1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,399 This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare 2 00:00:02,399 --> 00:00:02,899 podcast. 3 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:04,879 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Reed 4 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,759 Smith, chief consumer officer at Ardent Health. Reed, 5 00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:08,880 it's a pleasure to have you on the 6 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:09,779 podcast today. 7 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,719 Yeah. Thanks for having me. Now I'm excited 8 00:00:12,719 --> 00:00:15,015 to, have you in on this discussion because 9 00:00:15,175 --> 00:00:16,614 I know you're doing some really cool things 10 00:00:16,614 --> 00:00:18,855 at Ardent Health and certainly will be excited 11 00:00:18,855 --> 00:00:20,535 to learn more about how you're thinking about 12 00:00:20,535 --> 00:00:22,535 growth in the future as well. But before 13 00:00:22,535 --> 00:00:24,054 we dive in, I'm wondering, could you tell 14 00:00:24,054 --> 00:00:25,734 us a little bit more about Ardent Health 15 00:00:25,734 --> 00:00:27,195 and what makes it unique? 16 00:00:27,929 --> 00:00:30,570 Sure. Absolutely. So, yeah, Ardent Health, we're based, 17 00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:33,770 in Brentwood, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, but 18 00:00:33,770 --> 00:00:34,270 have, 19 00:00:34,890 --> 00:00:38,109 30 hospitals, another couple hundred sites of care, 20 00:00:38,729 --> 00:00:40,990 scattered around the country. We're in six states, 21 00:00:41,210 --> 00:00:42,350 eight different markets, 22 00:00:42,734 --> 00:00:43,234 and, 23 00:00:44,015 --> 00:00:44,754 and provide 24 00:00:45,134 --> 00:00:47,634 care to about 1,200,000, 25 00:00:48,015 --> 00:00:49,554 unique lives every year. 26 00:00:50,494 --> 00:00:52,655 Oh, it's amazing to hear. Certainly a big 27 00:00:52,655 --> 00:00:55,240 responsibility, but an important service to the broader 28 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,560 community. Now I'm wondering, could you talk a 29 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,960 little bit about, the accomplishments that you're most 30 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:01,739 proud of from the last year or so? 31 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,079 Absolutely. So, you know, in my in my 32 00:01:05,079 --> 00:01:08,280 role as we think about consumer centricity or 33 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:08,780 consumerism 34 00:01:09,079 --> 00:01:11,004 or however you wanna define that. 35 00:01:11,384 --> 00:01:13,884 You know, we're we're hyper focused on 36 00:01:14,424 --> 00:01:16,665 the needs of our communities, the needs of 37 00:01:16,665 --> 00:01:18,284 consumers that we serve. 38 00:01:18,825 --> 00:01:20,604 And I think, you know, for us, 39 00:01:20,905 --> 00:01:22,744 it's been really neat to see some of 40 00:01:22,744 --> 00:01:24,840 those advancements that we've been able to drive 41 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:25,340 forward, 42 00:01:25,879 --> 00:01:26,859 in these communities 43 00:01:27,159 --> 00:01:27,659 around, 44 00:01:28,359 --> 00:01:29,959 you know, trying to remove some of the 45 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:31,579 friction points for, 46 00:01:32,119 --> 00:01:34,379 for patients, for consumers as they 47 00:01:34,759 --> 00:01:38,039 search for care, schedule care, check-in for care, 48 00:01:38,039 --> 00:01:39,885 you know, things like that. Right? So, 49 00:01:40,365 --> 00:01:41,885 you know, trying to make it a little 50 00:01:41,885 --> 00:01:44,365 bit easier for folks, let it look like, 51 00:01:44,685 --> 00:01:47,025 the rest of their life to some degree. 52 00:01:47,484 --> 00:01:49,325 You know, how to use your mobile device, 53 00:01:49,325 --> 00:01:50,625 for example, to, 54 00:01:51,165 --> 00:01:53,905 not just search for care, but schedule online, 55 00:01:54,844 --> 00:01:55,825 check-in online, 56 00:01:56,420 --> 00:01:58,260 you know, join a wait list to look 57 00:01:58,260 --> 00:02:00,579 for an earlier appointment time, things like that. 58 00:02:00,579 --> 00:02:02,420 So we've been able to, 59 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:05,299 add some things, like a wait list and 60 00:02:05,299 --> 00:02:05,799 backfill 61 00:02:06,659 --> 00:02:09,060 opportunity for those that have scheduled care with 62 00:02:09,060 --> 00:02:11,025 us. We've seen folks move up their 63 00:02:11,504 --> 00:02:13,905 appointment time last year, an average of a 64 00:02:13,905 --> 00:02:15,444 little over twenty eight days, 65 00:02:15,824 --> 00:02:17,525 for those that that did that. 66 00:02:18,544 --> 00:02:20,564 And and, again, just, you know, allowing, 67 00:02:21,025 --> 00:02:24,084 the consumer to, you know, be in charge, 68 00:02:24,144 --> 00:02:26,760 I guess. So a lot of neat opportunities 69 00:02:26,900 --> 00:02:28,199 and and more to come. 70 00:02:29,620 --> 00:02:31,780 Absolutely. That's, you know, really cool to hear. 71 00:02:31,780 --> 00:02:33,379 And I I think especially when you look 72 00:02:33,379 --> 00:02:36,439 at that consumer experience and how technology 73 00:02:36,740 --> 00:02:38,895 is playing a big role in easing a 74 00:02:38,895 --> 00:02:41,135 lot of these processes and making things more 75 00:02:41,135 --> 00:02:42,294 efficient as well as, 76 00:02:42,735 --> 00:02:45,055 you know, a better experience for patients. I'm 77 00:02:45,055 --> 00:02:45,555 curious, 78 00:02:46,335 --> 00:02:48,915 if you think about how the digital, 79 00:02:49,455 --> 00:02:52,409 landscape is changing and and especially for health 80 00:02:53,689 --> 00:02:56,090 care, what are you really seeing as some 81 00:02:56,090 --> 00:02:58,010 of the big growth opportunities and, 82 00:02:58,330 --> 00:03:01,210 ways that you're hoping to continue to evolve 83 00:03:01,210 --> 00:03:02,590 in the next year or so? 84 00:03:04,090 --> 00:03:06,030 Yeah. I I think, you know, 85 00:03:07,635 --> 00:03:10,055 as more time goes by, the expectation 86 00:03:10,594 --> 00:03:12,995 it it it moves from just, hey. This 87 00:03:12,995 --> 00:03:15,794 is nice or this is helpful to more 88 00:03:15,794 --> 00:03:16,615 it's expected. 89 00:03:16,915 --> 00:03:19,014 Right? So we talk about online scheduling. 90 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:21,539 We talk about the ability 91 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,099 to accomplish most of your care, 92 00:03:25,039 --> 00:03:26,560 you know, in the palm of your hand, 93 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,180 you know, through the patient portal, 94 00:03:29,359 --> 00:03:32,000 you know, virtual care even. You know, obviously, 95 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,905 we saw a big spike during the pandemic. 96 00:03:34,685 --> 00:03:35,185 But, 97 00:03:35,564 --> 00:03:37,724 now that things are back to the more 98 00:03:37,724 --> 00:03:39,645 the way that we remember them, you know, 99 00:03:39,645 --> 00:03:41,724 what is the role for virtual care? Right? 100 00:03:41,724 --> 00:03:44,685 So is the lower acuity services that may 101 00:03:44,685 --> 00:03:45,344 be needed, 102 00:03:45,919 --> 00:03:47,860 you know, how are we able to help 103 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:48,500 individuals 104 00:03:48,879 --> 00:03:49,860 if they want 105 00:03:50,159 --> 00:03:52,259 to launch an on demand video visit, 106 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,520 right now, right, versus going to an urgent 107 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,335 care clinic versus waiting for a scheduled appointment. 108 00:03:59,135 --> 00:04:01,455 So, you know, it's gonna be required that 109 00:04:01,455 --> 00:04:04,254 we have all of these options available to 110 00:04:04,254 --> 00:04:04,995 the consumer, 111 00:04:05,855 --> 00:04:07,855 and we make it easy for them to 112 00:04:07,855 --> 00:04:10,034 to find the care that fits their lifestyle, 113 00:04:10,415 --> 00:04:10,889 their 114 00:04:11,370 --> 00:04:14,009 level of illness? Obviously, folks that have chronic 115 00:04:14,009 --> 00:04:15,550 conditions have a very different, 116 00:04:16,649 --> 00:04:18,170 view of the world and and a very 117 00:04:18,170 --> 00:04:20,170 different need. And then, ultimately, how do you 118 00:04:20,170 --> 00:04:21,230 take into account, 119 00:04:21,930 --> 00:04:23,870 you know, some of the chronic care management, 120 00:04:24,574 --> 00:04:26,895 including social determinants of health. You know, how 121 00:04:26,895 --> 00:04:28,514 do we make it easy for people, 122 00:04:29,214 --> 00:04:30,735 to get to us, to find us, to 123 00:04:30,735 --> 00:04:32,975 have more of a proactive or wellness based 124 00:04:32,975 --> 00:04:33,475 approach, 125 00:04:34,334 --> 00:04:36,334 outside of just the traditional, you know, I 126 00:04:36,334 --> 00:04:39,214 guess, maybe definition of even population health. Just 127 00:04:39,214 --> 00:04:40,800 how do we serve these communities. 128 00:04:41,420 --> 00:04:43,759 So I think folks are gonna want care 129 00:04:43,900 --> 00:04:45,040 on their own timeline 130 00:04:45,340 --> 00:04:47,020 in the way that they want it. And 131 00:04:47,020 --> 00:04:49,520 it's, it's gonna become more of an expectation 132 00:04:49,740 --> 00:04:50,480 of organizations 133 00:04:50,860 --> 00:04:51,759 than it is, 134 00:04:52,540 --> 00:04:53,600 kind of a unique, 135 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:55,875 piece of an organization that you may 136 00:04:57,074 --> 00:04:59,074 see. Got it. That's helpful to know and 137 00:04:59,074 --> 00:05:01,235 understand. And I think that's a really important 138 00:05:01,235 --> 00:05:03,095 point that you made about, 139 00:05:03,714 --> 00:05:04,214 technology 140 00:05:04,514 --> 00:05:05,735 becoming the expectation 141 00:05:06,035 --> 00:05:08,514 versus the, really cool thing or nice to 142 00:05:08,514 --> 00:05:10,595 have. And I can imagine, you know, trying 143 00:05:10,595 --> 00:05:11,970 to keep up with whatever the the next 144 00:05:11,970 --> 00:05:13,270 thing is going to be, 145 00:05:14,050 --> 00:05:16,290 can be a challenge, especially as you're trying 146 00:05:16,290 --> 00:05:17,990 to solve some really big issues. 147 00:05:18,370 --> 00:05:20,610 And as you mentioned, looking at where chronic 148 00:05:20,610 --> 00:05:23,670 care makes the biggest, difference, population health management 149 00:05:23,810 --> 00:05:24,870 is a huge, huge, 150 00:05:25,410 --> 00:05:27,785 transition. And so, you know, when you you 151 00:05:27,785 --> 00:05:30,045 would think about what's coming and what's ahead, 152 00:05:30,345 --> 00:05:32,264 are there any technologies that you're looking at 153 00:05:32,264 --> 00:05:33,964 right now, or or considering, 154 00:05:34,824 --> 00:05:36,504 and where do you really see things headed 155 00:05:36,504 --> 00:05:37,944 over the next three to five years or 156 00:05:37,944 --> 00:05:38,444 so? 157 00:05:39,439 --> 00:05:41,439 Yeah. It's a great question. I think, 158 00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:44,319 there's certainly a lot of technology out there. 159 00:05:44,479 --> 00:05:46,660 There's a lot of opportunities, which is exciting. 160 00:05:46,879 --> 00:05:47,699 Right? And, 161 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:50,259 you know, as we think about 162 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:54,055 the evolution of our technology or technology stack 163 00:05:54,055 --> 00:05:55,115 within our organizations, 164 00:05:56,375 --> 00:05:57,414 it's gonna be important. 165 00:05:57,814 --> 00:05:59,435 You know, people talk about interoperability, 166 00:05:59,814 --> 00:06:01,095 and you've seen a lot of the, 167 00:06:02,055 --> 00:06:04,454 articles and and kind of insights even around 168 00:06:04,454 --> 00:06:06,694 privacy and security as of the last couple 169 00:06:06,694 --> 00:06:07,379 of years. 170 00:06:07,939 --> 00:06:10,600 These are all big topics to solve for. 171 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:12,439 I think the interoperability 172 00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:14,600 piece, especially from, 173 00:06:15,860 --> 00:06:17,779 I guess, an opportunity or even a a 174 00:06:17,779 --> 00:06:19,000 challenge or a hurdle, 175 00:06:20,100 --> 00:06:22,274 again, how do you reduce those friction points, 176 00:06:22,354 --> 00:06:23,954 and and how do you make it easy 177 00:06:23,954 --> 00:06:25,574 for individuals? We can't, 178 00:06:25,954 --> 00:06:28,194 you know, have an organization full of a 179 00:06:28,194 --> 00:06:29,814 bunch of point based solutions 180 00:06:30,675 --> 00:06:32,134 that don't talk to each other. 181 00:06:32,435 --> 00:06:33,954 You know, they've gotta be able to hand 182 00:06:33,954 --> 00:06:36,115 off. The consumer doesn't need to have to 183 00:06:36,115 --> 00:06:38,214 know where to go. It should guide them 184 00:06:38,889 --> 00:06:41,629 intuitively and and allow them a path to, 185 00:06:41,850 --> 00:06:45,230 again, search, schedule, find care, receive care. 186 00:06:45,610 --> 00:06:47,129 All of those things have to, you know, 187 00:06:47,129 --> 00:06:49,610 be strung together in a way that that 188 00:06:49,610 --> 00:06:51,370 makes sense and is easy. You know, how 189 00:06:51,370 --> 00:06:53,245 do you make we talk a lot about 190 00:06:53,245 --> 00:06:55,404 the ease here, you know, ease of use, 191 00:06:55,404 --> 00:06:57,665 ease of experience, ease of access. 192 00:06:58,045 --> 00:06:58,785 And so 193 00:07:00,444 --> 00:07:03,805 I think what I'm most excited about is 194 00:07:03,805 --> 00:07:06,100 the blurring of the lines between the different 195 00:07:06,100 --> 00:07:07,240 parts of the organization. 196 00:07:07,540 --> 00:07:08,040 So, 197 00:07:08,660 --> 00:07:10,500 someone like myself that maybe is over a 198 00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:12,920 lot of our, you know, outreach and engaging 199 00:07:12,980 --> 00:07:13,639 the consumer, 200 00:07:14,819 --> 00:07:17,139 all the way through the experience piece. So 201 00:07:17,139 --> 00:07:19,264 how do we attract someone to the organization 202 00:07:19,404 --> 00:07:22,384 and and provide them a a positive or 203 00:07:22,524 --> 00:07:23,584 a a great experience? 204 00:07:24,285 --> 00:07:27,404 There in between those two topics is care 205 00:07:27,404 --> 00:07:27,904 delivery. 206 00:07:28,365 --> 00:07:29,884 And so if you look at things like 207 00:07:29,884 --> 00:07:31,800 wearable, if you look at things like remote 208 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,199 patient monitoring, some of the other virtual care 209 00:07:34,199 --> 00:07:34,699 services, 210 00:07:35,959 --> 00:07:38,920 it just becomes part of one one thing. 211 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,580 It's just, you know, how people, 212 00:07:42,839 --> 00:07:46,064 receive care and the experience they ultimately have. 213 00:07:46,144 --> 00:07:48,144 And so I think that's what's the most 214 00:07:48,144 --> 00:07:50,545 exciting part to me is being able to 215 00:07:50,545 --> 00:07:52,644 work with our operators, with our clinicians, 216 00:07:53,824 --> 00:07:57,365 to develop and kinda architect these care solutions 217 00:07:57,985 --> 00:07:58,964 in these experiences 218 00:07:59,264 --> 00:08:00,964 and these journeys, quite honestly. 219 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:02,460 And I think technology 220 00:08:02,839 --> 00:08:04,540 allows us to do that. 221 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 And so, again, we're at a really unique 222 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:07,500 time. 223 00:08:08,199 --> 00:08:10,600 If you look at, all the technology that's 224 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,120 come out over the last few years and 225 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,680 what they're talking about coming down the down 226 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,375 the path to really create a journey that's 227 00:08:17,375 --> 00:08:18,595 just that much more, 228 00:08:19,134 --> 00:08:22,194 impactful and serves the communities that we're in. 229 00:08:23,455 --> 00:08:25,375 That makes a lot of sense and, you 230 00:08:25,375 --> 00:08:27,955 know, really helpful to understand the process and 231 00:08:28,095 --> 00:08:30,550 seeing how you look at and evaluate new 232 00:08:30,550 --> 00:08:32,649 technologies and new opportunities and then, 233 00:08:32,950 --> 00:08:35,350 really have that patient focus and community focus 234 00:08:35,350 --> 00:08:36,009 in mind. 235 00:08:36,789 --> 00:08:39,350 Another thought I had is, you know, lots 236 00:08:39,350 --> 00:08:40,950 of really cool things ahead, but I can 237 00:08:40,950 --> 00:08:43,465 imagine challenges as well. What are some of 238 00:08:43,465 --> 00:08:45,545 the the challenges or headwinds that you have 239 00:08:45,545 --> 00:08:46,684 top of mind today? 240 00:08:47,865 --> 00:08:49,085 Yeah. So I think, 241 00:08:49,705 --> 00:08:51,965 you know, one of them is just philosophic 242 00:08:52,184 --> 00:08:53,325 you know, philosophically 243 00:08:53,705 --> 00:08:55,565 thinking about the idea of opportunity. 244 00:08:56,504 --> 00:08:57,725 There's no shortage 245 00:08:58,830 --> 00:09:01,490 of ideas or processes or technology 246 00:09:01,870 --> 00:09:04,529 out there that, you know, would help, 247 00:09:04,990 --> 00:09:06,769 in in ideas and, 248 00:09:07,549 --> 00:09:09,789 even points that you want to go solve 249 00:09:09,789 --> 00:09:10,289 for. 250 00:09:10,990 --> 00:09:12,654 But where do you start? How do you 251 00:09:12,654 --> 00:09:15,295 prioritize? You know, you you get into the, 252 00:09:15,295 --> 00:09:16,995 you know, the idea of just 253 00:09:17,375 --> 00:09:17,875 resourcing. 254 00:09:18,735 --> 00:09:20,735 You know, there's only so many hours in 255 00:09:20,735 --> 00:09:22,975 the day, so to speak. So, you know, 256 00:09:22,975 --> 00:09:25,455 what is gonna be most impactful for the 257 00:09:25,455 --> 00:09:27,715 communities that you're in? You know, somewhere, 258 00:09:28,059 --> 00:09:30,139 you know, our organization may be different than 259 00:09:30,139 --> 00:09:32,700 another organization. It doesn't make it right or 260 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,240 wrong. They're just different. 261 00:09:35,019 --> 00:09:37,340 And, so, again, you know, trying to think 262 00:09:37,340 --> 00:09:39,100 through that. So that that that is one 263 00:09:39,100 --> 00:09:41,899 big hurdle because, again, there's no shortage of 264 00:09:41,899 --> 00:09:42,879 of good ideas. 265 00:09:43,254 --> 00:09:44,794 Right? And so how do you, 266 00:09:45,495 --> 00:09:46,554 leverage those, 267 00:09:46,934 --> 00:09:49,095 to, you know, serve the communities that you're 268 00:09:49,095 --> 00:09:51,095 in? So that that's a big one. I 269 00:09:51,095 --> 00:09:52,074 mentioned interoperability 270 00:09:52,375 --> 00:09:53,595 a few minutes ago. 271 00:09:54,214 --> 00:09:56,100 So how do you tie all of these 272 00:09:56,339 --> 00:09:57,480 technologies together? 273 00:09:58,419 --> 00:10:00,899 And, ultimately, how do you use the data 274 00:10:00,899 --> 00:10:01,799 that you're receiving 275 00:10:03,139 --> 00:10:05,299 to actually create insights that allow you to 276 00:10:05,299 --> 00:10:06,279 better a process, 277 00:10:07,539 --> 00:10:09,954 and drive back and hardwire things? And so, 278 00:10:09,954 --> 00:10:10,454 again, 279 00:10:11,075 --> 00:10:13,315 some of the processes and things like that 280 00:10:13,315 --> 00:10:15,475 and even the workflows that we've thought about 281 00:10:15,475 --> 00:10:16,214 for years, 282 00:10:17,794 --> 00:10:19,815 how do you keep that front of mind 283 00:10:20,115 --> 00:10:22,615 as new technologies come into play? 284 00:10:23,670 --> 00:10:26,389 And then certainly, you know, not losing that 285 00:10:26,389 --> 00:10:27,370 human touch, 286 00:10:27,910 --> 00:10:28,730 not using, 287 00:10:29,269 --> 00:10:32,570 losing, you know, what what the caregiver provides 288 00:10:32,629 --> 00:10:33,450 to the equation. 289 00:10:33,830 --> 00:10:36,070 How do we use technology to eliminate some 290 00:10:36,070 --> 00:10:38,695 of the administrative burden? Right? But how do 291 00:10:38,695 --> 00:10:40,235 you create a culture 292 00:10:40,615 --> 00:10:42,235 and a a pathway, 293 00:10:43,415 --> 00:10:45,274 for those that are providing care, 294 00:10:46,455 --> 00:10:48,455 to do that in the most impactful way 295 00:10:48,455 --> 00:10:49,990 possible? Then how do us, on the more 296 00:10:49,990 --> 00:10:50,490 administrative 297 00:10:51,110 --> 00:10:52,649 side, support those individuals 298 00:10:53,430 --> 00:10:55,110 and make it a place everybody wants to 299 00:10:55,110 --> 00:10:57,190 work? So, again, I I think there's a 300 00:10:57,190 --> 00:10:59,190 lot out there that we need to assess, 301 00:10:59,190 --> 00:11:01,290 and there's a lot of, you know, hurdles, 302 00:11:01,350 --> 00:11:02,170 if you will. 303 00:11:02,710 --> 00:11:03,529 But the biggest 304 00:11:03,985 --> 00:11:04,565 is prioritization 305 00:11:04,945 --> 00:11:06,325 and then, interoperability, 306 00:11:07,585 --> 00:11:08,565 and then support, 307 00:11:09,264 --> 00:11:11,665 around the the clinicians and the caregivers that 308 00:11:11,665 --> 00:11:12,404 we have. 309 00:11:13,585 --> 00:11:15,684 That's great to hear, and and certainly, 310 00:11:16,509 --> 00:11:17,549 makes a lot of, 311 00:11:18,350 --> 00:11:20,370 sense in terms of having the ability, 312 00:11:21,070 --> 00:11:22,769 to support your team in, 313 00:11:23,629 --> 00:11:26,110 incorporate technology in a smart and meaningful way 314 00:11:26,110 --> 00:11:26,610 without, 315 00:11:27,070 --> 00:11:28,850 as you mentioned, having it be, 316 00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:29,730 depersonalized. 317 00:11:30,509 --> 00:11:31,735 I know health care is such a a 318 00:11:31,735 --> 00:11:34,215 personal industry, and and those relationships really do 319 00:11:34,215 --> 00:11:35,115 count and matter. 320 00:11:36,375 --> 00:11:37,195 Yeah. Absolutely. 321 00:11:37,735 --> 00:11:39,735 It it again, it's it's about people at 322 00:11:39,735 --> 00:11:41,014 the end of the day. And so the 323 00:11:41,014 --> 00:11:43,495 technology has to work. Our CEO says all 324 00:11:43,495 --> 00:11:44,855 the time, we're starting to get to a 325 00:11:44,855 --> 00:11:46,860 place where the technology works for us, 326 00:11:47,579 --> 00:11:49,600 versus we're working for the technology. 327 00:11:50,539 --> 00:11:52,379 And, so I think that's, you know, some 328 00:11:52,379 --> 00:11:53,820 of what we're starting to see. You know, 329 00:11:53,820 --> 00:11:55,360 we're kinda cresting the hill 330 00:11:55,980 --> 00:11:57,360 because of some of the advancements 331 00:11:57,740 --> 00:11:59,500 that a lot of really smart people in 332 00:11:59,500 --> 00:12:00,434 this space have made 333 00:12:02,034 --> 00:12:04,215 over the last several years. And so, again, 334 00:12:05,154 --> 00:12:07,414 you know, how do we use this 335 00:12:07,875 --> 00:12:08,375 technology, 336 00:12:09,715 --> 00:12:10,534 to better, 337 00:12:11,075 --> 00:12:13,174 the care that we're providing to the communities 338 00:12:13,315 --> 00:12:14,215 that we serve? 339 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,160 Fantastic. Well, Reid, before we wrap up here, 340 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:18,899 I'm curious. 341 00:12:19,279 --> 00:12:20,100 To look into, 342 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,160 balancing, you know, the current needs as well 343 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,320 as future planning, what is the number one 344 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,420 most important thing that you're doing right now 345 00:12:28,639 --> 00:12:31,205 to set Arden up for long term success? 346 00:12:32,544 --> 00:12:33,845 You know, a lot of it, 347 00:12:35,024 --> 00:12:36,705 I I think the biggest thing that we're 348 00:12:36,705 --> 00:12:37,764 doing right now, 349 00:12:38,384 --> 00:12:41,445 to really drive towards that long term success 350 00:12:43,759 --> 00:12:45,379 is looking at the prioritization 351 00:12:45,919 --> 00:12:48,419 and the ability to support those 352 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:50,179 that provide care, 353 00:12:50,879 --> 00:12:53,540 to our patients, to our consumers. And so, 354 00:12:53,759 --> 00:12:55,904 again, how do we make their life easier? 355 00:12:55,904 --> 00:12:57,745 How do we, unburden them, 356 00:12:58,144 --> 00:12:59,365 from some of the issues, 357 00:13:00,065 --> 00:13:02,384 more administrative, you know, that that people have 358 00:13:02,384 --> 00:13:04,304 been saddled with for some years? And I 359 00:13:04,304 --> 00:13:07,205 think that's really where technology has, an opportunity. 360 00:13:07,345 --> 00:13:09,360 So you think about the things like, you 361 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:10,660 know, the ambient listening, 362 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:13,360 around being able to scribe, you know, notes 363 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,440 and things like that. You know, how can 364 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,759 you look for ways to, you know, give 365 00:13:17,759 --> 00:13:20,080 some of the human aspect of care back 366 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,660 where a clinician can engage with a patient 367 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,475 and not have to worry about, you know, 368 00:13:25,794 --> 00:13:27,714 you know, typing away, pecking away on a 369 00:13:27,714 --> 00:13:30,294 on a keyboard the entire time. And so 370 00:13:30,754 --> 00:13:32,914 I I think, you know, we're we're investing 371 00:13:32,914 --> 00:13:35,254 in those areas around patient care. 372 00:13:35,875 --> 00:13:38,034 We're also investing in the ways to reduce 373 00:13:38,034 --> 00:13:40,129 those friction points and make it easier for 374 00:13:40,129 --> 00:13:42,289 people to access the system in the first 375 00:13:42,289 --> 00:13:43,429 place. And so, 376 00:13:43,889 --> 00:13:44,389 again, 377 00:13:45,169 --> 00:13:47,970 reducing wait times, getting people where they need 378 00:13:47,970 --> 00:13:49,409 to go, and that could be on the 379 00:13:49,409 --> 00:13:50,950 phone, it could be in person, 380 00:13:51,889 --> 00:13:55,184 giving them optionality around how they receive care. 381 00:13:55,964 --> 00:13:58,365 Again, all creating kind of that ease of 382 00:13:58,365 --> 00:14:00,704 access and ease of use within our communities. 383 00:14:02,125 --> 00:14:03,725 I love that. Rean, thank you so much 384 00:14:03,725 --> 00:14:05,404 for joining us on the podcast today. This 385 00:14:05,404 --> 00:14:07,658 has been a really enlightening conversation, and I 386 00:14:07,658 --> 00:14:09,598 look forward to connecting with you again soon. 387 00:14:09,978 --> 00:14:11,518 Absolutely. Thanks for having me.