Hi, everyone. This is Erica Car with the
Becker healthcare care podcast series.
Thank you so much for tuning into this
episode. Where we're joined by Catherine Tobacco,
Ceo of Matrix Medical Network.
Catherine, it's a pleasure to have you. Welcome
to the podcast.
Thank you so much. Here it comes. Thanks
for having me. Yeah. Absolutely.
To get us started here before we dive
into the discussion. Do you mind just sharing
a bit about your back around in your
organization?
Sure. So as you said, I am the
chief Executive officer of Matrix medical network. I
joined the company
Almost 3 years ago, I'll be celebrating my
3 year anniversary at the end of June
at the end of this month.
30 year career
that has spanned,
many different
industries, many different countries,
I've been mostly
working with large global publicly traded organizations throughout
my career, and I've had the privilege of
working on 5 continents
actually.
20 of those years, I've spent health care
in the health care industry,
about 80 percent of my experience in services
businesses,
or the way I like to see it
to see, keep all businesses.
And I've spend about 2 thirds of my
career in marketing and more broadly speaking,
commercial roles,
building or rebuilding commercial organizations, product or services
portfolio.
Transforming businesses and taking them to the next
level of performance. On the personal side, Erica,
I was born in France. That's where the
accent comes from. And I moved to Chicago
Illinois just over 8 years ago where I
live with my husband today.
On the matrix side, matrix is an organization
that actually pioneered the first national in home
clinical network almost 25 years go down.
Today, Matrix is the only independent provider of
in home health and care assessments across our
nation.
We act as an extension of our client
partners and enhance the benefits that they provide
to their members
by extending care and health education to the
individuals where they're most comfortable.
In their own homes.
The way the company has differentiated itself over
the years is
because it is patient centered.
We spend as long as it takes to
make sure that the individuals that we care
for in their home are in a better
place when we leave them that when we
walk to their door.
We are clinician led our nurse, practitioners are
employed by the company and the practice that
it our license, they leverage their clinical judgment
every single step of the assessment that they
perform.
And last but not least, we're quality and
compliance focus, matrix,
at matrix, everyone already understands the importance of
the work that we do and the need
for the comprehensive
accuracy and completeness of the documentation and the
diagnosis that we provide.
Catherine far ranging career there and congrats on
on 3 years.
Thank you.
Yeah. Well, to get us started,
I wanna just kinda a level set on
the definition of whole person care. I think
it's something more and more we hear about
from hospital and health system leaders. So can
you start by telling us how you define
that as well as
why this concept is becoming so important with
health organizations, moving to embrace health equity and
value based care strategies.
Absolutely. Absolutely. And and this is something that
again has been a whole mark of this
organization. So if you think about it, Erica,
historically, the health your system is mostly focused
on
controllable aspects of an individual's overall health.
I'm talking about, you know, the diet, the
exercise, the sleep patterns of an individual.
Now there is growing
recognition that health outcomes are also impacted by
less controllable variables. And here I'm talking about
where a person was born where they did.
Their education, their work, their.
All of these factors
contribute to the gaps in accessing care, and
the gaps in quality of care, an individual
may receive.
So at matrix, when we refer to whole
person care, we refer to
the act of caring for patients by truly
seeing their health in all its dimensions.
Because we're in the home, we
are able to see things that other do
not. Others do not. We we can be
the eyes in the ears of a primary
care provider, for example, who isn't able to
spend as much time with each of their
patient,
and who doesn't have necessarily the opportunity to
assess things like living conditions and other environmental
factors.
So the comprehensive health assessment that we perform
focuses on the poor pillars of health, physical
health, emotional health,
spiritual health and social health.
We see medical and social gaps in care,
we note and address in
between care plans and an individuals lifestyle or
their environment.
And because we're clinician led The care that
we delivered is guided by what is most
impactful for each patient that we see. And
we complement really the other care touch points
within the healthcare ecosystem,
assuming that person is engaged with the healthcare
ecosystem and engaged with their health journey.
What we do at at matrix is really
we use education,
preventative
recommendations, connections to community service
services to advocate for patients and really empower
them to live healthier lives.
Our clinicians will really do every think possible
to support,
educate, care for people on their journey towards
better health,
and the comprehensive home health assessment is really
an essential first step Erica. And sometimes this
is, as I mentioned earlier, the only encounter
that a person will have with the healthcare
care system in a in any given year.
So they will do everything
that they... We do everything we can to
really provide that whole person care and make
sure that we see that person.
Head to talk to head and 03:60 that
where Like to think about it.
Yeah. Interesting way of putting it the eyes
and ears, that primary care provider things they,
they really may not see and even maybe
not grasp even after having
conversations in in the office about certain aspects
of of a patient's life.
Or sure. I mean, if you think about
it, right? If you have may gone through
the effort of getting showered, getting dressed getting
of the home
and getting to a clinic of the doctor's
office,
answering questions
such as do you eat 2 healthy meals,
at least 2 healthy meals per day?
Is a question that someone might choose to
answer differently,
sitting in the doctor's office,
when we are in the home and
the fridge is empty.
The kitchen doesn't look that it has been
used or hasn't been cleaned in a while.
The likelihood that that person is heating 2
healthy meals a day, at least,
is probably
less so.
So we do truly see things, observe things
a test of things from an environment and
a
insecurity, potentially insecurity food for shelter violence in
the home that that may or may not
be that obvious or
shared
that easily when you're near the practitioner
in an office setting.
Yeah. I absolutely becoming more more and more
important to spot and identify those potential gaps
outside of what what patients are are physically
saying and and telling
providers
Katherine, based on your work, what are the
key elements for achieving whole person care and
really driving quality improvements?
Well, whole person care is ready at its
best when
a patient's
full care team is involved. Again, assuming that
that person's engaged with their health and they
have a Care team. Right? It's really about
engaging the the entire team, the entire care
team. And that full team
perspective can really improve the patient health by
addressing those social risk factors
losing health disparities where Gaap can exist
based on again, income race ethnicity community environment
where your person is.
What we we also see
Cns
placing significant importance now on social risk factors
and health priorities through the new health index
and and the changes to the star report
factor that have been put in place.
So these new initiatives already designed, I think
to encourage new approaches to care and to
reflect the holistic model with considers
many variables that could impact a patient's health,
or in other words all person care.
Another key element I think, Erica that drives
successful 4 person care is the commitment to
quality and
accuracy. So as I mentioned before, I mean,
matrix has really made a reputation for itself
over almost a quarter of a century now,
being truly committed to doing the right things
and doing things the right way.
So we've put a rigor rigorous, very rigorous
and relentless focus
in the company on our processes to ensure
accuracy of diagnosis
accuracy of coding and to establish consistency across
the organization
for the... To really provide the best outcomes
for for all.
The information that we connect, Erica is transparent
shared
with health plans,
with the primary care providers or other specialists
that the
member that we met in their home that
individual that we met in their home have
declare or part of their care team. So
we share that information,
and make sure to to really
ensure that timely appropriate care coordination and follow
ups can be organized.
And
with regards to the quality,
I think important is really to stay on
top of,
I would say the latest technology.
That's why at matrix we continually
invest in tools, training,
auditing,
process is
auditing our processes in order to make sure
that we maintain what we're very proud of
in the company, which is that 99 percent
coding accuracy that has been
sustained over over 10 years now. So as
a provider organization,
we're very, very focused as I said on
accuracy
of those diagnosis
of the coding
because
key elements of achieving whole person care is
engaging people ensuring that you assess you diagnose
appropriately
communicate. And then the most important part, Erica
is what happens after we close the door,
and that's the follow up and,
any,
additional support that that person may need that
that we ensure happens.
Yeah. It sounds like it's really about having,
as you mentioned, everybody involved and care engaged
and ready to spot. And address any any
of those disparities that that might come up.
And Catherine really sounds like partnerships could be
a big part of this work too. So
looking ahead, what developments,
partnerships or opportunities
do you see on the horizon that can
advance person care? What's 1 step leaders can
can take now to prepare?
So that's a that's a very good, question,
Erica.
You're right. I think that in my
over my career in the 20 years of
spent in health care, having seen health care
on on multiple
continents,
having worked with with health care professionals,
in many different countries.
I think that
It's... I can easily say the Us has
a very very
solid healthcare care system. We don't need more
stuff.
We need to make better use
of what we have.
And into that point of whole person care,
it's a better
coordination Area of what we have. So more
in along the lines of partnerships,
rather than trying to recreate the wheel is
how do we make sure that the information
circulates
effectively
in a timely manner
so that somebody who is in need of
support or care.
Can actually get access to that care.
In terms of
what
steps
leaders can take to prepare, Erica. I think
that, you know, the trends, and and there's
enough research around health equity and and how
it aligns with whole person care.
As an example,
Cms released, the 20 21 20 30 National
Health expenditure report,
recently projecting that the total healthcare care spending
will reach like almost 7000000000000 by 2030.
And and Medicare
continues to grow an average rate of just
around 7 percent due to increased utilization and
an aging population.
So along with that aging population, and increased
health care expenditures,
the final debt continues to climb. Raising concerns
about the sustainability of government spending on health
care. And to address all these challenges, I
think Cms is now implementing
things such as the Health
index, initiatives to reduce health disparities,
and particularly for members with social risk factors.
So as an industry leader and industry leaders
now have the ability to get a better
better understanding of the health disparities themselves.
And the impact on member health and overall
quantity of care because
Cns is absolutely
know pushing for and implementing several initiatives in
response to those disparities between members with social
risk factors and and those without.
I think that health care services performed in
the home, Erica can provide health plans with
a real road roadmap to improve health equity
measures and overall planned performance. For example,
theirs was most
think as of the standard of comprehensive of
an...
If you think about what an in home
health assessment is. Right? And when we think
about a comprehensive home assessment,
people mostly
think about checking, as I said earlier, head
to head. What, we do at matrix as
well. We provide screenings.
We,
have the ability to check for,
insecurities as I exit earlier. So determines of
health,
ensure that we check for care coordination and
spend a lot of time educating members, both
So the partnerships
of in home care providers like matrix and
health plans or risk bearing entities across the
nation,
I think truly are the future of health
care,
because a full care team is as I
mentioned earlier is really what's needed.
In order to ensure that there is no
drop or there is no ability for that
person to drop off the system or drop
off their journey.
It's the continuity of care
that really
provides that whole person care. And
no matter of bd actors are Erica, I
think in the system,
whether a caregiver is a family member whether
a caregiver is a neighbor, whether the caregiver
is a church of community
member.
Whomever that person trusts in that care ecosystem,
Maybe to trust their pharmacist more than the
trust their Pcp,
we need to think differently about what's gonna
make this person comfortable with engaging.
With their care,
engaging in their care journey and stay on
their care journey. The way I like to
think about what we do in the home,
area
at matrix is we're already
most of the times the first domino.
And with the assessment in how comprehensive that
assessment is at
include a inclusive of screenings
and and additional test that we perform,
we're sort of the first domino.
That falls. And
our role is to make sure that all
of the other actors, again, whomever that person
chooses to trust to take care of themselves.
All of those actors
in that village. We bring the village together,
hold hands and make sure that that person
stays the course with their career journey.
Yeah. Catherine, and I think that all goes
brought back to what you said to just
around
ensuring better
coordination of what we have and how it's
so critical to make sure that not just...
We get the information we need, but then
it's communicated quickly so about a patient gets
access to the care resources they need in
in a timely in a timely manner, so
they don't fall off the system.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else
we didn't get to that that you wanna
leave our listeners with?
I think whole person care is
a notion that
encompasses
practices, of as I said earlier, I've had
the ability to choose see an. I even
grew up in in in a different healthcare
care system being French by birth,
a system that leaf focus is a lot
more erica on the preventative side of care
versus the curative side of care. So more
of a health care versus maybe a sick
care system.
And when we talk about whole person care
in the Us, to, it sounds a lot
like what I grew up with. Making sure
that we don't... We lower actually the barriers
to accessing care
healthcare,
literacy, healthcare care education,
giving people a lot more access so that
they can make
their choice. You won't change somebody's mind if
they are in denial of a disease or
have chosen a different path for themselves,
that's fine. But I think there's a whole
debate as to whether, you know,
health is a a right or privilege.
You think about the fact that health, the
health of the population is a health of
a nation. I
absolutely
determined to live a mark with this organization
that matrix
on as many people as we can, giving
them
comfort and
probably rebuilding the trust
with a healthcare care system that they don't
necessarily understand well or that can be intimidating
to navigate.
So the fact that we're able to see
as many members as we see per year
or being patient as we see per in
their home.
It is really something that I know every
matrix employee is very proud of that I'm
very proud of, and, hopefully,
it gets...
A few of them, hopefully, most of them,
but a few of them to re engage
with their health because a healthier population again
is a healthier nation. And and that's... There's
is a lot... There's a lot writing on
this.
Oh, crap, Catherine, thank you so much for
your time today and sharing insights on such
a critical,
part of health care today. Thank you so
much, Eric again. It was a pleasure.
Absolutely. We also wanna thank our podcast sponsor
for this up episode Matrix medical network. And
listeners you can tune into additional podcast episodes
by visiting the podcast episode page on our
website at becker hospital review dot com. Thanks
so much.