In a healthcare environment where access, outcomes, and member satisfaction often conflict with administrative complexity, Caroline Obeahon, a globally recognized Project Program Manager and healthcare strategist, is transforming the concept of Value-Added Services (VAS) into a breakthrough model for member-centric innovation.
"Innovation in healthcare must go beyond convenience; it must create systems of access, engagement, and real impact," says Obeahon.
A Reinvention of Value-Added Services
While most health plans offer value-added services like dental kits, air filters, and OTC products as enhancements beyond standard state or federal health insurance coverage, Obeahon sees them differently. She believes VAS must be strategic interventions that eliminate access barriers and improve whole-person health.
Rather than treating these services as optional extras, Obeahon builds fully integrated VAS frameworks where each service has a clear objective: reduce disparities, improve quality scores, and elevate member satisfaction. Her approach leverages project management methodologies to ensure every initiative is delivered with precision, accountability, and long-term value.
From inception to execution, she engineers VAS ecosystems with detailed workflows, regulatory alignment, and measurable outcomes. Her work includes:
- Building and implementing vendor service-level agreements (SLAs)
- Designing desktop reference guides for frontline staff
- Creating escalation protocols and tracking tools
- Developing training programs to boost organizational readiness
These processes drastically reduced service delivery timelines, from up to 30 business days to under 15. More importantly, they delivered tangible improvements in member access, clarity, and satisfaction.
Managing Health Like a Project: A New Framework
Obeahon’s most recent innovation breaks new ground by framing wellness as a daily, manageable system. Inspired by her years managing complex programs, she launched a global health education series encouraging individuals to treat their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) as project plans, with timelines, dependencies, milestones, and outcomes.
"If we empower individuals to manage their health like we manage high-stakes projects, we turn abstract wellness goals into achievable, repeatable actions," she explains.
Her model introduces project management concepts into health coaching, offering people around the world clear steps and tracking methods for:
- Behavioral health management
- Nutritional literacy via 'Food is Medicine' education
- Daily movement planning and milestone tracking
- Stress and social isolation reduction using SMART goals and retrospectives
This framework not only supports people in managing chronic conditions but also encourages preventative actions. Early pilot results show greater program retention, increased engagement with VAS offerings, and improved self-reported health literacy.
Data, Discipline, and Design Thinking
Obeahon’s secret weapon is her ability to blend the rigor of project management with the creativity of human-centered design. Her work is driven by data and performance metrics, but designed with compassion and flexibility.
She pushes the boundaries of VAS through:
- Socially connected behavioral health vendors to combat loneliness
- Flexible OTC and transportation benefits tied to preventive care actions
- Wellness incentives linked to screenings, maternal health, and chronic care
- Custom tools for underserved populations such as digital literacy programs and housing stability supports
Obeahon rejects the one-size-fits-all model. Instead, she crafts segmented strategies tailored to the behavioral, linguistic, and geographic needs of various member groups. She believes that parity of access must replace equity as the north star of health innovation, ensuring that services aren’t just available but actually used, valued, and trusted.
Innovation Grounded in Regulatory Mastery
While Obeahon is forward-thinking, she is also deeply grounded in the technical details. She has led multi-state readiness reviews, navigated regulatory changes including the Public Health Emergency (PHE) unwinding, and ensured every VAS touchpoint meets federal and state compliance.
This mix of creative benefit design with airtight documentation makes her frameworks scalable, auditable, and replicable across markets. Her ability to prepare for CMS submissions, manage stakeholder feedback, and deploy technology solutions has made her a standout leader in implementation circles.
Member Experience as Mission
Central to Obeahon’s work is a belief that member experience is not a soft metric, it’s the mission. She embeds VAS visibility throughout the member journey: in onboarding materials, portal navigation, outreach campaigns, and service coordination workflows.
Her cross-functional coordination ensures that every department, from IT to care management to marketing, understands its role in VAS delivery. She creates shared KPIs across teams, driving both transparency and accountability.
Through this approach, people receive services faster, support teams resolve inquiries more effectively, and leadership has real-time insights into utilization trends and bottlenecks.
Vision for the Future: Designing for Resilience
Looking ahead, Caroline Obeahon advocates for a future where VAS becomes a pillar of public health strategy, not a marketing afterthought. She envisions:
- Co-designed benefits with local community partners
- Self-service platforms powered by insights and AI
- Preventive VAS targeting at-risk populations before clinical issues escalate
- Expanded use of behavioral economics to guide personal decisions
Her long-term goal is to align VAS with value-based care and population health outcomes. "We should be building benefits that prevent hospitalizations, close gaps in care, and keep families well, not just respond to illness," she says.
Obeahon’s leadership is already gaining attention, not just within managed care circles, but across the broader healthcare innovation ecosystem. Her frameworks demonstrate how execution, empathy, and strategy can converge to build healthier, more equitable communities.
"Innovation isn't about bells and whistles," she concludes. "It's about building systems that work, for every person, every time."
