Lorece Shaw, PharmD, Named a 2026 Managed Healthcare Executive Emerging Healthcare Leader

We are thrilled to celebrate that Lorece Shaw, PharmD has been recognized by Managed Healthcare Executive (MHE) as one of its Emerging Leaders in Healthcare – an annual distinction that honors professionals who are making a measurable impact on U.S. healthcare by setting new standards and driving innovation.

As Director of Clinical Client Operations, Lorece partners closely with health plans to successfully implement complex benefit designs, translating clinical requirements into scalable, technology-enabled solutions that drive better member outcomes and sustainable growth.  

She is a trusted advisor to clients and executive leadership alike, bringing deep expertise in CMS, URAC, and NCQA standards, and is recognized for her ability to deliver compliant, client-centered strategies that enhance performance, improve member outcomes, and support sustainable growth.

Leading Prior Authorization and Utilization Management Innovation

Lorece joined Judi Health in 2020 and rose through a series of progressively expansive roles - from Prior Authorization Pharmacist to Senior Director of Utilization and Clinical Management - before stepping into her current client-facing leadership position.

One of Lorece’s many consequential contributions in her prior roles was her work as the primary clinical stakeholder for Judi®, our cloud-native enterprise health platform. She took direct ownership of prior authorization (PA) strategy and execution, and the stakes could not have been higher.

PA remains a significant pain point in healthcare, particularly for patients if they experience a delay in receiving their medication. Employers similarly have concerns: if 90%+ of PAs are being approved – as is common under traditional PBM models – that could result in ballooning costs and significant administrative burdens.  

To tackle these issues, Lorece successfully led implementation of end‑to‑end utilization management operations for complex health plan launches across Commercial, Exchange, FEHB, and Medicare Part B & D, supporting scalable growth to 3 million members while maintaining regulatory compliance.

Helping Shape the Future of Healthcare Technology

Beyond operational execution, Lorece is also a key leader helping influence the future of healthcare’s technological future.

One of the foundation problems in American healthcare is how siloed data is. Pharmacy, medical, dental, and vision claims are processed separately, creating fragmented pictures of patient health and driving inefficiency at every level. A 2019 JAMA study estimated that this fragmented ecosystem contributes to roughly $1 trillion in waste annually in the US healthcare system. That number has assuredly gone up as the years have gone by.

Judi Health is working to solve this by connecting all of those data streams onto one unified platform, enabling a holistic view of a patient’s health.  

As our Chief Medical and Innovation Officer, Dr. Sunil Budhrani, put it on an episode of the Astonishing Healthcare episode:

“Through a Judi Health unified claims infrastructure, we provide the transparency for patients to navigate the healthcare system more holistically, to understand their pharmacy options, to understand their medical options through a transparent chassis. That allows patients to understand the cost of their care, the better choices and places they can go for their care and be informed about their decision-making.”

Lorece partnered directly with Judi Health’s Product and Development teams to align the platform’s design with real-world clinical workflows and regulatory requirements. This included playing a key role in the development and deployment of AI-enabled prior authorization platforms. Lorece's expertise connects clinical, technical, and business stakeholders to deliver seamless client experiences and translate complex clinical requirements into scalable, technology-enabled solutions. She helped build a bridge between these two worlds without losing fidelity in either.

Supporting the Next Generation of Healthcare Leaders

The Emerging Leaders program recognizes individuals who are not only achieving results today but charting a course for a stronger healthcare system tomorrow. Lorece is doing both.

As a senior leader, Lorece intentionally builds diverse leadership pipelines, with women comprising a substantial share of her organization and its management team. Several women she has mentored have advanced into expanded roles across the organization, increasing female representation in positions with greater scope and influence.  

Beyond internal leadership development, Lorece also extends her advocacy beyond Judi Health through industry engagement, including serving as a featured speaker on the organization’s Women Pharmacist Day 2025 podcast, where she discussed mentorship, career growth, and leadership pathways for women in pharmacy.

Architecting the Freedom to Build Your Benefits, Your Way

At Judi Health, we believe the future of healthcare requires leaders who refuse to separate clinical excellence from strategic innovation – leaders who understand that improving patient outcomes and building sustainable, scalable organizations are not competing goals, but deeply complementary ones. Lorece embodies that belief every day.

If you would like to learn more about Judi Health’s approach to transparent health benefit management, contact our team today!

‍

‍