The MaineHealth Podcast

As MaineHealth continues to unify operations and scale strategic initiatives, the need for a centralized, high-performing Enterprise Project Management Office, or EPMO, has never been more important.

From standardizing tools and methodologies to enabling cross-functional collaboration and change management, the EPMO is more than a department—it’s a system-wide commitment to excellence, accountability, and transformation.

In this new Working Together episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins, Vice President of Operations Transformation Celia Shaughnessy and Senior Director Project Management Marrisa Ilsley explore how MaineHealth is building the backbone of its future—one project at a time.

Our November Andy's Open Door program featured a discussion with Dr. Kristen Silvia and Dr. Leah Bauer on MaineHealth’s efforts to destigmatize substance use disorder (SUD). Andy and the panelists also answered care team questions submitted to the Ask Andy mailbox.

Recorded live at the Advisory Board Summit, MaineHealth COO Kelly Elkins discusses how the academic health system is responding to mounting headwinds — from Medicare Advantage and Medicaid cuts to research funding risks — by focusing on operational optimization, expanding care outside the hospital, and building adjacent revenue streams.

Kelly explains the six-point operational push (throughput, length of stay, perioperative flow, ED efficiency, post-acute partnerships, and care variation reduction), the move into retail urgent care and ASCs, and why the organization is planning and investing as if it is already 2027—acting now as though the most challenging scenarios have already arrived so the health system can adapt and thrive no matter what comes next. 

She also discussed three themes shaping MaineHealth’s strategy – Core Business (how the health system is optimizing its hospitals and clinics to meet high demand and maintain stability), Emerging Core (work to expand care beyond the hospital walls to better serve communities and position MaineHealth for the future), and Adjacent Business Lines (steps MaineHealth is taking to diversify revenue and foster innovation). 

In the November episode, hosts Heather Ward and Mike Clark engage with Dr. Dylan McKenney, the medical director of MHACO’s Behavioral Healthcare Program. They discuss the evolving landscape of behavioral health, the integration of mental health services into primary care, and the innovations in treatment delivery, including telehealth and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The conversation highlights the importance of collaboration between primary care and behavioral health providers, emerging therapies, and the potential impact of AI on mental health diagnosis and treatment 

Curbside Consult is a podcast from the MaineHealth ACO that brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist physician to share their unique insights.  

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn. 

Back by popular demand, today's Andy's Open Door (AOD) featured a panel discussion with Chief People Officer Scott Ballard, Vice President of Total Rewards Sue Pelletier and Senior Director of Compensation Tammy Broadhurst. Andy and the panelists addressed a wide range of HR topics and answered care team questions submitted to the Ask Andy mailbox.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program is a decades-old federal program designed to support safety-net providers like MaineHealth in stretching scarce resources and expanding access to care. But in recent years, the 340B landscape has shifted dramatically.

From mounting legal challenges to restrictive contract pharmacy policies and changing manufacturer relationships, the program is under increasing pressure — with real consequences for health systems and the patients we serve.

In this new Working Together episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins and Chief Pharmacy Officer Brian Marden unpack what’s happening in the 340B space nationally, how it’s affecting our organization locally, and what MaineHealth leaders are doing to respond — and advocate — for a sustainable path forward.

As patients increasingly seek high-quality care in lower-cost, more convenient settings, orthopedic ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have emerged as a cornerstone of value-based care that is transforming how musculoskeletal care is delivered across the country. 

In this new Working Together episode, COO Kelly Elkins explores the development of the MaineHealth Orthopedic Surgery Center and what it takes to design, launch and sustain a successful orthopedic ASC — from selecting the right location and partners, to ensuring clinical excellence, operational efficiency, and a great patient experience. 

Joining Kelly in this conversation are Mike Bianchi, Vice President Emerging Business Lines and Oncology Service Line for MaineHealth and George Babikian, MD, Chief Orthopedic Service Line.

In this episode, infectious disease physician Dr. Christina Yen discusses the importance of antimicrobial stewardship where antibiotics are prescribed the most: the outpatient setting.  She shares insights on the current state of antibiotic resistance, discusses the current thinking on duration of antibiotic treatments and offers practical tips on managing infectious disease. Other topics include “watchful waiting,” rapid diagnostics, collaboration between primary care and specialists and new guidelines and technologies coming to stewardship in the near future.  

Curbside Consult is the podcast that brings together specialists and primary care physicians to discuss clinical topics, referral management and coordination of care. Each month, family physician hosts Dr. Mike Clark and Dr. Heather Ward welcome a new specialist physician to share their unique insights.  

Listen to Curbside Consult here or on your favorite podcast app or on the MaineHealth Intranet page. To stay in touch with the show, follow the MaineHealth ACO on LinkedIn. 

For decades, community boards have been at the heart of MaineHealth, ensuring that local voices shaped the care delivered close to home. These boards have been instrumental in aligning MaineHealth’s mission with the unique needs of each community it serves. 

But as healthcare grows more complex and MaineHealth continues to evolve, so too must its governance. That’s why MaineHealth is transitioning from individual community boards to a more integrated regional board structure. This change isn’t about losing local identity—it’s about strengthening the collective voice, streamlining decision-making, and ensuring that resources and strategies are aligned across regions.

In this Working Together podcast, MaineHealth Coastal Region President Andy Patstone joins Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins to explore what this transition means for MaineHealth, its care team members, and most importantly, its patients and communities.

Andy’s Open Door went “On the Road” to MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, NH, where CEO Andy Mueller was joined by Memorial Hospital President Tricia Costigan and Mountain Region Chief Medical Officer Matt Dunn.