Creating a New Healthcare

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Mike McSherry, CEO of Xealth.  Mike represents a new breed of highly accomplished digital tech entrepreneurs who have spent the past decade or two reshaping the landscape of digital tech; and who are now entering healthcare, ushering in a new era of healthcare delivery – an era that this interview will offer you a glimpse into. Mike’s amazing portfolio of accomplishments includes Swype.  It’s an application that is embedded in over a billion android smart phones across the globe; allowing user’s to essentially ‘draw’ words rather than ‘tap’ them out – enabling faster, easier text input. The point here is that Michael and his colleagues are not only technologic wizards.  They are clearly world-class experts in user interface (UI) & user experience (UE) – something that is sorely lacking in healthcare!  As you listen to the interview, just imagine what healthcare might look like if there were dozens or even hundreds of similar UI/UE digital experts engaged in healthcare across the country – working collaboratively with clinical colleagues.  Now, that’s a roadmap for Creating a New Healthcare. In this interview, Mike introduces us to Xealth – an application he and his long-time colleagues have created – that allows any digitally connected app or service to be placed onto a user-friendly platform.  For starters, Xealth is a digital formulary – allowing physicians or other providers to ‘prescribe’ an app or service. Physicians can now decide what digitally connected services & apps they want in this formulary – and just like adding a new medication – a new digital app or service can be added in less than a tenth of the time it traditionally takes.  The types of services on Xealth at the time of this interview includes traditional apps, but also includes transportation services, home devices such as glucometers and CPAP machines, and even food delivery and transportation services.  (Although not discussed in the intervew, keep in mind that, in the literature on ‘social determinants of health’, inadequate food and transportation, along with social isolation, are some of the leading causes of poor health outcomes and avoidably higher costs of care.)  The Xeatlh platform also offers automatic monitoring of patients’ patterns of usage, as well as predictive analytics – keeping track of how often, and in what ways patients are using these apps, as well as guiding the provider to better identify which app or service might work better with a particular patient.   There are numerous pearls in this podcast.  Among them, Mike shares the best piece of his advice he has ever been given, which has guided the way he works; and has greatly contributed to the tremendous value and success he and his colleagues have created together.  Most importantly, you’ll hear a fresh perspective on how cutting edge thinkers and doers are attempting to augment and leverage the value proposition in the provider/patient relationship.  What we find particularly encouraging from interviews with digital tech gurus like Mike is their unabashed support of physicians and other providers of medical care, and a deep respect for the patient/provider relationship.  We have heard this theme repeatedly in this podcast series.  Far from disrupting that relationship, these digital tools serve to enhance it. Mike brings an encouraging and inspiring message for providers – a set of support tools that will enhance one’s ability to optimize patient care and augment one’s efficiency. For patients, this should be viewed as healthcare catching up to other industries in terms of customer service, convenience and engagement – making it easier to be healthy.  And for payers and healthcare leaders, this represents the emergence of a new paradigm in patient/customer engagement – a novel approach to realize the triple aim of improved healthcare, improved outcomes & more cost effective care.

Sami Inkinen, founder & CEO of Virta Health, shares his remarkable journey from the real estate industry to healthcare. They discuss Virta's innovative approach to reversing type 2 diabetes through a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet. They explore the potential of digital technology and scientific expertise to transform healthcare and improve patient outcomes. The podcast also touches on ambitious goals, barriers to adoption, and predictions for the future of healthcare.

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Robert Andrews, CEO of Health Transformation Alliance (HTA).  HTA is a non-profit alliance of nearly 45 Corporations who are working to improve the outcomes of healthcare and reduce the costs of medical care.  The Alliance includes such names as: IBM, Coca-Cola, 3M, Walgreens, Marriott, Pitney Bowes, Verizon, Dupont, Shell, Prudential and Fedex – to name a few.  Rob outlines HTA’s bold mission which is to “fix our broken healthcare system”; to “help companies take better care of the people who take care of them”; and to reverse the perverse incentives of the current Fee-For-Service payment model by paying physicians for value-based preventive care and improved health outcomes. Placing himself in challenging situations in order to serve the public, taking on ambitious goals, and getting them accomplished, is not a new pattern for Mr. Andrews.  Prior to his current role at HTA, he served as a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 24 years.  Upon his departure from the House, President Barack Obama praised Rob’s service as “an original author of the Affordable Care Act… and a vital partner in its passage and implementation”.  In this interview Rob outlines the three major tactics the HTA is taking in order to accomplish its mission. The first is to lower pharmaceutical spending through appropriately cutting out non-value added costs in the pharmaceutical supply chain.  The second is to select provider groups with a demonstrable track record of delivering excellent health outcomes, cost effectively.  And the third is to engage employees in becoming proactive participants in their own healthcare.  These activities are all informed by IBM Watson Health’s supercomputing analytics.   It seems like HTA is well on its way to achieving its goals.  They are predicting healthcare savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in the first three years.  However, Rob Andrews convincingly argues that HTA’s mission is not primarily about cost; but instead, they are focused on improving health outcomes, which will drive costs down – a win for employees and their employers.  You’ll be inspired by the conviction, integrity and energy that Mr. Andrews brings to this critically important task at hand.

This is the second of two inspiring interviews featuring the integration of digital health into one of the largest integrated delivery networks in the country.  In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Aaron Martin, who came to Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH) directly from spending nearly a decade at Amazon, where he was an executive – the North American director of Kindle & print-on-demand services.  In that role, Aaron led a disruption of the print publishing industry that catalyzed tremendous value for readers as well as writers.  What is remarkable about this interview is that, despite being a technical leader in the digital realm, Aaron spends the first few minutes of the interview describing the leadership principles & cultural norms that were critical factors in Amazon’s success.  In those first few minutes, what becomes abundantly apparent is that Aaron brings to his work an intense dedication to patients and providers; as well as a unique combination of value-based thinking, authentic leadership, and industry-leading technical capability in healthcare redesign and innovation.  In what is an inspiring and refreshing dialogue, Aaron describes the two most important stakeholders in healthcare – the ‘creator’ of value (the provider of care), and the ‘customer’ (the patient or consumer of care) in the healthcare value chain. In this interview, he shares how he views his role as supporting the professional commitment of providers & enabling the ‘sacred moments of care’ between provider & patient. Aaron views digital health & the consumerist approach as integral enablers of medical care, and not as disintermediaries.  He also lays out a very clear picture of why and how design thinking, digital health, and a consumerist approach are critical success factors for any organization that expects to thrive in the future healthcare delivery market.  With straightforward examples, Aaron demonstrates that, unlike some previous deployments of technology, digital health leads to a markedly better consumer experience for both patients and providers; leverages and enhances the value proposition of providers; improves health outcomes, and solves for major organizational challenges such as access to care, growth and affordability.  Aaron and his colleagues hold themselves accountable for producing demonstrable and measurable results – outcomes that matter to patients, providers, and payers.  

This is the first of two amazing interviews featuring the topic of Digital Health and its integration into healthcare delivery at Providence St. Joseph Health.  In this first interview, Sara Vaezy describes, in no uncertain terms, the ‘Existential Imperative’ that makes digital health an absolute requirement and a critical success factor for any organization contemplating a robust future in healthcare delivery.  Sara shares two customer-centric examples of how digital health is transforming healthcare at Providence St. Joseph Health – in their on-demand care services (Express Care); and in their Women’s Health offering (Circle).  She points out that, far from being a nice-to-do, the consumer-oriented digital health integration is moving “big needles” in terms of access, consumer satisfaction, growth and revenue. Sara talks about the work she and her colleagues are collaborating on – to create a 10X experience that enhances engagement and improves health outcomes. By 10X, she means a patient/consumer experience that is ten times better than what patients currently experience!  When asked to describe the personal leadership characteristics that make this sort of transformation possible, Sara has two answers. First – “resilience… in the face of a non-steady state environment”; and second – an “unwavering commitment to what’s best for our patients”.  You’ll not want to miss this authentic and insightful interview with someone who is clearly one of the up and coming leaders in the digital health movement.

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Stuart Levine – one of the most experienced & accomplished physician executives in the realm of value-based care.  Dr. Levine has been deeply engaged in providing comprehensive care under global capitation for decades.  He brings a clarity and practical wisdom to the complex topic of clinical care & cost stewardship; as well as a deep sense of professional responsibility to high quality, safe & effective patient-centered care.  He describes a managed care environment that is both practical and personalized.  He also describes a healthcare construct that is rewarding and sustainable for physicians & other providers of medical care.  In this in-depth interview, Stuart outlines ‘the six pillars of care’ – a time-tested and proven model for population-based, value-based care.  Stuart places a tremendously high premium on spending more upfront & supporting a relationship-based approach to patient care – which he has proven saves both lives & money.  He advocates for a human-centered care that is fiscally responsible.  The picture that Stuart paints provides us with hope for a better future in healthcare.  

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews John Moore, the CEO of Twine Health – a patient engagement & health activation platform.  Dr. Moore brings an unusual background to his work.  In addition to his medical training and clinical background, he is also an engineer, who spent years, after leaving his medical residency, at the MIT Media Lab; where he became expert in the technology of social media & communications, as well as in the science & art of behavior change.  This rare combination of clinical, technologic & behavioral expertise led him to reframe the clinical value proposition & to create the Twine platform – which allows clinical teams, patients and their families to work in a highly collaborative and convenient way.  Dr. Moore reframes patient engagement in terms of ‘health activation’, in which health becomes a collaborative team activity.  The traditional office visits are augmented with ‘micro-interactions’ in which the patient can access a health coach or someone else on their health team when and where they need it – that is, in the rhythm of their own lives.  On the Twine platform, medical advice & recommendations are delivered in small aliquots that are highly effective and efficient.  It’s a win/win/win situation – patients get what they need, when they need it, & how they want it – in an easy-to-use and convenient format; health care providers’ time & expertise is leveraged & distilled to be of highest value; and clinical outcomes of care and cost effectiveness are greatly improved.  There are numerous lessons to be gleaned in this interview, which can inform anyone who is interested in improving patient care & the customer experience in healthcare delivery.

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Sean Duffy, who is one of the most lauded pioneers in the space of digital health & digital behavioral medicine. Sean and his colleagues at Omada Health are clearly trailblazers in numerous ways. The company has used the foundation of a widely-respected, evidence-based intervention — the National Diabetes Prevention Program — and transformed it into a convenient, digital platform that is consumer-oriented, customer-friendly, and that delivers a personalized experience for users. Sean and his team focus their intervention on a specific, clinical population that represents one of our nation’s most significant and growing healthcare problems — those at elevated risk for type diabetes and other obesity-related chronic conditions. While capturing some of the most cutting-edge approaches to behavior change, Omada has incorporated their solution into the mainstream of healthcare delivery, adhering to all regulatory requirements while working to have the intervention coded and paid for like any other billable event. Omada’s plan is not to go around the legacy healthcare system, but to become a working part of it.  Sean’s Omada story is one of courage, conviction & commitment – toward taking patient-centered care, the patient user experience & patient engagement to the 10X realm.  It’s a story you will definitely want to hear.

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Eyal Gura, co-founder & Chairman of ZebraMed – an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company dedicated to transforming medical imaging.  ZebraMed was listed in Fast Company, in February 2017, as one of the top 10 AI companies in the world; and in Fortune Magazine, also in 2017, as one of the top 50 companies leading the AI revolution.  In this interview, Eyal describes his company’s mission to provide the world with automated, accurate, timely & affordable medical imaging diagnosis.  The computer machine-learning algorithms at ZebraMed are already reading CT scans and mammograms; and they are continuing to expand their portfolio of medical images.  It’s an exciting vision that Eyal paints – one that you will definitely want to hear.  His company is mission driven as well – planning to & already delivering high tech radiologic support to underserved communities & countries.  One of the most exciting parts of the interview is Eyal’s announcement of their AI1 (All in One) program; in which ZebraMed is going to offer a flat-rate fee of $1 per scan – no matter what.  That’s right – $1 per scan!  This revolutionary pricing strategy is, almost certainly, going to transform medical imaging & healthcare delivery, by providing access to high quality, affordable medical care for millions of people around the globe.  Eyal and his colleagues at ZebraMed are on a bold, courageous & visionary journey to Create a New Healthcare!

In this episode of Creating a New Healthcare, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth interviews Don Berwick – widely recognized as one of the most influential & impactful healthcare leaders of our time. His foundational contributions to the quality, safety & reliability movement in healthcare – beginning in the late 1980’s – have led to profound reductions in medical errors in the United States and abroad.  Among his numerous contributions, Don co-founded and led the Institute for Healthcare Improvement for 18 years – an organization that has shifted the landscape of healthcare delivery; catalyzed the healthcare quality movement; and whose overall positive impact on domestic & global healthcare is almost immeasurable.  He has served numerous key leadership roles such as in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) & the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and has authored and co-authored numerous landmark publications such as the IOM’s ‘To Err is Human’ and ‘Crossing the Quality Chasm’.  In this interview, Dr. Berwick provides us with detailed principles for the creation of a “third era of medicine” – an era in which we can more fully realize the goals of the triple aim – better medical care for patients, better health & health outcomes, and lower costs of care; and in which we can support our physicians & other providers of care in performing clinical work that is meaningful and sustainable.  Dr. Berwick is an unparalleled physician-scientist-scholar, and a humanitarian leader whose integrity, vision & insights hold practical wisdom and guidance for any leader contemplating the future of healthcare delivery; and whose compelling stories provide us with directed purpose, inspiration & hope.