Has the Payer-Provider Relationship Reached a Turning Point?

Willie Brown serves as Vice President of Revenue Cycle for Sentara Health, where he provides executive leadership for Hospital Patient Access, Central Prior Authorizations, Financial Clearance, Revenue Integrity, and the Clinical Revenue Cycle. He is responsible for advancing revenue cycle performance, optimizing patient access and financial clearance operations, strengthening revenue integrity programs, and leveraging technology to improve the patient and provider experience.

With more than 30 years of healthcare experience, Willie brings a diverse background spanning revenue cycle management, clinical laboratory operations, corporate compliance, and information technology. His broad operational and technical expertise enables him to lead complex initiatives that drive financial performance, operational excellence, and organizational transformation.

Prior to joining Sentara, Willie spent 25 years with Prisma Health, where he held progressive leadership roles before transitioning to Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Regional Medical Center. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for building high-performing teams, fostering employee engagement, and implementing innovative solutions to address complex healthcare challenges.

Willie is passionate about leadership development, organizational growth, and the strategic use of technology to improve healthcare operations. He is known for his collaborative leadership style and commitment to delivering measurable results while maintaining a strong focus on patient-centered care.

Willie earned a Master of Business Administration from Bellevue University, a Bachelor of Health Sciences from the Medical University of South Carolina, and an Associate of Specialized Technology degree from Greenville Technical College. He is certified as a Medical Technologist through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and holds the Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) and Certified Revenue Cycle Associate (CRCA) designations through the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

An active professional leader, Willie is a member of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), and the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

Gilles is a strategic advisor with Datos's Commercial Banking & Payments practice, focusing on B2B payments and digital transformation in financial services. With over 20 years of experience, he holds a BA in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics. Originally from Belgium and raised in the U.S., he is now based in Toronto.

Dylan Papa is SVP & GM of Commercial Growth & Partnerships at Zelis, where he is charged with leading Payments growth strategy. One of Zelis' earliest employees, Dylan has watched the company scale into a leading force in healthcare payments, giving him a deep, first-hand understanding of the business and the market. He leads Zelis' efforts to unlock new commercial opportunities by expanding its partner ecosystem and structuring the strategic relationships that extend the company's reach across the healthcare payments landscape. Dylan also oversees the product organization, ensuring that Zelis's product strategy and growth aligns to market and customer needs — pairing commercial instinct with product discipline to drive durable growth. Known for a creative, growth-minded approach to the market, Dylan continues to focus on the partnerships and product bets that will define the company's next phase of growth.