Erik Helms is about one week into his new position as chief payer performance officer at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health. The role is the first of its kind for the health system.
The job responsibilities include overseeing payer relations, exposing Novant's leaders and staff to value-based strategies and growing the organization's revenue.
Mr. Helms has more than two decades of experience at payers, having served in leadership roles at Centene, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island and HealthPlus of Michigan.
"I think the depth and breadth of my exposure to payer types, payer strategies, lines of business that I supported working from various parts of the country, and doing this in multiple markets, both large and small, locally and nationally, along with the capabilities that I brought to those plans, are the types of things I bring to Novant," he told Becker's in an interview.
Mr. Helms is busy preparing Novant for North Carolina's transition to a managed care Medicaid program in July. It will be the health system's first experience with managed care.
As health systems strategize and prepare for what lies beyond the pandemic, Mr. Helms' focus is no different.
"We learned a lot as a result of COVID-19," he said. "We are looking for opportunities to innovate and partner differently. We are looking for new and innovative ways to deliver care with an emphasis and focus on health equity."