1
00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:03,859
At athenahealth,

2
00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,899
we know your ambulatory practice wants healthier,

3
00:00:07,279 --> 00:00:10,160
a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier

4
00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:10,660
patients.

5
00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,275
But the complexities of modern health care tech

6
00:00:13,275 --> 00:00:15,275
make it hard for you and your care

7
00:00:15,275 --> 00:00:17,214
teams to focus on what matters most.

8
00:00:17,594 --> 00:00:20,734
That's where athenahealth can help. Our AI native

9
00:00:20,795 --> 00:00:23,535
all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens,

10
00:00:23,914 --> 00:00:26,820
streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights

11
00:00:26,899 --> 00:00:29,779
when clinicians need it most. That means fewer

12
00:00:29,779 --> 00:00:32,500
clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom

13
00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:33,000
lines.

14
00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,899
Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice

15
00:00:36,899 --> 00:00:38,759
can be that much simpler with athenahealth.

16
00:00:39,515 --> 00:00:43,135
See how simpler is healthier@athenahealth.com.

17
00:00:44,715 --> 00:00:46,155
Hi, everyone. This is Scott King with the

18
00:00:46,155 --> 00:00:48,875
Becker's Healthcare podcast. Thrilled today to be joined

19
00:00:48,875 --> 00:00:51,835
by a very special guest, Reed Smith, chief

20
00:00:51,835 --> 00:00:54,530
consumer officer with Ardent Health. Reed, how are

21
00:00:54,530 --> 00:00:55,729
you doing today? Thanks so much for joining

22
00:00:55,729 --> 00:00:57,489
us. Yeah. Thanks for having me. Good to

23
00:00:57,489 --> 00:00:59,170
be here. Yeah. I think we're gonna dive

24
00:00:59,170 --> 00:01:01,250
into some kind of big topics and and

25
00:01:01,250 --> 00:01:02,390
conversations happening

26
00:01:02,850 --> 00:01:05,170
right now in health care, Reed. But before

27
00:01:05,170 --> 00:01:07,534
we get started and get to some questions,

28
00:01:07,534 --> 00:01:08,575
can you just tell us a little bit

29
00:01:08,575 --> 00:01:10,015
about your background and your work in health

30
00:01:10,015 --> 00:01:10,754
care, please?

31
00:01:11,295 --> 00:01:12,114
Yeah. Absolutely.

32
00:01:13,135 --> 00:01:14,974
You know, it's funny. It feels like not

33
00:01:14,974 --> 00:01:17,534
very long ago, but it's been probably close

34
00:01:17,534 --> 00:01:19,075
to twenty five years now.

35
00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:20,879
I took my first job in health care

36
00:01:20,879 --> 00:01:23,039
as the director of marketing, at a hospital

37
00:01:23,039 --> 00:01:24,659
in Central Texas. And

38
00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:26,560
over the years, I spent time at the

39
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:27,939
Texas Hospital Association

40
00:01:28,399 --> 00:01:31,039
and and consulting and at different places, and

41
00:01:31,039 --> 00:01:32,340
then now have been here

42
00:01:32,799 --> 00:01:35,594
at Arden Health for the last, four years

43
00:01:35,594 --> 00:01:38,474
or so, leading everything this consumer facing. So

44
00:01:38,474 --> 00:01:40,094
I've got a little oversight of

45
00:01:40,474 --> 00:01:41,454
marketing communications,

46
00:01:41,834 --> 00:01:44,634
a lot of our consumer faced technology, our

47
00:01:44,634 --> 00:01:46,655
contact centers, referral teams,

48
00:01:47,354 --> 00:01:48,814
all that kind of fun stuff.

49
00:01:49,659 --> 00:01:51,760
That's wonderful. I think it's a really interesting

50
00:01:51,980 --> 00:01:54,380
career trajectory you you've had, actually. Let me

51
00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:55,200
ask you about

52
00:01:55,579 --> 00:01:57,500
starting starting out or or being a director

53
00:01:57,500 --> 00:01:59,020
of marketing early in your career and and,

54
00:01:59,020 --> 00:02:01,500
like you said, having some communications experience. How

55
00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:03,340
does that kind of pave the way for

56
00:02:03,340 --> 00:02:04,400
the rest of your career?

57
00:02:05,015 --> 00:02:06,854
You know, it's funny. I I I think

58
00:02:06,854 --> 00:02:08,455
back to that point in time, and a

59
00:02:08,455 --> 00:02:11,175
lot of people will, probably appreciate this. They're

60
00:02:11,175 --> 00:02:13,034
listening to podcast, but we had,

61
00:02:13,895 --> 00:02:15,735
recently signed on with the Studer Group, and

62
00:02:15,735 --> 00:02:16,955
we're doing a lot of

63
00:02:17,254 --> 00:02:19,754
experience based initiatives. And at the time,

64
00:02:20,379 --> 00:02:22,539
that was kinda handed to me as, as

65
00:02:22,539 --> 00:02:23,519
the quote, unquote,

66
00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:25,120
initiative champion.

67
00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:27,180
And I remember at the time thinking, you

68
00:02:27,180 --> 00:02:29,039
know, as the director of marketing communications,

69
00:02:29,819 --> 00:02:30,799
why in the world

70
00:02:31,180 --> 00:02:32,319
would I be leading,

71
00:02:32,985 --> 00:02:35,385
an experience initiative? And I know that that

72
00:02:35,385 --> 00:02:36,685
that sounds weird today,

73
00:02:36,985 --> 00:02:38,504
but at the time, those felt like two

74
00:02:38,504 --> 00:02:40,284
totally different things. And so,

75
00:02:40,585 --> 00:02:42,905
you know, it's been, very I've been very

76
00:02:42,905 --> 00:02:44,425
fortunate, I guess, in a lot of ways

77
00:02:44,425 --> 00:02:45,784
that some of the things and some of

78
00:02:45,784 --> 00:02:47,724
the opportunities I had early on,

79
00:02:48,230 --> 00:02:50,710
you know, turns out, you know, this day

80
00:02:50,710 --> 00:02:52,629
and age, it's really hard to delineate where

81
00:02:52,629 --> 00:02:54,550
one starts and the other one stops. And

82
00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:56,230
I think we're seeing that a lot across

83
00:02:56,230 --> 00:02:56,969
the industry,

84
00:02:57,430 --> 00:02:58,650
certainly in and amongst,

85
00:02:59,270 --> 00:03:01,430
our organization as you think about what used

86
00:03:01,430 --> 00:03:02,969
to be maybe siloed departments,

87
00:03:04,224 --> 00:03:06,944
our functions within the organization. It's it's much

88
00:03:06,944 --> 00:03:08,004
more of a cohesive,

89
00:03:08,865 --> 00:03:10,705
way that we think about things, especially as

90
00:03:10,705 --> 00:03:11,844
it relates to the consumer.

91
00:03:13,025 --> 00:03:15,425
Absolutely. And getting to your role now and

92
00:03:15,425 --> 00:03:17,185
things that are happening in health care right

93
00:03:17,185 --> 00:03:17,685
now,

94
00:03:18,099 --> 00:03:18,840
what opportunities

95
00:03:19,620 --> 00:03:21,800
and headwinds do you have your eye on

96
00:03:21,860 --> 00:03:22,680
as we speak?

97
00:03:23,379 --> 00:03:25,000
Yeah. I mean, headwinds are probably

98
00:03:25,699 --> 00:03:28,260
not much different than everybody listening is dealing

99
00:03:28,260 --> 00:03:29,379
with, you know, with a lot of the

100
00:03:29,379 --> 00:03:30,840
uncertainty in the space.

101
00:03:32,114 --> 00:03:34,194
You know, not not sure, you know, in

102
00:03:34,194 --> 00:03:36,435
the in the, I guess, long term, especially,

103
00:03:36,435 --> 00:03:38,594
but even the near term what, you know,

104
00:03:38,594 --> 00:03:41,234
payment models or, you know, kinda how that's

105
00:03:41,234 --> 00:03:43,655
all gonna be structured and thought about. And,

106
00:03:44,199 --> 00:03:46,699
you know, that that does create certain level

107
00:03:47,239 --> 00:03:49,819
of uncertainty. I think, you know, I'm more,

108
00:03:50,519 --> 00:03:53,239
optimistic in the sense that, I can see

109
00:03:53,239 --> 00:03:55,719
the tailwinds. I can see the expectations of

110
00:03:55,719 --> 00:03:56,634
the consumer

111
00:03:57,414 --> 00:03:59,734
in in our ability to potentially meet people

112
00:03:59,734 --> 00:04:01,574
where they are. You know, and so you

113
00:04:01,574 --> 00:04:03,894
think a lot about virtual care and some

114
00:04:03,894 --> 00:04:05,814
of the the evolution of that over the

115
00:04:05,814 --> 00:04:07,974
last few years, certainly on the telehealth side,

116
00:04:07,974 --> 00:04:10,454
but even remote patient monitoring, the shifting sites

117
00:04:10,454 --> 00:04:11,114
in care,

118
00:04:11,949 --> 00:04:14,510
and really just, you know, what people want

119
00:04:14,510 --> 00:04:16,050
out of the health care system.

120
00:04:16,350 --> 00:04:18,910
I think we're uniquely positioned, and a lot

121
00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:20,910
of us in the industry are uniquely positioned

122
00:04:20,910 --> 00:04:23,230
to deliver on that through some of the

123
00:04:23,230 --> 00:04:24,370
evolution and technology.

124
00:04:25,355 --> 00:04:26,634
You know, we're only a couple of minutes

125
00:04:26,634 --> 00:04:28,495
in, and I'm gonna say the word AI.

126
00:04:29,274 --> 00:04:30,714
But I think we've got a lot of

127
00:04:30,714 --> 00:04:33,435
opportunity both to help those that are delivering

128
00:04:33,435 --> 00:04:35,295
the care and receiving the care.

129
00:04:35,675 --> 00:04:37,194
And so I do. I I think there's

130
00:04:37,194 --> 00:04:38,014
a lot of,

131
00:04:39,029 --> 00:04:40,409
a lot of great opportunity,

132
00:04:41,189 --> 00:04:42,709
and and I feel like we're in a

133
00:04:42,709 --> 00:04:43,689
place where,

134
00:04:44,629 --> 00:04:46,870
both we understand it as an industry of

135
00:04:46,870 --> 00:04:49,289
what the opportunity is, but also the expectation

136
00:04:50,149 --> 00:04:52,229
and the desire from the consumer is there

137
00:04:52,229 --> 00:04:52,889
as well.

138
00:04:53,764 --> 00:04:54,964
Yeah. I I think you make a great

139
00:04:54,964 --> 00:04:57,205
point. And my follow-up question to that is

140
00:04:57,205 --> 00:04:59,685
just with everything going on with, you know,

141
00:04:59,685 --> 00:05:02,585
patients and and health systems and and today's

142
00:05:02,884 --> 00:05:05,285
climate, how vital is it to kind of

143
00:05:05,285 --> 00:05:05,785
approach

144
00:05:06,539 --> 00:05:09,019
issues with a a solution based mindset, kind

145
00:05:09,019 --> 00:05:11,120
of that optimism that you were speaking of?

146
00:05:11,819 --> 00:05:13,819
Yeah. I I think it's important. No. I

147
00:05:13,819 --> 00:05:15,759
wanna I wanna, I guess,

148
00:05:16,699 --> 00:05:18,879
carve out a a little bit here,

149
00:05:19,294 --> 00:05:20,574
a piece where it's like, you know, I

150
00:05:20,574 --> 00:05:22,274
I don't wanna be solution oriented,

151
00:05:23,454 --> 00:05:25,294
where, you know, I've got a a a

152
00:05:25,294 --> 00:05:27,935
solution looking for a problem. Right? So, again,

153
00:05:27,935 --> 00:05:29,714
we we have to make sure that we're

154
00:05:29,935 --> 00:05:32,915
identifying the value that we would be creating,

155
00:05:34,289 --> 00:05:37,269
both for the customer and for the organization.

156
00:05:37,569 --> 00:05:40,209
Right? And so, you know, there's a lot

157
00:05:40,209 --> 00:05:42,649
of really cool shiny objects out there and

158
00:05:42,649 --> 00:05:44,209
a lot of people doing some really cool

159
00:05:44,209 --> 00:05:46,754
things and interesting things. And it may or

160
00:05:46,754 --> 00:05:48,354
may not be a fit for us. Or

161
00:05:48,354 --> 00:05:49,875
just because it is, it doesn't mean it

162
00:05:49,875 --> 00:05:51,235
is for someone else.

163
00:05:51,714 --> 00:05:52,214
But,

164
00:05:53,074 --> 00:05:54,294
I I do think

165
00:05:54,595 --> 00:05:55,254
the opportunity

166
00:05:55,634 --> 00:05:57,014
is to look for,

167
00:05:57,794 --> 00:05:58,294
friction.

168
00:05:58,595 --> 00:06:00,774
We talk about a lot internally, but friction,

169
00:06:01,439 --> 00:06:03,839
with the experience or with the journey a

170
00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,019
patient or a consumer may be having.

171
00:06:06,479 --> 00:06:08,000
And, you know, how do you reduce that?

172
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,419
How do you eliminate that, in their lives,

173
00:06:11,039 --> 00:06:13,459
as they, you know, interact with us?

174
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,019
It's kinda how we think about it.

175
00:06:16,814 --> 00:06:18,814
Absolutely. And, you know, in your role as

176
00:06:18,814 --> 00:06:20,735
as a chief consumer officer, you know, you

177
00:06:20,735 --> 00:06:22,975
mentioned kind of the shiny new object. I

178
00:06:22,975 --> 00:06:24,435
I think we're seeing a lot of those

179
00:06:24,495 --> 00:06:26,995
in health care with the way technology has

180
00:06:27,295 --> 00:06:28,194
advanced things.

181
00:06:28,589 --> 00:06:30,669
How do you and your system really kind

182
00:06:30,669 --> 00:06:32,189
of vet, you know, what you call the

183
00:06:32,189 --> 00:06:34,269
shiny new object that that new maybe piece

184
00:06:34,269 --> 00:06:36,750
of technology or or tool that the system

185
00:06:36,750 --> 00:06:38,350
might invest in? How do you kinda do

186
00:06:38,350 --> 00:06:40,529
your homework and and vet that before investing?

187
00:06:41,214 --> 00:06:43,375
Yeah. Absolutely. I'm probably the worst culprit, to

188
00:06:43,375 --> 00:06:44,035
be honest,

189
00:06:44,414 --> 00:06:46,814
relative to, you know, wanting to try something

190
00:06:46,814 --> 00:06:47,634
new. And,

191
00:06:48,334 --> 00:06:49,935
but, you know, you try not to get

192
00:06:49,935 --> 00:06:52,975
just enamored with the product necessarily, but look

193
00:06:52,975 --> 00:06:55,930
for, again, what's the opportunity, what's the value.

194
00:06:55,930 --> 00:06:56,670
And so,

195
00:06:57,610 --> 00:06:58,589
really understanding

196
00:06:58,889 --> 00:07:01,129
the voice of the customer. So that could

197
00:07:01,129 --> 00:07:04,089
be a physician referring into the organization. That

198
00:07:04,089 --> 00:07:05,610
could be a patient looking for care. It

199
00:07:05,610 --> 00:07:06,750
could be a large employer.

200
00:07:07,605 --> 00:07:09,785
But who whoever the consumer is, the stakeholder

201
00:07:09,845 --> 00:07:10,345
is,

202
00:07:10,725 --> 00:07:11,384
you know,

203
00:07:12,004 --> 00:07:13,865
where are they seeing? What do they need?

204
00:07:14,004 --> 00:07:16,004
Where are they giving you feedback? And how

205
00:07:16,004 --> 00:07:17,925
do you use that to better a process?

206
00:07:17,925 --> 00:07:20,904
And I think if you can align around,

207
00:07:21,949 --> 00:07:24,129
you know, what the outcome or what success

208
00:07:24,189 --> 00:07:25,710
looks like, you know, where where are you

209
00:07:25,790 --> 00:07:26,689
what's the goal,

210
00:07:27,310 --> 00:07:29,330
I think then you can back into,

211
00:07:30,110 --> 00:07:32,830
is there technology or is this a process

212
00:07:32,830 --> 00:07:34,129
in people and bandwidth,

213
00:07:35,204 --> 00:07:37,685
I guess, solution to solve for? Right? And

214
00:07:37,685 --> 00:07:38,185
so

215
00:07:38,564 --> 00:07:40,165
now once you get to a place that,

216
00:07:40,165 --> 00:07:42,725
yes, maybe technology is the solution or is

217
00:07:42,725 --> 00:07:43,785
part of the solution,

218
00:07:44,245 --> 00:07:46,245
I'm not sure it's ever the solution, but

219
00:07:46,245 --> 00:07:47,225
part of the solution,

220
00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,599
I think you've gotta look at and look

221
00:07:49,599 --> 00:07:52,160
at a lot of solutions or providers out

222
00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:53,919
there talk to other people that are in

223
00:07:53,919 --> 00:07:55,699
the space using technology,

224
00:07:56,479 --> 00:07:59,300
get get real world feedback. I would say,

225
00:07:59,725 --> 00:08:01,584
you know, technology outpaces

226
00:08:01,884 --> 00:08:02,625
our ability

227
00:08:03,245 --> 00:08:05,084
to really see it mature in a lot

228
00:08:05,084 --> 00:08:07,485
of times. And so the idea that anything's

229
00:08:07,485 --> 00:08:09,165
gonna come in and be exactly what you

230
00:08:09,165 --> 00:08:10,925
thought and solve every problem you have is

231
00:08:10,925 --> 00:08:12,225
probably slim to none.

232
00:08:13,050 --> 00:08:15,050
And you gotta be okay with that and

233
00:08:15,050 --> 00:08:17,529
be willing to, you know, be nimble and

234
00:08:17,529 --> 00:08:18,589
pivot when needed.

235
00:08:19,370 --> 00:08:21,689
Is there one specific risk or investment you

236
00:08:21,689 --> 00:08:23,289
think is worth making this year for your

237
00:08:23,289 --> 00:08:23,789
system?

238
00:08:24,250 --> 00:08:26,029
You know, I think in any case

239
00:08:26,384 --> 00:08:29,104
that you can put an experience in front

240
00:08:29,104 --> 00:08:31,425
of the consumer that that matches up to

241
00:08:31,425 --> 00:08:32,245
their expectation

242
00:08:32,625 --> 00:08:34,004
or maybe better said,

243
00:08:34,784 --> 00:08:37,264
what they already expect based on the rest

244
00:08:37,264 --> 00:08:38,084
of their life,

245
00:08:38,865 --> 00:08:40,705
is a great place to lean in. And

246
00:08:40,705 --> 00:08:41,205
so,

247
00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:42,420
you know, portals

248
00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:44,420
are nothing new,

249
00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,600
but how do you drive people into these

250
00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,759
experiences and have some sort of a mobile

251
00:08:49,759 --> 00:08:50,259
environment

252
00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,580
that they're used to, you know,

253
00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,060
engaging with? You know, a really good example,

254
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:56,019
simple example,

255
00:08:56,774 --> 00:08:57,514
but is,

256
00:08:57,975 --> 00:08:59,815
you know, in every way, shape, and form,

257
00:08:59,815 --> 00:09:02,375
people can pay their bill or pay their

258
00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:03,894
co pay. Are they able to do it

259
00:09:03,894 --> 00:09:05,815
with, you know, Apple or Google Pay, for

260
00:09:05,815 --> 00:09:07,754
example? Again, something small,

261
00:09:08,054 --> 00:09:10,074
but something people are used to doing.

262
00:09:10,429 --> 00:09:12,669
You don't have that. Well, then you've you've

263
00:09:12,669 --> 00:09:15,549
created an extra layer, an extra friction point

264
00:09:15,549 --> 00:09:16,049
that,

265
00:09:16,829 --> 00:09:18,589
takes people out of the course of what

266
00:09:18,589 --> 00:09:21,329
they would normally do when engaging with,

267
00:09:22,029 --> 00:09:24,750
someone from a financial transaction. So I think

268
00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:26,504
if you can think about those types of

269
00:09:26,504 --> 00:09:28,665
scenarios, I think about a kiosk, I think

270
00:09:28,665 --> 00:09:31,725
about, you know, obviously, checking in, scheduling online,

271
00:09:31,785 --> 00:09:33,245
all of that kind of practical,

272
00:09:34,585 --> 00:09:37,304
ways that people engage with you. Those are

273
00:09:37,304 --> 00:09:39,625
certainly places to to lean in. I think

274
00:09:39,625 --> 00:09:41,625
the other piece of it is around data

275
00:09:41,625 --> 00:09:42,059
and data

276
00:09:42,940 --> 00:09:43,419
hygiene.

277
00:09:43,820 --> 00:09:46,620
More and more of what we see, especially

278
00:09:46,620 --> 00:09:47,120
online,

279
00:09:47,980 --> 00:09:49,039
really has a prerequisite

280
00:09:49,340 --> 00:09:50,080
for data.

281
00:09:50,779 --> 00:09:52,320
And so if you think about

282
00:09:52,779 --> 00:09:54,860
what you're seeing now with search and answer

283
00:09:54,860 --> 00:09:56,480
engines and all of the

284
00:09:57,184 --> 00:09:57,684
ChatGPT,

285
00:09:58,144 --> 00:10:00,544
Perplexity, Gemini, those types of things that people

286
00:10:00,544 --> 00:10:01,205
are using,

287
00:10:01,584 --> 00:10:02,325
it requires,

288
00:10:03,024 --> 00:10:05,845
those answer engines require good data and citations

289
00:10:05,985 --> 00:10:07,684
that they can trust. And so,

290
00:10:08,225 --> 00:10:09,904
that's a great place to lean in as

291
00:10:09,904 --> 00:10:10,404
well.

292
00:10:10,980 --> 00:10:13,139
Yeah. I agree. It certainly seems like data

293
00:10:13,139 --> 00:10:15,539
is is a a key investment and and

294
00:10:15,539 --> 00:10:17,620
things people are looking to hone in on

295
00:10:17,620 --> 00:10:19,959
right now from who we talk to. And,

296
00:10:20,659 --> 00:10:21,159
something

297
00:10:21,620 --> 00:10:23,220
else I wanted to ask, if you don't

298
00:10:23,220 --> 00:10:25,139
mind putting me kind of your your glasses

299
00:10:25,139 --> 00:10:27,424
to the future on. Yeah. Where where do

300
00:10:27,424 --> 00:10:29,345
you see the best opportunities for growth in

301
00:10:29,345 --> 00:10:30,004
the future?

302
00:10:30,865 --> 00:10:33,285
You know, I think it's going to be,

303
00:10:34,625 --> 00:10:35,924
through the lens of virtual.

304
00:10:36,785 --> 00:10:37,605
I think, again,

305
00:10:38,065 --> 00:10:40,165
especially as you go on the lower acuity

306
00:10:40,304 --> 00:10:42,085
end of the spectrum of care,

307
00:10:42,799 --> 00:10:45,299
people are prioritizing, obviously, convenience.

308
00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,839
This is nothing new. This is obviously why

309
00:10:47,839 --> 00:10:48,820
urgent cares,

310
00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:50,419
have become popular.

311
00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:53,600
But people want to get the care they

312
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,879
need, in, out, and and move on. Right?

313
00:10:56,879 --> 00:10:58,914
And so I think, you know, if you're

314
00:10:58,914 --> 00:11:01,475
looking at entry points to the health care

315
00:11:01,475 --> 00:11:04,534
system, primary care, urgent care, virtual care,

316
00:11:05,475 --> 00:11:07,095
it's gonna be through the lens

317
00:11:07,475 --> 00:11:07,975
of,

318
00:11:08,754 --> 00:11:11,639
of a, kind of virtual type scenario. I

319
00:11:11,639 --> 00:11:13,079
think the other piece of that is the

320
00:11:13,079 --> 00:11:15,799
connectivity relative to all of that. So you

321
00:11:15,799 --> 00:11:16,779
think about wearables,

322
00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:19,019
remote patient monitoring, etcetera.

323
00:11:20,039 --> 00:11:21,879
I think our ability to be able to

324
00:11:21,879 --> 00:11:24,519
manage people's lives and the care that they

325
00:11:24,519 --> 00:11:26,855
need and need to receive is gonna, you

326
00:11:26,855 --> 00:11:29,735
know, require us to have this connectivity. And

327
00:11:29,735 --> 00:11:30,235
so

328
00:11:30,855 --> 00:11:32,695
that's that's where I think a lot of

329
00:11:32,695 --> 00:11:34,215
the future is going to be. I think

330
00:11:34,215 --> 00:11:36,215
we'll see the social determinants of health and

331
00:11:36,215 --> 00:11:38,455
how we better take care of the wellness

332
00:11:38,455 --> 00:11:40,715
of our communities, not just the sick care.

333
00:11:41,399 --> 00:11:43,079
We've said that for some years now, but

334
00:11:43,079 --> 00:11:45,100
I think that's also a place where,

335
00:11:45,639 --> 00:11:48,299
we need to be investing certainly and then

336
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,299
a place that we'll see a lot of,

337
00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:52,620
I think, heightened focus.

338
00:11:53,664 --> 00:11:55,024
And the last question I have for you,

339
00:11:55,024 --> 00:11:57,365
Reid, how have you evolved as a leader?

340
00:11:58,384 --> 00:12:00,465
Oh, man. What a great question. I mean,

341
00:12:00,465 --> 00:12:02,065
I think you can point to the obvious

342
00:12:02,065 --> 00:12:05,044
things, you know, post COVID with remote workforce

343
00:12:05,105 --> 00:12:07,709
or hybrid and and things like that. I

344
00:12:07,709 --> 00:12:09,789
think, you know, evolving as a leader is

345
00:12:09,789 --> 00:12:10,690
really requiring,

346
00:12:11,870 --> 00:12:13,789
you know, you to think about the whole

347
00:12:13,789 --> 00:12:15,490
person that's on your team.

348
00:12:16,750 --> 00:12:18,269
You know, you may not be able to

349
00:12:18,269 --> 00:12:20,049
solve every issue or

350
00:12:20,804 --> 00:12:23,205
appease everybody, so to speak. But I think

351
00:12:23,205 --> 00:12:25,764
the idea that, you know, we think about

352
00:12:25,764 --> 00:12:27,544
things like burnout with our clinicians,

353
00:12:28,325 --> 00:12:29,304
this is true,

354
00:12:29,605 --> 00:12:32,325
for really everybody in the space. And so

355
00:12:32,325 --> 00:12:33,625
how do you look at,

356
00:12:34,490 --> 00:12:36,589
you know, leading with purpose and example

357
00:12:37,289 --> 00:12:38,509
and and trying to heighten,

358
00:12:38,889 --> 00:12:41,210
the way that we, look for ways to

359
00:12:41,210 --> 00:12:43,950
reward and recognize folks and provide gratitude,

360
00:12:44,970 --> 00:12:47,690
and grace even, and then amongst all of

361
00:12:47,690 --> 00:12:50,414
that. So, again, I think it's, you know,

362
00:12:50,414 --> 00:12:53,134
a special way to to to hopefully take

363
00:12:53,134 --> 00:12:55,315
care of your team where people are energized,

364
00:12:55,535 --> 00:12:57,154
ultimately, to take care of patients.

365
00:12:58,254 --> 00:12:59,455
Great. Thanks so much for joining us on

366
00:12:59,455 --> 00:13:01,315
the podcast today. It was a great conversation.

367
00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:02,654
I look forward to working with you again

368
00:13:02,654 --> 00:13:04,355
soon. Thanks for having me.

369
00:13:06,500 --> 00:13:09,379
At athena Health, we know your ambulatory practice

370
00:13:09,379 --> 00:13:10,279
wants healthier,

371
00:13:10,659 --> 00:13:13,539
a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier

372
00:13:13,539 --> 00:13:14,039
patients.

373
00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:16,820
But the complexities of modern health care tech

374
00:13:16,820 --> 00:13:18,580
make it hard for you and your care

375
00:13:18,580 --> 00:13:21,205
teams to focus on what matters most. That's

376
00:13:21,205 --> 00:13:24,245
where athenahealth can help. Our AI native all

377
00:13:24,245 --> 00:13:26,825
in one solutions reduce administrative burdens,

378
00:13:27,205 --> 00:13:30,245
streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights

379
00:13:30,245 --> 00:13:33,059
when clinicians need it most. That means fewer

380
00:13:33,059 --> 00:13:35,860
clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom

381
00:13:35,860 --> 00:13:36,360
lines.

382
00:13:37,059 --> 00:13:40,259
Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice

383
00:13:40,259 --> 00:13:42,120
can be that much simpler with athenahealth.

384
00:13:42,820 --> 00:13:46,519
See how simpler is healthier at athenahealth.com.