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

Stephen Ubl is the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA, which represents America's leading biopharmaceutical research companies.  The U.S. biopharmaceutical sector directly employs more than 800,000 Americans and invests more than $100 billion in research and development annually -- more than any other industry in America.  Steve leads the advocacy for this industry in Washington, DC and across the country.  A policy expert with a record of enacting meaningful healthcare reform, Steve joins me today to do a deep dive on the drug industry – examining costs, the supply chain, and the industry’s unprecedented response to Covid-19.

Dr. Richard Besser is president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest private foundation in the country devoted solely to improving the nation’s health.   A practicing pediatrician, Dr. Besser is also the former acting director for CDC, and ABC News’ former chief health and medical editor.   Dr. Besser is a leading voice on the importance of health equity, advocating for racial justice, full inclusion of people with disabilities, and a COVID-19 response and recovery that prioritizes those most impacted.   In our conversation today, you’ll hear how a 14-mile difference in where you’re born can translate into a 14-year difference in life expectancy, and what we can do about it. 

Today we’re doing something a little different. For the next 15 minutes I’ll be sharing my thoughts – as a provider with a 60-year history with telehealth – on the virtual care revolution we are living through now that will forever change healthcare as we know it.    I shared a version of this talk at a recent National Academy of Medicine event, where I joined with other leaders in the field to discuss the Academy’s Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2021.  

David Dill is President & CEO of LifePoint Health, a Brentwood, Tennessee-based health system with 88 hospital campuses across 29 states. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its footprint, with revenue growing from $3 billion in 2009 to more than $8 billion in 2018, and enhanced its focus on quality and patient safety.   David shares with us how he as a CEO stays connected with each community his health system serves, and how his small town upbringing shaped his career and approach to leadership.

Dr. Patty Gabow is a nationally known leader in delivery system innovation who served for 20 years as CEO of Denver Health and Hospital Authority, an integrated safety net health care system.  Dr. Gabow has a background as a physician-scientist specializing in nephrology, focusing on polycystic kidney disease.  She served as a founding member of the federal Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.    She’s also the author of more than 130 articles, 37 books and book chapters, and a recent book, TIME’S NOW for Women Healthcare Leaders: A Guide to the Journey.  In today’s discussion, we do a deep dive on her learnings in researching and writing “Time’s Now.”  Women make up 75 to 80 percent of the healthcare workforce but less than 15 percent of the top leadership positions.  We explore why, and what we need to do to change that.

This episode is brought to you by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are helping more people access health care by expanding telehealth and virtual care. Rising to meet the challenge, for the Health of America.   Jason Gorevic is CEO of the global virtual healthcare leader, Teladoc Health.  2020 was a monumental year for Teladoc as demand for telehealth exploded in the midst of the pandemic.  Jason shares the behind-the-scenes story of how he and his team navigated this rapid growth while meeting critical health care needs, all while completing the major acquisition of digital disease management company Livongo.    I’ve worked closely now with Jason as a member of the Teladoc board for seven years, and I’m constantly inspired by his vision, his leadership, and how he’s transformed a near start-up to a billion-dollar global enterprise.  He is truly rethinking American health.

Alex Gorsky is Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson – a 135-year-old company that is at the forefront of innovation in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products.  It’s perhaps the only American business that has played a leading role responding to both the 1918 Spanish flu and today’s Covid-19 pandemic – and today is the largest and most admired drug company in the world.   Alex is a brilliant leader who brings us the latest on J&J’s newly authorized, game-changing Covid-19 vaccine, and shares his compelling insights into how J&J has stayed competitive, on top, cutting-edge and profitable for generations.  You will love his thoughts on how this life-altering pandemic is changing health and science for years to come.

Dr. David Feinberg is the head of Google Health. He is a visionary leader in healthcare, having previously run Geisinger and the UCLA health system.  A triple-board certified psychiatrist, Dr. Feinberg is a champion for improving mental healthcare and making healthcare compassionate. Our discussion today covers so much exciting ground – from the breakthrough health work Google is leading on, to their innovative efforts to respond to Covid-19, to the role technology can and will play in advancing healthcare of the future. Background on Google’s response to Covid-19: https://blog.google/inside-google/covid-19/ Google providing timely info on Covid-19 vaccines: https://blog.google/technology/health/accurate-timely-information-covid-19-vaccines/ Covid-19 Community Mobility Reports: https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/ LinkedIn article by Dr. Feinberg: “Children’s mental health is an unseen, yet very real casualty of the coronavirus”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/childrens-mental-health-unseen-yet-very-real-casualty-david-feinberg/

Bob Ortenzio co-founded Select Medical in 1997, serving as its CEO for nearly 13 years, and now serves as its Executive Chairman.  Select is one of the largest operators of critical illness recovery hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, physical therapists, and outpatient rehab clinics in the United States. In today’s discussion, we discuss the evolution of this company and the long-term acute care industry, how to build an accountable culture in an organization, and what’s next for Select Medical.  

Larry Levitt is the Executive Vice President for Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, overseeing KFF’s policy work on Medicare, Medicaid, the health care marketplace, the Affordable Care Act, women’s health, and global health.  Prior to joining KFF, he served as a Senior Health Policy Advisor to the Clinton White House and Department of Health and Human Services.   Larry is a true policy wonk who breaks down the latest complicated health issues into language we all can understand – which in many ways is part of KFF’s mission, serving as a non-partisan, non-profit source for information on national health issues.  In today’s episode, we do a deep dive on what to expect in health policy from the Biden Administration and the new Democratic Congress in 2021 and beyond.