- This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
I'm thrilled today to be joined by Scott B. Johnson,
chief Strategy Officer at St.
Luke's Health Corporation.
Scott, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- Laura, it's a pleasure to meet you,
and thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed.
I'm really excited about it.
You know, Becker's is the go-to source
for healthcare information and insights.
My peers and I all read it everywhere I've been,
and, uh, so you know, I, well, I've got you on the line.
I wanna say thank you for the tremendous value
that you provide all of us.
- Well, thank you so much, Scott, and Absolutely.
I, I know the team here works really hard to try
to make sure we've got the most updated news
and information for healthcare executives
to really do the important work that you are doing
for your communities and, and workforces.
And, um, it is just such an inspiration to be able
to connect with so many executives, um,
through this podcast and through our broader network.
So I'm so glad to have you on the line today, Scott,
and, you know, along those lines here, could you
tell us a little bit more
about yourself and your background?
How did you grow up in the healthcare space?
- Sure. That, that's a great question.
I started at a very small 72 bed rural hospital in a town
of about 4,000 in Awa, Tennessee.
As a director there, a director of pr.
And the way I got the job was I was fresh outta college,
and I literally bugged the HR director to death
until she said, okay,
if you will quit calling me about this job,
I'll give you five minutes with our CEO.
You know, I went up for the interview, five minutes,
turned into two hours.
One thing led to another.
And, you know, that was the start of my healthcare journey.
And it was a incredibly fun time, uh, for a young man to,
you know, be in a hospital and learn about a new industry
and, you know, meet physicians from a business perspective.
And it, it was a, a great start to a, a career
that has been extremely fulfilling and enjoyable for me.
Uh, from there, I ended up going to, uh,
Tennessee Donor Services in Nashville.
Worked there for a brief time,
did tissue education across the state of Tennessee,
was in my car all the time,
and then got recruited to a hospital in Hopkinsville,
Kentucky, uh, Jenny Stewart Medical Center, where, uh,
it was a very appealing role.
It was a director of marketing.
I have a lot of family there, and went to that organization
and just really flourished from a marketing perspective.
I had a great team that I worked with.
We had the good fortune of doing extremely well as far
as external awards and accolades and things of that nature.
Grew market share, which led to me being recruited
to community health systems, which is a company based out
of Franklin, Tennessee.
They have a national presence.
Uh, started out doing marketing for them,
and it was a, a really wonderful experience.
We developed their marketing template, how we do, um,
marketing across each of our facilities.
While there, I, I noticed
that the strategic business plan process seemed a bit
varied, and so I approached my boss, Debbie Landers,
and said, Hey, I think this could be done
a slightly different way.
And she said, if you think it could be done, you know,
in a more effective manner, put something together.
And so I did and presented to a bunch
of vice presidents that I knew.
And next thing I know, you know, I was being charged
with helping write the template for the organization,
the strategic plan.
And, you know, quite frankly, that changed my career.
Uh, the trajectory of it.
I went from being more of a marketing focused, uh, executive
to one that focused on strategic planning
and business development.
I really had a fantastic time, uh,
at community health systems, great organization,
great people, and, you know, really enjoyed it.
Uh, ended up transitioning from there to Christus Health,
which is a large, uh, Catholic healthcare system.
Uh, for them. I was a group vice president over Louisiana
and C Tex at the southeast Texas market.
Got to do a lot of really interesting
and accretive projects for, uh,
that healthcare organization,
whether it was acquiring hospitals, you know, we
invested in a heart hospital within a hospital
that had a expanded ed.
You know, we did the micro hospital, uh, aspect
for the hub and spoke.
It was truly an exciting time
and really enjoyed my time with Christus Health.
And then last March, uh, March of 23, I transitioned to,
um, St.
Luke's here in St. Louis as their Chief Strategy officer.
And that has been a really great move.
Um, what appealed to me about this organization is it has
exceptional quality and outcomes
and patient, uh, satisfaction engagement scores.
And, you know, I wanted to be part of an organization that,
you know, in my opinion is one of the best in the country
for, you know, a small community health system,
and be able to come in and bring the insights
and learnings that I've had throughout my career
and help this organization get to that next level.
I mean, it, it has been a terrific move
for me on a professional, uh, basis.
I love what I do every day here, great people to work with.
And then even on a personal, uh, standpoint,
it's closer to family.
So, you know, that's been nice for the holidays.
We don't have quite the long trek that we used to have it.
It has been quite the journey.
I, as I was telling you
before the call, I have far exceeded any expectation
I had for my career.
Um, you know, I've been a very fortunate and blessed person.
- Well, that's amazing to hear.
And what a great journey in terms of being able to,
you know, kind of talk your way into a job initially at the
hospital in Tennessee as director of pr
and then growing to continue to identify issues and,
and figure out how to do things better, um,
within the healthcare space.
That's so, so crucial, um, for any organization
to have people like that who are willing to take ownership
of those challenges and rewrite the strategy
and really move forward.
So I think that's so fascinating to hear
and inspiring as well.
From your perspective, what are some of the biggest issues
that you're following right now in 2024?
How are you really thinking about things in,
in prioritizing initiatives going forward?
- Yeah, you know, we're really keeping a close eye on the
labor shortage, right?
There's a labor and a provider shortage.
It's real, it's concerning.
You know, we have a lot of retirements
that are happening post covid, you know,
especially in the provider, uh, space.
We've got physicians
where I believe the average age is about 54,
and then about 41%
or so of those physicians say, Hey,
I'm gonna retire in my sixties.
So that's something that we're really keeping
a close eye on.
You know, the shortages in labor
and physicians has created some access issues.
So, you know, that's an area that we have a tight reign on.
You know, here at St. Luke's, we're really saying, okay,
how do we get patients that want
to come into our healthcare system in, in a timely manner?
You know, we don't, we don't want people to have
to wait for their care.
Um, and so we're actively working to improve that.
Uh, you know, you've got escalating costs which are being
driven up, you know, through intense competition.
And, you know, you know, inflation's a real thing over
the last several years.
So we're really managing our, um,
operational excellence within the organization saying, Hey,
we always have to keep our eye on the ball.
Then you add to that, you know, there's some denials
and delays from a certain slack group of payers for care
that truly is appropriate.
That's something that it's been a real challenge, you know,
especially in a healthcare system that doesn't have,
you know, a massive resource to be able to, um,
gauge with these insurers on these claims.
So, you know, that's something
that is a very real and tangible thing.
You've got cyber attacks that are happening almost daily.
It's, it's not a matter of where, it's not a matter
of if you're gonna have a cyber attack these days, it seems
to be much more a matter
of when you're gonna have a cyber attack.
So, you know, we're trying to balance all
of these different things and keep up with them
and, uh, really make sure
that we position the organization first
and foremost to provide the great care that we're known for,
but then also to make sure that we are a financially healthy
and strong organization moving into the future.
And, uh, we feel very good about where we're headed,
uh, as an organization.
- Well, that's great to hear.
And you know, absolutely so many things to be thinking about
and kind of have that front of mind for you
as you're looking at growth development
and how to build that financially strong organization, um,
and sustainably as well.
When you think about the future in all these different, um,
issues that
that are affecting healthcare in health systems today,
what are you most excited about and what makes
- Yeah, that's, that's an excellent question.
Now I'll speak first what I'm most excited about,
that's within my sphere of influence, which is St.
Luke's. Um, we recently completed our strategic plan.
Uh, that was one of the first things that my boss,
Andy Bagnal had us put together.
And we, we branded it one St. Luke's.
We wanted a moniker that was memorable.
We wanted something that conveyed, Hey,
we're all in this together,
that we can no longer operate in silos.
We have to be integrated, uh, to benefit our patients.
So, you know, we're really, um,
thrilled about the progress that we've made.
We've set some really ambitious, uh, goals
and visions for ourself.
You know, we've got pillars that we build on.
We've got centers of excellence that we're focused on.
And as an organization, you know, we're really,
we've really been able to pull together a passionate group
of people that are committed
to doing the right things in the right way,
and that have a hunger to be the best.
And it's really an exciting time, um, from a St.
Luke's perspective. And, you know, we'll know
that we've really succeeded as an organization, uh,
when we can transition our patients
to true fans of the organization.
We want anybody who engages with our organization
to say it's different there.
It's incredible there. And we wanna make them fans, right?
People are fans of sports teams
and different, uh, companies and organizations.
And we help people, uh,
at a time when they need help the most.
And we think there's a real opportunity for us to take, uh,
what we do today and leverage it to be incredible
and better tomorrow, uh, from a larger healthcare,
healthcare landscape.
You know, there's a lot to be excited about.
You know, agency utilization is down across the board.
We've got AI
and big data is actually being integrated now
to improve care and outcomes in a meaningful way.
So that's exciting.
You've got the development of, uh, more personalized care
where you take into account people's unique,
uh, genetic makeup.
I think that's gonna be a big thing on the horizon.
And even telehealth and remote patient
care monitoring, right?
They're growing and we're being able
to meet patients where they're at.
Uh, so that's, uh, a very exciting development.
And then two, I think there's a movement to say, okay,
how do we take patient from a 360 degree view
and meet the entire needs of that individual?
You know, if you're the president of the United States,
your care is amazing, right?
It's integrated, it's coordinated,
and everybody, um, works actively
to keep him or her healthy.
And that's what we want to be able to do
for our patients in, in healthcare.
I think we're really close. Uh, the way I see it,
our job in healthcare really is to anticipate patient needs
to help alleviate their fears so
that we can give them hope, right?
Because that's really, in my opinion,
you have the technical side of healthcare,
but real healing comes from a strong
belief in your provider.
And that's the most beautiful gift
that we can give our patients when they have confidence that
that provider, that organization, you know, we have 'em,
we're gonna take great care of 'em.
We got this. I think that's something that is, uh,
extremely exciting.
There are also a few things we're
a little concerned about too.
I, I know I mentioned a few earlier,
but there's a, you know,
major shortage in a couple key specialties.
Anesthesia is a challenge, radiology is a challenge.
And then we've got an aging workforce
and pending retirements.
And then you've got a younger generation who went
through Covid, right?
And they have a different worldview than maybe the
older generation does.
It's much more about work life balance.
And that's completely understandable and valid.
You know, if, if there's one thing we all learned in Covid,
it's, you know, life is short.
You need to spend it in ways that are meaningful
and memorable to you.
And we want to be able to help
that younger generation achieve that.
But we also want to say, okay, as we transition our provider
and workforce, how do we meet the needs of
that younger generation while also ensuring
that our patients get the care that they need
and we meet, meet their concerns and those kind of things.
Then the other thing that I'd I'd like to touch on is,
you know, it's really exciting with AI
and all the technological advancements that are happening,
but you know, it's really important that at the end
of the day, we don't forget that healthcare is really about
that one person in front of you.
You know, they're scared
and they need somebody to say, you know,
I see you kinda like from the movie avatar, right?
I see you, I hear you.
And you know, we need to make sure that the kind
of the glitz and the glamor of AI
and technology doesn't make us forget that healthcare,
healthcare is always personal.
It's always about caring for
that one person in front of you.
'cause I think if we ever lose that intimate side
of healthcare, you know, as we have this quest
to offer amazing tech,
I think we'll have failed miserably, quite frankly.
'cause there is no way that tech can replace personal touch.
It can't happen,
and we cannot, um, let that be something
that develops in our industry.
- That's such a great point.
And, you know, certainly so important for everyone to
remember and think about as technology
evolves in AI really solidifies its place in the healthcare
space, is, is really that human touch, like you said,
and interaction is such a important
and vital aspect of healthcare and, and really a trademark.
Um, you know, what healthcare should be, it needs to be,
um, to serve patients.
And I love, as you were talking about
as well from your strategic plan
and, um, thinking through how you can really make sure
that you're creating patients into fans
of the health system, the organization.
Um, I really feel like that's inspiring
and something, you know, um, that
the whole organization would have
to jump in and, and buy into.
And, you know, when you're, um, making a, a, um,
tagline like that or really trying
to make change within the culture of the organization,
even if it's one that, you know, um, makes a lot
of sense intuitively, how do you really, um, tie back,
you know, some big changes, whether it's with technology,
virtual care, or other initiatives that you're doing, um,
that people might bristle at a little bit.
Um, you know, to really show that, hey, we want to,
this is in service of our, our, um, desire
and mission to serve patients and create accessibility
and really, you know, transition them into fans that see
that we can do incredible things, um, within St.
Luke's.
- Yeah, it, it starts with the providers and the staff
and you know, as part of our One St.
Luke's goal, we've set a vision for our organization
that we want to be a nationally
recognized healthcare system.
One that wins awards not for the sake of awards,
but for the fact of what they mean our patients, right?
That, hey, you're getting exceptional
care when you come here.
And I know, you know, we're a smaller healthcare, uh, system
and you know, we think, wow, that's really kind
of an ambitious statement or vision for the organization,
but, but to be honest, timid goals don't move the solve.
So we really set that bar high,
and I will say we've got tremendous buy-in from those
within our organization.
Uh, you know, it's one thing to have goals and aspirations,
but you really have to have the metrics of success.
'cause you know, the old saying, what is measured moves?
And so we have all these different areas of, we say,
how are we doing on our big goal as far
as making the experience exceptional for patients?
How are we doing as far as making, um,
the clinical outcomes exceptional for our patients?
And those are really being ingrained into the
organization right now.
We have 275 plus tactics
that tie back into our pillars that we monitor, right?
Every month we're saying, Hey, how are we doing on this?
Are we moving the ball forward?
We have listening sessions with our patients.
We listen to their concerns.
Um, we're trying to take our view
of the patient experience from more of a, um,
how do you say, like a rear view mirror view.
Like, oh wow, we, we did this patient
who came here two months ago didn't have a,
a great experience to her front view out the windshield
where we say real time, how was the patient in room
1500 doing?
Is he or she having a good experience?
You know, we're building in some real time metrics
and ability for that patient to say, wow, my food was cold.
Or, Hey, you know, this didn't go quite right,
and within five to 10 minutes, we want to be in that room
and we wanna make it right for the patient.
Anybody who entrusts you with their care deserves the best
that we can possibly give them.
And so we're really committed to that.
And that's what excites me about this organization, St.
Luke's, that there's such a passion for people here.
And, you know, I've worked in a lot of different places
and, you know, with a lot of different, uh,
healthcare systems and structures,
and this is not to speak ill or negative of them at all,
but for me, and what I was looking for, the people here
that really, in my opinion, are just solely focused on
that patient and their experience.
And man, that could be your mother.
That could be your brother, that could be your child,
your best friend in the hospital.
And they get that and they want to say, okay, what do I need
to do to make sure that this person knows I got you,
you're well cared for,
we're gonna find out what's going on for you.
It's, it's a, i I know it sounds probably a little corny,
Laura, but it, it really just lights my fire, so to speak.
And, uh, I'm super excited to be here
and I, I feel very confident that over the next two
to four years, people are going to start to hear about St.
Luke's in St. Louis, right?
That we're gonna start to do some things
that are really innovative, that really are impactful
and, you know, our goals are big
and we want to be able to impact the larger,
broader healthcare system and take these ideas
and share them across the board so
that everybody gets great care.
That's kind of where we're at.
It's, it's an exciting time and a great time to be here.
- Absolutely. I love that mantra
and definitely, you know, excited to see how things grow.
Um, really quick here
before we wrap up, as you're talking through all of these
transformational changes and really, um,
some exciting things going on, I'm wondering
what from your perspective will the most effective
healthcare leaders need in order
to be successful over the next two to three years?
- You know, the healthcare landscape has really changed
and it's evolved at an unprecedented pace, really.
But what hasn't changed are those timeless qualities
that make a leader great.
You know, attributes like integrity, empathy, authenticity,
character, that's
what will make a leader great in both good and bad times.
You know, to me they have to be able to bring
that steady hand, a calm demeanor, you know,
they have a bright mind, but they're also flexible
and they're able to really work with those people
around them and inspire 'em.
And you know, the analogy I always think of is, okay,
if it's tough time in the market, you know, there's all kind
of raging storms about you.
You want to know from your leader that, Hey,
our ship is on course.
These tough times are temporary, better,
brighter days are ahead.
You know, don't worry about the fact
that the boat is swaying in the swell
of this recent business cycle.
Got a steady hand at the helm,
we're gonna hit our destination and where we want to go.
So it's almost like we don't have
to reinvent leadership.
We just have to remember what great leadership is
and make sure that we bring that
to our healthcare organizations so that our, the individuals
who work there and you know,
practice there can feel confident about the direction
and the vision of the organization.
And if we do that, I really believe we will emerge stronger,
more resilient, just robust organizations on the back end
of some of this kind of turbulent times
that we're going through right now.
So me, whatever we do today
as a leader, a strong leader will help us
be successful tomorrow.
And I would encourage everybody to just
rely on those timeless values
and qualities that make a leader,
somebody you would like to follow yourself.
- I love that. Scott, thank you so much
for joining us on the podcast today.
This has been such a fascinating discussion
and I look forward to connecting with you again soon,
- Laura.
I really appreciate it,
and for the opportunity to kind of tell our story.
And again, keep up the great work, work at Becker's.
You know, you guys are awesome.