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C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 5 2 5 SoNE Health CEO Trumble leads charge for physician- driven, value-based care in Connecticut Changing e System >> By Natalie Missakian While working at a Massachusetts hospital system a decade ago, Lisa Trumble en- countered a patient who had visited the emergency room 400 times in just six months. Homeless and addicted to drugs, the man, only in his 30s, was living under a bridge when social workers from Trumble's team found him. is time, the team didn't just treat his medical conditions and send him back to the street. ey gained his trust, helped him into housing and recovery, and eventually steered him toward a degree and a job. "We connected all the resources that were needed in order to get this individual out of the situation (he was) in," says Trumble, who at the time led a team that was using data to identify patient populations most at risk. "It wouldn't have happened in any kind of typical healthcare system." For Trumble, the case remains a powerful reminder of why she pushes so hard to change the way doctors, hospitals, insurers and others think about health care. Today, Trumble is president and CEO of SoNE Health, a physician-owned network that coordi- nates care and negotiates value-based contracts for about 650 providers in Connecticut and Massa- chusetts — the largest organization of its kind in the state. She is also one of Connecticut's leading advocates for value-based care, drawing on similar work she led in the Bay State. Most hospitals and doctors in the state still rely largely on a more costly fee-for-service model, where payments are made based on the volume of services provided. Value-based care takes a different approach. Instead of rewarding volume, it rewards doc- tors and hospitals for keeping patients healthier. e payoff, advocates like Trumble say, is fewer emergencies and hospitalizations, lower costs and healthier patients. Since taking the helm in January 2020, just months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trumble has been a driving force behind implementing val- ue-based health care at SoNE (formerly St. Francis Healthcare Partners), with a goal of convincing others in Connecticut's healthcare industry to follow. It hasn't been an easy task. Hospitals and physician groups in Connecticut face thin operating margins, a fragmented health system and complicated insurer contracts that make it difficult to shi away from the traditional fee-for-service model. Many providers also worry about taking on more financial risk if patients don't achieve better outcomes, slowing the pace of adoption across the state. While many in the industry talk about value-based care, Trumble has built the infrastructure at SoNE to make it happen, said Jeffrey Hogan, president of Farming- ton-based consulting firm Upside Health Partners. "She's one of these unique people who's able to use a team to strategically and tacti- cally move the football forward," Hogan said. At the heart of Trumble's work is population health, analyzing data and trends to proactively steer resources to those who most need help; and clinical integration, meaning primary care doctors, specialists, social workers and others work together to coordinate care and share information. In a healthcare landscape that has become increasingly corporatized — with large healthcare systems, private equity firms and insurers buying up physician practices — Trumble also remains a firm believer in doctor autonomy. "If we want to fix health care, we need to recognize that clinicians need to lead," Trumble said. "Hospital systems, private equity — we need all of it in some way. But I Lisa Trumble President & CEO SoNE Health Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting, North Adams State College; MBA, Western New England University Age: 61 TRUMBLE SoNE Health CEO Lisa Trumble stands in her office, where she leads the physician-owned network's push to expand value- based care in Connecticut. PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER