With more than 25 years in the health care space, Dawn Maroney is regarded not only as an industry expert, but also a pioneer in positioning health care organizations for success in the challenging Medicare, Medicaid and underserved markets.
Currently serving as the President of Markets at Alignment Health, a tech-enabled Medicare Advantage company revolutionizing senior care, and as the CEO of Alignment Health Plan, Dawn has made significant contributions to the healthcare industry. Her previous role as the Chief Medicare Officer at Blue Shield of California, formerly Care1st Health Plan, saw her leading operations for over 400,000 Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in California, Arizona, and Texas.
Dawn’s executive responsibilities at Blue Shield included sales, marketing, product development, revenue management, and membership accounting. During her tenure, Blue Shield’s membership doubled, and the organization achieved improved CMS star ratings and significant revenue growth. Her leadership played a vital role in driving the company’s success, making her a highly respected figure in the healthcare space.
Prior to her role at Blue Shield, Dawn served as the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at CareMore Health Plan, where she was instrumental in the company’s growth from 3,500 to 65,000 members. She also contributed to CareMore’s status as a top-performing and profitable industry leader.
Dawn’s expertise and leadership have earned her recognition as one of the most influential figures in the healthcare industry. Her innovative ideas and strategic approach continue to drive success in the Medicare, Medicaid, and underserved markets.
Revolutionizing Healthcare through Data Integration
Alignment Health, provides a wide range of services that leverage technology, support the doctor, and put the senior first. Specifically, Alignment’s proprietary AVA technology platform processes information from more than 200 unique data sources against more than 170 artificial intelligence models to provide our teams with actionable insights to provide personalized care at scale.
Alignment Health has developed a revolutionary care model that can and should be replicated throughout the healthcare industry. For years, healthcare organizations have struggled with effectively utilizing the vast amounts of digitized data generated within the industry. Often, this data is siloed within individual organizations and cannot be effectively used to enhance business operations, improve clinical outcomes, and drive consumer satisfaction. Alignment Health recognized this challenge and seized the opportunity to implement an integrated data management system, which has become a significant competitive advantage for the organization. By leveraging technology and data, Alignment Health has established a unique care model that is driving better outcomes for patients and improving the overall healthcare experience.
Approach to Unlocking Creativity and Fostering Collaboration
Dawn believes in the importance of proactively listening to understand, rather than simply responding. Through active listening and seeking to understand the needs of her teams and organization, she can identify the necessary steps to promote success. This approach enables her to unlock creative ideas and foster collaboration among her colleagues and team members.
As a leader, Dawn is not afraid to step outside of her comfort zone and take calculated risks. She recognizes the value of resilience and persists through challenges and obstacles. Dawn is committed to inspiring the next generation of leaders, especially women, by encouraging them to embrace new opportunities and engage in conversations that promote their success. She believes in empowering others to recognize their worth and to pursue their goals with confidence.
Addressing the Stigmas and Barriers in Healthcare
Dawn recognizes that health equity must be a top priority for everyone in the healthcare industry. It is not just about addressing the needs of geographically or economically underserved populations. Addressing health inequity requires challenging the stigmas associated with behavioral and mental health and creating greater access to these critical services. Those who suffer from mental illness or other sensitive issues may struggle to find culturally competent care providers. Therefore, it is essential to work towards greater collaboration and cooperation among healthcare organizations to integrate and streamline services, ensuring that everyone has access to quality care that meets their unique needs.
Dawn believes that by working together, we can create a more equitable healthcare system that meets the needs of all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Driving Innovation, Overseeing Operations, and Delivering Value
As CEO of Alignment Health Plan, Dawn is responsible for overseeing all areas of the health plan. This includes member experience, member retention, growth, expansion, sales strategy, product development, compliance, regulatory affairs, pharmacy, network contracting and management, and more. She is focused on driving innovation in product development and spearheading marketing efforts to promote the brand. Additionally, she is responsible for overseeing direct response activities and coordinating sales execution and planning across Alignment’s extensive network of providers, health plans, and hospital systems. As the President of the organization, Dawn holds a critical leadership role and is committed to ensuring Alignment Health remains at the forefront of the healthcare industry, providing quality care to patients and delivering value to all stakeholders.
Delivering Value through Thoughtful Decision-Making
For Dawn, leadership is about creating and developing a team of professionals who are connected, collaborative, share a common focus, and are committed to winning. She believes in investing in the growth and success of her team members and wants to see them thrive both professionally and personally. Every decision she makes is grounded in her faith in her team and their abilities. Dawn expects her team to use the Stop, Challenge, Choose approach in all their business activities. This approach involves taking a moment to pause, critically evaluating the situation, and making a deliberate choice about how to proceed.
By encouraging this approach, Dawn creates a culture of thoughtful decision-making and empowers her team to make the right choices, even in challenging situations. Ultimately, her leadership style is about building a strong, connected team that is focused on delivering value to patients and stakeholders alike.
Leveraging Proprietary to Deliver Better Health Outcomes for Seniors
Alignment Health leverages a proprietary technology platform and a high-touch clinical model to deliver a unique healthcare experience that enhances its members’ lifestyles and health outcomes while also controlling costs. This approach allows Alignment to reinvest savings back into its platform and products to directly benefit its senior consumers. The technology platform provides a comprehensive view of patient data, enabling care teams to identify gaps in care and provide personalized, proactive care.
Meanwhile, Alignment’s high-touch clinical model ensures that patients receive the care they need, when they need it, through a network of highly trained providers who specialize in senior healthcare. By combining these two elements, Alignment Health is able to deliver better health outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the overall patient experience. As a result, Alignment is quickly emerging as a leader in the healthcare industry, providing seniors with the care and support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
Alignment Health’s Significant Growth and Vision for the Future
Dawn took a significant professional risk when she left her position as Vice President of Medicare Sales overseeing eight states to become Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for a company that only serviced 11 zip codes. However, this risk paid off as the company’s core value of putting seniors first led to significant growth, increasing from 3,500 to over 100,000 members.
Looking towards the future, Alignment Health has a vision of a world where age is celebrated and rewarded, and seniors have access to the best possible healthcare. The company aims to provide a unique healthcare experience that enhances seniors’ health outcomes, while simultaneously controlling costs. As the company continues to grow, Dawn hopes that more and more seniors will have access to the Alignment Health experience and that the company can be a leader in the healthcare industry, providing seniors with the care and support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
