1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,279 The Becker's team is excited to announce the 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,160 launch of our new CFO and Revenue Cycle 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:06,660 podcast. 4 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,240 Tune in for conversations with finance experts from 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,119 the top hospitals and health systems. We'll discuss 6 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:15,679 key trends and ideas to drive meaningful change 7 00:00:15,679 --> 00:00:18,855 in the industry. Look for Becker's CFO and 8 00:00:18,855 --> 00:00:21,995 revenue cycle podcast wherever you listen to episodes. 9 00:00:25,015 --> 00:00:27,175 This is Laura Dierdahl with the Becker's Healthcare 10 00:00:27,175 --> 00:00:27,675 podcast. 11 00:00:28,054 --> 00:00:29,414 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Richard 12 00:00:29,414 --> 00:00:32,190 Clark, senior vice president and chief analytics officer 13 00:00:32,190 --> 00:00:34,190 at Highmark Health. Richard, it's a pleasure to 14 00:00:34,190 --> 00:00:35,649 have you on the podcast today. 15 00:00:36,270 --> 00:00:38,130 Yeah, Laurel. Thanks so much for having me. 16 00:00:38,510 --> 00:00:40,670 Now I'm excited to hear more about some 17 00:00:40,670 --> 00:00:42,190 of the cool things you're doing at Highmark 18 00:00:42,190 --> 00:00:44,030 Health. I know, you're in such a a 19 00:00:44,030 --> 00:00:46,109 unique position and unique market as well there 20 00:00:46,109 --> 00:00:48,164 at Pittsburgh. But before we dive in, I'm 21 00:00:48,164 --> 00:00:49,524 wondering, can you tell us just a little 22 00:00:49,524 --> 00:00:51,204 bit more about Highmark Health and what makes 23 00:00:51,204 --> 00:00:51,945 it unique? 24 00:00:52,804 --> 00:00:55,684 Yeah. I'd be, more than happy to. You 25 00:00:55,684 --> 00:00:58,104 know, Highmark Health is a integrated, 26 00:00:58,965 --> 00:01:00,965 health services company, and, you know, I think 27 00:01:00,965 --> 00:01:02,324 one of the things that makes us unique 28 00:01:02,324 --> 00:01:04,719 is with, the the different assets that we 29 00:01:04,719 --> 00:01:07,219 have. Right? So we have Allian Health Network, 30 00:01:07,599 --> 00:01:10,560 which is a network of 14 hospitals, ambulatory 31 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,200 surgery centers, health and wellness pavilions, and employed 32 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,180 physician organization, 33 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,885 many other assets. We have, of course, our 34 00:01:16,885 --> 00:01:18,505 blue branded health plan, 35 00:01:19,204 --> 00:01:21,525 with over 5,000,000 members, and we have a 36 00:01:21,525 --> 00:01:25,204 number of diversified businesses. Our, national dental business 37 00:01:25,204 --> 00:01:26,564 stop loss, our, 38 00:01:27,045 --> 00:01:30,165 technology company engine, and, really, that just leads 39 00:01:30,165 --> 00:01:31,145 to so many, 40 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:32,340 opportunities 41 00:01:32,799 --> 00:01:33,299 to, 42 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,359 serve members, to improve health, to investigate and 43 00:01:37,359 --> 00:01:37,859 understand, 44 00:01:38,879 --> 00:01:42,159 how different interventions lead to positive outcomes, to 45 00:01:42,159 --> 00:01:42,659 experiment, 46 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,015 and, really, overall to, you know, achieve the 47 00:01:46,015 --> 00:01:48,334 goals of living health, our strategy, which is 48 00:01:48,334 --> 00:01:51,055 really creating more health and creating more affordable 49 00:01:51,055 --> 00:01:51,555 care. 50 00:01:52,575 --> 00:01:54,415 Well, that's amazing to hear. I know there's 51 00:01:54,415 --> 00:01:56,094 so much, to be done in in that 52 00:01:56,094 --> 00:01:58,334 space and finding the best quality as well 53 00:01:58,334 --> 00:02:00,540 as being cost efficient. Now in looking in 54 00:02:00,540 --> 00:02:02,540 the last year or so, what accomplishment are 55 00:02:02,540 --> 00:02:04,000 you most proud of? 56 00:02:04,939 --> 00:02:06,700 Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna cheat a little 57 00:02:06,700 --> 00:02:09,340 bit and give you, give you two. So, 58 00:02:09,580 --> 00:02:11,759 you know, one really gets at that intersection 59 00:02:12,060 --> 00:02:14,625 of payer and provider and, you know, Allegheny 60 00:02:14,625 --> 00:02:17,125 Health Network in kind of the context of 61 00:02:17,264 --> 00:02:19,745 Highmark Health is really our living laboratory for 62 00:02:19,745 --> 00:02:21,745 our strategy. And, you know, we're doing a 63 00:02:21,745 --> 00:02:24,064 ton of work to just investigate how payer 64 00:02:24,064 --> 00:02:26,865 and providers can collaborate together to kind of 65 00:02:26,865 --> 00:02:28,784 do exactly like you just said. Right? Really 66 00:02:28,784 --> 00:02:29,547 meet that quintuple aim, 67 00:02:30,550 --> 00:02:31,610 aim, and deliver, 68 00:02:32,150 --> 00:02:33,989 you know, care that is high quality, more 69 00:02:33,989 --> 00:02:34,969 affordable, equitable, 70 00:02:35,830 --> 00:02:37,430 etcetera. And, you know, one of the things 71 00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:39,030 in that vein that we're really proud of 72 00:02:39,030 --> 00:02:40,729 is we implemented a, 73 00:02:41,110 --> 00:02:43,830 quality and shared risk program between our health 74 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:45,745 plan and LA health network. 75 00:02:46,284 --> 00:02:47,965 Last year, it's, you know, one of the 76 00:02:47,965 --> 00:02:49,644 larger ones that we're aware of. It's, you 77 00:02:49,644 --> 00:02:51,905 know, serves over 350,000, 78 00:02:52,604 --> 00:02:54,305 members across every segment, 79 00:02:54,924 --> 00:02:57,504 a commercial ASO, fully insured Medicare, 80 00:02:58,044 --> 00:03:00,539 ACA, etcetera. We've just been learning so much 81 00:03:01,019 --> 00:03:03,659 around the integrated economics, how to use that 82 00:03:03,659 --> 00:03:04,719 blended data, 83 00:03:05,419 --> 00:03:07,819 across payer and provider to lead to more 84 00:03:07,819 --> 00:03:08,719 actual information, 85 00:03:09,180 --> 00:03:11,280 earlier interventions, and ultimately, 86 00:03:12,299 --> 00:03:14,925 achieve just a better outcome for our patients. 87 00:03:15,325 --> 00:03:17,485 So that's been one that has been a 88 00:03:17,485 --> 00:03:18,305 real journey, 89 00:03:18,925 --> 00:03:20,705 in terms of learning and, 90 00:03:21,405 --> 00:03:22,064 you know, 91 00:03:22,365 --> 00:03:24,044 really excited about what that, 92 00:03:24,844 --> 00:03:26,365 means, not only for the, 93 00:03:27,349 --> 00:03:28,329 payer and provider, 94 00:03:29,669 --> 00:03:31,430 Highmark and Alligator Health Network, but how we 95 00:03:31,430 --> 00:03:33,189 can also then take that out to other, 96 00:03:33,509 --> 00:03:34,650 provider partners, 97 00:03:35,030 --> 00:03:37,509 of ours. And then the second is really 98 00:03:37,509 --> 00:03:39,955 all about generative AI and the work that 99 00:03:39,955 --> 00:03:40,435 we've, 100 00:03:40,914 --> 00:03:42,775 been doing there, particularly around 101 00:03:43,155 --> 00:03:44,215 the broad adoption, 102 00:03:45,155 --> 00:03:47,474 of AI across our enterprise. You know, we, 103 00:03:47,875 --> 00:03:48,534 we have 104 00:03:49,314 --> 00:03:51,074 a AI center of excellence here that we're 105 00:03:51,074 --> 00:03:53,555 really focused on making kind of, AI the 106 00:03:53,555 --> 00:03:54,294 easy button, 107 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,919 within our our company. And, there's lots of 108 00:03:57,919 --> 00:04:01,120 exciting things going on from large scale solutions, 109 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,520 like the ambient listening technology that we've been 110 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,580 rolling out across Allegheny Health Network to improve, 111 00:04:07,525 --> 00:04:08,584 you know, the clinicians, 112 00:04:09,205 --> 00:04:10,604 day to day work and kind of bring 113 00:04:10,604 --> 00:04:12,185 a lot of joy back to practice, 114 00:04:12,644 --> 00:04:13,305 but also, 115 00:04:13,685 --> 00:04:15,784 the rollout of our at scale, 116 00:04:16,725 --> 00:04:19,509 secure generative AI solution we call Sidekick, 117 00:04:19,970 --> 00:04:22,689 for every single one of our 50,000 employees, 118 00:04:22,689 --> 00:04:24,769 and that's just been amazing. We have, 119 00:04:25,410 --> 00:04:26,629 over 10,000 120 00:04:26,850 --> 00:04:29,329 active users on our internal platform. We just 121 00:04:29,329 --> 00:04:29,829 surpassed 122 00:04:30,129 --> 00:04:31,110 the 1,000,000, 123 00:04:31,970 --> 00:04:32,415 prompt, 124 00:04:33,375 --> 00:04:33,875 submitted, 125 00:04:34,335 --> 00:04:36,675 threshold. And, you know, we've been out training 126 00:04:37,134 --> 00:04:38,514 thousands of our employees 127 00:04:39,375 --> 00:04:40,835 on prompt engineering, 128 00:04:41,295 --> 00:04:42,574 how to use these tools, 129 00:04:42,975 --> 00:04:45,789 every single director and up, we spent time 130 00:04:45,789 --> 00:04:47,470 with. And just as as my time at 131 00:04:47,470 --> 00:04:49,550 the company, I've I've never had so many 132 00:04:49,550 --> 00:04:51,389 people stop me in the elevator or stop 133 00:04:51,389 --> 00:04:52,750 me in the hall and tell me some 134 00:04:52,750 --> 00:04:55,490 new cool way, that they're using this technology 135 00:04:55,789 --> 00:04:58,430 to to create efficiencies to better serve our 136 00:04:58,430 --> 00:05:00,289 patients and members, and it's just been 137 00:05:00,634 --> 00:05:02,095 just such an exciting time. 138 00:05:03,194 --> 00:05:05,194 That's amazing to hear. You know? And what 139 00:05:05,194 --> 00:05:06,875 a a really cool way that you are 140 00:05:06,875 --> 00:05:09,754 able to, weave generative AI into the things 141 00:05:09,754 --> 00:05:11,355 you're doing every day to make life easier 142 00:05:11,355 --> 00:05:12,175 for the clinicians. 143 00:05:12,475 --> 00:05:14,490 And it it seems like as well, the 144 00:05:14,569 --> 00:05:17,069 patient journey is more efficient. And I'm curious, 145 00:05:17,610 --> 00:05:19,370 when you look at, you know, that, 146 00:05:19,849 --> 00:05:21,849 unique position you have as you were talking 147 00:05:21,849 --> 00:05:23,930 about that intersection of being a payer and 148 00:05:23,930 --> 00:05:24,430 provider, 149 00:05:25,370 --> 00:05:27,045 in in going more towards that, 150 00:05:27,685 --> 00:05:29,465 quality based shared risk programs. 151 00:05:30,085 --> 00:05:31,764 Is there something that you can share with 152 00:05:31,764 --> 00:05:33,444 us that you've really learned over the last 153 00:05:33,444 --> 00:05:34,004 few years, 154 00:05:34,645 --> 00:05:35,925 that could, you know, really, 155 00:05:36,725 --> 00:05:39,365 has helped you find that the right note 156 00:05:39,365 --> 00:05:41,360 or or strike the right path, in terms 157 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,439 of, you know, how you're thinking about care 158 00:05:43,439 --> 00:05:45,040 delivery and the type of data that you're 159 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:45,939 collecting and 160 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:46,879 ways that, 161 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,080 you are bridging that into the patient care 162 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,080 that our clinicians are delivering on a daily 163 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:52,580 basis? 164 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,345 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, well, we could have 165 00:05:55,345 --> 00:05:57,264 a really long conversation on that because I'll 166 00:05:57,264 --> 00:05:58,704 tell you there's a lot there. But I 167 00:05:58,704 --> 00:06:00,544 I would just offer two things. Right? You 168 00:06:00,544 --> 00:06:01,044 know, 169 00:06:01,824 --> 00:06:02,564 first is, 170 00:06:02,865 --> 00:06:04,865 you know, payers and providers, frankly, they just 171 00:06:04,865 --> 00:06:06,784 speak different languages. Right? And so we've been 172 00:06:06,784 --> 00:06:09,284 spending a lot of time just educating 173 00:06:09,819 --> 00:06:12,379 kind of both sides of that, but also 174 00:06:12,379 --> 00:06:14,540 making sure that the data can sync. And, 175 00:06:14,540 --> 00:06:16,480 you know, conceptually, it sounds easy, 176 00:06:16,860 --> 00:06:18,319 but really understanding 177 00:06:18,779 --> 00:06:21,339 how some of that faster moving clinical data 178 00:06:21,339 --> 00:06:22,560 inside of the EMR 179 00:06:22,939 --> 00:06:25,064 then relates to what ultimately, 180 00:06:25,845 --> 00:06:28,004 we see in terms of the cost of 181 00:06:28,004 --> 00:06:30,245 care inside of these value based programs is 182 00:06:30,245 --> 00:06:31,925 not as easy as you think. It's actually 183 00:06:31,925 --> 00:06:32,665 really hard, 184 00:06:33,605 --> 00:06:36,264 but it's also really worthwhile because ultimately 185 00:06:36,805 --> 00:06:38,345 what we want to get to, 186 00:06:39,050 --> 00:06:41,129 as, you know, our kind of head of, 187 00:06:41,529 --> 00:06:43,449 Alligator Health Network tells me all the time, 188 00:06:43,449 --> 00:06:45,529 which I totally understand is, you know, we 189 00:06:45,529 --> 00:06:48,910 want the fast moving clinical data to inform 190 00:06:48,970 --> 00:06:51,050 the actions that we want to take, and 191 00:06:51,050 --> 00:06:52,189 then we want the 192 00:06:52,535 --> 00:06:54,555 claims data to ultimately confirm 193 00:06:55,014 --> 00:06:57,095 that those actions are leading to that goal 194 00:06:57,095 --> 00:06:59,834 of more, higher quality, lower, 195 00:07:00,774 --> 00:07:03,095 you know, cost care. And, you know, that's 196 00:07:03,095 --> 00:07:05,129 been a journey. We've learned a lot, you 197 00:07:05,129 --> 00:07:07,050 know, for sure. And then the second thing 198 00:07:07,050 --> 00:07:08,889 is, you know, it at the end of 199 00:07:08,889 --> 00:07:10,029 day, it's all about workflow. 200 00:07:10,410 --> 00:07:11,850 Right? And it's like, how do you get 201 00:07:11,850 --> 00:07:15,289 into that workflow in the most seamless and 202 00:07:15,289 --> 00:07:16,589 easiest way possible 203 00:07:17,050 --> 00:07:19,735 so that we can drive adoption frontline. And, 204 00:07:19,735 --> 00:07:21,735 and we're just not in a position nor 205 00:07:21,735 --> 00:07:23,194 should we be to add any 206 00:07:23,654 --> 00:07:26,055 administrative burden. In fact, we have to take 207 00:07:26,055 --> 00:07:28,055 it off of the providers, but we have 208 00:07:28,055 --> 00:07:30,055 to do so in a way that also 209 00:07:30,055 --> 00:07:32,759 allows us to give them the insights they 210 00:07:32,759 --> 00:07:34,860 need inside of these, quality, 211 00:07:35,639 --> 00:07:37,560 you know, and risk programs so that they 212 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,579 can achieve those better outcomes. 213 00:07:40,759 --> 00:07:42,360 That's amazing to hear. You know? And it 214 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:44,504 really, really fascinating to think about, 215 00:07:44,904 --> 00:07:47,545 you know, aligning the different elements and size 216 00:07:47,545 --> 00:07:49,944 of the provider, the payer, bringing them together, 217 00:07:49,944 --> 00:07:52,524 and then, coming to that kind of, 218 00:07:53,785 --> 00:07:55,545 space where you're able to work together to 219 00:07:55,545 --> 00:07:57,944 align in a a meaningful way. Now looking 220 00:07:57,944 --> 00:07:59,305 ahead, where do you see some of the 221 00:07:59,305 --> 00:08:00,285 big growth opportunities 222 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:02,000 for your team in the next twelve months 223 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:02,740 or so? 224 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,279 Yeah. You know, there there there's a lot. 225 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,860 I'll I'll just highlight a couple that I'm 226 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,420 really excited about. You know, first is, 227 00:08:10,879 --> 00:08:12,100 you know, I I'm 228 00:08:13,314 --> 00:08:15,955 excited to see just really the huge value 229 00:08:15,955 --> 00:08:18,694 realization from the scaled use of generative AI. 230 00:08:19,475 --> 00:08:22,355 You know, we've seen it in a lot 231 00:08:22,355 --> 00:08:25,634 of early areas of adoption. We've seen it 232 00:08:25,634 --> 00:08:27,095 in a lot of the pilots, 233 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:29,759 and we're seeing it in, 234 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:32,480 starting to to be at scale. And it's 235 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,500 gonna happen. It's gonna happen for our clinicians, 236 00:08:34,879 --> 00:08:37,120 certainly in the area of software developers and 237 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,134 certainly in the area of our contact centers, 238 00:08:39,855 --> 00:08:42,915 really that kind of, you know, scaled impact. 239 00:08:43,375 --> 00:08:45,554 You know, I think the second is, 240 00:08:46,254 --> 00:08:48,415 you know, really how it kinda continues to 241 00:08:48,415 --> 00:08:51,794 streamline our hospital operations leading to more efficient 242 00:08:52,174 --> 00:08:54,700 care and really allowing clinicians to work at 243 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:56,639 the top of their license. We're liberating, 244 00:08:57,019 --> 00:08:58,240 you know, many hours, 245 00:08:58,860 --> 00:09:00,940 for our clinical staff by taking away some 246 00:09:00,940 --> 00:09:01,600 of that, 247 00:09:02,139 --> 00:09:04,160 administrative burden, and I'm excited 248 00:09:04,540 --> 00:09:05,355 to see that, 249 00:09:05,754 --> 00:09:07,914 you know, continue. And then I think the 250 00:09:07,914 --> 00:09:10,475 next wave of innovation is, of course, what 251 00:09:10,475 --> 00:09:12,975 everyone is talking about, agentic workflow. 252 00:09:13,355 --> 00:09:15,514 And, you know, we're excited about that. We've 253 00:09:15,514 --> 00:09:18,495 launched our first kinda single use agent. 254 00:09:19,034 --> 00:09:20,309 We're really exploring, 255 00:09:20,690 --> 00:09:22,610 you know, not only the technical aspects of 256 00:09:22,610 --> 00:09:24,290 what has to be true to have a 257 00:09:24,290 --> 00:09:27,670 broader ecosystem agents that are orchestrated against tasks, 258 00:09:27,809 --> 00:09:29,809 but also the people aspects of that. 259 00:09:30,290 --> 00:09:32,629 Not only, you know, building them within 260 00:09:33,009 --> 00:09:35,485 the AI center of excellence, but really enabling 261 00:09:35,945 --> 00:09:38,285 a broad swath of our, enterprise 262 00:09:38,985 --> 00:09:40,205 to be reimagining 263 00:09:40,745 --> 00:09:41,245 processes, 264 00:09:41,865 --> 00:09:42,684 and workflows, 265 00:09:43,625 --> 00:09:46,825 using AI as, you know, another piece of 266 00:09:46,825 --> 00:09:48,840 the workforce. And that's gonna be the next, 267 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:50,779 you know, big step forward, 268 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,399 that, again, is gonna be a a real 269 00:09:53,399 --> 00:09:55,500 source of growth and impact for us. 270 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:57,340 Fascinating 271 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:58,920 to hear. I think it's just, 272 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,059 seems so critical to find that right technology. 273 00:10:02,519 --> 00:10:06,095 And interesting that you mentioned the agentic workforce 274 00:10:06,095 --> 00:10:06,735 is something, 275 00:10:07,695 --> 00:10:09,774 honestly, I've just been starting to write about 276 00:10:09,774 --> 00:10:10,174 on the, 277 00:10:10,894 --> 00:10:13,215 the the digital side as well, and it 278 00:10:13,215 --> 00:10:15,134 it seems like so many opportunities, some really, 279 00:10:15,134 --> 00:10:17,215 really cool things that you're able to do 280 00:10:17,215 --> 00:10:19,230 once you have the technology and learn how 281 00:10:19,230 --> 00:10:20,610 to harness it in the right way. 282 00:10:21,070 --> 00:10:22,589 How do you make sure you're making the 283 00:10:22,589 --> 00:10:23,409 right investments, 284 00:10:24,029 --> 00:10:26,769 especially with so many different technologies and companies 285 00:10:27,070 --> 00:10:28,129 coming out with applications, 286 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:29,250 that, 287 00:10:29,709 --> 00:10:31,870 you know, promise big things? How do you 288 00:10:31,870 --> 00:10:33,207 know that it's gonna have the right return 289 00:10:33,207 --> 00:10:34,299 for the type of investment that you need? 290 00:10:34,634 --> 00:10:35,615 Investment that you need? 291 00:10:36,315 --> 00:10:37,835 Yeah. You know, it's a great question. I 292 00:10:37,835 --> 00:10:39,774 think ROI is becoming an increasing, 293 00:10:40,555 --> 00:10:43,195 you know, topic of conversation, you know, for 294 00:10:43,195 --> 00:10:43,695 sure. 295 00:10:44,794 --> 00:10:46,154 In some ways, I feel like, you know, 296 00:10:46,154 --> 00:10:47,455 we've been lucky. We we, 297 00:10:48,075 --> 00:10:51,089 invested in our secure Google Cloud platform in 298 00:10:51,089 --> 00:10:53,329 late twenty twenty with a strategic partnership with 299 00:10:53,329 --> 00:10:56,049 them. So that enabled us to really move 300 00:10:56,049 --> 00:10:56,549 quickly 301 00:10:57,009 --> 00:10:58,389 in terms of feeling confident 302 00:10:58,929 --> 00:11:00,629 that we could turn on, 303 00:11:01,490 --> 00:11:03,570 you know, some of these, you know, generative 304 00:11:03,570 --> 00:11:05,024 AI solutions and connect them 305 00:11:05,425 --> 00:11:06,785 safely and securely to our data. So we've 306 00:11:06,785 --> 00:11:07,825 been doing a lot of that. And in 307 00:11:07,825 --> 00:11:10,384 those spaces, I guess, I'm in some ways 308 00:11:10,384 --> 00:11:13,264 less worried about whether or not this particular 309 00:11:13,264 --> 00:11:15,524 use is the absolute highest ROI 310 00:11:15,985 --> 00:11:17,904 use case. You know? We we see huge 311 00:11:17,904 --> 00:11:20,529 strategic value in, you know, a broad swath 312 00:11:20,529 --> 00:11:22,610 of our workforce, learning how to talk to 313 00:11:22,610 --> 00:11:25,730 machines, getting very used to prompting, getting very 314 00:11:25,730 --> 00:11:28,210 used to incorporating an AI assistant into their 315 00:11:28,210 --> 00:11:30,769 work. I think when when it comes to, 316 00:11:30,769 --> 00:11:32,230 you know, selecting additional, 317 00:11:32,745 --> 00:11:34,524 you know, fit for purpose, 318 00:11:35,065 --> 00:11:37,065 partners for some of those solutions, we're being 319 00:11:37,065 --> 00:11:39,304 very intentional. You know, I mentioned the ambient 320 00:11:39,304 --> 00:11:39,804 listening 321 00:11:40,345 --> 00:11:42,904 component for our, you know, clinicians. We have 322 00:11:42,904 --> 00:11:45,065 a we've been running a pilot with, you 323 00:11:45,065 --> 00:11:47,964 know, nearly 500 clinicians with several different, 324 00:11:49,050 --> 00:11:49,550 potential 325 00:11:49,930 --> 00:11:52,250 Ambient partners in all sorts of different settings, 326 00:11:52,250 --> 00:11:55,850 right, inpatient and ambulatory, etcetera, to make sure 327 00:11:55,850 --> 00:11:56,670 that we are 328 00:11:57,129 --> 00:11:58,889 selecting. But then I would also say at 329 00:11:58,889 --> 00:12:00,490 the end of the day, making sure that 330 00:12:00,490 --> 00:12:01,149 we are 331 00:12:01,924 --> 00:12:04,904 working hard on our ecosystem to allow for, 332 00:12:05,764 --> 00:12:09,225 onboarding of new options, integration of new solutions, 333 00:12:09,524 --> 00:12:11,764 building, making sure the build by decision isn't 334 00:12:11,764 --> 00:12:13,684 like a binary one that can never be 335 00:12:13,684 --> 00:12:16,345 revisited because everything is changing so quickly 336 00:12:16,725 --> 00:12:18,710 that to think that you can, like, pick 337 00:12:18,710 --> 00:12:21,029 today and be perfect is is a fool's 338 00:12:21,029 --> 00:12:22,629 errand. Right? I think you just have to 339 00:12:22,629 --> 00:12:25,509 acknowledge that, you know, innovation is moving so 340 00:12:25,509 --> 00:12:27,830 quickly. And so being able to have a 341 00:12:27,830 --> 00:12:28,666 eco innovation ecosystem that allows for experimentation, rapidly 342 00:12:28,666 --> 00:12:29,769 moving, you know, solutions in 343 00:12:34,245 --> 00:12:36,424 you know, solutions in and out of the, 344 00:12:37,204 --> 00:12:39,605 of the ecosystem, not only technologically, but also 345 00:12:39,605 --> 00:12:42,164 in terms of the contracting that has to 346 00:12:42,164 --> 00:12:44,004 come with that, etcetera, is is just really 347 00:12:44,004 --> 00:12:44,504 important. 348 00:12:45,410 --> 00:12:46,930 Makes a lot of sense. I I appreciate 349 00:12:46,930 --> 00:12:48,610 the insights there and, you know, a lot 350 00:12:48,610 --> 00:12:51,450 of opportunities ahead. Really fascinating to see some 351 00:12:51,450 --> 00:12:52,930 of the cool things that are coming down 352 00:12:52,930 --> 00:12:55,090 the pipe, but I know there are headwinds 353 00:12:55,090 --> 00:12:56,450 as well. Some what are some of the 354 00:12:56,450 --> 00:12:58,610 big challenges that you're anticipating and starting to 355 00:12:58,610 --> 00:12:59,509 navigate through? 356 00:13:00,384 --> 00:13:02,884 Yeah. You know, with any large scale transformation, 357 00:13:02,944 --> 00:13:04,784 and that's exactly what this is. Right? This 358 00:13:04,784 --> 00:13:05,764 is kind of digital 359 00:13:06,065 --> 00:13:08,625 kind of AI transformation at scale. There's always 360 00:13:08,625 --> 00:13:09,764 a bunch of, 361 00:13:10,304 --> 00:13:11,444 you know, of challenges. 362 00:13:11,985 --> 00:13:13,904 Obviously, a lot of opportunity too, but but 363 00:13:13,904 --> 00:13:15,909 I would highlight two here. Right? One one 364 00:13:15,909 --> 00:13:18,089 is, you know, the kind 365 00:13:18,470 --> 00:13:21,029 of the challenge that is always present. And 366 00:13:21,029 --> 00:13:24,070 just because it's, generative AI now, it's really 367 00:13:24,070 --> 00:13:26,089 no different, and and that's behavior change. 368 00:13:26,389 --> 00:13:27,429 You know, at the end of the day, 369 00:13:27,429 --> 00:13:30,044 we're talking about people and at 370 00:13:30,924 --> 00:13:33,804 scale creating behavior change, both of our, staff 371 00:13:33,804 --> 00:13:35,644 internally that are working on this, but also 372 00:13:35,644 --> 00:13:38,044 then our members and patients to, to get 373 00:13:38,044 --> 00:13:39,725 to kind of more health. Right? And so 374 00:13:39,725 --> 00:13:41,964 that's hard, and that requires a lot of 375 00:13:41,964 --> 00:13:43,105 thought around incentives, 376 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:45,460 around structures, 377 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:47,620 you know, around, 378 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,419 you know, how we frame and deliver information. 379 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,620 So there's a huge change management comport component 380 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:54,659 of this, 381 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:56,715 that we think a lot about. In fact, 382 00:13:57,115 --> 00:13:57,855 you know, the 383 00:13:58,315 --> 00:14:00,875 my lead of our AI program, that's that's 384 00:14:00,875 --> 00:14:03,195 her background is really around change and around 385 00:14:03,195 --> 00:14:04,095 change management. 386 00:14:04,555 --> 00:14:06,154 And then the second, of course, is the 387 00:14:06,235 --> 00:14:08,715 just the business environment. Right? It is, there's 388 00:14:08,715 --> 00:14:09,535 a lot of, 389 00:14:10,075 --> 00:14:11,929 near terms pressures. There's a lot of headwinds. 390 00:14:12,149 --> 00:14:13,750 There are a lot of challenges in the 391 00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:16,629 environment right now. And so how we serve 392 00:14:16,629 --> 00:14:18,410 that dual mission of, 393 00:14:18,870 --> 00:14:19,929 you know, creating, 394 00:14:20,710 --> 00:14:23,110 near term business impact while still investing kinda, 395 00:14:23,110 --> 00:14:24,945 quote, unquote, through the cycle, if you will, 396 00:14:24,945 --> 00:14:26,304 to make sure that we can kinda get 397 00:14:26,304 --> 00:14:28,865 to those longer term, you know, strategies and 398 00:14:28,865 --> 00:14:30,245 successes is really important. 399 00:14:31,024 --> 00:14:32,725 And that comes down to just, 400 00:14:33,424 --> 00:14:34,804 you know, really good prioritization, 401 00:14:35,345 --> 00:14:36,804 really good thoughts around, 402 00:14:37,184 --> 00:14:38,565 again, balancing strategy 403 00:14:38,945 --> 00:14:40,410 and some of the near term execution, 404 00:14:41,509 --> 00:14:43,350 but certainly does make this a little harder 405 00:14:43,350 --> 00:14:45,110 than maybe trying to do it when there 406 00:14:45,110 --> 00:14:46,169 were fewer pressures. 407 00:14:47,269 --> 00:14:49,029 Absolutely. I think that makes a lot of 408 00:14:49,029 --> 00:14:51,910 sense, and and really helpful to think through 409 00:14:51,910 --> 00:14:54,009 that near versus long term strategies. 410 00:14:55,095 --> 00:14:56,615 How do you balance both of those with 411 00:14:56,615 --> 00:14:58,375 yourself as well as your teams in keeping, 412 00:14:58,375 --> 00:14:59,894 you know, the main thing the main thing, 413 00:14:59,894 --> 00:15:01,814 but not losing sight of where you're going 414 00:15:01,814 --> 00:15:02,475 as well? 415 00:15:03,414 --> 00:15:05,834 Yeah. You know, it it it's like communication, 416 00:15:05,975 --> 00:15:06,725 communication, communication. 417 00:15:08,709 --> 00:15:10,649 Right? You know, we really, you know, value, 418 00:15:11,110 --> 00:15:13,589 you know, the interactions and the ability to 419 00:15:13,589 --> 00:15:15,350 have that and, you know, doing our absolute 420 00:15:15,350 --> 00:15:16,970 best to create a flat organization, 421 00:15:17,990 --> 00:15:18,889 where we're bringing, 422 00:15:19,284 --> 00:15:21,365 you know, cross functional teams together. You know, 423 00:15:21,365 --> 00:15:23,284 there there is nothing that I've done in 424 00:15:23,284 --> 00:15:23,945 my career 425 00:15:24,404 --> 00:15:26,565 that is more cross functional than, you know, 426 00:15:26,565 --> 00:15:29,065 this AI work recently. It truly requires 427 00:15:29,845 --> 00:15:31,384 all aspects of the organization, 428 00:15:32,004 --> 00:15:32,504 operations, 429 00:15:33,365 --> 00:15:33,865 IT, 430 00:15:34,529 --> 00:15:37,669 the, you know, advanced analytics teams, legal, compliance, 431 00:15:38,929 --> 00:15:40,870 you know, you name it to come together 432 00:15:41,009 --> 00:15:42,949 to figure out how to make this work. 433 00:15:43,009 --> 00:15:43,509 And, 434 00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:45,649 you know, the good news on that is 435 00:15:45,649 --> 00:15:47,144 we're building all sorts of new, 436 00:15:47,705 --> 00:15:49,384 strong relationships because the best way to do 437 00:15:49,384 --> 00:15:51,304 that is, you know, do hard things together. 438 00:15:51,304 --> 00:15:53,404 You know? But it's also everyone learning, 439 00:15:54,264 --> 00:15:56,985 you know, different components of the organization that 440 00:15:56,985 --> 00:15:58,585 maybe they didn't see as much before. So 441 00:15:58,585 --> 00:15:59,725 I think that's a big, 442 00:16:00,504 --> 00:16:02,279 piece of it. And then it is just, 443 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:04,620 you know, a lot of grit and frankly 444 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,399 continued focus because it's also hard and you 445 00:16:07,399 --> 00:16:08,379 can't get distracted 446 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,000 just because maybe it didn't work in the 447 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,340 second or in this moment. Right. And just 448 00:16:13,399 --> 00:16:15,480 the determination to say no, but we do 449 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:15,622 think the future direction is clear. And, you 450 00:16:15,622 --> 00:16:16,934 know, as the 451 00:16:18,134 --> 00:16:20,534 And, you know, as, David Holmberg, our CEO, 452 00:16:20,534 --> 00:16:21,894 says all the time, the strategy is a 453 00:16:21,894 --> 00:16:23,514 series of s curves, and we're certainly 454 00:16:23,894 --> 00:16:26,215 navigating one of those s curves, you know, 455 00:16:26,215 --> 00:16:27,894 right now, but we have to keep our 456 00:16:27,894 --> 00:16:29,654 eyes towards that, you know, that end goal 457 00:16:29,654 --> 00:16:30,394 of delivering, 458 00:16:30,774 --> 00:16:33,009 you know, more health and more affordability for 459 00:16:33,009 --> 00:16:34,230 the communities we serve. 460 00:16:35,170 --> 00:16:37,570 Really, really helpful advice. Thank you again so 461 00:16:37,570 --> 00:16:37,970 much, 462 00:16:38,529 --> 00:16:40,610 Richard. This has been amazing. Before we wrap 463 00:16:40,610 --> 00:16:42,610 up here, I'm wondering, what is the number 464 00:16:42,610 --> 00:16:44,129 one thing that you're doing right now to 465 00:16:44,129 --> 00:16:46,529 set yourself up for success in the long 466 00:16:46,529 --> 00:16:47,029 term? 467 00:16:48,034 --> 00:16:49,554 Yeah. It's a great question. I mean, I'm 468 00:16:49,554 --> 00:16:51,714 sure everyone has many of the things I've 469 00:16:51,714 --> 00:16:54,274 talked about on their strategic plans. Right? So 470 00:16:54,274 --> 00:16:55,254 I don't think we're, 471 00:16:56,115 --> 00:16:56,855 you know, 472 00:16:57,634 --> 00:16:59,315 you know, we're we're not we don't fool 473 00:16:59,315 --> 00:17:01,379 ourselves and think that we somehow are, you 474 00:17:01,379 --> 00:17:04,359 know, thinking about things that are necessarily different, 475 00:17:04,659 --> 00:17:06,419 than everyone else. I think what we really 476 00:17:06,419 --> 00:17:08,819 just focus on is, you know, how we're 477 00:17:08,819 --> 00:17:10,980 creating a culture of execution, a culture of 478 00:17:10,980 --> 00:17:14,179 continuous learning, and really building with people so 479 00:17:14,179 --> 00:17:14,565 that, 480 00:17:15,044 --> 00:17:18,004 it is a resilient organization that can can 481 00:17:18,004 --> 00:17:21,204 continue to react to change, continue to embrace 482 00:17:21,204 --> 00:17:23,924 change, to create, better outcomes. In the moment, 483 00:17:23,924 --> 00:17:25,365 we're doing that with a bunch of things 484 00:17:25,365 --> 00:17:26,904 we talked about here today. 485 00:17:27,579 --> 00:17:29,099 You know, but really for us, it's all 486 00:17:29,099 --> 00:17:30,000 about the model 487 00:17:30,379 --> 00:17:31,039 that we're, 488 00:17:31,500 --> 00:17:34,059 we're creating that hopefully will allow us to 489 00:17:34,059 --> 00:17:35,039 continue to 490 00:17:35,579 --> 00:17:38,139 embrace innovation, embrace change, and and, 491 00:17:38,859 --> 00:17:41,535 translate that to to more impact. Again, 492 00:17:42,075 --> 00:17:44,634 keeping the the customer at the center and 493 00:17:44,634 --> 00:17:46,955 saying, how can we create more more health, 494 00:17:46,955 --> 00:17:49,434 more affordability, more impact for that member? You 495 00:17:49,434 --> 00:17:51,434 know, I think that ultimately will will set 496 00:17:51,434 --> 00:17:52,095 us apart. 497 00:17:53,039 --> 00:17:54,799 That's amazing to hear. Richard, thank you so 498 00:17:54,799 --> 00:17:56,480 much for joining us on the podcast today. 499 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,720 This has been a fun discussion to have, 500 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,000 and I look forward to connecting with you 501 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,480 again soon. Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you so much. 502 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,179 This has been great. Really appreciate it.