HELM Podcasts

Join us to learn from the best and brightest health ecosystem leaders who share practical examples of how they have successfully built partnerships and collaborations with diverse stakeholders that lead to positive outcomes for their organizations, their patients, and the communities they serve.

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Our Recent Episodes

 

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Ep. 1
Interview with Drs. Stephen Klasko & Bruce Meyer of Jefferson Health


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Steve Klasko is the President and CEO of Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University, where through his transformative and visionary leadership, he has steered one of the nation’s fastest growing academic health institutions from three hospitals to 14 with annual revenues in excess of $5.1 billion. Bruce Meyer is Senior Executive Vice President of Thomas Jefferson University and President of Jefferson Health, serving as the organization’s clinical leader responsible for transforming Jefferson Health into a single, integrated system with a seamless and consistent patient experience.

Show Notes:

  • Health leaders need to recognize that the industry is going through large-scale transformation and start building for that future today
  • The health industry needs leaders who challenge and transform current delivery models and can drive the shift to providing care within the community
  • Partnering with organizations both within and outside the health ecosystem can lead to innovative solutions to addressing the social determinants of health, such as food insecurity
  • The next generation of health leaders need to be trained to develop a population health mindset to create better value for patients and improve the health of the community

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Ep. 2

Interview with Dr. Bonita Stanton, Founding Dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University

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Dr. Stanton’s career has focused on bringing the healing and compassion of healthcare to the world’s most vulnerable and improving health outcomes for all regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status or geographic location. She has consulted for numerous national and international agencies including the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF, Elsevier and USAID.

Show Notes:

  • Initiatives to promote health ecosystem solutions are best led by a democratic/collaborative leadership style in which all key stakeholders are viewed as partners to drive positive change.
  • U.S. healthcare expenditures far outweigh those of other industrialized countries while producing poorer results on most major indicators of health and wellness. 
  • New technological advances in the clinical care setting has the potential to deliver more affordable, accessible, and equitable services to all patients regardless of socioeconomic status.
  • To promote health ecosystem leadership, medical education should stress cross-disciplinary training to enable clinicians to learn approaches to health and wellness and prevention of preventable disease.

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Ep. 3

Interview with Dr. Rod Hochman, President and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health

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Rod Hochman, M.D., is the president and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health, a faith-based not-for-profit health and social services system comprised of over 111,000 caregivers serving patients and communities in 50 hospitals, 829 clinics and hundreds of programs and services across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Rod has been selected multiple times as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare and 50 Most Influential Physician Executives by Modern Healthcare. He is a board member for the American Hospital Association (AHA), chair of AHA’s Regional Policy Board 9 and vice chair of the board of trustees for the Catholic Health Association. Rod served as a clinical fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology.

Show Notes:

  • Health ecosystem leaders are working with partners and recruiting talent from new places, all contributing to where healthcare is going. Engaging with the ecosystem involves continued learning, comfort with change, and thinking about what’s possible.
  • Collaboration is indispensable as a technique to solving the tough problems facing population health today such as the mental health national crisis, affordability, and availability of pharmacy and specialty drugs.
  • Embodying mission, vision, and values based on a global concept of health and a better world is about actively living those values when approaching daily work.
  • Health ecosystem leadership must reflect the communities we serve and be centered around the individual with a focus on team-based, whole-person centered care.

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Ep. 4

Interview with Nicolette Sherman, Vice President, Global Leadership Development, Sanofi

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Nicolette is the lead for the Global Center of Excellence for Leadership and Executive Development for Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. She is responsible for leading a global team of 45 + resources to drive strategic initiatives for building leadership and managerial competency across the organization. Nicolette received her BA in government from Lehigh University, an MA in Political Science from University of Delaware, and an MA in Human Resource Management from Rutgers University. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Deirdre’s House in Morris County, has held leadership roles in the Boston Chapter of the Healthcare Business Women’s Association (HBA), and is a 2X PharmaVoice 100 honoree.

Show Notes:

  • Collaboration, especially in problem solving, is a learned leadership skill which requires accessing the power of diverse views.
  • Today’s healthcare leaders need a high level of learning agility, courage, and the safety to fail fast and recover faster.
  • Creating a shared purpose can leverage leaders to drive collaborative solutions.
  • Focusing on health ecosystem leadership is a necessary investment to create opportunities for better outcomes for all sectors.

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Ep. 5

Interview with Lauren Steingold,
Head of Strategy for Uber Health at Uber

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Lauren Steingold is the Head of Strategy for Uber Health at Uber – driving the company’s global efforts in the health space. She spearheaded the launch of Uber Health, Uber’s HIPAA compliant product that enables healthcare organizations to request or schedule rides of behalf of patients. For her work on this launch, Lauren was named on the San Francisco Business Times’ list of the Most Influential Women in Business in 2018. Prior to her role at Uber’s San Francisco Headquarters, Lauren helped launch Uber in Miami, Boston, and Rhode Island. Lauren led Uber’s on demand flu prevention campaign, where riders were able to receive a flu shot from a nurse in 2014, 2015, and 2016 nationwide. The initiative won an Immunization Excellence Award for Innovation at the National Influenza Immunization Summit in 2015. Before joining Uber in 2013, Lauren held roles at Allen & Gerritsen, an advertising agency in Boston, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge.

Show Notes:

  • As a social determinant of health, access to reliable transportation is pervasive through the ecosystem and requires cross-system collaboration.
  • 3.6M Americans miss their doctor appointments every year due to lack of transportation to their appointments, resulting in a cost to the health ecosystem of approximately $150B a year.
  • Uber Health sought to align with diverse stakeholders from multiple industries, specifically those who shared their passion for solving patient access and willing to learn and manage challenges together.
  • Committed to continued learning and open to innovative thinking, Lauren Steingold at Uber Health demonstrates ecosystem focused leadership by utilizing technology and talent in collaborative partnerships in their work towards removing transportation as a barrier for care.

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Ep. 6

Interview with Robert Allen, Senior Vice President and COO at Intermountain Healthcare

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Robert Allen leads the transition to value‐based care, consistent with Intermountain’s mission of helping people live their healthiest lives possible. As SVP and COO, he currently leads teams of key leaders focused on healthcare delivery across the Intermountain Healthcare System. He is an accomplished healthcare executive with experience in Outreach, TeleHealth, Life Flight, Homecare, Clinical Support Services and Environment of Care Services. With over 25 years of leadership experience, Mr. Allen has served in executive positions at hospitals and health systems in Wyoming, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Utah. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, holds an MBA from Utah State University, and a bachelor’s degree in operations management from Brigham Young University.

Show Notes:

  • To create teams focused on impact, align the team’s mandate to improvements in care and value.
  • The health system business model needs to place the consumer at the center with priority goals of quality, accessibility, and affordability of care.
  • A future-focused strategy is a key ingredient to remain competitive. Understanding the health and wellness needs of the community brings clarity to partnership opportunities.
  • Leveraging external partnerships to bring in new ideas creates a culture of innovation.

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Ep. 7

Interview with Laura Landy, President and CEO of the Rippel Foundation

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Laura Landy is President and CEO of the Rippel Foundation and has guided the creation of ReThink Health and FORESIGHT: Designing the Future for Health, the Foundation’s two flagship initiatives. Rippel seeds innovations in health by working with national and regional leaders to better see and execute systemic approaches that can transform our current system – one designed for another time, and create opportunities for better health and well-being for all. ReThink Health works with well-positioned stewards beginning where they are today; FORESIGHT looks ahead at future trends and emerging ideas and how they can accelerate transformative efforts. Laura has nearly four decades of experience addressing changing dynamics in health, higher education, economic development, social services, and culture. Her professional career includes relationships with The Ford Foundation, Pfizer, New Jersey’s public health system, AT&T’s Bell Labs, the 92nd Street Y, Adelphi University, and others.  Laura has served in leadership roles in many academic institutions including creating the Institute for Nonprofit Entrepreneurship at NYU’s Stern School of Business, helping lead both NYU’s and Fairleigh Dickinson’s entrepreneurial centers, and serving as adjunct faculty at Columbia University and the New School. She currently serves on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health Board of Trustees and is a board member of Grantmakers in Health. Laura received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She received her MBA from New York University, and is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

Show Notes:

  • Collaboration among disconnected healthcare entities can be achieved by determining the unique interests of all stakeholders involved and leveraging common co-dependencies among them.
  • To support collaborative solutions, four key areas require focused attention: (1) creating a sound strategy, (2) clarifying values among stakeholders, (3) broadening stewardship across silos, and (4) creating sources of sustainable financing.
  • Engaging with the ecosystem involves continued learning, comfort with change, and thinking about what’s possible.
  • Collaboration is an indispensable technique to solve the tough problems facing population health today such as the mental health national crisis, affordability, and availability of pharmacy and specialty drugs.
  • Embodying mission, vision, and values based on a global concept of health and a better world is about actively living those values when approaching daily work.
  • Health ecosystem leadership must reflect the communities we serve and be centered around the individual with a focus on team-based, whole-person centered care.

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Ep. 8

Interview with Nancy Howell Agee, President and CEO of Virginia-based Carilion Clinic

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Nancy Howell Agee is President and CEO of Virginia-based Carilion Clinic, an integrated health system which serves more than 1 million. Carilion Clinic includes seven hospitals which employs over 800 providers. Prior to becoming CEO in 2011, Ms. Agee service as EVP and COO. During her time as COO, she co-led Carilion’s reorganization from a collection of hospitals into a full integrated, physician-led clinic. The reorganization resulted in a partnership with Virginia Tech to create a medical school and research institute, which has quickly garnered over $100 million in external funding. Ms. Agee has been recognized as healthcare’s 100 most influential people for the past four years by Modern Healthcare and currently services as past chair for the American Hospital Association. She was recognized by Virginia Business as Virginia Business Person of the Year in 2017 and named among the 50 most influential people in Virginia five years running. Last year, she was honored to be named the recipient of the Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award in 2018. Ms. Agee holds degrees with honors from the University of Virginia and Emory University and honorary degrees from Roanoke College and Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

Show Notes:

  • Leaders can find the management philosophy known as servant leadership effective at improving relationships and decision-making by giving employees a greater voice.
  • Efficiency can be maintained in matrix structured organizations by forming networks of leaders that can easily share information and by upholding transparent communication with employees.
  • By giving the local community a say in the internal processes of an organization, medical institutions can keep a consistent pulse on the community needs, maintain a close relationship with the populations
    they serve, and gain local support.
  • Conflict between partner organizations can be overcome by reframing and agreeing on a common language and by approaching cultural issues together, with an open mind and creativity.

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Ep. 9

Interview with Dr. Craig Samitt, President & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN and Stella

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Dr. Samitt is the President & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN and its parent company, Stella. He came to Blue Cross in July 2018 from Anthem, Inc., where he served as EVP and President of Anthem’s Diversified Business Group, and as Chief Clinical Officer. Dr. Samitt has led sequential health systems transformations, previously serving as President & CEO of HealthCare Partners and President & CEO of Dean Health System. Dr. Samitt received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University, his Doctorate in Medicine from Columbia University, and his Masters in Business Administration from The Wharton School. Dr. Samitt has been a nationally recognized expert and thought leader on health care delivery and policy. His record of collaborating across the health care system to deliver higher quality care at a lower cost led to him being named as one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders” by Modern Healthcare in 2018.

Show Notes

  • Healthcare leaders of the future should look to the skill sets that leaders in other high-performing industries use to drive sustained success, such as 1) strategic nimbleness, with the realization that healthcare as we know it needs to be reinvented; 2) collaborative intent, with a goal of achieving partnerships between doctors, hospitals, payors, patients and vendors that have aligned incentives and interests, all directed at delivering better care at a lower cost; 3) execution discipline, and moving beyond “success” being defined as incremental progress around the margins of your core business.
  • Mission and margin can coexist as long as the outcomes benefit the consumer. High quality care can be more profitable than lower quality care. The best way we’ve done this is to look to partner and invest in organizations that generate a wellness ROI.
  • Organizations can establish successful partnerships by identifying a common vision, agreeing upon goals, and building common ground.
  • Partner organizations can overcome boundaries and obstacles by keeping a customer-focused view on their problems and by demonstrating “collective sacrifice” when needed.
  • Leaders can accelerate transformative value by matching their risks with innovation; by testing innovative practices on services that need to be changed; those that effect total cost of care and quality outcomes the greatest.

Ep 10

Ep. 10

Interview with Dr. David Shulkin, Ninth Secretary, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

 

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Dr. Shulkin’s new book  “It Shouldn’t be This Hard to Serve Your Country” was released October 22nd, 2019. The book details his fight to save veteran health care from partisan politics and how his efforts were ultimately derailed by a small group of unelected officials appointed by the Trump White House. In this uninhibited memoir, Shulkin opens up about why the government has long struggled to provide good medical care to military veterans and the plan he had to solve these problems. This is a book about the commitment we make to the men and women who risk their lives fighting for our country, how the VA was finally beginning to live up to it, and why the new administration may now be taking us in the wrong direction.

Show Notes

  • Healthcare continues to be a hot button political issue, HELM leaders should be prepared to operate with increased transparency and accountability for outcomes.
  • Previous experience in the private sector gives Dr. Shulkin a unique take on the advantages of a single payer system like that of the VA.. Free from the requirements of third-party payers and burdensome state-to-state regulations, the VA benefitted from operational efficiencies and the ability to respond quickly to clear organizational direction and vision.
  • When searching for solutions to the complex and high stakes challenges of today’s health system, HELM leaders should consider learnings and best practices from both the private and the public sector to help optimize their impact. Specific public sector learnings cited include the integrated approach to behavioral health taken by the VA to help deliver care to our nation’s veterans.
  • David Shulkin’s lessons in principle-based leadership during challenging times are important for all HELM leaders - be clear in your principles and remember to stand up for those principles when the stakes are high.

Ep 11

Ep. 11

Interview with Rick Pollack, MPA, President and CEO of the American Hospital Association 

 

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Rick Pollack is President and CEO of the American Hospital Association, elected in May 2015, having served the organization for more than three decades. The AHA represents more than 5,000 hospitals and 43,000 members nationwide—and works to ensure that the perspective and needs of healthcare providers are heard and addressed in national health policy development. The association has been cited by numerous national publications as one of the most influential and effective advocacy organizations in Washington.

Rick has developed a sterling reputation for pressing the hospital group’s agenda on Capitol Hill and beyond. Under his leadership, the AHA launched AHAPAC, now one of the largest health care political action committees in the U.S., supporting congressional candidates who support hospitals and patients. Through his vision, the AHA also helped found in 2000 the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care, a group of providers, businesses and other stakeholders dedicated to ensuring the financial viability of our nation’s hospitals from the threats of federal cuts in reimbursement for hospital payments.

Rick has been a leader in efforts to expand health coverage in the U.S., taking part in many broad-based national coalitions that ultimately led to coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

Show Notes

  • There are a number of public policy issues on the horizon that will impact the health ecosystem in the coming year. These include Medicaid payments to hospitals and health systems, eliminating surprise billing, addressing the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, ongoing work to ease the regulatory burden in areas that don’t impact patient care, ongoing litigation with the federal government regarding regulations, and of course, the 2020 election.
  • Providers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies can be competitors or collaborators depending on the issue at hand. We’re all working to innovate and improve patient care.
  • The field is moving towards value-based payment. We are seeing an increase in delivery system reforms that will transform the industry to focus on quality and cost.
  • Hospital mergers are good for patients because they provide the scale to manage risk, access capital, and purchase equipment and supplies more efficiently.
  • Hospitals and health systems are working to expand their reach outside the four walls to provide care to patients throughout the community and even in their homes. This includes working to address the social determinants of health, which have an outsized role in the health of individuals.

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Ep. 12

Interview with Ron Phillips, SVP of Human Resources - Retail & Enterprise Modernization CVS Health


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Ron Phillips is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources - Retail and Enterprise Modernization CVS Health and esteemed board member of TLD Group. CVS Health is currently the largest pharmacy health care provider in the U.S. with approximately 300,000 employees located across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Currently number 5 on the Fortune 500, CVS has been a champion of integrated healthcare with nearly 10,000 retail pharmacy locations, 1,100-minute clinics, and through the acquisition of Aetna in 2018, 23million medical benefits members.

Ron is a unique specialist in the art of strategy, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, and he intertwines these skills in everything he delivers and achieves. Known for his innovative approach, influence, and emotional intelligence he has successfully delivered innovative human resources, change management, process improvement, and business results for the last 25 years.

In this timely episode Ron and Tracy discuss the challenging waters that healthcare and HR leaders navigate as they steward their organizations though the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread expression of anguish around the killing of George Floyd, police brutality, and pervasive systemic injustices affecting people of color. They then apply the competencies of Health Ecosystem Leadership to envision a better more just future for healthcare and chart a path forward.

  • Before taking a step forward it is critical that healthcare leaders be disciplined in exercising self-care and ‘refueling’ to avoid feelings of overwhelm and paralysis from exposure to prolonged disruption and crisis.
  • As HELM leaders it is important to acknowledge that when navigating challenging conversations not everyone will be coming from the same place, however leaders cannot let fear prevent them from opening the dialog at all.
  • HELM leaders must take the time to understand the inequities they seek to address, the histories behind those inequities, the barriers to breaking through them, and the perspectives of those impacted by them. While symbolic organizational gestures may carry meaning they must be backed by concrete action.
  • Structural inequities are baked within the US healthcare system and result in disproportionately negative health outcomes for Black Americans and those of lower socioeconomic status. Conversations that are beginning to take place right now where people are beginning to ask fundamental questions about systemic racism and demanding change are important to ultimately move the needle.
  • A more equitable future for healthcare requires organizations to not only internalize and operationalize an equitable patient-centered mission, but to also step across boundaries to explore the impact that sectors such as housing, transportation, education, and more have on access to and quality of care. And begin to form meaningful long-term partnerships and policy advocacy coalitions to drive change.

 

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Ep. 13

Interview with David Carmouche, Senior Vice-President and President of Ochsner Health Network

 

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David Carmouche is a recognized visionary leader in the arenas of healthcare delivery, population health, and payer systems with a keen focus on both patient care and outcome metrics. Dr. Carmouche has demonstrated talent for strategic partnerships with C-suite leaders and Boards and is known for his demonstrated success in achieving operational results through cross-functional teams in complex environments. He is a trusted leader of diverse groups with competing business interests through collaborative initiatives.

Currently Dr. Carmouche serves as Senior Vice-President and President of Ochsner Health Network. In this role, he is responsible for executive oversight and management for the rapidly growing, statewide network. Dr. Carmouche is also the Executive Director of Ochsner Accountable Care Network, a regional accountable care organization (ACO), comprised of an extensive network of providers, hospitals and health centers coordinating the healthcare of approximately 35,000 of Louisiana’s Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Prior to joining Ochsner in August 2015, he served as the Executive Vice- President of External Operations and Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana in Baton Rouge where he designed and deployed a physician-friendly, comprehensive primary care population health program and several commercial ACO contracts.

In this episode Tracy Duberman, PhD and Bob Sachs sit down with David Carmouche to discuss the experience and lessons learned from leading a health system in a major hot spot through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

  1. COVID-19 has shown a bright light on the need for health systems to take an active role in addressing population health, delivering proactive healthcare, and removing barriers to access care. As Ochsner has grown in its size and influence within the state of Louisiana, the system has intentionally shifted its mindset from being a health system in Louisiana to taking responsibility for the state’s overall health status.
  2. The forced closing of brick-and-mortar clinics due to the pandemic has greatly accelerated the adoption of telehealth and telemedicine solutions. For HELM leaders this demonstrates an important lesson on how seemingly insurmountable barriers can be very quickly overcome when there is common vision, stakeholder alignment, and a willingness to act and learn.
  3. A common purpose, such as the need to support community physicians through the existential threat posed by COVID-19 or the desire to drive improved population health, is a powerful unifying force when it comes to forging meaningful collaborative partnerships and driving desired outcomes.
  4. The challenges facing the US health system as we transition to value-based care are rarely black and white. It is important for HELM leaders to not become too deeply entrenched in their own belief system and remain open to the benefits of the natural tensions that exist within the health system in its current state.
  5. The specific leadership capabilities that the health ecosystem calls for are unique due to the multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration required to drive solutions in a complex environment. A deep community-centric culture, and a dedication to intentionally evaluating and growing leaders within the system has propelled Ochsner’s ability to respond to the unique challenges posed by today’s healthcare environment.

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Ep. 14

Turning Trauma into Triumph: Stories of Overcoming the Pandemic's Hardships

We sit down to chat with Michael Dowling, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwell Health about the role of health ecosystem leaders in today's climate.Listen to Episode

Michael J. Dowling is President and Chief Executive Officer of Northwell Health, which delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, and the acclaimed author of a number of books including his most recent- “Leading Through a Pandemic: The Inside Story of Humanity, Innovation, and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Crisis”.

Northwell Health is the largest integrated health care system in New York State with a total workforce of more than 70,000 employees — the state’s largest private employer. With 23 hospitals, 6,675 hospital and long-term care beds, more than 750 outpatient physician practices and a full complement of long-term care services, Northwell is one of the nation’s largest health systems, with $12 billion in annual revenue.

Prior to becoming president and CEO in 2002, Mr. Dowling was the health system’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, served as a senior vice president at Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and spent 12 years in the New York State government as state director of Health, Education and Human Services and deputy secretary to the governor. He was also commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services.

In this episode Tracy Duberman sits down with Michael Dowling to discuss the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the critical need for enhanced long-term support and attention to public health, and the important role of health ecosystem leaders in stewarding the national conversation.

  1. The greatest threat facing American public health is the inability to plan for that which makes us uncomfortable. Building sustainable public health infrastructure is a matter of national security and requires us to transcend the 2 to 3-year short term timelines and thinking instilled in us by our political system.
  2. Health Ecosystem Leaders have two key roles- lead the organization of which you are a part of and serve as a leader for the community at large by building a community of effort. Our world today is too interconnected for leading within the confines of you own walls to be sufficient.
  3. Medical care is a small component of overall health and wellness. Everyone has an important role to play when it comes to advancing health and wellness- both at the individual and collective level. We must work with people to help them understand and take personal responsibility for health.
  4. Covid-19 has collectively changed our perspective on life as well as our obligation and responsibility to society at large. Collectively the world is reimagining what the future looks like 5 to 10 years down the road. In Healthcare- we must build back better by focusing more on how we promote wellness and working in unity instead of in silos.
  5. Health Ecosystem leaders must be open to partner and view their role as a part of the community health team. The only way the team wins is if they play together.

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Ep. 15

From Recruitment To Retirement: Fostering Employee Well-Being

We sit down to discuss the importance of employee health and well being within the health ecosystem, and the connection to patient outcomes.

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As a member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Jim Dunn leads teams that focus on the engagement of Atrium Health teammates – from recruitment through retirement – including workforce relations, diversity and inclusion, compensation, benefits, learning and organizational development, teammate health, corporate and community outreach and government relations.

In this episode Tracy interviews Jim on his leadership philosophy and beliefs around enhancing employee well-being.

  1. Employee well-being, including the well-being of physicians, is vital to the well-being of patients. As caregivers, those who serve on the frontlines of healthcare, are accustomed to working in selfless ways. Physicians and other health system employees must be taught to ‘put their own facemask on first’ to best take care of others.
  2. Solutions relating to employee health and well-being are personal- and never one size fits all. Content and support should be designed on a variety of topics and in a variety of formats to help ensure maximum benefit across a workforce. Offerings should be supplemented with 1:1 manager support and check-ins. 
  3. Atrium has train 40,000+ team mates to become ‘compassion champions’ through their Code Lavender program, designed as a response to teammate stress, burnout, and mental health challenges 
  4. At the national level it has become a requirement that healthcare organizations, and all organizations, demonstrate that they care about people as people instead of a means to productivity. When considering how to alleviate burnout within their own organizations- health ecosystem leaders should look to making improvements in administrative burden where possible. 
  5. The national shortage of healthcare workers is in small and large part due to physical/emotional trauma and burnout. An important role of health ecosystem leaders at the executive level is to take care of those who take care of patients. This care allows frontline healthcare workers to contribute themselves more wholly to their work. 
  6. Investing in leadership development is a meaningful lever for creating a culture where teammates can thrive. Health ecosystem leaders must learn how to have authentic supportive discussions, demonstrate connection and vulnerability, and deeply listen to and empower their teams to improve processes and remove frustrations.  
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Ep. 16

The Ever-Evolving Boundaries of the Health Industry

We sit down to discuss Building Industry Partner’s vision for enhancing health and wellness within their industry, and their belief that investing in people is not only the right thing to do — it’s also a means to achieving organizational and financial success.

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In this episode Tracy interviews Stu Kliman- consultant to the health ecosystem turned private equity Human Capital COE leader – on the unexpected connection between his current work and enhancing overall health and wellness. Tracy and Stu explore the ever-evolving boundaries of the health industry, Building Industry Partner’s vision for enhancing health and wellness within the building and construction industry, and their belief that investing in people is not only the right thing to do- it’s also a means to achieving organizational and financial success.

  1. Building Industry Partners, a private equity firm focused on the building sector, believes firmly that there is an inextricable link between leadership’s ability to tap into the best in people and the overall success of an organization.
  2. Investing thoughtfully into an organization’s people is the right thing to do in and of itself in terms of helping enhance health and wellness through improving health benefits, increasing individual autonomy, and building financial stability and career resilience of populations. Building Industry Partner’s seeks to prove that in addition to these inherent benefits, investing meaningfully in people is a reliable method for generating world class business results.
  3. Building Industry Partner’s believes there are five key criteria for defining a strong employee value proposition that translates to financial wellness – Financial Security, Career Resilience, Advancement Opportunity, Engagement, and Wellness.
  4. People are the key to unlocking innovations needed to tackle today’s most complex industry challenges such as sustainability, talent attraction and retention, and responding to growing complexity within customer base.
  5. When it comes to enhancing health and wellness, collaboration is the difference maker - both on the front lines in how we interface with individuals and work in teams- and more broadly in how we approach complex challenges facing the country as a whole.
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Ep. 17

The Promise of Individuals Caring For Individuals Together

Hear about Barclay's experiences leading through the 2014 Ebola outbreak and how that shaped Texas Health Resource’s response to COVID-19. We explore what the post-COVID world of healthcare looks like, plus leadership implications for the health ecosystem.

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In this episode, Tracy interviews Barclay about his experiences leading through the 2014 Ebola outbreak and how those experiences helped shape Texas Health Resource’s response to COVID-19. Tracy and Barclay explore what the post-COVID world of healthcare may look like, as well as important leadership implications for health ecosystem leaders looking to improve health and wellness for their teams, patients, and communities in this new normal. 

  • Frontline healthcare workers were heroes long before the pandemic began and will continue to be heroes in the future- it’s important to acknowledge the sacrifices these individuals make to support the health of the communities they serve.
  • The promise of ‘individuals caring for individuals together’ has been foundational to Texas Health Resources’ philosophy on healthcare and instrumental in their success- this concept applies to patients, communities, and each other. 
  • Through their experience with the Ebola outbreak, THR learned important lessons about crisis in healthcare such as- 
    • Big disruptions are possible- and it’s important to be prepared. Financial sustainability policies allow health systems to focus on taking care of employees and taking care of patients during crisis
    • Creating an environment where employees feel safe, protected, informed, and valued is fundamental to them being able to take care of patients and communities
    • Policies and processes must change rapidly during crisis. Creating a task force to take in the latest information, make decisions about if/how/when to respond, and communicate information and decisions outwards is critical
    • During a pandemic- you quickly move from medical science to social science to political science to science fiction- and back and forth between those. Health systems play an important role in providing clear and concise information that employees, patients, and communities can trust
  • We are living in a period of rapid medical knowledge expansion. In the future, new knowledge, technology, and science will come together to create a healthcare metamorphosis. 
  • The future vision of healthcare should think of healthcare not as a series of transactions but as the continuum of people’s lives- partnering for a lifetime of health and wellbeing. 
  • To be successful, health ecosystem leaders must focus on building trusting relationships with people, and help them be informed on how to live their best lives.