Matt Nyquist Joins Lifespark Leadership Team

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (June 23, 2022)—Matt Nyquist of Orono, Minnesota, has joined Lifespark as chief population health officer leading the design, development and management of Lifespark’s global risk products and market expansion to reduce costs and improve experience for seniors, family members and providers.

“Lifespark has a deep understanding of how to provide services that support seniors long-term but also how to be accountable to metrics that matter to their overall experience,” said Nyquist. “I knew of Lifespark in the marketplace but until I joined the team, I didn’t realize the true depth of the team’s knowledge in population health, global risk and geriatric expertise that underpinned what we’re doing.”

Nyquist added that much of his focus initially will be on process and structure bringing rigor around Lifespark’s scalable product, Lifespark COMPLETE. “The foundation of successful population health efforts is data, but many organizations fall short in providing metrics that demonstrate efficacy. We are building transparency in our results to create trust and alignment with our partners. Proving our model and delivering results that drive a better experience for seniors will be our biggest impact,” said Nyquist.

According to Joel Theisen, BSN, RN, Lifespark CEO, Nyquist has the right blend of expertise with value-based business models, products and contracting for member populations in a range of product types including Medicare Advantage, Dually Eligible like MSHO, Institutional and Equivalent Special Needs Plans–I-SNP and IE-SNP, and direct contracting. 

“As we begin to scale to new markets beyond Minnesota in 2022, this role is a critical function,” explained Theisen. “The high-volume, low-value market is rapidly evolving for seniors and Lifespark is ready to seize that opportunity with our scalable product and proven results that matter to seniors, their families, and health care overall.”

As for why Lifespark, Nyquist shared, “I was looking for a company with an entrepreneurial spirit where what I did mattered. Finding a place that was smaller but bold in its vision, had a strong culture, and a differentiated product is rare, but Lifespark checked all those boxes. We are ready for scale and I’m excited to be part of this next phase to help seniors age magnificently not just in Minnesota, but nationally.”

“It’s all about the people at Lifespark,” added Theisen. “Matt is a great addition, and he will keep people front and center in all of our work, that’s what really matters—making complete senior health accessible for all.”

Prior to joining Lifespark, Nyquist was the chief product officer/chief information officer for the Center for Digital Health with UnitedHealth Group—Optum where he led the design, development and implementation of a new digital first care model that combines digital health visits with in-person physician visits to make care more convenient. He was also Optum’s chief information officer—population health overseeing the technology division which held $2 billion in population health business.

Nyquist has a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, Management, and Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds certification in Executive Leadership Education from Stanford University and Executive Data Science from University of Minnesota.

Visit lifespark.com for more information.