Finding & Pitching Payers For Pilots—The Familylinks Case Study
September 14, 2023
In a health and human service landscape characterized by complex consumer support needs and rising benefit costs, the willingness of health plans to “try something new” is opening opportunities for innovative provider organizations. But to take advantage of this market moment, executive teams must be able to design, develop, test, and scale unique service models—usually in the form of a pilot. Successfully doing that means starting strategic conversations with health plans, demonstrating the pilot service line’s value, and then leveraging the results for a partnership with the health plan.
During this one-hour live presentation, Stacey Vaccaro, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Hillary Holes DeFrancesco, Manager of Special Projects, at Familylinks will present their community health workers (CHW) pilot. They will discuss how they negotiated with a local health plan to identify common goals and key performance indicators (KPI), as well as share preliminary project outcomes.
Executive attendees of this session will learn about:
- The benefits of having community health workers on staff
- How to identify and develop strategies to address common needs with managed care organizations
- How to structure a contract and identify outcomes
Featured Speakers

Stacey Vaccaro, FACHE, President & Chief Executive Officer, Familylinks
Stacey Vaccaro, MPM, FACHE, is a dedicated and passionate executive with nearly 25 years of experience in human services, healthcare, and nonprofit leadership. Currently the President and Chief Executive Officer at Familylinks, Stacey ensures the agency’s mission and vision are fulfilled. Serving more than 8,000 individuals annually, Familylinks exists to positively impact lives through integrated community, behavioral, and social programs.
Prior to joining Familylinks in 2020, Stacey was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, where she held various operational and quality roles in her 20 years there. Stacey earned her BS in health administration and business from Slippery Rock University, a master’s in public management from Carnegie Mellon University, and is currently working towards a PhD in business at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Stacey believes in the value of non-profit leadership excellence and shares her expertise through serving as an adjunct professor. She has also held several director and officer roles on various non-profit boards and is currently serving as the vice chair of the Health Care Administration and Management advisory board at Slippery Rock and as a member of the Doctor of Physical Therapy advisory board at Carlow University.

Hillary Holes DeFrancesco, Manager of Special Projects, Familylinks
Hillary Holes DeFrancesco is the Manager of Special Projects at Familylinks. In her current role, Hillary works with Community Health Workers to address social determinant of health needs of seniors and individuals with autism, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
In past roles, Hillary applied her knowledge in grant writing, health literacy, and public health to implement initiatives for underserved populations. Hillary received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Hillary serves as the President for the Young Professionals Board of Literacy Pittsburgh and the Chair of the Young Leaders Council of Adagio Health. Hillary was recognized as one of the 2021 Pittsburgh Business Times 30 under 30 awardees and as one of 2022 Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Hillary resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and enjoys reading and doing yoga.
Registration is free and requires an OPEN MINDS Circle account, which you consent to OPEN MINDS creating on your behalf if one does not exist. For access to the full line of market intelligence including executive briefings, industry news, state and organizational profiles, RFPs, and datasets from the specialty health and human services market contact us at 855-559-6827 or info@openminds.com to become an OPEN MINDS elite member.
Login to access The OPEN MINDS Circle Library. Not a member? Create your free account now!