plans Play A Crucial Role In Data Sharing
• What Health Plans Wish the Healthcare Innovation Ecosystem Knew
• Opinion: We Need to Balance Innovation with Equity in the Rush to Reimagine Primary Care
• The Exec: Blue Shield’s Kothari on Co-opetition and Intersectionality | HealthLeaders Media

Episode Credits: 

The Game-Changing Women of Healthcare is a production of The Krinsky Company. 

Hosted by Meg Escobosa. 

Produced by Meg Escobosa, Calvin Marty, Chelsea Ho, Medina Sabic, Markala Comfort, and Wendy Nielsen.

Edited, engineered, and mixed by Calvin Marty. 

All music composed and performed by Calvin Marty. 

©2024 The Krinsky Company