Dr. Stan Schwartz, MD spent his entire medical career working on the provider side of healthcare delivery. In 2014, he transitioned to consulting on healthcare matters for The Holmes Organisation, a well-known regional brokerage and benefits advisory firm.

In 2015, Stan and James Millaway explored the formation of a local business coalition on health. More than 30 states and metropolitan areas already had coalitions focused on employer health plans because employers play an outsized role in American healthcare. More than half the people of the United States are covered by employer-sponsored health plans. An Oklahoma coalition would provide support and combine voices to find cost-appropriate solutions for employer health plans.

With enthusiasm and help from QuikTrip, the City of Tulsa, and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, WellOK (the original name), was formed and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in February 2015. It’s grown over the years to represent dozens of employer members and expanded to include healthcare providers and industry partners.

In 2022, WellOK began a collaboration with the Center for Health Systems Innovation at Oklahoma State University (OSU-CHSI) and brought on Cari Marshall, a healthcare LEAN Consultant and longtime supporter of WellOK, to be its director. In July of 2023, WellOK became an innovation venture within OSU-CHSI. The name WellOK was retired, and the coalition is now known as The Oklahoma Business Collective on Health, or The Collective.

The Collective has a Board of Advisors comprised of seven representatives from employer-member companies.

The mission today: To understand and improve the value of the healthcare our employees and families receive through a business collective focusing on the quality and cost-effectiveness of care.

The Collective is proud to be a part of Oklahoma State University – Center for Health Systems Innovation. Positioned between OSU’s Spears School of Business and the Center for Health Sciences, we truly are at the intersection of business and health.