Beyond the App: What Meaningful Digital Engagement Really Looks Like
Digital health programs are everywhere, but how do we know whether patients are truly engaged and benefiting from them?
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About The Guests
As Senior Director of Practice Transformation, Peter Robertson leads the California Quality Collaborative’s (CQC) technical assistance programming. In this role, Peter leads work with providers, health plans, and purchasers to support the delivery of high quality, patient-centered care. CQC’s current portfolio of programming seeks to address health disparities, chronic conditions, and behavioral health. Peter holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in international management from the University of Manchester.
As a clinical pharmacist for over 20 years, Kevin is a seasoned leader in the healthcare industry, blending his extensive experience across retail, Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM), and health systems into innovative solutions for today’s healthcare challenges. His impressive career path features pivotal roles at several Fortune 50 organizations such as Amazon Pharmacy, CVS Health, Prime Therapeutics, and Target. Throughout these roles, Kevin has been instrumental in advancing patient safety and clinical quality programs, significantly enhancing patient outcomes while streamlining the patient experience.
Currently, as the leader of Clinical Affairs at Omada, Kevin is dedicated to ensuring that the company’s programs meet and exceed the highest industry standards with a resolute focus on clinical rigor and population health. His commitment to excellence and transformational leadership makes him a thought leader and a trusted advisor for those seeking to navigate the complexities of modern healthcare.
Brandee is a public health and behavioral science researcher and advocate for accessibility and equity for people with disabilities. She integrates her professional expertise and lived experience to create blogs and presentations that highlight gaps in community access and share practical, inclusive solutions. Additionally, she serves as a patient-centered program reviewer and advisor to help improve healthcare experiences for everyone.
Episode Description
In this episode of Quality Matters, Rachel Harrington, NCQA’s Senior Product Strategist is the guest host for an engaging discussion with Peter Robertson, Senior Director of Practice Transformation at the California Quality Collaborative, Kevin Masci, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs at Omada Health, and Brandee Hicks, a patient representative and public health researcher.
Together, they explore what it takes for digitally enabled wellness and condition management solutions to truly improve health outcomes—and what “meaningful engagement” really means beyond app downloads and logins. The conversation spans value-based contracting, care coordination, data privacy, health equity, and what purchasers, vendors and patients each need from these tools.
This episode also introduces The Patient Voice, a new Quality Matters segment spotlighting the real-world impact of healthcare quality through the eyes of patients.
Highlights
- Beyond Logins and Clicks: Meaningful engagement isn’t about how often patients open an app. It’s about helping people achieve their health goals through sustained participation and measurable outcomes.
- Measuring What Matters: Guests discuss the growing use of clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, utilization data and value-based contracting to assess digital health program performance.
- Trust Is Essential: Digital health solutions must address concerns around privacy, transparency, data security and how patient information is stored and shared.
- The Patient Perspective: Brandee Hicks shares how digital tools can improve organization, access and self-management while also revealing gaps in continuity, support and interoperability.
- Looking Ahead: The future of digital health depends on better integration with primary care, more personalized engagement strategies and stronger measurement frameworks that prioritize patient outcomes.
Timestamps
(02:20) Meet Peter Robertson
(03:45) Meet Kevin Masci
(05:53) Why Digital Solutions Matter
(10:01) Care Coordination, Not Care Fragmentation
(11:52) Defining Meaningful Patient Engagement
(15:07) Why Consistent Measurement Matters
(18:32) Measuring Outcomes in Value-Based Contracts
(21:12) Data Stratification, Risk Adjustment and Performance Guarantees
(27:22) Privacy, Trust and Transparency in Digital Health
(30:44) The Future of Digital Wellness and Chronic Care Management
(35:08) Patient Voice: Brandee Hicks
(40:25) Patient Challenges, Access and Continuity of Care
(45:23) Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts