Monday, August 1, 2016

Katie Fullam Harris, SVP of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy, MaineHealth


Today's guest is Katie Fullam Harris, the Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy for MaineHealth, in Portland, Maine. Katie oversees the development, implementation and coordination of state and federal advocacy on behalf of the MaineHealth System, and also leads the development and implementation of strategy that supports improved access and value for health care consumers and purchasers and the alignment of incentives for providers in the MaineHealth System. Prior to coming to MaineHealth, Katie worked in a variety of not-for-profit, government, and for-profit institutions.

In this podcast, Katie and I discuss her career journey, then transition to talk about what it’s like to manage government relations and health policy for the largest integrated health system in the state of Maine, and the challenges of trying to move a large system towards paying for value. We conclude with a discussion about influence and leadership.


We cover a lot of ground in this interview, especially around the recent evolution of health policy. I think early careerists in particular will get a sense of the importance of integrating proactive government relations in a large healthcare organization.
Transcript: A transcript of the podcast is available here.

Podcast Outline

 0:02:05 Educational background
0:02:54 Government relations, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
0:07:30 Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services
0:13:07 Director of Development, Sweetser
0:15:53 Program Director, Maine Development Foundation
0:18:57 Director of Government Relations, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shielf of Maine
0:25:27 MaineHealth overview
0:27:55 impact of Maine's geography and demographics
0:30:15 efforts toward population health
0:31:32 primary care and case management program for underinsured
0:32:24 Government Relations at MaineHealth
0:34:20 Employer Relations at MaineHealth
0:36:55 promoted to Senior Vice President - developing risk-based contracts
0:44:07 "accountable care movement"
0:46:03 Effect of the ACA on MaineHealth
0:52:30 a day in the life of Katie Fullam Harris
0:53:38 working with the MaineHealth affiliates
0:58:13 importance of bringing government relations in early
1:00:02 concerns about the future
1:01:19 leadership philosophy
1:02:01 characteristics of a good leader
1:03:16 organizational culture
1:04:59 career mentors and what they do
1:09:37 where do early careerists go wrong?
1:12:18 most frequent advice to early careerists?
1:13:28 read anything by Atul Gawande
1:14:16 opportunities in health administration


Links to Selected Topics Discussed

MaineHealth

MaineHealth Strategic Plan

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Sweetser

Maine Development Foundation

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine

Atul Gawande

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Location: 110 Free St, Portland, ME 04101, USA

Friday, July 15, 2016

Nirav Shah, MD, MPH, Senior VP and COO for Clinical Operations, Kaiser Permanente Southern California



Today's guest is Dr. Nirav Shah, the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Clinical Operations for Southern California in the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, in Pasadena, California. Nirav oversees the health plan and hospital quality, service, accreditation, regulatory compliance, and licensure, as well as nursing, the continuum of care, and the effective use of technology, data, and analytics to produce better patient health outcomes for $24B region serving 4.2M members.

Prior to coming to Kaiser, Nirav served as the Commissioner of Health for the State of New York, administering a $60B budget and was responsible for public health insurance programs covering 5 million New Yorkers as well as regulating the state's hospitals and nursing homes among other responsibilities.

Nirav completed an internal medicine residency at Yale, followed by a fellowship in epidemiology at Stanford. Before moving into leadership roles, he worked as a physician researcher at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and at the Geisinger Clinic in Pennsylvania.

I really enjoyed listening to Nirav's journey from physician researcher to large organization leader. Perhaps more than any other guest, Nirav talks about the importance mentors have played in his career, and how he seeks out support and guidance to help him solve his problems, while at the same time reaching out to return the favor.


Transcript: A transcript of the podcast is available here.



Podcast Outline

 Time Topic
0:02:22 Upbringing in India
0:03:41 College experiences, deciding to go into medicine
0:05:06 Completing a dual M.D./M.P.H. program in chronic disease
0:06:15 Being in a Pass/Fail environment at Yale Medical School
0:07:47 Residency in Internal Medicine
0:08:30 Fellowship in Epidemiology
0:10:20 The “Physician Identity”
0:11:31 Early career at NYU Medical Center/Geisinger Health System
0:14:34 Balancing the demands of a clinical vs. research career
0:15:24 Early career mentors, privilege, and grit
0:19:00 Early interests in administrative and leadership work
0:21:13 Work as the Commissioner of the NY Department of Health (DOH)
0:25:00 The importance of having a political appointee as a Commissioner
0:27:27 The importance of building networks for future leaders
0:29:12 Role of the Commissioner of the NY DOH
0:31:30 Reforms to Medicaid at the NY DOH
0:33:30 Dealing with conflicts as the Commissioner
0:35:25 Difficulties of implementing reform
0:37:48 Relationship with Kaiser Permanente prior to and as Commissioner
0:39:25 Leadership lessons learned as the Commissioner of the NY DOH
0:40:33 Shift to working at Kaiser Permanente
0:42:55 Advantages of the Payer/Provider alignment at Kaiser
0:48:38 Size and scope of Kaiser Permanente and KP Southern California (KPSC)
0:50:22 Day-to-day life and responsibilities
0:51:36 Use of data and analytics to improve patient outcomes
0:54:43 Benefits of KPSC and hospital association
0:56:03 Relationship between corporate and regional KP organizations
0:58:15 Regional leadership team organization
0:59:15 What keeps you up at night?
1:00:40 How did prior experiences prepare you for Kaiser?
1:02:48 Common misconceptions of Kaiser
1:04:11 Are you currently practicing medicine?
1:05:23 Questions regarding leadership, personal mentors, and leadership experiences, hiring and evaluating leaders
1:10:25 Working with “inexperienced” leaders, evaluating performance
1:13:20 Importance of organizational culture
1:15:30 Advice for students in developing good mentor relationships
1:19:54 Importance of professional associations in career development

1:20:54 Advice for clinicians/students going into healthcare 


Links Discussed

Yale Medical School


Thanks to Sameer Panesar for production support.

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Location: Pasadena, CA 91188, USA

Friday, July 1, 2016

Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, MEDCOM Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7



Today’s guest is Brigadier General R. Scott Dingle, the director plans, operations, and training for the US Army Medical Command, also known as the MEDCOM G-3/5/7. BG Dingle has had an extraordinary career, including attendance at some of the Army’s most respected training schools, battalion and brigade commands, and combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I really enjoyed hearing BG Dingle’s career story, but I found his lessons for leaders at the end of the interview particularly striking. He uses a clever metaphor to talking about the need for leaders to never lose their bearing, to never forget they are always in the spotlight, and to never forget they are always part of a team, because when bearings work together they can move large things. He also uses bearing as an acronym:

B - Believe in yourself and God
E - Endure through tough times
A - Accept responsibility
R - Remain unconquered
I - Identify with others who are excelling
N - Never quit
G - Give to others

This podcast is being released just in time for Independence Day weekend, and it seems appropriate to reflect on the career of a dedicated military leader and combat veteran as we remember that freedom is not free.


Transcript: A transcript of the podcast is available here.


 Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:01:49 Educational background, majoring in Sociology and English
0:03:39 Getting involved with Army ROTC
0:06:50 Experiences in ROTC
0:08:02 Commissioned as a Medical Service Corps Officer (MSCO)
0:09:05 Medical Service Corps description
0:10:12 First duty assignment as a MSCO
0:12:10 The transition from ROTC to active duty
0:15:07 Initial leadership lessons in active duty
0:16:04 Decision to stay in active duty
0:17:08 The importance of company command
0:19:56 Decision to become an operator in the Medical Service Corps
0:23:44 Being a Medical Planner
0:24:34 Attending the School of Advanced Military Studies
0:27:10 Planning and coordinating delivery of health services in Afghanistan and Iraq
0:30:05 Lessons learned from working with foreign nations
0:31:12 Healthcare operations in the Office of Army Surgeon General
0:32:52 Difference between being a company commander and a battalion commander
0:36:12 Serving as a Brigade Commander for the Army Medical Recruiting Brigade
0:38:45 What is a Medical Brigade? Serving on the 37th Medical Brigade
0:41:50 Organizing and planning healthcare delivery in the G3
0:46:50 Goals for the G-3/5/7 Organization
0:48:20 Worries in the current role
0:49:30 Common misconceptions/understanding the Army Medical Department
0:52:52 Personal leadership philosophy
0:54:50 Characteristics of a good leader
0:57:20 What do you look for in a leader?
0:58:13 Leadership advice for young leaders


Links Discussed

Morgan State University

US Army Medical Service Corps

School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS)

Press Release About BG Dingle's assignment to the G-3/5/7

Army Medicine 2020 Campaign Plan



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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Rev. Frank Macht, Director of Chaplaincy, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center



Today we return to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and our guest is the Reverend Frank Macht, the director of the Chaplaincy. Frank is a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, although he is originally from Germany. Together we reflect on his journey, as he refers to it, and the experiences he has had as he served and trained all over the United States, from Berkley, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Nome, Alaska and finally to Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Frank was first called to ministry as a hospital chaplain through a training program known as clinical pastoral education. His interest in this specialized form of ministry led him to become a clinical pastoral education supervisor, which allows him to supervise the clinical training of other chaplains.
In this podcast we discuss the training a hospital chaplain goes through, the role of the hospital chaplain, and specifically the role of the Chaplaincy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

I really enjoyed this interview because of Frank’s unique story and how he enhanced my own understanding of the role of the hospital chaplain and chaplaincy training. I think it’s important for healthcare leaders to understand what a well-trained chaplain can bring to the care team, and I think Frank does an excellent job of explaining that role.

Frank and I had a lengthy conversation about his career and the role of the chaplaincy. To produce this episode, unfortunately I had to edit out much of the conversation that was of interest to me, so I am posting two versions of the interview – the edited version, and the full-length interview.

 Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:02:31 choosing to study theology in Germany
0:05:56 coming to the US and the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA
0:09:28 discovering Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
0:14:27 role of the Chaplain
0:21:20 being an un-ordained chaplain
0:23:24 the meaning of "journey"
0:25:39 levels of training
0:26:54 the "verbatim" - self-evaluation
0:30:20 towards ordination - interning in Alaska
0:32:41 return to CPE at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM
0:35:16 business and industrial chaplaincy program at Emory University
0:36:51 starting CPE supervisor training at Presbytarian Hospital
0:38:00 a call to pastor a church in Nome, Alaska
0:43:15 manager, Spirtual Care, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska
0:46:31 coming to DHMC
0:50:15 mission of the Chaplaincy - keeping the patient "human"
0:54:12 interacting with the academic mission of DHMC
0:57:41 religious diversity and specialties in the Chaplaincy
1:01:22 managing chaplains
1:05:05 looking into the future - chaplains and value-based care
1:07:31 what to understand about the role of the chaplain


 Links to Topics Discussed:

 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
DHMC Chaplaincy
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Stanford CPE

Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM

Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Nome, AK

 Providence Alaska Medical Center
Providence Spiritual Care
Interesting article featuring Rev. Macht 
http://www.vnews.com/home/16615668-95/when-science-faith-clash
Pacific School of Religion

ACPE

What is CPE 


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Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Sheila Woolley, RN, NEA-BC, BSN, MPH, CNO and VP of Patient Care Services at Wentworth-Douglass Health System



Today’s guest is Sheila Woolley, the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at Wentworth-Douglass Health System in Dover, New Hampshire. Wentworth-Douglass Health System includes Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, a 178-bed non-profit, acute-care hospital that employs 2,300 individuals with 1,700 FTEs, has 50,000-visits annually, and is a Level III Trauma Center. The Health System also includes Wentworth Health Partners, which include 23 primary care and specialty practices, and two express care facilities. As we discuss during the podcast, although Wentworth-Douglass is a community hospital, it has clinical affiliations with world-class academic medical centers that enable patients to access some of the best physicians in the region while staying at home on the New Hampshire Seacoast.

In this podcast we discuss Sheila’s career in nursing, the role of the CNO, how the nursing profession has evolved, and conclude with a discussion about leadership.

This is a valuable interview for any aspiring healthcare leader to listen to because Sheila really demonstrates through her career how leadership in healthcare transcends parochial roles, and the future of healthcare delivery will require a team-based approach.

Links to the Podcast:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/sheila-woolley-cno-and-vp-wentworth-douglass-health-system
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time
Topic
0:02:15
Educational background, choosing to major in nursing
0:04:23
Initial mentors in nursing
0:05:55
Initial impressions about the nursing profession
0:07:03
Work as a staff nurse at Stanford Medical Center
0:08:55
Obtaining a BSN at UCSF
0:09:37
Pursuing a MPH at Boston University, value of the MPH degree
0:11:57
Work in administration at Dialysis Associates
0:13:16
Work as an administrative nurse at the University of California
0:14:53
Importance of having a good mentor
0:16:15
Work as a nursing director at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas
0:22:28
Transition from patient care to administration and management
0:23:27
Lessons learned from the transition
0:24:31
Responsibilities as the director of the cardiothoracic division
0:26:51
Transition to the CNO and VP roles at Wentworth-Douglass   Health System
0:27:46
Why Wentworth-Douglass?
0:28:55
Wentworth-Douglass’s geography, size, location, history, and clinical affiliations with Mass General and Dartmouth-Hitchcock
0:34:02
Role of the Chief Nursing Officer
0:36:19
What it means to “promote a professional nursing practice”
0:39:10
Advantage of having baccalaureate nurses
0:40:45
Defining “shared governance”
0:42:39
Performance Improvement at Wentworth-Douglass
0:44:13
Defining and implementing “Patient-Centered Care”
0:48:13
Relationships with nurses outside of the department
0:50:10
Evolution of the nursing profession
0:52:12
Role of the Vice President of Patient Care Services
0:56:55
Senior Executive Team at Wentworth-Douglass, Board of Trustees Meetings
1:00:39
How the “Triple Aim” frames the future of healthcare
1:04:16
Personal leadership philosophy
1:06:24
Learning a leadership lesson the hard way
1:08:41
Leadership lessons you are proud of
1:10:35
What do you look for when you hire leaders?
1:14:20
The importance of organizational culture
1:16:00
How do leaders shape organizational culture?
1:17:24
Mentorship at Wentworth-Douglass
1:18:33
Advice for students looking to enter healthcare, nursing, or healthcare administration

Links to Topics Discussed:

Wentworth-Douglass Health System

 Children's Health

 The Triple Aim


Thanks to Sameer Panesar for production support!
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Sunday, May 15, 2016

Roderic Olvera Young, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health


Today’s guest is Roderic "Roddy" Olvera Young, Executive Vice President, and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health.

In this podcast, Roddy shares his nearly three decades of experience in communications and public relations in a wide variety of governmental and private organizations, among them including being the press secretary for NASA, as well as being a consultant for firms involved in public relations crises while working with MSL Group/TMG Strategies prior to coming to his current role at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

This is a valuable podcast for any current or aspiring health leader to listen to because Roddy reveals some of the key mistakes leaders make when working with strategic communications and dealing with the press and provides insight on how to engage in a long term strategic messaging effort.

Links to the Podcast:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/roderic-young-interview
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Podcast Outline

Time Topic
0:01:47 Background, education, and coming to public relations
0:03:09 Press Secretary for Congressman Estaban Torres
0:09:54 Press Secretary for NASA
0:24:36 Comparing work on the Hill to work at NASA
0:25:56 public relations crisis management with MSL Group/TMG Strategies
0:46:47 transition to Dartmouth College, then Dartmouth-Hitchcock
0:48:45 about Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System
0:52:20 about the communications and marketing team at DH
0:54:40 the difference between marketing and communicaitons
0:56:38 how his work history prepared him for his current role
0:57:30 WII-FM - telling meaningful stories to engage the audience
0:59:58 healthcare communications vs. other industries
1:02:33 managing communications for a diverse organization
1:05:10 branding and brand management in health care
1:07:12 strategic messaging
1:08:47 mistakes healthcare leaders make when dealing with the press
1:10:08 social media and the PR landscape
1:14:01 lessons learned the hard way
1:18:16 professional organizations
1:19:58 advice to early careerists interested in communications


Links to Topics Discussed:

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health

Communications and Marketing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock

NASA



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Sunday, May 1, 2016

Laura Curnan, Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community



Today's guest is Laura Curnan, the Executive Director, High Point Village Retirement and Assisted Living Community in Enumclaw, Washington. Laura has been the Executive Director at High Point since 1990, coming to assisted living management after having worked in retirement community management.

In this podcast we talk about how assisted living works, what kind of services are provided, and how the industry fills a niche between retirement communities and nursing homes.

Laura talks about creating a community that is welcoming and comfortable for her residents, and that "brings retirement to life."

This was an educational interview for me because I personally have not had much exposure to the assisted living industry, but clearly this is an industry that will continue to grow in importance. Today there are over 30,000 assisted living facilities in the United States providing care for more than one million residents (SBDC), and it is poised to continue to grow with the aging of the Baby Boom generation.


Links to the Podcast:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/laura-curnan-executive-director-high-point-village-retirement-and-assisted-living-community
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Links to Topics Discussed:

High Point Village

Village Concepts

American Health Care Association

Assisted Living Federation of America



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