About Us
Prestige Health exists to disrupt healthcare as we know it.
Prestige Health exists to uncomplicate the healthcare landscape for both payors and providers. Our team has a combined 4+ decades of experience in the healthcare landscape. We work with healthcare clients like clinics, primary care groups, hospital systems, government-funded community organizations, potential funders and investors, and legislators.
Navigating the healthcare system is easier after we help you develop a strategic roadmap and execute for integration and growth.
Meet the Co-Founders
Esther Macchione
Esther Macchione has over 19 years of experience designing and implementing new health care products along with in-depth experience in managing risk-based health plan operations in government products such as Medicare and Medicaid. Additionally, she has over 10 years of experience in addressing SDoH and leading teams to close gaps in care. Esther most recently served as the COO of CountyCare Health Plan and oversaw all operations, strategy, and growth.
James Kiamos
James Kiamos has over 30 years of experience leading operations, network development, strategy, and finance for risk-based health plans. As a longstanding Illinois executive in both the provider and payor space, James leverages his deep market knowledge and insight to build strong relationships. Most recently, James led Centene’s Illinois market for its Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace lines of business.
Meet the Advisors
Karolina Duszczak
Karolina Duszczak, Principal at Prestige Health and Chief Operating Officer of Helios Connect, brings a wealth of knowledge to both our companies with over 15 years of Managed Care experience in Medicaid and Medicare products. Her diverse background and experience in operations, project management, new product development, health plan accreditation, and data analytics bring invaluable expertise to our enterprise.
Her career has been deeply rooted in government and provider-sponsored health plans serving underserved communities, where she has focused on improving access, quality, and equity in care. Having emigrated to the United States, Karolina brings a personal understanding of the complexities and barriers within the healthcare system. She has integrated these lived experiences into her professional work, driving initiatives that improve health outcomes and address health disparities with innovative solutions.
She has advised and operationalized several Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives in Illinois, leading them to build successful sustainability models while demonstrating improved outcomes and cost savings for the Medicaid system.
Andrea McGlynn
Andrea G. McGlynn, MSN, APN, CNM (she/her) is an accomplished, analytic, and astute leader, passionate about driving health care to maximize community-driven, evidence-based, and innovative best practices to meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities. As a principal with Prestige Health, Andrea’s clinical care expertise drives her advisory role on value-based care, program design, and implementation strategies that advance our clients’ contributions to improving health equity. In this role, she has supported multiple Illinois Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives through their growth and transition toward sustainability.
Andrea was the associate director of programs at the Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI), a policy, research and community power building non-profit organization, where she was responsible for engaging leaders across the country to disseminate and implement clinical and programmatic innovation in Medicaid. At IMI, Andrea led initiatives on perinatal and child health and applied a policy framework to identify opportunities for advancing health equity through effective health care.
Previously, she was the director of clinical services for CountyCare Health Plan; in this role she built the population health and medical management programs for the largest Medicaid health plan in Cook County, IL, a unique public, provider-based model. Andrea has 30 years of experience within safety net health care, providing clinical care as a certified nurse-midwife and directing programs in care management, quality improvement and medical home transformation at federally qualified health centers, with an emphasis on comprehensive perinatal care.
Rahul Kalsi
Rahul Kalsi is the founder of Rahul Kalsi Government Affairs and serves as Advisor of Government Affairs, providing strategic counsel on legislative strategy, regulatory matters, and stakeholder engagement.
He previously served as Director of Government Affairs for Nicor Gas, leading advocacy before the Illinois General Assembly, and as the principal in-house state lobbyist for Cook County under Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Earlier, he was a contract lobbyist with John J. Millner & Associates.
Kalsi began his career with Renaissance Learning, the parent company of Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, and UBS Wealth Management. He serves on the boards of Kids Above All, Northern Illinois Food Bank, and the University of Illinois System Advocacy Committee, and holds an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A. from Lawrence University.