PBN BUSINESS WOMEN AWARDS 2020 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Michele Kratz | Upward Health National LLC
MICHELE KRATZ is a registered nurse at heart, but she’s done many things in her career that position her for success as vice president of clinical services at Providence-based Upward Health National LLC.
Upward Health serves high-risk, high-need patients in their homes, working with health insurance plans and health care providers to achieve better outcomes that save money.
With a care specialist assigned to each patient, Upward Health coordinates with their physicians, filling in the gaps by delivering medication, connecting them with organizations such as Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, or other housing resources.
Having worked most of her career with patients in government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, Kratz said Upward Health’s whatever-it-takes care model is one she believes in and can help grow.
“They do whatever the patient needs,” with patients’ trust in their care specialist building and strengthening over time, Kratz said. “It can be the healthiest relationship they have.”
Kratz, born in Philadelphia and raised by a single mother, said she always wanted to be a nurse, like her aunt, Audrey. After graduating high school in a small Pennsylvania town, she earned a nursing degree from Drexel University, when the Philadelphia school was affiliated with Hahnemann University Hospital.
Kratz found herself in the inner-city hospital at a crucial time in the fight against AIDS, and she learned volumes.
“I was 18 and taking care of patients on the tail end of the AIDS epidemic,” she said. “I was exposed to a lot. We took care of a lot of young men who were dying. Empathy had a place in that hospital. It was exposure to a poor, urban and gay community.”
After four years as district director of case management for Kindred Healthcare in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Kratz then took a position in 2012 with Cigna-HealthSpring. As vice president of health services, she was responsible for the mid-Atlantic region, but working for a big corporation left her missing the nimble ability of a smaller organization.
Kratz accepted the position with Upward Health this past August. She likens the leadership team to a small family.
Her goals include increased “facilitated virtual care” visits for patients in their homes, especially for the disengaged and those with complex medical conditions such as risky substance use.
Patients feel safer with caregivers coming to them, she said. “It’s about empowering people and giving them the tools to succeed,” she said.