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The ClearStars
Deep Dive.

Expert perspectives on quality improvement, Stars program performance, and the future of data analysis in healthcare. Hosted by Bert J. Rico, Founder and CEO.

6 episodes and counting

All Episodes

6

The Three Card Monte of CMS Stars: Mastering Variable Change

April 1, 2026 Read blog post

Applying Three Card Monte mathematics and variable change principles to quality improvement investment challenges. Covers conditional probability, Bayesian updating, CMS cut point movements, mid-year pivot strategies, and the Health Equity Index as an upcoming variable shift.

5

Lakes, Warehouses, and Lakehouses Oh My!

March 2, 2026 Read blog post

Critical data infrastructure choices for health plans. How to avoid building data swamps and architect systems for 2027. Covers CMS 0057-F interoperability mandates, advancing AI beyond hallucinations, and bridging clinical notes with claims data.

4

Use AI As An Orthotic, Not A Prosthetic

February 23, 2026 Read blog post

Why standalone AI fails in clinical settings and what actually works. AI alone agrees with clinical reviewers only 54% of the time in HCC coding, while pairing AI with humans improved productivity by 45%.

3

More Data Is Not Always The Answer

February 12, 2026 Read blog post

Why organizations over-rely on data volume. The distinction between common cause variation and special cause variation. Using run charts to identify genuine signals versus random noise.

2

2027 CMS Advanced Notice Deep Dive

February 4, 2026

Technical and policy shifts crucial for navigating the 2027 healthcare landscape. Strategic analysis for health plan executives, investors, and providers preparing for the Final Rate Announcement.

1

Bridging Gaps In Care: The ClearStars Focus

February 4, 2026

ClearStars as the universal translator for healthcare. Addressing fragmentation across business strategy, technical infrastructure, and clinical care to create unified understanding among payers, providers, and technology systems.

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New episodes drop regularly with insights on Stars performance, data architecture, and AI in healthcare.

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