WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.319 - There's a small circle of people who truly 2 00:00:04.319 --> 00:00:05.919 - understand what it takes to lead a health 3 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:08.660 - system right now. The decisions are enormous. 4 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.919 - The variables are constantly shifting, and the stakes 5 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:14.099 - of getting a call wrong don't stay contained. 6 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:16.904 - That's not a complaint. It's a structural reality. 7 00:00:17.204 --> 00:00:19.125 - And it's why the most effective c suite 8 00:00:19.125 --> 00:00:21.285 - leaders are deliberate about where they go to 9 00:00:21.285 --> 00:00:22.585 - pressure test their thinking. 10 00:00:22.964 --> 00:00:25.945 - Becker's fourteenth annual CEO and CFO roundtable 11 00:00:26.324 --> 00:00:28.564 - brings together more than 1,500 12 00:00:28.564 --> 00:00:29.864 - executive level attendees 13 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.799 - and nearly 400 speakers for four days built 14 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:34.739 - around growth, financial sustainability, 15 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.079 - workforce strategy, and the leadership questions that don't 16 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:39.140 - have easy answers. 17 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:41.840 - Join us November second through the fifth in 18 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:42.340 - Chicago. 19 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:44.820 - For the agenda and event details, 20 00:00:45.195 --> 00:00:47.355 - visit beckershospitalreview.com 21 00:00:47.355 --> 00:00:49.195 - and click on the events tab in the 22 00:00:49.195 --> 00:00:49.935 - upper right. 23 00:00:50.954 --> 00:00:53.195 - This is Laura Dirdo with the Becker's Healthcare 24 00:00:53.195 --> 00:00:55.274 - podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 25 00:00:55.274 --> 00:00:58.075 - doctor Liane Yanni, president and chief executive officer 26 00:00:58.075 --> 00:01:00.395 - of the Illinois Physician Enterprise for Hospital Sisters 27 00:01:00.395 --> 00:01:02.229 - Health System. Doctor Yanni, it's a pleasure to 28 00:01:02.229 --> 00:01:04.469 - have you on the podcast today. Hi, Laura. 29 00:01:04.469 --> 00:01:05.909 - Thank you so much for having me. I'm 30 00:01:05.909 --> 00:01:07.290 - excited to have a conversation. 31 00:01:08.069 --> 00:01:09.670 - Absolutely. This is gonna be a lot of 32 00:01:09.670 --> 00:01:11.670 - fun, and I'm excited to learn more about 33 00:01:11.670 --> 00:01:13.909 - what you're doing at Hospital Sisters Health System 34 00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:15.584 - as well as how you're thinking about the 35 00:01:15.584 --> 00:01:17.984 - future growth and more. But before we dive 36 00:01:17.984 --> 00:01:19.265 - in, can you tell us just a little 37 00:01:19.265 --> 00:01:20.965 - bit more about yourself and your background? 38 00:01:21.504 --> 00:01:24.545 - Yeah. Absolutely. So I'm president and CEO of 39 00:01:24.545 --> 00:01:27.424 - the Illinois physician enterprise for Hospital Sisters Health 40 00:01:27.424 --> 00:01:27.924 - System. 41 00:01:28.349 --> 00:01:30.030 - I've been in my role about a year 42 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:32.030 - and a half and I have had an 43 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:33.650 - interesting journey into leadership. 44 00:01:34.430 --> 00:01:36.989 - I started as an internist. I worked in 45 00:01:36.989 --> 00:01:39.489 - Richmond, Virginia for many years for academic, 46 00:01:40.030 --> 00:01:43.424 - academic health care at Virginia Commonwealth University. And 47 00:01:43.424 --> 00:01:45.905 - then I transitioned to a faith based faith 48 00:01:45.905 --> 00:01:46.405 - organization, 49 00:01:47.665 --> 00:01:48.405 - Bon Secours, 50 00:01:48.704 --> 00:01:50.784 - now Bon Secours Mercy Health and worked there 51 00:01:50.784 --> 00:01:53.424 - for a number of years, building up actually 52 00:01:53.424 --> 00:01:54.805 - palliative medicine programs. 53 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:56.159 - I then, 54 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.799 - stepped into a chief medical officer role at 55 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:00.099 - a hospital in Richmond, 56 00:02:00.479 --> 00:02:03.119 - which I value that experience tremendously. And during 57 00:02:03.119 --> 00:02:04.019 - the same time, 58 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:07.219 - I received my master's of health care management 59 00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:09.280 - through the T. H. Chan School of Public 60 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:10.500 - Health, in Boston. 61 00:02:10.935 --> 00:02:12.694 - And that really propelled me to, 62 00:02:13.094 --> 00:02:14.555 - a leadership level that, 63 00:02:14.935 --> 00:02:15.435 - I 64 00:02:15.814 --> 00:02:17.835 - wanted to achieve in terms of, 65 00:02:18.295 --> 00:02:20.694 - overseeing an ambulatory group. That is really was 66 00:02:20.694 --> 00:02:21.655 - always my goal. 67 00:02:22.055 --> 00:02:24.375 - And here I am in Illinois, which has 68 00:02:24.375 --> 00:02:26.430 - been my first venture out of Richmond after 69 00:02:26.590 --> 00:02:27.409 - twenty five years. 70 00:02:27.709 --> 00:02:29.629 - So, I'm thrilled to be in Illinois. I've 71 00:02:29.629 --> 00:02:30.669 - loved it. And, 72 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:33.310 - working for a hospital, Sisters Health System has 73 00:02:33.310 --> 00:02:33.709 - been, 74 00:02:34.189 --> 00:02:36.030 - a great pleasure, the last year and a 75 00:02:36.030 --> 00:02:36.530 - half. 76 00:02:37.150 --> 00:02:38.750 - I love it. That's amazing to hear, and 77 00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:40.349 - what an incredible career journey, 78 00:02:40.909 --> 00:02:42.724 - in order to get where you are. I 79 00:02:42.724 --> 00:02:44.564 - think especially, as you mentioned, building up the 80 00:02:44.564 --> 00:02:46.485 - palliative care medicine. My ears perked up because 81 00:02:46.485 --> 00:02:48.745 - my mom's in palliative care actually just retiring. 82 00:02:48.805 --> 00:02:50.724 - So I know it's such an important service 83 00:02:50.724 --> 00:02:52.824 - and and so helpful when you're thinking about 84 00:02:52.884 --> 00:02:55.205 - everything else that goes into the care journey, 85 00:02:55.444 --> 00:02:58.230 - for for patients and communities. So that's really 86 00:02:58.230 --> 00:02:58.730 - incredible. 87 00:02:59.430 --> 00:03:01.909 - So now given where you at today at 88 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:03.510 - House of Sisters Health System, can you give 89 00:03:03.510 --> 00:03:04.629 - us a little state of the union of 90 00:03:04.629 --> 00:03:07.030 - the Illinois Physician Enterprise? What's going well this 91 00:03:07.030 --> 00:03:08.150 - year, and what are you focused on for 92 00:03:08.150 --> 00:03:09.610 - the rest of 2026? 93 00:03:10.334 --> 00:03:12.094 - Yeah. Absolutely. Well, there's a lot to pack 94 00:03:12.094 --> 00:03:14.094 - in in that little answer. So first, I 95 00:03:14.094 --> 00:03:17.055 - just wanna orient you, Laura, to Hospital Sisters. 96 00:03:17.055 --> 00:03:19.955 - So we're a two state health system, 13 97 00:03:20.014 --> 00:03:21.235 - hospitals, and, 98 00:03:21.694 --> 00:03:22.194 - Illinois 99 00:03:22.495 --> 00:03:24.114 - has the physician enterprise. 100 00:03:24.889 --> 00:03:26.969 - And that's where we have an ambulatory group 101 00:03:26.969 --> 00:03:29.930 - made up of, HSHS medical group and, 102 00:03:30.250 --> 00:03:30.750 - pericardiovascular. 103 00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:34.430 - And in those two, parts of our ambulatory 104 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:36.810 - entity, we have about 320 105 00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:39.354 - physicians and APPs we work with. And we 106 00:03:39.354 --> 00:03:41.514 - work at 60 core locations and we have 107 00:03:41.514 --> 00:03:44.555 - 60 outreach locations. So we're everything from urban 108 00:03:44.555 --> 00:03:45.375 - to rural. 109 00:03:45.675 --> 00:03:46.395 - We have, 110 00:03:46.794 --> 00:03:48.715 - a lot of rural communities that we serve 111 00:03:48.715 --> 00:03:51.754 - and so certainly impacted by, some of the 112 00:03:51.754 --> 00:03:54.074 - changes in healthcare that are impacting our rural 113 00:03:54.074 --> 00:03:54.574 - communities. 114 00:03:56.129 --> 00:03:57.889 - So what am I focused on? Well, when 115 00:03:57.969 --> 00:03:59.489 - first when I came in, it was just 116 00:03:59.489 --> 00:04:01.650 - orienting myself to a new state. That isn't 117 00:04:01.650 --> 00:04:03.569 - something I had done before. So I spent 118 00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:05.090 - a lot of time on the road. So 119 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:05.590 - driving, 120 00:04:06.609 --> 00:04:09.090 - from, Springfield, which is where I where my 121 00:04:09.090 --> 00:04:10.129 - base is right now, 122 00:04:10.944 --> 00:04:13.044 - to Decatur, to Shelbyville, to Effingham, 123 00:04:13.985 --> 00:04:16.704 - down to the O'Fallon area, including Breeze and 124 00:04:16.704 --> 00:04:17.204 - Highland, 125 00:04:17.904 --> 00:04:20.004 - the Shiloh and Fairview Heights areas, 126 00:04:20.464 --> 00:04:22.544 - of that region and all the way down 127 00:04:22.544 --> 00:04:23.204 - to Carbondale 128 00:04:23.599 --> 00:04:24.879 - and then back up to Springfield. And so 129 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:27.360 - I've got my little circular route, and hopefully, 130 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:29.519 - I didn't forget Effingham in there, because that's 131 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:32.000 - one of our sites. And so we, certainly 132 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.060 - are spread across Central And Southern Illinois. And, 133 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:37.699 - again, I was on the road meeting everyone, 134 00:04:38.159 --> 00:04:40.694 - just such a great group of clinicians, from 135 00:04:40.694 --> 00:04:41.995 - physicians to APPs 136 00:04:42.535 --> 00:04:43.194 - to frontline 137 00:04:43.574 --> 00:04:44.074 - registrars, 138 00:04:44.375 --> 00:04:46.375 - MAs, nurses. We really have, 139 00:04:46.854 --> 00:04:49.514 - incredible staff that serve all of these communities. 140 00:04:50.134 --> 00:04:52.935 - So my first few few months, really, ninety 141 00:04:52.935 --> 00:04:54.774 - to one hundred and eighty days, were focused 142 00:04:54.774 --> 00:04:57.979 - on communication and culture, really learning, about the 143 00:04:57.979 --> 00:05:00.300 - culture here, and what we're doing well and 144 00:05:00.300 --> 00:05:01.360 - where we have opportunity. 145 00:05:01.899 --> 00:05:04.800 - We really focused in on standardizing our communication 146 00:05:04.860 --> 00:05:06.699 - approach so that everyone knew what was going 147 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:08.779 - on and started a weekly newsletter just to 148 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:10.079 - get people up to speed. 149 00:05:10.584 --> 00:05:12.345 - The second thing I was really focused on 150 00:05:12.345 --> 00:05:14.044 - was leadership development. So, 151 00:05:14.504 --> 00:05:16.685 - again, terrific clinicians and APPs, 152 00:05:17.225 --> 00:05:19.464 - but getting them to the table to engage 153 00:05:19.464 --> 00:05:22.125 - in leadership was critical to our future success. 154 00:05:22.660 --> 00:05:24.660 - And so we established a set of executive 155 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:25.960 - medical director positions, 156 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:28.740 - got those filled. And really what I noticed 157 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:31.139 - about this organization is the incredible work our 158 00:05:31.139 --> 00:05:34.100 - advanced practice providers do. And in fact, in 159 00:05:34.100 --> 00:05:36.960 - our, in our complement of a three twenty, 160 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:39.935 - physicians in APPs, APPs, about half are APPs. 161 00:05:40.634 --> 00:05:42.794 - So we need those those voices at the 162 00:05:42.794 --> 00:05:43.754 - table to, 163 00:05:44.154 --> 00:05:46.634 - inform us as an organization about how best 164 00:05:46.634 --> 00:05:48.875 - they can serve and and practice at top 165 00:05:48.875 --> 00:05:49.534 - of license. 166 00:05:50.154 --> 00:05:51.914 - And I I needed some leaders there. And 167 00:05:51.914 --> 00:05:54.509 - so we actually established a advanced practice provider 168 00:05:54.509 --> 00:05:55.009 - council, 169 00:05:55.710 --> 00:05:58.750 - and established some leadership positions, for our advanced 170 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:01.330 - practice providers. And we now have three excellent 171 00:06:01.389 --> 00:06:03.009 - APP leads in those roles, 172 00:06:03.470 --> 00:06:06.270 - working alongside in a triad model with our 173 00:06:06.270 --> 00:06:08.770 - executive medical directors as well as our operational 174 00:06:08.990 --> 00:06:09.490 - directors, 175 00:06:10.165 --> 00:06:12.004 - really to help us in carrying out our 176 00:06:12.004 --> 00:06:12.504 - strategy. 177 00:06:12.805 --> 00:06:14.485 - So that sort of goes into the next 178 00:06:14.485 --> 00:06:16.324 - part of what we focused on this first 179 00:06:16.324 --> 00:06:19.045 - year, which was a strategic plan. So, our 180 00:06:19.045 --> 00:06:20.965 - organization has done a lot of good work 181 00:06:20.965 --> 00:06:22.884 - over the hundred and fifty years it's been 182 00:06:22.884 --> 00:06:23.545 - in existence. 183 00:06:24.569 --> 00:06:26.810 - Our ambulatory group has only really been here 184 00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:30.110 - since 2008. So, it's a relatively young ambulatory 185 00:06:30.250 --> 00:06:31.790 - group and we're still evolving. 186 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:35.050 - So we really needed a strategic plan to 187 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:38.485 - align with our HSHS overall strategic plan to 188 00:06:38.485 --> 00:06:40.644 - drive us into the future. And so we 189 00:06:40.644 --> 00:06:42.245 - really spent a lot of time together with 190 00:06:42.245 --> 00:06:44.725 - those new leaders, with all of our physicians 191 00:06:44.725 --> 00:06:47.144 - and APP input, as well as frontline colleagues, 192 00:06:47.685 --> 00:06:50.564 - in developing our first ever strategic plan. And 193 00:06:50.564 --> 00:06:52.759 - so, our role now is to carry that 194 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:55.480 - out and do great execution on the strategic 195 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:55.980 - initiatives, 196 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.259 - from 2026 into 2027. 197 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:00.839 - And I'll say the last thing that we 198 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:03.639 - really worked on, was recruitment. So, when I 199 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:05.675 - came in the door, Hospital Sisters made it 200 00:07:05.675 --> 00:07:07.514 - clear that we were ready to grow and 201 00:07:07.514 --> 00:07:09.675 - that we have done. So we have a 202 00:07:09.675 --> 00:07:13.275 - physician workforce plan we're executing on, to recruit 203 00:07:13.275 --> 00:07:15.194 - and align with over 150 204 00:07:15.194 --> 00:07:15.694 - physicians, 205 00:07:16.314 --> 00:07:17.939 - in the next three years. And so really 206 00:07:17.939 --> 00:07:21.620 - positioning our organization for success moving forward, filling 207 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:23.560 - gaps where we have them in our communities 208 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:26.259 - for primary and specialty care. And we're really 209 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:28.500 - pleased that we've hired over 60 in our 210 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:30.944 - first year here. So recruitment's been a huge 211 00:07:30.944 --> 00:07:32.704 - part of my role, a huge part of 212 00:07:32.704 --> 00:07:35.104 - our leadership, role in our frontline clinicians as 213 00:07:35.104 --> 00:07:37.185 - well. And we have, really, 214 00:07:37.584 --> 00:07:40.064 - recruited top talent to Illinois and to the 215 00:07:40.064 --> 00:07:41.759 - organization. So I'm very proud of that. 216 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:44.800 - That's awesome to hear. I think so much 217 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:46.960 - going on and, really incredible to have an 218 00:07:46.960 --> 00:07:48.960 - understanding of just the the, 219 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:52.480 - vast community that you're serving so many different, 220 00:07:52.960 --> 00:07:55.920 - cities and towns and areas. And I can 221 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:58.074 - imagine each has their own unique culture and 222 00:07:58.074 --> 00:08:00.634 - approach there too. So that that's, so fun 223 00:08:00.634 --> 00:08:02.794 - to hear. And to your workforce point, I 224 00:08:02.794 --> 00:08:04.095 - I think to talk about recruitment, 225 00:08:05.355 --> 00:08:07.035 - and retention, I think that's the best top 226 00:08:07.035 --> 00:08:08.954 - of mind for so many clinical leaders today. 227 00:08:08.954 --> 00:08:11.675 - So what have you seen work well, especially 228 00:08:11.675 --> 00:08:13.290 - in more rural settings, and, 229 00:08:13.850 --> 00:08:15.449 - what are you looking at trying in the 230 00:08:15.449 --> 00:08:16.430 - next year or so? 231 00:08:17.129 --> 00:08:19.449 - Yeah. Great question. So, you know, one of 232 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:21.689 - the even though we've been really successful with 233 00:08:21.689 --> 00:08:23.529 - recruitment, we also have a lot of headwinds, 234 00:08:23.529 --> 00:08:24.830 - like you mentioned, in recruitment. 235 00:08:25.689 --> 00:08:28.295 - And we have challenging specialties that are that 236 00:08:28.295 --> 00:08:30.535 - are just, on our top of list that 237 00:08:30.535 --> 00:08:32.294 - we are trying to fill. And that includes, 238 00:08:32.535 --> 00:08:33.434 - you know, cardiology, 239 00:08:34.455 --> 00:08:35.754 - especially general cardiology, 240 00:08:37.095 --> 00:08:37.595 - gastroenterology 241 00:08:37.975 --> 00:08:39.835 - and orthopedics, as well as urology. 242 00:08:40.629 --> 00:08:42.709 - So anyone listening, that wants to come to 243 00:08:42.709 --> 00:08:45.750 - Illinois, you know, come contact me and, we'll 244 00:08:45.750 --> 00:08:46.809 - we'll have a conversation. 245 00:08:47.509 --> 00:08:50.470 - But, you know, in all seriousness, we, 246 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:52.575 - face the same headwinds a lot of other 247 00:08:52.815 --> 00:08:54.815 - communities face, but maybe even a little bit 248 00:08:54.815 --> 00:08:56.654 - greater in the in the Midwest and in 249 00:08:56.654 --> 00:08:58.595 - the in the rural communities we serve. 250 00:08:58.975 --> 00:09:01.134 - I, you know, I have to mention that 251 00:09:01.134 --> 00:09:04.815 - the immigration challenges have, created additional headwinds for 252 00:09:04.815 --> 00:09:05.475 - us. And, 253 00:09:06.029 --> 00:09:08.509 - I've personally seen some of the impact and 254 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:09.809 - the barriers set before 255 00:09:10.269 --> 00:09:12.909 - before some of these excellent physicians who were 256 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:14.909 - really unable to work through that process right 257 00:09:14.909 --> 00:09:17.070 - now and that sets us back in serving 258 00:09:17.070 --> 00:09:18.830 - the community. So that's been a big, big 259 00:09:18.830 --> 00:09:19.330 - challenge. 260 00:09:20.365 --> 00:09:22.845 - Having said that, we have still had great 261 00:09:22.845 --> 00:09:24.784 - success in our recruitment. And, 262 00:09:25.325 --> 00:09:26.324 - you know, what I would say a couple 263 00:09:26.324 --> 00:09:28.365 - of things we work on, we really work 264 00:09:28.365 --> 00:09:30.784 - hard on, helping people understand, 265 00:09:31.804 --> 00:09:34.379 - the great service and joy that can come 266 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:37.259 - from serving rural communities. And, I think I 267 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:39.820 - mentioned to you, Laura, earlier that, I've initiated 268 00:09:39.820 --> 00:09:42.460 - a podcast. It's not out yet, but it's 269 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:44.620 - in development and editing phases. And I I 270 00:09:44.620 --> 00:09:46.460 - wanted to share a quote that one of 271 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:47.039 - the doctors 272 00:09:47.394 --> 00:09:48.214 - that I interviewed, 273 00:09:48.834 --> 00:09:49.575 - shared with 274 00:09:50.034 --> 00:09:51.875 - me. And he said, I think people were 275 00:09:51.875 --> 00:09:54.115 - meant to live in small towns. It is 276 00:09:54.115 --> 00:09:56.034 - a much more natural way to live. It's 277 00:09:56.034 --> 00:09:57.875 - not something you would know until you do 278 00:09:57.875 --> 00:09:59.634 - it. But it's really it's the only way 279 00:09:59.634 --> 00:10:01.679 - to live. It's much more normal to see 280 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:03.600 - your patients as neighbors and people that you 281 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:05.440 - may see around town and just than to 282 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.139 - see them in your box at a clinic. 283 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:08.639 - What do you say? I never see them 284 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.879 - again live amongst 4,000,000 people who don't know 285 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:12.879 - each other, and this is a much kinder 286 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:14.820 - and gentler and much nicer way, 287 00:10:15.295 --> 00:10:17.375 - to live. So it was his perspective and 288 00:10:17.375 --> 00:10:19.695 - there's, of course, many perspectives, but I just 289 00:10:19.695 --> 00:10:21.615 - loved kind of how he said that. And 290 00:10:21.615 --> 00:10:22.815 - I know I messed up the quote a 291 00:10:22.815 --> 00:10:26.175 - little bit, but, he, was really passionate about, 292 00:10:26.415 --> 00:10:28.675 - his choice to live in a smaller community. 293 00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:30.950 - And so we really try to promote that. 294 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:33.029 - The quality of life in in living in 295 00:10:33.029 --> 00:10:34.250 - some of these smaller communities, 296 00:10:35.029 --> 00:10:37.450 - is very, very high. I've experienced that myself. 297 00:10:37.990 --> 00:10:39.590 - And then we also, of course, work on 298 00:10:39.590 --> 00:10:41.669 - the things that really matter to physicians and 299 00:10:41.669 --> 00:10:42.889 - APPs in our recruitment. 300 00:10:43.284 --> 00:10:45.065 - And that is a very fair 301 00:10:45.445 --> 00:10:47.205 - compensation plan that's, 302 00:10:48.404 --> 00:10:50.245 - there to support them and their quality of 303 00:10:50.245 --> 00:10:50.745 - life, 304 00:10:51.445 --> 00:10:54.004 - as well as their overall well-being. You know, 305 00:10:54.004 --> 00:10:56.884 - administrative burden in health care is pretty high. 306 00:10:56.884 --> 00:10:58.325 - We all know that. We talk about it 307 00:10:58.325 --> 00:11:01.079 - a lot. And our electronic health record can 308 00:11:01.079 --> 00:11:02.600 - be part of that burden or it can 309 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:04.440 - ease our burden. And we are one of 310 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:06.700 - the organizations that have invested in, 311 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:10.519 - IT innovation, and we are, offering Ambient AI 312 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.245 - to every every physician in APP that works, 313 00:11:13.565 --> 00:11:15.644 - in our ambulatory group and actually across our 314 00:11:15.644 --> 00:11:16.144 - hospitals. 315 00:11:16.684 --> 00:11:18.464 - I have to tell you that I recently, 316 00:11:19.245 --> 00:11:21.325 - got my Illinois license, which, you know, is 317 00:11:21.325 --> 00:11:23.085 - never an easy feat in transferring all that 318 00:11:23.085 --> 00:11:25.565 - information from another state. And I have the 319 00:11:25.565 --> 00:11:27.404 - privilege of taking care of our own sisters. 320 00:11:27.404 --> 00:11:29.620 - We are a faith based organization started by 321 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:32.819 - the Franciscan sisters. And I, of course, wanted 322 00:11:32.819 --> 00:11:34.740 - to see what the physicians and APBs were 323 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:36.419 - experiencing, so I I, 324 00:11:37.059 --> 00:11:39.240 - got myself set up on on the Ambient 325 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:42.039 - AI technology that we chose to partner with. 326 00:11:42.215 --> 00:11:45.174 - And I will tell you, I cannot believe 327 00:11:45.174 --> 00:11:47.514 - the difference. And I actually think back to, 328 00:11:47.815 --> 00:11:50.075 - you know, my many years of practice, 329 00:11:51.654 --> 00:11:53.274 - when my kids were were little, 330 00:11:53.894 --> 00:11:55.889 - and the hours I spent on my notes 331 00:11:55.970 --> 00:11:58.290 - because, you know, again, very attentive to, 332 00:11:59.330 --> 00:12:01.830 - writing and making sure communication is effective. 333 00:12:02.529 --> 00:12:04.049 - And, you know, the late nights I would 334 00:12:04.049 --> 00:12:06.549 - get home, seven, eight, 09:00 was not uncommon. 335 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:08.290 - And it makes me a little sad that 336 00:12:08.290 --> 00:12:10.875 - I didn't have this Ambien AI technology that 337 00:12:10.875 --> 00:12:12.394 - could have done so much work for me 338 00:12:12.394 --> 00:12:13.534 - and helped me balance, 339 00:12:14.235 --> 00:12:16.475 - having a career with having kids at home. 340 00:12:16.475 --> 00:12:18.634 - And I I just love seeing these days 341 00:12:18.634 --> 00:12:20.735 - where, if if our, 342 00:12:21.115 --> 00:12:23.595 - physicians and APPs are embracing that technology and 343 00:12:23.595 --> 00:12:24.894 - using it effectively, 344 00:12:25.429 --> 00:12:27.269 - that it truly can cut down and get 345 00:12:27.269 --> 00:12:28.949 - them home to spend more time with their 346 00:12:28.949 --> 00:12:31.509 - families. So, so important and that's critical for 347 00:12:31.509 --> 00:12:32.009 - retention. 348 00:12:33.190 --> 00:12:35.350 - I love that. I I think, you know, 349 00:12:35.350 --> 00:12:37.110 - so many things that you said there really 350 00:12:37.110 --> 00:12:39.664 - resonate strongly when you look at what you 351 00:12:39.664 --> 00:12:43.044 - can bring to a rural hospital or organization 352 00:12:43.184 --> 00:12:45.024 - and how important it is to have that 353 00:12:45.024 --> 00:12:47.365 - kinda tight knit community, the ability to, 354 00:12:47.824 --> 00:12:49.904 - you know, care so deeply about the people 355 00:12:49.904 --> 00:12:51.600 - within the community and see them, 356 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:54.399 - as those neighbors and and family members and 357 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:55.299 - friends. So, 358 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:58.000 - that's amazing to hear. And I'm curious, you 359 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.879 - know, as you look at, continuing to grow 360 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:02.259 - and evolve the health system, 361 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:04.000 - what are some of the best opportunities you're 362 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:05.279 - looking at over the next two or three 363 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.644 - years as well as any other headwinds besides 364 00:13:07.704 --> 00:13:08.445 - the workforce? 365 00:13:09.625 --> 00:13:12.605 - Yeah. Absolutely. So, you know, the biggest, 366 00:13:13.225 --> 00:13:15.144 - areas that we're really focused in on, one, 367 00:13:15.144 --> 00:13:17.324 - is advancing our IT and data structures 368 00:13:17.784 --> 00:13:20.264 - to help inform us as to the direction 369 00:13:20.264 --> 00:13:21.245 - of the health system, 370 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.159 - the trends and where we have the greatest 371 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:27.759 - opportunity for operational and financial efficiencies as well 372 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:30.019 - as maintaining the highest quality possible, 373 00:13:30.439 --> 00:13:32.019 - as and with patient experience. 374 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:35.139 - That is really critical. So advancing our IT, 375 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:36.899 - direction is 376 00:13:37.304 --> 00:13:38.524 - is critically important. 377 00:13:38.904 --> 00:13:41.625 - I think the second thing, is I really 378 00:13:41.625 --> 00:13:43.004 - look at the practices 379 00:13:43.465 --> 00:13:46.024 - across the state that we have. You know, 380 00:13:46.024 --> 00:13:48.985 - we, just like many other ambulatory groups, we 381 00:13:48.985 --> 00:13:49.485 - were, 382 00:13:50.105 --> 00:13:52.919 - established by a series of acquisitions really. 383 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.039 - That is generally how some of them began 384 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:57.399 - way back in the February, 385 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:00.459 - as the financial pressures for independent groups became 386 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:02.459 - stronger and stronger. And so 387 00:14:03.079 --> 00:14:04.059 - many of these practices, 388 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:06.139 - you know, are functioning, 389 00:14:07.095 --> 00:14:09.495 - still a little bit independently. And we really 390 00:14:09.495 --> 00:14:11.034 - want to bring more standardization 391 00:14:11.735 --> 00:14:12.214 - and, 392 00:14:12.695 --> 00:14:13.914 - streamline efficiencies, 393 00:14:14.615 --> 00:14:17.254 - again, to help the physicians, APPs, and frontline 394 00:14:17.254 --> 00:14:20.294 - clinicians focus on what matters, which is patient 395 00:14:20.294 --> 00:14:20.794 - care, 396 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:24.320 - quality, and experience. And getting those operational processes 397 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:26.700 - more standardized is critical. I think the other 398 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:29.019 - thing that I see there is is again 399 00:14:29.019 --> 00:14:31.100 - sort of that model of that one to 400 00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:33.360 - one care where it's all physician centric. 401 00:14:33.785 --> 00:14:35.465 - Right? And what we wanna be able to 402 00:14:35.465 --> 00:14:37.625 - do is have every single member of the 403 00:14:37.625 --> 00:14:39.865 - clinical team be practicing at the top of 404 00:14:39.865 --> 00:14:42.285 - license. And we need to bring in some, 405 00:14:43.384 --> 00:14:46.184 - innovative ways of doing more integrated team based 406 00:14:46.184 --> 00:14:48.360 - care. And I know there's organizations out there 407 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:50.440 - doing this really, really well. I'm going to 408 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:52.279 - be looking at sending some of my leaders 409 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:55.080 - to those organizations and learning from them and 410 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:57.639 - bringing in these team based care concepts, especially 411 00:14:57.639 --> 00:14:59.975 - to primary care. You know, you know, I 412 00:15:00.294 --> 00:15:02.294 - as we talk about the challenges in primary 413 00:15:02.294 --> 00:15:04.315 - care, for example, and trying to limit turnover, 414 00:15:04.615 --> 00:15:06.455 - we know that in basket management is a 415 00:15:06.455 --> 00:15:08.934 - killer for so many people. And and I 416 00:15:08.934 --> 00:15:10.855 - know there's hope that AI will help manage 417 00:15:10.855 --> 00:15:12.600 - it. It still is so nuanced 418 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:14.360 - that you need humans, 419 00:15:14.820 --> 00:15:17.139 - in the in basket to manage these messages. 420 00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:19.540 - Right? Make sure that people get responses and 421 00:15:19.540 --> 00:15:21.559 - they get high quality care delivery, 422 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:24.580 - regardless how of where the front door is, 423 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.399 - whether it's, 424 00:15:25.904 --> 00:15:27.125 - through that in basket 425 00:15:27.504 --> 00:15:29.764 - or actually walking through our front front door. 426 00:15:30.384 --> 00:15:31.664 - And so we, 427 00:15:32.225 --> 00:15:34.304 - really wanna help do a lot more team 428 00:15:34.304 --> 00:15:36.144 - based modeling as to how do we manage 429 00:15:36.144 --> 00:15:38.625 - the administrative task and the clinical task more 430 00:15:38.625 --> 00:15:40.459 - as a team, again, practicing, 431 00:15:40.839 --> 00:15:43.320 - top of license and freeing people up to 432 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:45.000 - really be face to face with patients as 433 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:45.899 - much as possible. 434 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:47.639 - So a lot a lot of work to 435 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:48.839 - do there. That's going to be one of 436 00:15:48.839 --> 00:15:50.779 - our biggest focuses in the coming year. 437 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:52.539 - I think the other thing, 438 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:54.620 - is our population health accountability. 439 00:15:54.965 --> 00:15:57.684 - So if you really think about, the evolution 440 00:15:57.684 --> 00:16:00.804 - of population health and accountable care, we're we're 441 00:16:00.804 --> 00:16:03.205 - moving across the country to downside risk. Right? 442 00:16:03.205 --> 00:16:05.445 - And if there's, you're part of an accountable 443 00:16:05.445 --> 00:16:06.184 - care organization, 444 00:16:06.565 --> 00:16:09.205 - many ACOs are moving into that downside risk 445 00:16:09.205 --> 00:16:10.504 - just like us, our organization. 446 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:13.419 - We also have the privilege of being selected 447 00:16:13.419 --> 00:16:15.419 - to be part of the Teams model, which 448 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:16.399 - is a required, 449 00:16:17.339 --> 00:16:20.559 - CMS model for several hospitals and surgical specialties. 450 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:23.100 - And, you know, we're learning a lot from 451 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:24.299 - that process, a lot of, 452 00:16:25.404 --> 00:16:27.565 - population health strategies that can help, 453 00:16:27.965 --> 00:16:31.325 - supply that in other areas and, again, build 454 00:16:31.325 --> 00:16:32.945 - quality, build efficiency, 455 00:16:33.884 --> 00:16:36.524 - to improve the patient experience, for integrated care 456 00:16:36.524 --> 00:16:39.209 - delivery. So we're learning from those processes, from 457 00:16:39.209 --> 00:16:40.829 - our population health accountability. 458 00:16:41.209 --> 00:16:42.429 - I think the other opportunity 459 00:16:42.970 --> 00:16:44.269 - for us, especially 460 00:16:45.850 --> 00:16:48.169 - in our rural communities, is really connecting with 461 00:16:48.169 --> 00:16:49.394 - our community health 462 00:16:49.955 --> 00:16:52.934 - needs assessment and our community health impact plans. 463 00:16:53.634 --> 00:16:55.154 - You know, we have a lot of public 464 00:16:55.154 --> 00:16:57.315 - health data that is available to us to 465 00:16:57.315 --> 00:16:59.394 - tell us in each area what the top 466 00:16:59.394 --> 00:17:00.615 - morbidity and mortality, 467 00:17:01.715 --> 00:17:05.430 - drivers are and then nuancing and adjusting our 468 00:17:05.430 --> 00:17:07.829 - practices from a clinical aspect to make sure 469 00:17:07.829 --> 00:17:08.490 - we're prepared 470 00:17:09.029 --> 00:17:10.089 - to do more prevention, 471 00:17:10.549 --> 00:17:12.470 - in those areas based on the public health 472 00:17:12.470 --> 00:17:14.390 - data. And that's something I want to bring 473 00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:16.390 - the teams along, with a little further. I 474 00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:18.809 - have some public health background that's really important, 475 00:17:19.375 --> 00:17:20.194 - to the application 476 00:17:20.575 --> 00:17:23.075 - of our services in an ambulatory group. 477 00:17:23.934 --> 00:17:26.335 - And so, you know, we know statewide data 478 00:17:26.335 --> 00:17:28.174 - down to the census tract is available to 479 00:17:28.174 --> 00:17:30.095 - us. And using that, not just for the 480 00:17:30.095 --> 00:17:30.595 - comorbidities 481 00:17:31.214 --> 00:17:31.714 - and 482 00:17:32.174 --> 00:17:34.115 - such, but also for social determinants 483 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:36.509 - can really help us make a a stronger 484 00:17:36.509 --> 00:17:37.730 - impact in our communities. 485 00:17:38.829 --> 00:17:40.829 - I love that. I I think, it is 486 00:17:40.829 --> 00:17:41.809 - such an important, 487 00:17:42.429 --> 00:17:45.230 - way of looking at, you know, how you're 488 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:46.450 - supporting your teams, 489 00:17:46.974 --> 00:17:48.734 - the different specialists that you have as well 490 00:17:48.734 --> 00:17:49.774 - as primary care, 491 00:17:50.255 --> 00:17:52.494 - a huge, huge topic today, I think, for 492 00:17:52.494 --> 00:17:54.654 - all hospitals and health systems and communities. And 493 00:17:54.654 --> 00:17:55.154 - then, 494 00:17:55.534 --> 00:17:57.474 - looking at too, you know, what the community 495 00:17:57.534 --> 00:18:00.095 - needs and how those are changing over time. 496 00:18:00.734 --> 00:18:03.490 - It's just fascinating to see the, 497 00:18:04.109 --> 00:18:06.509 - the areas that, you know, are are evolving 498 00:18:06.509 --> 00:18:08.029 - and changing and some of the things that 499 00:18:08.029 --> 00:18:10.269 - continue to, you know, stay the same and 500 00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:12.049 - how hospitals and health care organizations 501 00:18:12.349 --> 00:18:14.669 - are, trying new things and being innovative to 502 00:18:14.669 --> 00:18:17.089 - meet some of those, challenges for social determinants, 503 00:18:17.284 --> 00:18:19.384 - population health, and everything along those lines. 504 00:18:19.845 --> 00:18:22.404 - So I'm curious, you know, as we wrap 505 00:18:22.404 --> 00:18:24.244 - up our conversation here, I wanted to ask 506 00:18:24.244 --> 00:18:25.704 - you about leadership as well. 507 00:18:26.164 --> 00:18:27.845 - Who is the leader that you admire most 508 00:18:27.845 --> 00:18:29.625 - really from any industry and why? 509 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:31.240 - Yeah. Well, 510 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:34.179 - I live in Springfield now, and it's the 511 00:18:34.179 --> 00:18:35.000 - land of Lincoln. 512 00:18:35.539 --> 00:18:37.960 - So I'll have to just say Abraham Lincoln. 513 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:41.059 - Right? And I'm from Richmond where, they did 514 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:42.899 - a lot of filming for the movie Lincoln, 515 00:18:42.899 --> 00:18:44.919 - so it all sorta ties together. 516 00:18:45.734 --> 00:18:47.575 - But, you know, when I think about Abraham 517 00:18:47.575 --> 00:18:49.355 - Lincoln, I really think about, 518 00:18:50.055 --> 00:18:51.835 - the Team of Rivals, that book, 519 00:18:52.375 --> 00:18:55.414 - and his ability to bring people together and 520 00:18:55.414 --> 00:18:57.515 - align them under a shared mission. 521 00:18:58.230 --> 00:18:59.670 - The other thing I think about Abraham Lincoln 522 00:18:59.670 --> 00:19:01.029 - is I think if he was a physician, 523 00:19:01.029 --> 00:19:02.809 - he would have been a palliative care doctor. 524 00:19:03.670 --> 00:19:05.130 - And I think that because, 525 00:19:05.910 --> 00:19:08.230 - you know, he we as palliative care physicians, 526 00:19:08.230 --> 00:19:10.150 - we really look for what the goal is 527 00:19:10.150 --> 00:19:12.664 - in terms of in the patient's eyes. What 528 00:19:12.664 --> 00:19:14.904 - is their goal for care? And we try 529 00:19:14.904 --> 00:19:17.544 - to align all of our care around that 530 00:19:17.544 --> 00:19:19.304 - goal or those goals of the patient and 531 00:19:19.304 --> 00:19:19.964 - the family, 532 00:19:20.585 --> 00:19:22.765 - in order to bring that to life, 533 00:19:23.384 --> 00:19:25.720 - in the face of many challenges in serious 534 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:27.559 - illness. So I kind of think of Abraham 535 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:29.259 - Lincoln in sort of that same way. 536 00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:31.640 - And healthcare leaders face a lot of what 537 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:32.619 - he faced is, 538 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:34.059 - challenges, 539 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:35.980 - factions of 540 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:38.519 - individuals with different ideas, and he had to 541 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:40.295 - figure out how to bring those together. And 542 00:19:40.295 --> 00:19:41.115 - we're often 543 00:19:41.575 --> 00:19:43.815 - as healthcare leaders facing that, as well as 544 00:19:43.815 --> 00:19:45.815 - external pressures, right? A lot of the headwinds 545 00:19:45.815 --> 00:19:46.954 - that we talked about, 546 00:19:47.494 --> 00:19:49.035 - from some of the federal legislation, 547 00:19:49.974 --> 00:19:52.234 - some of the challenges with social determinants, 548 00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:53.950 - statewide and regionally, 549 00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:56.109 - especially weather related changes, 550 00:19:56.730 --> 00:19:58.029 - and the impact on health, 551 00:19:59.049 --> 00:20:02.090 - and, you know, the payer strategies, which is 552 00:20:02.090 --> 00:20:04.190 - really impacting our realization rates, 553 00:20:04.825 --> 00:20:06.985 - and, you know, really making it a little 554 00:20:06.985 --> 00:20:09.244 - bit more difficult for us to be reimbursed 555 00:20:09.305 --> 00:20:11.965 - for the dollars that we, actually bill. 556 00:20:12.345 --> 00:20:13.985 - And we're watching that happen right in front 557 00:20:13.985 --> 00:20:15.625 - of us. And so he he I think 558 00:20:15.625 --> 00:20:18.505 - he is a great example of, a leader 559 00:20:18.505 --> 00:20:19.965 - that we can admire. 560 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:22.960 - And, you know, my work, I feel, is 561 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:25.200 - is really to listen and to bring people 562 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.440 - together and align them around a shared mission 563 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:29.279 - so that we can accomplish a lot for 564 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:30.500 - our patients and our communities. 565 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:33.039 - What a great leader to, 566 00:20:33.775 --> 00:20:37.295 - model your leadership after. Abraham Lincoln clearly had 567 00:20:37.295 --> 00:20:39.454 - a lot, a lot going on. I love 568 00:20:39.454 --> 00:20:41.375 - that, in comparison to if you were a 569 00:20:41.375 --> 00:20:41.875 - clinician, 570 00:20:42.174 --> 00:20:44.494 - such a caring individual, but also very effective 571 00:20:44.494 --> 00:20:47.214 - in bringing people together and, having an impact 572 00:20:47.214 --> 00:20:48.690 - on what's happening. So, 573 00:20:49.169 --> 00:20:50.450 - thank you so much for joining us on 574 00:20:50.450 --> 00:20:52.769 - the podcast today, doctor Yanni. This has been 575 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:53.669 - a fun conversation. 576 00:20:54.210 --> 00:20:55.809 - I learned a lot and look forward to 577 00:20:55.809 --> 00:20:57.250 - seeing you in person as well at our 578 00:20:57.250 --> 00:20:59.490 - CTO table. I know you'll be speaking on 579 00:20:59.490 --> 00:21:01.250 - a panel there, and so it'd be great 580 00:21:01.250 --> 00:21:03.190 - to dig deeper and, learn more. 581 00:21:03.515 --> 00:21:05.355 - Great. Well, thank you for the opportunity, Laura. 582 00:21:05.355 --> 00:21:07.755 - And I I just really appreciate your podcast 583 00:21:07.755 --> 00:21:09.515 - and all you bring, all the information that 584 00:21:09.515 --> 00:21:11.275 - you bring to us. So so thank you 585 00:21:11.275 --> 00:21:11.855 - so much.