CMO & Co-Founder of Valer · Pediatric Urologist · Entrepreneur
Fixing the broken machinery of prior authorization.
Steve is a former pediatric urologist at CHLA and Assistant Professor at USC Keck who has spent two decades at the intersection of clinical care, informatics, and value-based outcomes. In 2012, he co-founded Valer to automate prior authorization and referral workflows to ensure that patients receive care faster.
A surgeon who saw how administration delays care — and decided to build the fix.
Before his transition into entrepreneurship, Steve was an Assistant Professor of Urology at USC's Keck School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research Informatics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he practiced pediatric urology.
He earned his undergraduate degree at Yale, his MD from Cornell University Medical College, an MSCE from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business. Today he leads Valer's mission to simplify the administrative roadblocks delaying patient access.
Valer
Cloud-based platform automating prior authorizations, eligibility checks, and referral management — integrated with client EMRs and payer portals across all care settings.
CMS-0057-F & WISeR
Helping hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory groups translate new federal interoperability and electronic prior auth rules into operational reality.
Clinical Research Informatics
Built informatics programs at Children's Hospital Los Angeles while practicing pediatric urology — the foundation for everything that followed.