NASCA Press Release: Marsh Agency’s PATH Team Announced as 2026 Excellence Through Collaboration Award
For Immediate Release
October 9, 2026
Contact: Elizabeth Whitehouse, Executive Director, executivedirector@nasca.org
NASCA Press Release: Marsh Agency’s PATH Team Announced as 2026 Excellence Through Collaboration Award
Pierre, SD – The National Association of State Chief Administrators is proud to announce PATH: Planning and Analytics for Total Health Partnership as the 2026 NASCA Excellence Through Collaboration Award recipient.
The Excellence Through Collaboration was established to recognize an initiative that delivers a valuable public benefit, services, or resources that positively impact the state's citizens.
The State of South Dakota’s partnership with Marsh Agency’s PATH (Planning and Analytics for Total Health) team transforms complex health-care data into actionable strategies that improve member health, strengthen vendor accountability, and maximize the value of public resources. The partnership combines the State’s knowledge of its workforce and benefit priorities with PATH’s clinical expertise, advanced analytics, population-health strategy, and health and well-being expertise.
The challenge facing the State was not a lack of health-care data or benefit programs, but the difficulty of turning information from multiple sources into coordinated action. Medical claims, pharmacy utilization, preventive-care measures, vendor programs, quality indicators, and member engagement can easily be evaluated in isolation. That approach made it difficult to understand what is driving cost and utilization, whether members are receiving evidence-based care, whether programs are reaching the right populations, and whether contracted partners are delivering measurable value.
Marsh Agency addresses this challenge through an integrated model that combines data, clinical expertise, financial analysis, vendor management, and State decision-making. The overarching goal is to improve the health and experience of State health-plan members while strengthening stewardship of public resources.
The long-term impact extends beyond individual savings or clinical improvements. PATH has created a durable, evidence-based decision-making infrastructure in which data continuously informs strategy, partners are accountable for results, and emerging health-care challenges can be addressed collaboratively. This sustainable structure enables the State to continually identify priorities, evaluate results, and improve both health outcomes and the value of its benefits program over time.
NASCA celebrates their selection, and we look forward to their continued work advancing excellence in state government operations.
Founded in 1976, NASCA is the nation’s only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving chief administrative officers or CAOs. NASCA provides a forum for state chief administrative officers to exchange information and learn new ideas from each other and private sector partners. NASCA engages states in transforming government operations through shared knowledge, operational excellence, and thought leadership.
For more information on NASCA, please visit NASCA.org.
