He went on to work for a corporate health care employer, but he quickly came to feel restricted by the way medicine was practiced. "It's not like the patient didn't matter, but the dollar mattered a lot," he says.

These experiences led Baker to realize how difficult health care experiences could be for patients. "It set me on this pathway of trying to figure out how to help make health care more accessible and also more affordable for the average family."

Baker says providers often see insurance carriers as a burden, but that they must do what payers say in order to get paid. "Things like prior authorization or being in-network for an HMO or PPO is a pain in the rear for providers," he notes. "It takes a lot of power and autonomy out of the provider's hands."

After meeting an advisor who was working with plans that offered direct contracting to employers and providers, Baker ended up joining Health2Business, a company that builds health plans for employers, while continuing to practice as a PT, as well.

Baker says his job is to bring the payer, the provider, and the member into alignment, adding that the best way to do that is with a self-funded plan that can use tools like direct care. He notes that in his region, there are a number of direct-contract arrangements for health plans. "I believe in bringing those three parties together and building health plans around that. By doing so, you create a better environment for the patient, the member, and the employer in order to operate in a sustainable way." 

"I believe the provider is the solution, and I say that with some bias because I am a provider," Baker says. "You have to partner with the people who are actually delivering care, while still finding the right third-party administrator and vendors. But the core partnership is between the provider and the employer, working together to deliver the service to the member."