1 00:00:01,439 --> 00:00:04,000 Every year, Becker's annual meeting brings health care 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,559 leaders together to unpack the most pressing issues 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:07,540 facing the industry. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,740 And every year, those conversations shift in profound 5 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:12,099 and unexpected ways. 6 00:00:12,544 --> 00:00:14,785 This April, more than 3,500 7 00:00:14,785 --> 00:00:17,905 healthcare executives will return to Chicago for Becker's 8 00:00:17,905 --> 00:00:19,204 sixteenth annual meeting. 9 00:00:19,585 --> 00:00:22,545 Seven ninety five elite speakers will offer new 10 00:00:22,545 --> 00:00:25,589 lessons, new case studies, and predictions about what 11 00:00:25,589 --> 00:00:26,329 comes next. 12 00:00:26,630 --> 00:00:28,890 Join us April 13 through the sixteenth. 13 00:00:29,350 --> 00:00:31,210 For the agenda and event details, 14 00:00:31,510 --> 00:00:33,670 visit beckershospitalreview.com 15 00:00:33,670 --> 00:00:35,590 and click on the events tab in the 16 00:00:35,590 --> 00:00:36,329 upper right. 17 00:00:37,605 --> 00:00:39,844 This is Laura Dirdo with the Becker's Healthcare 18 00:00:39,844 --> 00:00:42,085 Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 19 00:00:42,085 --> 00:00:44,965 Scott McClain, senior vice president and chief information 20 00:00:44,965 --> 00:00:46,885 officer at MedStar Health. Scott, it's a pleasure 21 00:00:46,885 --> 00:00:48,885 to have you on the podcast today. Thanks, 22 00:00:48,885 --> 00:00:50,505 Laura. I'm really happy to be here. 23 00:00:50,909 --> 00:00:52,909 Absolutely. Now I'm excited to catch up with 24 00:00:52,909 --> 00:00:54,909 you. I know you've, spoken with Becker's for 25 00:00:54,909 --> 00:00:56,350 years and really been a great, 26 00:00:56,750 --> 00:00:58,350 resource for us, you know, very much on 27 00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:00,509 the cutting edge of technology and everything that's 28 00:01:00,509 --> 00:01:02,509 happening in the digital health space. So this 29 00:01:02,509 --> 00:01:04,109 will be a great opportunity to catch up, 30 00:01:04,109 --> 00:01:05,295 learn a little bit more about 31 00:01:07,295 --> 00:01:07,366 how you're thinking about the future as well. 32 00:01:07,366 --> 00:01:08,814 But before we dive in, can you just 33 00:01:08,814 --> 00:01:10,415 tell me a little bit more about yourself 34 00:01:10,415 --> 00:01:13,215 and, you know, MedStar Health overall, especially for 35 00:01:13,215 --> 00:01:15,215 our listeners who just started to to join 36 00:01:15,215 --> 00:01:16,274 the Becker's podcast? 37 00:01:17,390 --> 00:01:19,469 Sure. I have, been at MedStar Health for 38 00:01:19,469 --> 00:01:21,790 eight years now, and we are a integrated 39 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:24,989 delivery system in the Baltimore, Washington, DC region. 40 00:01:24,989 --> 00:01:28,369 We have 10 hospitals and over 300 ambulatory 41 00:01:28,509 --> 00:01:31,864 care sites. We have a Medicaid insurer both 42 00:01:31,864 --> 00:01:32,265 in, 43 00:01:32,984 --> 00:01:34,204 Maryland and DC, 44 00:01:34,665 --> 00:01:37,084 and we're a teaching affiliate of Georgetown University 45 00:01:37,224 --> 00:01:38,844 Medical Center. And so 46 00:01:39,465 --> 00:01:40,924 we're a a full service, 47 00:01:41,704 --> 00:01:45,239 integrated delivery network with, insurer. We have a 48 00:01:45,479 --> 00:01:47,799 a research institute, and as well as an 49 00:01:47,799 --> 00:01:48,299 innovation 50 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:49,180 area. 51 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:51,879 That's fascinating to hear. You know, I I 52 00:01:51,879 --> 00:01:53,799 know there's so much that goes into putting 53 00:01:53,799 --> 00:01:54,700 it all together. 54 00:01:55,479 --> 00:01:57,879 So, you know, I'm curious. What are some 55 00:01:57,879 --> 00:01:59,479 of the big things that you're watching right 56 00:01:59,479 --> 00:02:01,344 now, some of the trends that you're most 57 00:02:01,344 --> 00:02:03,104 focused on as you're thinking about how you 58 00:02:03,104 --> 00:02:04,885 need to prepare for the future? 59 00:02:05,665 --> 00:02:07,604 Well, it's a great question. I I think 60 00:02:07,745 --> 00:02:08,805 that the 61 00:02:09,344 --> 00:02:11,745 strategy is to use platforms. I think a 62 00:02:11,745 --> 00:02:14,084 lot of people are talking about the EHR, 63 00:02:14,305 --> 00:02:15,685 ERP, the collaboration 64 00:02:15,985 --> 00:02:16,485 platforms, 65 00:02:17,909 --> 00:02:20,389 and making sure that those are implemented as 66 00:02:20,389 --> 00:02:23,129 fully as possible. And we're going through 67 00:02:23,670 --> 00:02:26,389 a rationalization of all our applications now as 68 00:02:26,389 --> 00:02:27,430 we do our, 69 00:02:27,990 --> 00:02:29,050 EHR install 70 00:02:29,775 --> 00:02:31,935 and, making sure that we're getting the value 71 00:02:31,935 --> 00:02:34,655 out of, those platforms. And then there as 72 00:02:34,655 --> 00:02:36,094 you well know, and I'm sure we'll talk 73 00:02:36,094 --> 00:02:37,794 about, lots of opportunities to 74 00:02:38,094 --> 00:02:40,415 build functionality on top of those platforms and 75 00:02:40,415 --> 00:02:41,474 use some of the technologies 76 00:02:41,855 --> 00:02:44,275 around artificial intelligence and 77 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:47,979 ambient speech and and various things that will 78 00:02:47,979 --> 00:02:50,239 make it easier for our patients and clinicians 79 00:02:50,459 --> 00:02:53,099 to, go through the care process and and 80 00:02:53,099 --> 00:02:55,500 lots of, good features and functionality in the 81 00:02:55,500 --> 00:02:57,039 administrative areas too. 82 00:02:57,925 --> 00:02:59,604 Absolutely. I think that makes a lot of 83 00:02:59,604 --> 00:03:01,525 sense. And, you know, when you are looking 84 00:03:01,525 --> 00:03:03,705 at, that process of doing that 85 00:03:04,564 --> 00:03:07,284 rationalization of the applications, thinking through, you know, 86 00:03:07,284 --> 00:03:09,800 everything that has to happen and go correctly 87 00:03:09,860 --> 00:03:10,840 in order for, 88 00:03:11,699 --> 00:03:13,539 it to be done and then continue to 89 00:03:13,539 --> 00:03:15,319 add value to the organization overall. 90 00:03:16,259 --> 00:03:18,580 What is really important within that process for 91 00:03:18,580 --> 00:03:20,259 you and your team to stay focused on? 92 00:03:20,259 --> 00:03:22,375 How do you make sure that everybody is 93 00:03:22,375 --> 00:03:24,614 doing what they need to do, and you're 94 00:03:24,614 --> 00:03:26,155 able to be efficient and effective 95 00:03:26,534 --> 00:03:27,674 with that rationalization 96 00:03:27,974 --> 00:03:28,474 process? 97 00:03:29,414 --> 00:03:31,174 Well, I think it it starts with, 98 00:03:31,655 --> 00:03:34,215 good leadership, and our CEO often talks about 99 00:03:34,215 --> 00:03:35,194 having a strategy, 100 00:03:35,710 --> 00:03:38,189 having leadership, and being able to execute on 101 00:03:38,189 --> 00:03:39,650 that. And that's how we 102 00:03:40,030 --> 00:03:41,969 approach things at MedStar Health. 103 00:03:42,510 --> 00:03:44,750 And as part of this, strategic plan that 104 00:03:44,750 --> 00:03:46,210 we're in right now, which, 105 00:03:46,909 --> 00:03:47,569 we are 106 00:03:47,895 --> 00:03:51,094 looking to, continue our growth and, ability to 107 00:03:51,094 --> 00:03:53,094 serve our patients and and make a better, 108 00:03:53,414 --> 00:03:54,875 patient access and experience, 109 00:03:55,814 --> 00:03:56,955 in this time period. 110 00:03:57,254 --> 00:03:59,514 The foundation of that is, organizational 111 00:03:59,814 --> 00:04:00,314 transformation, 112 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:02,439 around not just, 113 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,180 technology and the EHR platform, 114 00:04:05,719 --> 00:04:06,780 but, also 115 00:04:07,159 --> 00:04:09,819 what it takes to have people change management 116 00:04:09,879 --> 00:04:12,120 and the right standard processes to do that. 117 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:12,620 And 118 00:04:13,205 --> 00:04:15,525 so I I think as we talk about 119 00:04:15,525 --> 00:04:18,084 these things, you start with core values of, 120 00:04:18,485 --> 00:04:20,104 again, making sure that, 121 00:04:20,884 --> 00:04:23,464 we have the right approach for our patients, 122 00:04:23,845 --> 00:04:25,845 and the access that we want them to 123 00:04:25,845 --> 00:04:28,345 have to our caregivers and and system. 124 00:04:29,370 --> 00:04:31,689 And then I think that there's a lot 125 00:04:31,689 --> 00:04:32,430 of respectful 126 00:04:32,730 --> 00:04:34,410 listening. You you can imagine we have a 127 00:04:34,410 --> 00:04:37,310 good governance structure set up for our implementation, 128 00:04:38,250 --> 00:04:40,970 and, we wanna hear from people about what 129 00:04:40,970 --> 00:04:41,915 is important, 130 00:04:42,314 --> 00:04:44,895 in the various care areas, the specific, 131 00:04:45,435 --> 00:04:45,935 unique 132 00:04:46,634 --> 00:04:48,634 locations that we have in different types of 133 00:04:48,634 --> 00:04:51,214 hospitals and communities and ambulatory sites. 134 00:04:52,154 --> 00:04:54,569 But, holding to those values of, 135 00:04:55,210 --> 00:04:57,689 being standard about our approach that we would 136 00:04:57,689 --> 00:04:58,089 have, 137 00:04:59,129 --> 00:05:01,470 the best, level of quality and safety, 138 00:05:01,770 --> 00:05:04,330 in all of our care, areas and things 139 00:05:04,330 --> 00:05:05,230 that we do 140 00:05:05,610 --> 00:05:08,064 and, the best patient experience from, 141 00:05:08,865 --> 00:05:12,564 registration scheduling, handling, billing, and, various other communications 142 00:05:12,704 --> 00:05:14,865 that we have with them. So there are 143 00:05:14,865 --> 00:05:16,625 a lot of things in the environment that 144 00:05:16,625 --> 00:05:19,664 have, come along and have been helpful with 145 00:05:19,664 --> 00:05:21,444 the core systems we use today, 146 00:05:21,889 --> 00:05:23,810 But we're going through a whole process of 147 00:05:23,810 --> 00:05:25,970 evaluating every one of them and can the 148 00:05:25,970 --> 00:05:27,910 new platform do that function, 149 00:05:28,769 --> 00:05:31,029 at least for a great percentage of it. 150 00:05:31,329 --> 00:05:32,709 And and then we're respectfully 151 00:05:33,009 --> 00:05:36,790 going through and having conversations with important stakeholders 152 00:05:37,535 --> 00:05:40,095 about how our our new platforms are gonna 153 00:05:40,095 --> 00:05:42,495 cover the functionality that they they have in 154 00:05:42,495 --> 00:05:43,475 existing systems. 155 00:05:44,014 --> 00:05:45,714 And then you have to be rigorous, 156 00:05:46,415 --> 00:05:47,794 about being able 157 00:05:48,495 --> 00:05:49,794 to set up and support, 158 00:05:50,254 --> 00:05:51,154 the new platforms 159 00:05:51,615 --> 00:05:54,069 and any integrations that need to take place 160 00:05:54,069 --> 00:05:56,569 there, but also be very disciplined about eliminating 161 00:05:56,790 --> 00:05:59,050 and retiring the, the old systems 162 00:05:59,350 --> 00:06:00,810 and making sure that you're 163 00:06:01,189 --> 00:06:02,649 not in a place where you're 164 00:06:03,910 --> 00:06:06,470 still using things that are confusing for clinicians 165 00:06:06,470 --> 00:06:07,129 or patients, 166 00:06:07,830 --> 00:06:09,645 or certainly not paying for things that are 167 00:06:09,645 --> 00:06:10,705 not in use anymore. 168 00:06:11,725 --> 00:06:13,085 Got it. That makes a lot of sense. 169 00:06:13,085 --> 00:06:14,785 And, you know, it's really helpful to understand 170 00:06:14,925 --> 00:06:17,105 the gravity of everything that goes into, 171 00:06:17,564 --> 00:06:18,785 these types of processes, 172 00:06:19,085 --> 00:06:20,685 you know, across the system. I think so 173 00:06:20,685 --> 00:06:21,725 often it can be, 174 00:06:22,045 --> 00:06:23,485 just seen as, hey. You know, we need 175 00:06:23,485 --> 00:06:24,839 this to happen, and then, 176 00:06:25,319 --> 00:06:26,839 you magically make it happen. But there's a 177 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:28,939 lot of work that actually goes into it. 178 00:06:29,879 --> 00:06:31,800 When you think about the last six to 179 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,560 eighteen months or so, what work are you 180 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:35,240 most proud of? What are you focused on 181 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:36,300 and excited about? 182 00:06:36,935 --> 00:06:38,535 Well, I think, you know, our our mission 183 00:06:38,535 --> 00:06:39,175 is to, 184 00:06:39,735 --> 00:06:40,235 deliver, 185 00:06:40,935 --> 00:06:43,574 very high quality health care in this region. 186 00:06:43,574 --> 00:06:45,895 It's a important strategic region in the country 187 00:06:45,895 --> 00:06:47,115 with the nation's capital. 188 00:06:47,654 --> 00:06:50,214 And, we wanna do that again by being 189 00:06:50,214 --> 00:06:52,529 available to the patients that wanna see us, 190 00:06:52,529 --> 00:06:53,829 And that's been part of 191 00:06:54,370 --> 00:06:56,209 our way of going about things of of 192 00:06:56,209 --> 00:06:59,269 being available and having lots of, physical locations, 193 00:06:59,569 --> 00:07:01,430 in the region for people to access. 194 00:07:01,970 --> 00:07:04,209 And we also have a digital strategy of 195 00:07:04,209 --> 00:07:06,870 ways that, patients can connect to us through 196 00:07:07,154 --> 00:07:09,975 our, MedStar Health app and, portals. 197 00:07:10,754 --> 00:07:13,395 And, so I'm excited about the way that 198 00:07:13,395 --> 00:07:15,795 we can can meet our patients for the 199 00:07:15,795 --> 00:07:18,935 care that they need and, that that growth, 200 00:07:19,870 --> 00:07:23,169 the ability to have good growth, but maintain 201 00:07:23,389 --> 00:07:24,769 quality and patient experience, 202 00:07:25,229 --> 00:07:27,569 across that that growth in the region. 203 00:07:28,829 --> 00:07:30,990 Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. And 204 00:07:30,990 --> 00:07:33,149 I'm curious, when you talk about growth and 205 00:07:33,149 --> 00:07:34,925 talk about that patient experience 206 00:07:35,305 --> 00:07:38,204 and everything else, I I know that encompasses 207 00:07:38,425 --> 00:07:38,925 many, 208 00:07:40,024 --> 00:07:43,144 departments system wide in many initiatives. But from 209 00:07:43,144 --> 00:07:45,485 your seat, and thinking about the digital strategy, 210 00:07:46,264 --> 00:07:48,090 what are are are kind of the things 211 00:07:48,090 --> 00:07:50,050 that are bubbling to the forefront for you, 212 00:07:50,050 --> 00:07:51,910 especially in the next year, that are gonna 213 00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:54,770 be critical for that patient experience? How do 214 00:07:54,770 --> 00:07:55,430 you really, 215 00:07:56,449 --> 00:07:59,170 see your efforts, you know, behind the scenes 216 00:07:59,170 --> 00:08:00,584 and then in front to, 217 00:08:01,104 --> 00:08:03,384 you know, becoming a big part of that 218 00:08:03,384 --> 00:08:05,404 strategic value that you're looking for? 219 00:08:06,264 --> 00:08:07,625 Well, I'm gonna go back to the the 220 00:08:07,625 --> 00:08:10,264 platform idea and the what we talked about 221 00:08:10,264 --> 00:08:12,985 of being able to utilize the functionality. So 222 00:08:12,985 --> 00:08:15,704 with our our new EHR platform that we're 223 00:08:15,704 --> 00:08:16,204 implementing 224 00:08:16,790 --> 00:08:19,430 that we expect to go live in, late 225 00:08:19,430 --> 00:08:20,569 twenty twenty seven, 226 00:08:21,029 --> 00:08:21,589 we are, 227 00:08:22,310 --> 00:08:23,990 looking at the ways that we can configure 228 00:08:23,990 --> 00:08:24,810 that platform 229 00:08:25,430 --> 00:08:27,129 to take advantage of best practices. 230 00:08:28,310 --> 00:08:29,209 And this would 231 00:08:29,509 --> 00:08:30,605 involve a 232 00:08:30,985 --> 00:08:32,365 better patient experience 233 00:08:32,665 --> 00:08:34,924 in terms of how they're able to, 234 00:08:35,865 --> 00:08:36,825 seek and, 235 00:08:37,225 --> 00:08:37,725 schedule, 236 00:08:38,424 --> 00:08:38,924 appointments, 237 00:08:39,544 --> 00:08:40,044 access, 238 00:08:40,585 --> 00:08:43,304 urgent care or specialty care or, you know, 239 00:08:43,304 --> 00:08:43,804 hospital, 240 00:08:44,889 --> 00:08:46,190 ED if if needed. 241 00:08:46,730 --> 00:08:47,529 And so, 242 00:08:48,410 --> 00:08:50,410 that, I think, is what we're we're focused 243 00:08:50,410 --> 00:08:51,149 on mostly 244 00:08:51,690 --> 00:08:53,850 here and excited about. And I I think 245 00:08:53,850 --> 00:08:56,330 that there are I know you're talking to 246 00:08:56,330 --> 00:08:59,954 other CIOs and and leaders about the capabilities 247 00:09:00,254 --> 00:09:00,754 that, 248 00:09:01,534 --> 00:09:05,074 the technology environment is producing, again, with, 249 00:09:05,855 --> 00:09:07,934 artificial intelligence algorithms that, 250 00:09:09,134 --> 00:09:12,059 need to be experimented with and proven, and, 251 00:09:12,299 --> 00:09:14,860 we're looking at at taking advantage of that 252 00:09:14,860 --> 00:09:17,040 that functionality as well. Again, 253 00:09:17,420 --> 00:09:20,059 hoping to take advantage of what is provided 254 00:09:20,059 --> 00:09:21,120 through our core vendors, 255 00:09:22,220 --> 00:09:25,679 but then also have some discussions about supplementary 256 00:09:26,315 --> 00:09:28,634 interventions that that may not be provided yet 257 00:09:28,634 --> 00:09:29,774 by by those vendors. 258 00:09:30,794 --> 00:09:33,115 That's helpful to understand. Thank you for digging 259 00:09:33,115 --> 00:09:35,115 a little bit deeper there. Now before we 260 00:09:35,115 --> 00:09:36,794 wrap up, I wanted to ask you a 261 00:09:36,794 --> 00:09:38,254 little bit about leadership. 262 00:09:38,639 --> 00:09:40,639 What advice would you give evolving leaders today, 263 00:09:40,639 --> 00:09:43,040 especially in the technology space? I know you 264 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:44,879 touched on AI, but that's making a big 265 00:09:44,879 --> 00:09:47,120 difference, you know, across the board in health 266 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,279 care and everything else. And so how do 267 00:09:49,279 --> 00:09:51,794 you, you know, talk, with leaders as they're 268 00:09:51,794 --> 00:09:53,794 thinking about growing their careers in the health 269 00:09:53,794 --> 00:09:55,174 care and technology space? 270 00:09:55,954 --> 00:09:58,194 Well, thanks for asking, Lauren. And as I've 271 00:09:58,194 --> 00:10:00,355 been reflecting, it it feels like it wasn't, 272 00:10:00,595 --> 00:10:02,434 very long ago, although it was thirty years 273 00:10:02,434 --> 00:10:03,414 ago that I was 274 00:10:04,019 --> 00:10:06,419 an intern and an applications analyst at at 275 00:10:06,419 --> 00:10:09,059 Mass General Brigham and kinda grew up there 276 00:10:09,059 --> 00:10:11,379 before coming here to MedStar Health to to 277 00:10:11,379 --> 00:10:12,440 be a CIO. 278 00:10:12,980 --> 00:10:14,820 And I I just think so much of, 279 00:10:15,059 --> 00:10:17,320 what leadership about is relationships. 280 00:10:17,699 --> 00:10:18,519 And particularly 281 00:10:19,284 --> 00:10:20,745 with clinicians, I find 282 00:10:21,125 --> 00:10:22,725 being able to listen to them and, 283 00:10:23,445 --> 00:10:25,705 be able to study their workflows and understand 284 00:10:25,924 --> 00:10:26,664 what their 285 00:10:27,125 --> 00:10:28,804 pain points are and how that they they 286 00:10:28,804 --> 00:10:31,845 work and then, adapting technology the best ways 287 00:10:31,845 --> 00:10:34,899 that can support them is is really important. 288 00:10:34,899 --> 00:10:35,940 But it's, 289 00:10:36,580 --> 00:10:38,759 you know, we we lead through teams, 290 00:10:40,340 --> 00:10:41,300 sub leaders that, 291 00:10:41,860 --> 00:10:44,340 manage a number of associates in in, 292 00:10:44,740 --> 00:10:45,800 information services. 293 00:10:46,820 --> 00:10:47,720 There are other, 294 00:10:48,584 --> 00:10:49,865 administrative leaders that, 295 00:10:50,345 --> 00:10:52,764 I need to relate to and and support, 296 00:10:53,225 --> 00:10:56,044 as we work through the allocation of resources 297 00:10:56,264 --> 00:10:58,105 because we can't do everything at once. Right? 298 00:10:58,105 --> 00:10:58,345 So, 299 00:10:59,384 --> 00:11:02,000 I I think that's so so important for 300 00:11:02,059 --> 00:11:04,539 for younger folks. I always took advantage of 301 00:11:04,539 --> 00:11:06,860 organizations like HIMSS and then later on when 302 00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:08,480 I became a CIO in Chime. 303 00:11:09,259 --> 00:11:11,440 I I think those are are really important 304 00:11:11,500 --> 00:11:14,254 ways to get education. There's so much digital 305 00:11:14,475 --> 00:11:17,434 online education now as well as the the 306 00:11:17,434 --> 00:11:18,815 conferences that happen. So 307 00:11:20,075 --> 00:11:23,035 I find, I found in in in my, 308 00:11:23,355 --> 00:11:25,995 coming up as a leader participating in those 309 00:11:25,995 --> 00:11:26,495 organizations 310 00:11:26,795 --> 00:11:27,295 and 311 00:11:27,820 --> 00:11:29,820 maybe experimenting with different types of leadership that 312 00:11:29,820 --> 00:11:31,659 you wouldn't use at your home shop and 313 00:11:31,659 --> 00:11:34,159 learning that way was, also really important. 314 00:11:35,179 --> 00:11:36,700 I love that, Scott. Thank you so much 315 00:11:36,700 --> 00:11:38,379 for your time today. This has been such 316 00:11:38,379 --> 00:11:41,341 a helpful conversation. I I really appreciate the 317 00:11:41,501 --> 00:11:42,781 opportunity to speak with you, and I look 318 00:11:42,781 --> 00:11:44,321 forward to connecting you again soon. 319 00:11:44,701 --> 00:11:45,521 Thanks, Laura.