Kristen Valdes is a transformative force in today’s healthcare marketplace, spearheading the conversation on how empowering consumers can transform healthcare delivery. She is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 20 years in the industry and has dedicated her life to pioneering inventive solutions that challenge the status quo. This quest has been largely driven by her powerful personal story as the mother of a child suffering from a significant autoimmune disorder. That compelling journey, along with her deep knowledge of the industry itself, inspired her to create b.well Connected Health in 2015. Prior to founding b.well, Kristen was a Vice President at United Healthcare, the largest health insurance company in the country. Kristen helped to build XLHealth, one of the pioneering Medicare Advantage Plans for the chronically ill. She was responsible for maintaining and growing the profitability of the plan and was instrumental in the acquisition by United Health Group in late 2012 for $2.4B. Ms. Valdes has been recognized as a 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovator and b.well Connected Health has won various competitions and awards including most recently being named Top Innovator by Accenture in their Global Health Tech Innovation Challenge. Her dedication to consumer directed health exchange is reflected in her active involvement in numerous private and public policy workgroups working to liberate data on behalf of consumers.
