B-Time with Beth Bierbower

We discuss many different healthcare challenges on this podcast and we share potential solutions. The one area we haven’t discussed enough is the administrative burden on the healthcare ecosystem. This burden is felt by all stakeholders including members, health plans and clinicians. When I refer to administrative burden, I am not just referring to prior authorizations. I am speaking about the additional documentation associated with closures of gaps in care, HCC coding and more.

 With us today is Jon Zimmerman, CEO of Holon Solutions. Holon provides an end-to-end platform that helps clinicians efficiently manage all the activities of patient flow from scheduling to prior auth to patient engagement and insights about the population being managed. This isn’t a traditional office administrative platform, as it includes AI to drive workflows and next best actions. The platform was designed on the idea that healthcare should feel human and that people should take priority over process. Holon also assists health plans and other stakeholders as well.

 Let’s hear more from Jon about Holon and how this company is making a positive impact in the healthcare ecosystem.

Today we’re discussing a topic that is impactful to an employee’s physical and emotional health – yet the topic is invisible in the workplace. The topic is caregiving. Caregiving is an often invisible issue that all employers should worry about: Family caregivers comprise between 18% and 22% of the workforce, and the stress on these individuals can affect productivity, their ability to stay at a job and more.

Caregivers face two major challenges – caring for a loved one and caring for themselves. Caregivers routinely put others before themselves and as a result, the caregiver may skip preventive health screenings, fail to eat properly, exercise and get enough sleep and may pull back from social activities. We may wonder if this lack of self-care is brought on by the caregiver not delegating tasks to others.

I have known many caregivers over the years and can assure you that for the most part, caregivers would welcome the assistance; however, its difficult to create an ecosystem around a loved one and as a result, the bulk of care typically rests on one person.

Today I am pleased to be speaking with Jessica Kim, the co-founder and CEO of Ianacare. Jessica is an entrepreneur at heart. She founded her first company from her dorm room at Brown University and has gone on to develop several other companies.

Today we will discuss her current endeavor, Ianacare. Ianacare provides a tech-enabled and multi-layer solution for employers to support their working caregivers. Ianacare helps employees tap into the benefits already offered by their companies. Ianacare is the front door to navigating all the care in the home.

Let’s learn more about how Ianacare helps employees navigate the complexities of providing care in the home.

We don’t often hear from a physician executive. When we do, I always appreciate their unique perspective. Physician executives have on-hands experience as a practitioner as well as an administrator. With us today is Dr. Craig Samitt who is the new CEO of the National Physician Enterprise for Surround Care which is the formation of two prominent organizations in Navvis Health a population health management company and Esse Health large multi-specialty group practice in St. Louis, MO.

Craig’s unique background affords him a broad view of the healthcare ecosystem. Craig was previously the CEO pf BCBSMN, and currently serves as the managing director for a venture firm. Craig has also worked in Clinical and leadership roles at Anthem, Healthcare Partners, Oliver Wyman and more. I have followed his career and am excited to have him with us today to share his perspective on industry challenges and changes.

Digital healthcare delivery has exploded over the last several years and digital MSK is part of this massive growth. We know that digital MSK services are more convenient for members and can provide more accurate data on outcomes than in-person traditional physical therapy services. We’ve heard from one other digital MSK company about 6 months ago so now is a good time to get a different perspective and understand how this industry is changing and where it is headed.

With me is Mark Luck Olson, who is the CEO of RecoveryOne. If the name Mark Olson sounds familiar, it’s because Mark is a former owner and managing partner of Chapter House which was acquired many years ago by Oliver Wyman and where he served a partner.

I have always admired Mark’s ability to see the big picture and at the same time, understand the details and nuances of healthcare. I am looking forward to getting Mark’s perspective on how digital healthcare and digital MSK fit into the healthcare ecosystem.

Show notes: Book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowtiz

Our guest today is Kate Merton, Executive Director of Chicago ARC, a health innovation venture collaborative designed to accelerate equitable health innovation and improve access to affordable quality health. We are going to hear from Kate how Chicago ARC brings together many players from the ecosystem to drive health innovation at scale.

Kate has worked with big pharma companies as well as health plans and has experienced healthcare in the US and UK.  I am excited to learn more about Kate’s experience and how Chicago ARC’s efforts are changing the game in healthcare.

 

Show notes:  Book: Grains of Gold: Tales of a Cosmopolitan Traveler by Gendun Chopel

When I hear the term value-based care, I think about a provider group taking on full or partial risk for the care of a patient. But I also think of value-based care in terms of the patient journey across a condition or an episode of care. Outside of primary care, health plans have struggled to implement payment arrangements for specialists and hospitals that factors in the cost and quality of care across the continuum.

 

What has made this so challenging? Data – or the lack thereof. For years payors and providers have struggled to define a true episode of care and attach a payment and quality score to it. There is a company that is addressing this challenge by analyzing patient journeys on a holistic basis to better understand the full constellation of costs associated with healthcare encounters.

 

With me is Web Sun, co-founder and President at Komodo Health. Komodo Health is a healthcare technology company creating a new standard for real-world data and analytics through its platform, which enables real-time, actionable insight into the treatment, diagnosis, costs, and outcomes of millions of patients across the U.S. The company’s foundational belief is that all healthcare stakeholders need a reliable “ground truth” understanding of the patient journey in order to understand the reality of patient experiences and address the burden of disease. With that at its core, Komodo is transforming the way the industry interacts with data and insight — fueling critical intelligence for stakeholders across healthcare.

 

Show Notes: book: No Rules, Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer.

Osso VR is a company that uses virtual reality to teach surgeons how to use medical devices and perform surgeries and assessment. Imagine being able to practice many times over before performing on a live patient. Imagine what this level practice will do prevent medical errors and save lives.

 

With me is Dr. Justin Barad, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who also has a passion for gaming. Originally interning to become a game developer at Activision-Blizzard, Justin decided to find a way to combine his passions and use his technology background to solve medical challenges after a personal family health incident introduced him to the world of healthcare. During his residency, he identified what could be one of the most pressing medical challenges of this century: how we are training our surgeons and proceduralists. With a strong interest in gaming and a first-hand understanding of the challenges facing residents and experienced doctors, he co-founded Osso VR with a mission to improve patient safety and democratize access to modern surgical techniques.

 

Show notes:  Books:  The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and More; by Tony Gemignani  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz And Doctors: The Biography of Medicine by Sherwin B. Nuland.

The term Population Health is widely used in this industry. We’ve talked about it from a health plan perspective and today I would like to look at population health from an employer/employee perspective. And I am thrilled that an accomplished physician and former colleague is with me today to share his deep expertise.

 

On today’s episode, Steve Goldberg, MD, Chief Health Officer of Employee and Population Health at Quest Diagnostics shares his perspective on population health from an employer perspective.

 

Book: The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who Have Lived The Longest by Dan Buettner

: Have you ever wondered what happens to the health data that you collect on your phone or wearable device? Who uses it, how is it used and how does your data stay private? To answer these questions, I asked Christine Lemke, co-founder and co-CEO at Evidation Health to join me.

 

Evidation is a health tracking platform that rewards users for healthy actions while contributing real-world data to important research projects. As part of my due diligence, I enrolled and it was a simple and easy experience. I have also enrolled to participate in a few research projects as well and I am looking forward to learning more.

 

Christine was a pioneer in machine learning and the use of personalized health data and I am looking forward to hearing more about the power of personalized health data and what Evidation Health is doing with that data and how Evidation is contributing to important health research.

 

A favorite book: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt

Many healthcare startups are launched each year and it isn’t easy to get traction.  When a company does thrive in this complex industry, you know it has a solid value proposition and Omada Health has just that. Omada Health began almost 12 years ago with a focus exclusively on pre-diabetes. They wanted to get ahead of the problem by helping individuals make lifestyle changes that would help keep them from becoming a diabetic.

 

Omada health has since expanded into a platform that offers coaching for diabetes – including prevention, hypertension and MSK. Omada Health is a trusted platform for employers and health plans alike.

 

With me is Sean Duffy, Co-founder and CEO of Omada Health and he will share how Omada Health has transformed into a healthcare platform and how they have had staying power in the business.

 

Favorite Books:  The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell; The Martian by Andy Weir; Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio; The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry by Paul Starr.