A Second Opinion with Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

Michael Anderson is CEO of Iowa-based PurFoods, also known as Mom’s Meals.  PurFoods delivers refrigerated, ready-to-eat, medically-tailored meals to any U.S. address. Partnering with over 500 health plans, Medicare and Medicaid plans, and others, PurFoods has advanced health by making nutritious meals available to those in need.     Mike has been an integral part of the company since its inception in 1999.  You’ll hear the story of this family grown business – where the “mom” in Mom’s Meals is Mike’s own mother.  And we explore why food increasingly needs to be viewed as medicine for our aging and chronic disease diagnosed populations. It can mean the difference between a healthy recovery or a hospital readmission. 

Mark Yancy is the CEO of NashvilleHealth, a community collaborative focused on improving the health and well-being of all Nashvillians. A lifelong Tennessean, Mark has led the organization for less than a year, but has already made tremendous progress in bringing together diverse stakeholders to creatively move the needle on population health outcomes.    Prior to joining the non-profit, Mark spent 15 years in healthcare focusing on the underserved, with leadership roles at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis and at DaVita Kidney Care.    NashvilleHealth is an organization we started in 2016 with a group of committed community leaders who wanted to see the health of our residents reflect our status as the health services capital of the nation. Surprisingly, Nashville’s health consistently ranks below that of our peer cities.    In my conversation with Mark today, we talk about changing our city’s health trajectory, how our approach can be a model for other cities, and why establishing baseline data is central to understanding the problems and forming solutions.    Learn more about NashvilleHealth at: https://www.nashvillehealth.org/    Nashville Community Health & Well-being Survey: https://www.nashvillehealth.org/survey/ 

We are joined today by Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, who gives us a timely update on all things Covid. We discuss the next generation of vaccines and the latest in treatments – including when you should get your booster and what is really behind the “Paxlovid rebound.” Dr. Jha previously joined us on the podcast on December 13, 2021 in his capacity as Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.  He’s on temporary leave from that role to serve in the Biden Administration.   An accomplished physician, health policy researcher and global health advocate, Dr. Jha has led groundbreaking research around Ebola and has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response since the outset of the pandemic, continuously serving as a trusted voice who translates complex science into language we all can understand. 

Today we’re bringing you a special, time sensitive episode sharing what you need to know about monkeypox. We’ll discuss the symptoms, the treatments and vaccinations, who’s at risk, and why it’s been declared a public health emergency.  We’re joined by Dr. William Schaffner, who has been a familiar and nationally recognized face and trusted voice on all matters COVID during the pandemic. As one of our nation’s preeminent infectious disease experts, Dr. Schaffner is a master communicator and was a colleague of mine when I was doing heart and lung transplants at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  Today he is medical director and past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.  He’s also Professor of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Health Policy and Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.   Latest figures show over 30,000 cases of monkeypox across 88 countries, as well as over 9,000 in the U.S. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. This is a rapidly evolving public health emergency, changing day by day.  So, please continue to follow the latest recommendations by the CDC.  

Scott Tapp is President and CEO of Trella Health. An Atlanta-based company, Trella provides market intelligence and a CRM platform built for post-acute providers and suppliers organizations, to drive more effective performance and business growth. With market visibility, healthcare organizations can identify the highest-potential referral targets, evaluate opportunities for new markets or services, and monitor performance metrics. With Trella’s solutions, business development teams can better manage referral relationships to advance their organizations with certainty.   Scott shares what it means to be one of only a few companies deemed both a Qualified Entity by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and an Innovator under CMS’s Virtual Research Data Center Program.    I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Scott through our firm Cressey & Company, and have admired how he’s stewarded Trella through dynamic growth that is making a difference in health outcomes.    Trella Health’s Post-Acute Care Industry Trend Report: https://www.trellahealth.com/2021-industry-trend-report-medicare-data-analytics/ 

Dr. Lee Fleisher is the Chief Medical Officer & Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He is responsible for executing all national clinical, quality, and safety standards for healthcare facilities and providers, as well as establishing Medicare coverage determinations for services that improve health outcomes. An anesthesiologist by training, he is Professor Emeritus and Former Chair of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.   Dr. Fleisher and I discuss how the pandemic impacted hospital and patient safety and what it says about our health care system’s safety culture & infrastructure, and we dive into the details of CMS’s ambitious new National Quality Strategy.     Learn more about CMS’s National Quality Strategy here: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Value-Based-Programs/CMS-Quality-Strategy 

Cindy Baier is President and CEO of Brookdale Senior Living, the largest senior living operator in the nation. The $2.8 billion company operates nearly 700 senior living communities and has the ability to serve approximately 60,000 residents through its independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care retirement communities.   As CEO, Cindy led the company through the largest public health crisis in 100 years by prioritizing the health and well-being of residents, patients, and associates.  Her new book, Heroes Work Here: An Extraordinary Story of Courage, Resilience, and Hope from the Front Lines of COVID-19, recounts how she and her team successfully navigated this period of uncertainty and upheaval.  She shares her lessons learned, her compassionate leadership philosophy, and how her experiences growing up on a farm in a small town in Illinois shaped her as an executive today.     You can find more information on Cindy’s book, Heroes Work Here: https://www.brookdalenews.com/brookdales-ceo-shares-book-on-how-to-navigate-crisis-and-beyond-heroes-work-here-is-available-now-in-hardcover.htm    And purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Work-Here-Extraordinary-Resilience/dp/1955884056 

Fay Rotenberg is the President and CEO of Firefly Health, a virtual-first primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care company that has launched a ‘care + coverage’ health plan offering to provide half-priced healthcare that is twice as good, clinically and emotionally. Fay brings extensive, dynamic experience as a Healthcare Founder, CEO, Venture Investor, and Developer.   You’ll want to listen to hear how Fay and Firefly are building what they’re calling a ‘virtual-first Kaiser Permanente’ – restructuring how care is delivered to solve for value, and then passing that value onto employers and patients. 

Today I am joined by Bill Mixon, CEO of National Seating & Mobility, considered North America’s most experienced provider of complex rehabilitation seating, mobility and positioning systems.   Prior to joining NSM, Bill served as President for Universal Hospital Services, and in key leadership roles at Philips Medical Systems.   Bill is passionate about the clients he serves at NSM, and how their products can change lives for the disabled, and those living with chronic, neurological, and degenerative diseases.  I’ve had the opportunity to advise National Seating & Mobility, and know this is a terrific company with visionary leadership that you’ll want to learn more about. 

Dr. Kim Williams is a nationally renowned cardiologist who has long advocated for disease prevention through nutrition. He is the incoming chair of the University of Louisville Department of Medicine, and most recently served as the chief of the Division of Cardiology at Rush University and associate dean for faculty diversity, equity and inclusion. He is also a past president of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and former chairman of the board of directors of the Association of Black Cardiologists. Dr. Williams is an expert in health equity, and the founder of the Urban Cardiology Initiative in Detroit, a program that works to reduce ethnic heart care disparities. In our conversation today, you’ll want to hear his fascinating personal story of growing up on the South Side of Chicago, and how the poor care he received as an 11-year old helped inspire his medical career. And the data he shares on nutrition’s impact on disease prevention and longevity may have you rethinking your own diet!