About Kari L. Niblack, Esq.
Kari L. Niblack, Esq., joined Boon-Chapman as President in 2024, bringing thirty years of industry expertise to lead the company’s continued growth and innovation in healthcare administration. Known for her ability to drive transformative change, Kari is committed to enhancing Boon-Chapman’s reputation for unmatched client service, operational excellence, and customized healthcare solutions. Her extensive leadership experience spans the self-insurance ecosystem, including claims administration, highly innovative cost containment, and care navigation, making her an invaluable asset as Boon-Chapman expands its role as a trusted partner in healthcare solutions.
In addition to her executive leadership roles spanning three decades in the self-funded industry, Kari is active in volunteer work, regularly speaks and publishes on issues affecting self-funded health plans, and is a member of CHIEF, the only private membership network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. She is also a licensed producer in life, accident, and health insurance in multiple states across the country.
Kari is a licensed attorney in Indiana and Florida and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She earned her JD from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center and her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Indiana University. She is well-known for her unconfined benefits consulting expertise and targeted interventions that strategically and operationally enhance health and well-being solutions for clients.
Kari’s distinguished career includes chairing the Board of Directors for the Self-Insurance Institute of America and receiving numerous community awards and professional accolades, such as the 2024 Top 50 Influential Women in Captive Insurance award, 2024 US Captive Review Captive Service Professional of the Year Shortlist, the Triad Business Journal’s 2021 Most Outstanding CEO Award, the 2019 Outstanding Women in Business Award, 2005 iWoman Mentor Award, and 2004 Indy’s Best and Brightest Finalist Award.
About Boon-Chapman
Boon-Chapman stands as a beacon of integrity and innovation in healthcare administration. Since 1961, the company’s unwavering commitment to empowering employees has enabled the delivery of unmatched service and compassionate care. As one of the last independent TPAs in the country, they advantage clients with leading-edge technology, customization, and dedicated customer service, ensuring exceptional health outcomes and cost efficiencies. Headquartered in Austin, TX, and serving members in all 50 states, Boon-Chapman delivers comprehensive services that include claims administration, stop loss coverage, member advocacy, regulatory compliance, FSA/HSA/HRA administration, COBRA & HIPAA compliance, and extensive cost-containment programs for employers, fully-insured carriers, and other TPAs. Through their medical management solution and innovative employee benefits technology, Boon-Chapman offers fully integrated solutions that empower health plans and improve population health. For more information, please visit www.boonchapman.com.
Medical Travel & Digital Health News (MTDHN): Tell us about your new role as president of Boon-Chapman and your vision for the organization.
Kari L. Niblack (KLN): At Boon-Chapman, we wholeheartedly believe that “Exceptional Service Matters”. It’s much more than a tagline for us; it’s how we approach every single day. Thus, my robust vision for our company is that we successfully apply the perfect combination of customized technology and member advocacy to be both pointed and significant in improving member lives and overall health and wellness globally.
This vision is the result of more than 30 years’ experience in self-funding and specifically, the third-party administrator (TPA) business. I’m the classic bootstrapper, having started my career initially as an account representative and then, steadily and confidently advanced my career to perform nearly every single function associated with a TPA. Thus, third-party administration is in my blood – it has defined my career. So, when the opportunity to join Boon-Chapman was presented to me, it was an opportunity that I seized and that I relished.
There were multiple reasons for this decision. First, the company has a rich 63-year legacy in the business. We’re not carrier-owned and we’re one of the last remaining independent TPAs in the space. As a result, we can customize programs for every single client across a litany of core solutions, ranging from everything associated with care management to technology solutions and any type of plan design. We also perform BPO services for other TPAs.
In addition, I was drawn to the company’s strong foundation – its rich history, the way it’s been led, and certainly its presence in the marketplace. With a national presence in all 50 states, Boon-Chapman is on a high growth trajectory with national significance and increased visibility. We must deliver daily on our promise of service excellence to our clients and partners.
MTDHN: Do you have any specific goals or objectives for the company that you’d like to achieve in the short and long term?
KLN: First, from a cultural standpoint, we will be rich with mentorships and career advancement opportunities for our employees. Our industry is one of the last remaining industries where you can enter at the ground level with a high school diploma and steadily and methodically grow your long-term career. The better our employees understand our vision, the better we perform. Starting in 2025, my colleague, Trish McCoy, will be facilitating a monthly “Coffee with Kari” session, where employees can come and ask me anything – always a fun and informative session and fantastic opportunity to learn, grow and laugh for all.
I truly enjoy and embrace mentoring and believe it’s an essential aspect of leadership. We have the ability to enrich employees’ lives and advance their careers at every level. This is an important personal goal for me that starts with creating a culture that builds upon the foundation we have and makes Boon-Chapman an employer of choice, an organization where anyone would thrive.
Secondly, from a growth standpoint, we’re already national in scope, but we envision a future where advanced technology, like AI and data analytics, are deeply integrated to deliver personalized, preventative and accessible care, prioritizing patient experience, improved outcomes, and efficient operations.
Third, I look forward to being a champion of simply telling our story in the industry. Through wonderful opportunities like this, visibility on a national stage and sharing our passion of independence and exemplary service at Boon-Chapman not only pays homage to our rich history, but also, further refines and builds our lasting legacy for the self-funded marketplace – a legacy that is extremely rare.
In 2025 and beyond, plan design and customization are of the utmost importance for every single broker and client. By uniquely doing so, we are advancing their business goals at the same time we are advancing ours. I approach these opportunities much like the way I practiced law. I want to get to know what drives each client and what their short-and long-term goals are. We then strategize on the best ways to contribute as their third-party administrator to help them achieve their goals.
Moreover, I am a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and former Chief Human Resources Officer, so I know definitively that if we do our job well, we intrinsically enhance our client’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent. It’s not just about our ability to recruit, it’s also about their ability to recruit. If we customize and enhance their employee benefit package via our design and administration of that package, the better they can recruit for their workforces. This alignment enables all of us to grow our businesses simultaneously.
I look at it as a collaborative and consultative 360-degree spectrum in this space, not simply from a TPA perspective. We certainly are an exemplary TPA, but it’s not just about that set of capabilities. We’re optimizing total care delivery at every single interaction.
MTDHN: Does your organization author a medical travel benefit or a medical travel package, domestic or international?
KLN: Our Care Navigation program empowers members and reimagines healthcare by connecting members to preferred providers offering bundled pricing for surgical treatments, advanced imaging, and other medically necessary services. The team delivers quality care at minimal cost to members and employers while streamlining every step of the process. Travel support includes comprehensive arrangements for members and an adult companion when care requires travel outside the local area. Moreover, our licensed nurses handle referrals, scheduling and follow-up care necessary to simplify the healthcare journey.
MTDHN: When you talk about innovative programs, what kind of innovative programs does Boon-Chapman offer?
KLN: We’ve just issued a press release on our brand-new partnership with zakipoint Health. It’s national in scope and gives all of our participants connectivity to a phone app that provides a digital platform and immediate access to their clinical data.
But more importantly, another differentiator of Boon-Chapman is that we offer real-time interaction with our in-house care navigation team. Our nurses utilize these cutting-edge digital tools in a patient-facing function that provides clinical guidance and support throughout the entire medical system and treatment management plan.
Participants can interact and interface via the application, so they don’t have to go to a different software platform. This is highly unique as we don’t have to transfer participants to another external or outsourced resource which allows us to monitor patient-reported side effects and symptoms between provider visits, thereby increasing survival. This real-time interaction with our nurses and care navigation specialists speeds up access to care and ensures higher quality care.
Plus, through our price transparency tools, the true quality and cost of each procedure is right in the patient’s hands. We can assist individuals with “shopping the market” for whatever service they need to get the best pricing for the overall plan cost. This is just one example of how our continual innovation, diverse services and product offerings drive dramatic employer benefit savings and boost employee satisfaction.
MTDHN: Do you foresee a big role for AI in the TPA space?
KLN: Absolutely. I think it will continue to grow and it’s important to me that AI is combined with the guidance of actual employees. To that end, our sister company, Soluta, Inc., a technology-based company, is a highly unique asset not offered by any other TPA.
Clients can anticipate that Boon-Chapman and Soluta’s executive teams are working in parallel to cross-package, cross-function, and use the best capabilities of both companies, which is something we’ve already begun executing. AI can analyze large amounts of data, including medical history, lifestyle and genetic information, to identify risk patterns and generate insights that humans might not be able to discover on their own.
Again, this is another 2025 initiative for me: to not only look at the benefit packages and our administration, but really drill down into how we assist and lessen the burden of premium reconciliation for our brokers and clients’ HR teams when we have complex plan designs with multiple serve points and providers.
I don’t know any other TPA in our space that has this in-house ability at their fingertips. We have these capabilities and are actively utilizing and pairing up the services. A big part of my 2025 strategic plan is to integrate the talents and solutions of both sister companies and embed them within our comprehensive service portfolio. This is an immensely innovative package that’s designed specifically for the self-funded industry.
MTDHN: How do you envision the future of value-based care and value-based contracting?
KLN: I certainly foresee the continuation of value-based care and for 2025, CMS is focusing on advancing value-based care by implementing changes such as the use of Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM) services and introducing new MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs) for specific clinical areas, all aimed at promoting more outcome-focused patient care and increased transparency in healthcare delivery.
Two-sided risk value-based care refers to a payment model within value-based care where healthcare providers share both the potential financial rewards (upside risk) and penalties (downside risk) based on the quality and cost of care they deliver to patients, essentially holding them accountable for both positive and negative outcomes compared to predetermined benchmarks; this incentivizes providers to focus on delivering high-quality care while managing costs effectively.
Accurately measuring patient outcomes is paramount to the future of value-based care, especially when considering complex conditions and the diverse needs of different patient populations. More complex patients require an increased level of care, so we must ensure that we are not inadvertently creating a healthcare environment that creates financial incentives unjustly. A core commitment that ensures transparency and accountability in all performance metrics allows for wide utilization and continual improvement in the overall model.
MTDHN: What’s your perspective on direct contracting? Do you think it’s something that you’re helping employers negotiate or execute?
KLN: Absolutely. As an ERISA attorney by trade, I’m all-in for direct contracting. I don’t see a downside as utilization continues to grow and members receive enhanced benefits.
From the TPA standpoint, we have 100% real-time ability to incorporate these direct contracting rates into our administration database for efficient and accurate claims adjudication. Boon-Chapman has the ability to arrange a direct contract with any network in any part of the country. We can bring that information to our operations teams, download the data into our system, and adjudicate claims in real-time.
We’re quicker and better at this function because of our savvy operations. It’s very important to us for claims turnaround time and claims accuracy. Our extensive operations knowledge gives us a leg-up on the competition.
MTDHN: Does this include centers of excellence all over the United States?
KLN: Yes, our services go way beyond the traditional approach of carrier discounts and PPO networks, and we embrace Centers of Excellence (COE) and next-level plan management, risk mitigation strategies and enhanced member experiences. We often see COE programs for high-cost, specialized surgeries such as spinal surgeries or transplants, so we’re continually vetting and seeking the best global partnerships available for improved clinical outcomes and cost transparency for our members.
MTDHN: How do you feel about the new administration and the changes that are underway for healthcare?
KLN: I am hopeful we don’t lose momentum and continue to embrace greater access to care, greater visibility with care, and the best overall cost of care that’s possible. To that end, I’m hopeful that all hands reach across the aisle and that we continue to see great thought leadership. I would also welcome abolishing political lines for the betterment of the country and enhanced collaboration with the goal of providing greater access to healthcare no matter the social determinants influencing health and longevity.
MTDHN: Do you think we’re going to see a crackdown on PBMs and drug pricing on specialty drugs? How do you think that’s going to play out?
KLN: Yes, there continues to be increased focus on transparency and accountability on PBMs and drug pricing. As more Americans are educated about transparency in pricing for specialty drugs, and we, as an industry, put pressure on each other to be transparent and perform, the natural result will be more competitive pricing. We’re seeing a growing use of innovative pricing strategies such as outcomes-based contracting, greater vertical integration with health insurers, heightened regulatory scrutiny, emphasis on specialty drug management and leveraging data analytics to optimize utilization management and patient outcomes.
It’s a highly competitive space and, as within any industry, when you have a heightened focus and numerous competitors, the result is better pricing. In fact, we are in discussions with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company, the online pharmacy that sells prescription medications at lower prices. Certainly, I like what they’re doing in the PBM space.
MTDHN: Do you have any plans to go international?
KLN: According to the Global Strategic Business Report, the global market for insurance was valued at an estimated US$13.7 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$19.1 Billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8% from 2023 to 2030. This confirms the digital transformation of the TPA space toward even more customization and greater efficiency. So, I am driven by expansion, always, and in all ways, and our dual focus on people and technology will allow us to expand internationally.
MTDHN: Is there any other aspect of your new position that you would like to share with our readers?
KLN: I’m incredibly excited to see our vision executed and the continual expansion of Boon-Chapman over the next five to ten years. We’ve surrounded ourselves with smart, capable folks, a dynamic leadership team, that compliments each other exceedingly well. It’s the most collaborative leadership team I’ve experienced.
Thus, as we continue to see innovative technologies hit the market, the million-dollar question is, “Will we be ready?” Indeed, we will, and I am ecstatic at the opportunity to give our clients, members and employees the full power of our integrated partnerships and technological solutions. Right foot on the gas, and our efforts to advance integration in the self-insured marketplace are unbound and limitless.