Spotlight: Whitney Yuchasz, VP of payor engagement
Sharecare’s Health Data Solutions (HDS) team plays a critical role in helping providers deliver timely, accurate access to medical records, facilitating the transfer of millions of records each year across health systems, practices, and plans nationwide. As a trusted partner, this team supports organizations in navigating complex workflows while enabling higher quality, more personalized care.
For more than 13 years, Whitney Yuchasz has grown her career alongside Sharecare, building a path that began as a release of information specialist to now leading in her role as vice president of payor engagement. Today, she partners with health plans and aggregators to support medical record retrieval for risk adjustment and quality initiatives, while leading a team of account managers and data specialists who help manage projects from end to end.
Her career journey has given her a perspective that spans frontline operations, client relationships, payor engagement, and leadership — and it continues to shape how she supports her team today. In this month’s employee spotlight, Whitney shares how starting in an entry-level role helped build the foundation for her career, her work with Sharecare’s Women in Leadership group, and about her family and hobbies that keep her busy outside of work.
What is your official title, and what do you do in your role?
I’m currently the vice president of payor engagement. In my role, I partner closely with health plans and aggregators to support the retrieval of medical records from Sharecare providers for risk adjustment and quality initiatives.
My team is made up of account managers and data specialists who support the needs of health plans and help manage projects from end to end. A big part of what we do is making sure our clients have the support, information, and resources they need throughout the process.
What was your path leading up to your current role?
After graduating college 13 years ago, I applied to be a release of information specialist at BACTES, which was acquired by Sharecare that same year.
Originally hired to go site-to-site scanning medical records, within 2 years, I transitioned into managing our Auburn Hills Service Center, which grew into operations management and then into a broader operations director role. After about a year in that role, I wanted to move in a different direction, so I applied for a position on the audit team.
I joined the team as a senior manager of payor engagement, then grew into the director role, senior director role, and now I lead the team as vice president of payor engagement.
What makes you proud to work at Sharecare?
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of growth, especially from a technology perspective and through the focus on bringing everything into one place while taking the patient experience into account. Whether it’s through the relationships we build or the technology we offer, I think Sharecare really stands out. This team is truly dedicated. I’ve been very fortunate to work with such a great group of individuals, and they make my job easy.
Our teams truly care about our providers and our patients. Even from the payor perspective, we are not just moving charts to hit a yield. My team is invested in the performance of the health plans we support and how that ultimately impacts their patients. That mission has helped Sharecare stand out in the industry. It is more than copying a medical record or delivering a PDF. The people who work here truly care about the outcomes, and I think that is what makes Sharecare unique in this space.
What’s the best career advice you’ve been given?
The best career advice I’ve been given — and the advice I would share with others — is that when you graduate college, it’s okay to go into an entry-level position. Don’t be afraid of it.
The skills and relationships I built coming from college into a release of information specialist position helped me grow my career here at Sharecare. If I had come out of college and started in middle management, I think it may have created a blind spot for me. There is nothing wrong if that is someone else’s path, but I personally have a deep appreciation for the work our frontline colleagues are doing. The skills you learn in those positions and the relationships you build can really help you later on.
Are there any causes or passion projects that are important to you?
Sharecare’s Women in Leadership group has become a passion project for me. The first year, we piloted it with our Health Data Solutions team, and in the second year, we opened it up to all of Sharecare. I’ve met a lot of great women through the group, and I think it’s been great for our company. One of the best parts has been networking with like-minded people and having organic conversations with individuals outside of my usual peer group. I’m also a mentor through the program, and being able to talk through challenges with others from across the business has been very valuable.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my husband, Tony, and our two little boys, Lucas and Leo, who are six and three. As a family, we enjoy traveling and going to baseball games. Right now, we are in the thick of having young children, so most of our time is spent together as a family and enjoying this stage of life.
What’s something few people know about you?
Something not a lot of people know is that I grew up as a competitive figure skater. After hanging up my own skates, I transitioned into coaching. I coached Learn to Skate for kids ages 3 to 5, as well as younger competitive skaters. I really enjoyed spending time with the kids, watching them grow and learn, and following some of the older skaters through the competition track.
That part of my life has now transitioned into our oldest son playing hockey. We spend a lot of time at the rink, especially from September through March. I’m not coaching as much anymore, but every once in a while, I’ll put my skates back on — mostly to play around with the kids.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I will always be grateful for the people and leaders at Sharecare who took the time and had the patience to teach me, help me grow professionally and personally, and trust that they were making the right decision by investing in me. I want the people who played that role to know how impactful they were to my career.
