25 Jan Q&A: Anthony Benitez, IMAT’s New AVP of Sales for Payer Solutions, Provides Vision for Helping Payers Harness the Power of Data

As IMAT Solutions continues its momentum in helping health payers to enhance the usability and quality of clinical data, we are excited to announce an expansion of our sales team.

A seasoned sales executive, Anthony Benitez, AVP of Sales for Payer Solutions, recently joined IMAT Solutions, and brings a deep level of expertise in collaborating with health payers in ways that allow innovation to advance member care and revenue growth.

We recently sat down with Anthony to learn more about his background, his role at IMAT and gain his vision for the future of health IT and health data for payers.

Q: Tell us about your background overall. 

Anthony: I’ve been in healthcare for 15 years, with most of that time being on the vendor side of the house providing solutions that complement payer strategies and enterprise initiatives.

With a consultative sales approach, I’ve enjoyed creating and building relationships with payers of all shapes and sizes, from regional plans to national, as well as TPA’s and employer groups.

Listening, learning, and ultimately understanding the needs in the market has given me the foundation for delivering a solution – rather than just a product.

I always say, “if you’ve met one payer, you’ve met one payer,” meaning everyone’s needs are the same, yet very different at the same time. It’s an extremely dynamic industry we serve, which is a big part of why I enjoy what I do.

Q: Please tell us about your role at IMAT Solution. 

Anthony: I will be serving as an Area Vice President of Sales, with a primary focus on expanding our payer portfolio. I look forward to engaging with health plan executives to collaborate on clinical data strategies that will positively impact their business, so they can gain optimal results from their data for revenue generation.

Q: Why did you choose to come to IMAT, and what makes the company’s solutions optimal for health payers?

Anthony: I listen when the market speaks, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy many heart-to-heart conversations with payers about what keeps them up at night, what the REAL problems are, and what’s lacking/lagging in technology.

That’s what made IMAT an easy decision for me. Our robust technology and our proven platform takes the unclean, incomplete, raw clinical data that comes out of the EHR eco-system and dramatically improves the overall data quality.

This, in addition to what our competitors lack in regards to FHIR integration and our NCQA Data Aggregator Validation (DAV), puts us at the top of the food chain in the vast sea of vendors that “do what we do.”

Q: In your opinion, what are the top health IT and health data trends that will impact the future of care? 

Anthony: There’s a lot of buzz right now with prior authorization, but hopefully with the finalization of the CMS rules we can work towards closing that loop. That said, I still think there is immaturity in the market when it comes to clinical data; acquisition, ingestion, conformation, and ultimately the valuable insights to be gleaned.

With payer-to-payer data exchange promoting interoperability, I still feel the biggest trend to impact the future of care is how we address and utilize clinical data.

Q: Please tell us what you like to do on your free time. 

Anthony: You’ll find me spending my free time with my family. We love to do everything together – from playing sports to cooking meals to traveling around the world, most recently to Greece for our 10^th wedding anniversary.

My boys are 4 and 8, and they keep me busy most of the time. So date nights with my wife are a must, at least twice a month. Otherwise, you’ll find me on the golf course getting my butt kicked by my brother-in-law or out cheering on the Spurs with my buddies.

We would like to thank Anthony for sharing his insights with us! Be sure to connect with Anthony on LinkedIn. To learn more about IMAT’s Flexible Payer Solution, please click here.