Lifestyle

It All Stems from Love

Published

3 years ago

September 5, 2022

When she arrived in California from New York, Kathleen “Frankie” Francesca wanted to make a difference. Her dream job—working for a modeling agency in New York—had turned out to be an unfulfilling pit stop.

While supporting her parents, both of whom have diabetes, Frankie began to volunteer with the American Diabetes Association (ADA). After attending ADA committees and recognizing within herself the desire to help others, she decided to enter the world of medicine.

Meanwhile, the occurance of a family hardship meant Frankie had to sell everything she had. Her father was laid off at work and then had to recover from an accident; her mother had to stay home to take care of him and help Frankie with her daughter, as she had just become a single mother. There was something Frankie’s mother would say to her that rang true, even in times like these:

“As long as you are breathing, there is always hope.”

Frankie lost neither her hope nor her compassion. Her goal was to begin working at R3 Regenerative Medicine (R3), a company that helps doctors obtain turnkey operations for stem cell clinics. Starting out, she had no phone and no computer. For the internet access she needed to be able to do her job, she was continuously going to libraries.

“I couldn’t tell the CEO that I didn’t have anything,” says Frankie. It wasn’t until two years ago that she did tell them about her initial struggle and lack of resources. Today, she is grateful that the CEO of R3 took a chance on her.

Five years later, she is Chief Operating Officer, and Vice President and partner at R3 Medical Training. She is doing the kind of work that she came to California longing to do: helping people, educating them, and changing the way they live their lives.

“Doctors use [stem cell regenerative medicine] to avoid surgeries or help slow the progression of any existing conditions,” says Frankie. “Anywhere from diabetes to neurological issues and joint issues. There’s a lot that you can do with stem cells.”

Frankie is a single mother to her 9-year-old daughter, Valentina. When she isn’t at work, she is spending time with her. They travel together, too, but working seven days a week means that she doesn’t have much extra time.

“I feel bad having to leave her when I have to travel for work,” says Frankie. “But at least I’m leaving my daughter knowing that I’ve done something that I can be proud of, and she can be proud [realizing] how much of a difference her mother made in those people’s lives.”

Where R3 was once a small marketing company, there are now 43 affiliated clinics across the United States and eight internationally. They are opening their own headquarters and anti-aging clinic in Scottsdale this September, a clinic in Nashville in November, and soon another in India. Frankie is preparing for their very first Health and Wellness Summit in Temecula this January—which will not be without celebrities.

One clinic, co-owned by Frankie, recently opened in the Philippines. She is especially excited to start visiting this location; she has family there, and has not been back in 25 years. With the opening of this location, she will be able to visit a few times a year.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my daughter so that she can learn the culture,” says Frankie. She is planning a trip for as soon as January 2022.

Currently, Frankie is in the process of finalizing a memoir, which she has written to tell her story to both her daughter and generations to come. She is not writing the book with commercial success in mind; rather, it is a heartfelt gesture to her daughter, a vessel meant to preserve important memories. She wants her daughter to know her journey, including how she dealt with negativity on the way.

“Especially as a single mom, you know, being Filipino, back in the day, we’re kind of looked down upon,” says Frankie. “Getting to where I’m at now in life, [I’m] supporting my family, giving my daughter everything that she can ever hope for.”

Frankie moves through life with a big heart and an eye on the future. She wants everyone to know that they can achieve a lot more than they think is possible, if they do as she did: keep at what you’re passionate about, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, and in her words, be “willing to sweat bullets.”

Lifestyle

Kat Marie Alvarez: Where Innovation Meets Regulation

Published

13 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Regulation is often thought of as a limitation, yet in healthcare, it also serves as a foundation for building models that endure. For Kat Marie Alvarez, Founder and CEO of KATALYST & CO, the framework of rules established by agencies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and the OIG ( office of the Inspector General) create opportunities to design systems that are compliant, ethical, and transformative. Her approach demonstrates that regulation can be a platform for innovation when it is interpreted with both technical rigor and vision.

Kat’s 25-year career reflects this philosophy. A former nurse who advanced into executive leadership and strategy, she has led $2.7B+ P&L operations, advised on over $5B in healthcare transactions, and guided value based organizations including Innovacare, Cano Health, WellMed, Centene, and Humana through periods of exponential scaling. Her perspective combines clinical, financial, and regulatory experience, giving her a unique ability to design structures that support integrity and accountability while driving measurable outcomes.

Turning Statutes into Strategy

For Kat, regulation serves as a framework for building smarter and more ethical models. She interprets CMS guidance and OIG rules as levers for innovation, using them to advance integrity and accountability. With the CMS V28 risk adjustment model, Alvarez refined coding practices, strengthened clinical documentation, and structured risk frameworks that reward accuracy and elevate standards of care. In addressing RADV audits, she crafted strategies that protect stakeholders while keeping patient outcomes at the forefront. She aligns compliance, cost, and care in equal measure. Her current work as a contributor to the CMS IDea Challenge, an initiative focused on strengthening the foundation of trust in our system, further echoes her commitment to advancing regulations in ways that unlock innovation while safeguarding the integrity of care.

Her interpretive approach brings discipline and vision to every challenge. She engages stakeholders to redesign workflows that meet regulatory requirements and enhance the patient experience. Each policy becomes a mechanism to strengthen accountability and operational precision, shaping a system that is both compliant and humane.

Innovation Built Within Boundaries

At KATALYST & CO, this interpretive approach is carried into every project. Kat has integrated predictive analytics and AI-driven tools into care models, with safeguards that ensure interventions remain clinician-led and ethically sound. For example, AI flags in chronic disease management are connected to human-led actions that improve patient care. The result is a model that benefits from technology while preserving accountability and clinical integrity.

Staffing and infrastructure provide another example of her philosophy in action. By leveraging offshore BPO operations in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, KATALYST & CO extends capacity for health plans and providers. These expansions are carefully designed to meet data security, licensure, and jurisdictional requirements, ensuring that global reach is paired with local compliance. It is a system that balances scale with responsibility.

The Art of Influence Through Alignment

Kat often describes her role as translating complexity into clarity. Whether she is working with payers, providers, or investors, she builds consensus by grounding ambitious strategies in the language of statute. Value-based care models, utilization management programs, and clinical frameworks are designed to prove compliant ROI for stakeholders while maintaining patient focus.

Her approach begins with people. In integrations, partnerships, and platform builds, she respects legacy strengths, listens to frontline voices, and creates systems that are not only efficient but also trusted. This ensures that compliance does not feel like restriction, but like a structure that supports innovation and adoption.

Redefining the Future of Compliance and Care

KATALYST & CO is scaling with $10M in initial funding, expanded international operations, and a growing advisory portfolio. Under Kat’s leadership, the firm is showing how regulation can be a foundation for both innovation and durability. She demonstrates that lasting progress in healthcare is achieved by leaders who know how to design systems that are bold, ethical, and deeply human.

By approaching regulation as a guide rather than a limitation, Kat Alvarez is building models that prove compliance and innovation can move forward together. Her formula ensures that the future of healthcare is shaped not only by ambition, but also by trust and responsibility.