Deb Adler

Deb Adler brings more than 20 years of experience in executive health care roles, serving in a variety of capacities including network executive, quality management executive and chief operating officer, to the OPEN MINDS team. Her consultant work with OPEN MINDS spans a broad range of customers (provider organizations, payors and government programs) and topics, including: collaborative care models/medical behavioral integration, provider network functions– contracting, network designs/tiering, recruitment, telehealth network implementation, and strategic planning. In addition, Ms. Adler has a special interest in helping technology-enabled providers in “go-to-market” strategies and streamlining network functions. Since entering the managed behavioral health care field, she has become an industry-recognized leader in value-based contracting and alternative payment models. An innovator known for her ability to execute results, she has facilitated network designs and benefit plan approaches that achieve both quality outcomes and healthcare cost savings. Before joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Adler served as Senior Vice President of Network Strategy for Optum (now UnitedHealth Group) where she was responsible for behavioral health network development, contracting, and strategy for over 185,000 providers. In this role she developed the largest, performance-tiered behavioral health network, largest telemental health network, and largest medication assisted treatment (MAT) network. She was also responsible for implementing network initiatives to promote medical/behavioral integration, improve member outcomes, and reduce total cost of care through collaborative care models. Prior to joining Optum/UnitedHealth, Ms. Adler spent over 12 years with ValueOptions, Inc. (now Beacon Options) where she held a variety of senior leadership roles including, Executive Vice President of National Networks; Chief Executive Officer, Health Plan Division; Vice President, Network Operations; Executive Director, Corporate Quality Management; and Executive Director, Quality & Information Systems. She was responsible for quality management and coordinated NCQA and URAC accreditation efforts. Ms. Adler spent her early career in health care quality, serving as a quality director in two state-run psychiatric centers. Ms. Adler received her Master’s degree in educational psychology and evaluation from Catholic University of America and is a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ).