Ok, I don’t usually use this blog to write about myself because other folks make much better copy. However, this is a great interview. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did doing it.

When you present at a conference exposing the inadequacies of “Disease Management” and then the industry begins to crumble, you might be a person whose opinion should be heard. Such is the perceived power of Al Lewis, who formerly taught economics at Harvard and ran Peer Review Analysis, a NASDAQ health care company, a man widely credited with inventing disease management, although he’s quick to say he didn’t. A more accurate description these days might be “Bouncer,” standing guard at the gate to discourage bad behavior.

Al has made a reputation for himself, especially on LinkedIn, promoting corporate wellness vendors whose methods have been validated, and calling out those who do not measure up to the standard. If you are on his naughty list, be warned. “I call out those who are lying through their teeth,” Al says.

Indeed, even the most cursory review of Al’s LinkedIn activity reveals his fearless cross-examination of people and companies who regurgitate bad data or make wellness promises they can’t keep. And he often does it by name, tagging the companies he is calling out.

“Aren’t you afraid of getting sued?” I asked him.

“Make my day,” he says. “Sue me, but I won’t be settling. And I’ll be blogging about it the whole time.”

You can read the rest of the interview here.