1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,199 Hello, everyone. My name is Madeleine Ashley with 2 00:00:03,199 --> 00:00:05,759 Becker's Healthcare podcast series. Thank you so much 3 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,240 for tuning in. Today, I'm thrilled to be 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,639 joined by Joseph Buchanan, senior vice president of 5 00:00:10,639 --> 00:00:12,855 clinical network at Matrix Medical Network. 6 00:00:13,334 --> 00:00:15,334 Joe, welcome to the podcast. Thanks so much 7 00:00:15,334 --> 00:00:17,494 for joining us. Thanks, Madeleine. Happy to be 8 00:00:17,494 --> 00:00:19,594 here, and I appreciate being invited back. 9 00:00:20,054 --> 00:00:22,535 Of course. So let's kick things off. Just 10 00:00:22,535 --> 00:00:23,974 if you could start with a little bit 11 00:00:23,974 --> 00:00:25,814 more about yourself and your current role in 12 00:00:25,814 --> 00:00:28,394 your organization, that'd be great. Sure. Absolutely. 13 00:00:28,699 --> 00:00:30,539 So I spent, you know, the early part 14 00:00:30,539 --> 00:00:32,320 of my career as a hospice nurse, 15 00:00:32,620 --> 00:00:34,940 and I'm board certified as hospice and palliative 16 00:00:34,940 --> 00:00:35,679 care clinician. 17 00:00:36,460 --> 00:00:38,859 Probably for about the last dozen years or 18 00:00:38,859 --> 00:00:41,340 so, I've been in leadership roles leading large 19 00:00:41,340 --> 00:00:43,520 clinical teams, like I am today, 20 00:00:44,005 --> 00:00:47,524 in organizations that specialize specifically in bringing care 21 00:00:47,524 --> 00:00:48,424 into the home. 22 00:00:48,965 --> 00:00:50,164 And, you know, one of the things that's 23 00:00:50,164 --> 00:00:53,284 always really excited me is the significant impact 24 00:00:53,284 --> 00:00:55,765 that the right leader can have on improving 25 00:00:55,765 --> 00:00:57,704 the quality of care that patients receive. 26 00:00:58,659 --> 00:01:00,759 You know, I've been with Matrix Medical Network 27 00:01:00,820 --> 00:01:03,559 now for just a hair under 2 years, 28 00:01:04,099 --> 00:01:06,099 and really being able to leverage my background 29 00:01:06,099 --> 00:01:08,840 to implement, you know, best practices and enable 30 00:01:09,060 --> 00:01:10,765 what I call the world class care that 31 00:01:10,765 --> 00:01:13,884 our clinicians provide, and improve patient outcomes on, 32 00:01:13,884 --> 00:01:15,665 like, a large national scale, 33 00:01:16,444 --> 00:01:18,524 is exciting. It's really what makes my heart 34 00:01:18,524 --> 00:01:19,024 happy. 35 00:01:19,805 --> 00:01:21,805 I don't know if if everyone listening is 36 00:01:21,805 --> 00:01:24,125 familiar with Matrix Medical Network, but if not, 37 00:01:24,125 --> 00:01:25,484 I'll I'll tell you a little bit about 38 00:01:25,484 --> 00:01:25,984 us. 39 00:01:26,469 --> 00:01:28,950 We did pioneer the 1st national in home 40 00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:29,930 clinical network. 41 00:01:30,469 --> 00:01:33,450 And today, we stand as the only independent 42 00:01:33,750 --> 00:01:36,709 provider of in home assessment serving people across 43 00:01:36,709 --> 00:01:39,109 the nation. Right? We're an extension of the 44 00:01:39,109 --> 00:01:41,665 services that our client partners, you know, health 45 00:01:41,665 --> 00:01:42,165 plans, 46 00:01:42,545 --> 00:01:44,805 provider groups, you know, at risk organizations 47 00:01:45,185 --> 00:01:45,685 provide. 48 00:01:46,145 --> 00:01:47,525 And we enhance their benefits, 49 00:01:47,905 --> 00:01:49,745 you know, that they provide to to their 50 00:01:49,745 --> 00:01:52,005 members by, you know, caring for those individuals 51 00:01:52,064 --> 00:01:53,284 where they're most comfortable. 52 00:01:53,585 --> 00:01:55,905 And where they're most comfortable is typically wherever 53 00:01:55,905 --> 00:01:56,760 they call home. 54 00:01:58,200 --> 00:01:59,880 Thank you so much for giving that overview 55 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,719 there, Joe. And to to kinda kick things 56 00:02:01,719 --> 00:02:03,659 off, you know, at home and virtual care 57 00:02:03,719 --> 00:02:06,060 remain at the forefront of many payer organizations' 58 00:02:06,439 --> 00:02:08,139 clinical and growth strategies. 59 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,334 This in mind, can can you share, you 60 00:02:10,334 --> 00:02:12,974 know, an overview of Matrix Medical Network's approach 61 00:02:12,974 --> 00:02:14,655 in this realm and and in your view, 62 00:02:14,655 --> 00:02:17,455 what factors or maybe considerations are essential to 63 00:02:17,455 --> 00:02:19,534 providing this high quality care for in these 64 00:02:19,534 --> 00:02:20,034 settings? 65 00:02:20,574 --> 00:02:22,974 Yeah. Absolutely, Madeline. A lot of things are 66 00:02:22,974 --> 00:02:24,735 essential, and we can kind of talk through 67 00:02:24,735 --> 00:02:26,280 some of those. But, you know, at at 68 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,360 Matrix, our mission really is to partner with 69 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,860 people on their journey towards better health. Right? 70 00:02:31,159 --> 00:02:32,840 And that means that they're gonna need the 71 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:34,620 support. They're gonna need the education 72 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:36,840 and and the care, you know, that they 73 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,680 need to be able to do that. Now 74 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:39,979 from a clinical standpoint, 75 00:02:40,534 --> 00:02:42,555 I think one of the things that's essential 76 00:02:43,094 --> 00:02:45,334 is that you have a network that's made 77 00:02:45,334 --> 00:02:47,254 up of, you know, health care leaders and 78 00:02:47,254 --> 00:02:50,294 professionals who are really committed to to using 79 00:02:50,294 --> 00:02:52,455 their clinical skill and their judgment at the 80 00:02:52,455 --> 00:02:55,159 point of care, right, to improve the lives 81 00:02:55,159 --> 00:02:57,319 of those patients that they see. You know, 82 00:02:57,319 --> 00:02:59,180 that's being clinician led, 83 00:02:59,879 --> 00:03:02,120 and that's what we do. You know, being 84 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:03,879 clinician led is, you know, really one of 85 00:03:03,879 --> 00:03:05,959 the factors that leads to the high quality 86 00:03:05,959 --> 00:03:06,459 care. 87 00:03:07,239 --> 00:03:10,254 So, you know, we ensure that our our 88 00:03:10,254 --> 00:03:13,155 providers are highly trained, you know, they're experienced, 89 00:03:13,375 --> 00:03:14,674 they're board certified, 90 00:03:15,534 --> 00:03:17,775 and they're they're employed by our organization. They're 91 00:03:17,775 --> 00:03:20,514 w two employees of our organization. So, they're 92 00:03:20,574 --> 00:03:22,574 really the eyes and ears of our patient 93 00:03:22,574 --> 00:03:23,074 care. 94 00:03:23,580 --> 00:03:25,340 You know, we make sure that we have 95 00:03:25,340 --> 00:03:27,599 the technology to facilitate their work, 96 00:03:28,219 --> 00:03:30,139 but, you know, it's their experience and their 97 00:03:30,139 --> 00:03:32,239 judgment of each individual situation 98 00:03:32,539 --> 00:03:35,120 that really prevails in in how they advocate 99 00:03:35,180 --> 00:03:37,019 for their patients and how they care for 100 00:03:37,019 --> 00:03:37,519 them. 101 00:03:38,055 --> 00:03:40,235 You know, because we're in the home, 102 00:03:40,935 --> 00:03:42,775 one of the things that I just love 103 00:03:42,775 --> 00:03:44,694 and and why I've spent so much of 104 00:03:44,694 --> 00:03:46,715 my career in in home care 105 00:03:47,175 --> 00:03:48,775 is that when we're in the home, we 106 00:03:48,775 --> 00:03:51,189 get to see things other people don't. Right? 107 00:03:51,189 --> 00:03:53,189 And we're able to assess some you know, 108 00:03:53,189 --> 00:03:55,270 someone's health in all of its dimensions. You 109 00:03:55,270 --> 00:03:56,790 know, we we get to see the real 110 00:03:56,790 --> 00:03:59,590 person in their daily environment. And, you know, 111 00:03:59,590 --> 00:04:01,750 they're typically, you know, striving to feel better. 112 00:04:01,750 --> 00:04:03,830 They're trying to do more. They wanna live 113 00:04:03,830 --> 00:04:04,810 a fuller life. 114 00:04:05,625 --> 00:04:08,585 And, you know, we we typically will uncover 115 00:04:08,585 --> 00:04:10,925 medical and social gaps in care and 116 00:04:11,224 --> 00:04:13,324 and find out what are those incompatibilities 117 00:04:13,784 --> 00:04:16,285 that we find when we're in the home, 118 00:04:16,504 --> 00:04:19,229 you know, between that person's care plans maybe 119 00:04:19,229 --> 00:04:22,129 and and their individual lifestyle or their environment. 120 00:04:23,069 --> 00:04:25,649 So I think that's a really important component 121 00:04:25,870 --> 00:04:28,110 of in home care. And and regardless of 122 00:04:28,110 --> 00:04:28,849 the situation, 123 00:04:29,550 --> 00:04:32,605 you know, our providers will thoroughly document everything 124 00:04:32,605 --> 00:04:35,564 they see, and they, obviously, will diagnose acute 125 00:04:35,564 --> 00:04:38,045 and chronic and, you know, sometimes transient or 126 00:04:38,045 --> 00:04:39,345 even emergent conditions. 127 00:04:40,764 --> 00:04:41,665 And, you know, 128 00:04:42,045 --> 00:04:44,470 as we keep talking about what's essential to 129 00:04:44,470 --> 00:04:47,449 providing that high quality care, you know, anyone 130 00:04:47,669 --> 00:04:50,310 that is providing what you would consider high 131 00:04:50,310 --> 00:04:52,089 quality care to another person, 132 00:04:52,949 --> 00:04:55,269 you know, they have to have that strong 133 00:04:55,269 --> 00:04:58,404 commitment to quality and accuracy. No commitment to 134 00:04:58,404 --> 00:05:00,404 do the right thing and and always do 135 00:05:00,404 --> 00:05:02,644 things in the right way, and that needs 136 00:05:02,644 --> 00:05:04,904 to be unyielding, and there are no exceptions 137 00:05:04,964 --> 00:05:05,785 to that rule. 138 00:05:06,644 --> 00:05:08,165 The last thing I'll tell you here on 139 00:05:08,165 --> 00:05:09,464 the the topic is, 140 00:05:09,779 --> 00:05:12,100 you know, quality is essential, and it needs 141 00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:14,500 to be built into every single process in 142 00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:15,160 an organization. 143 00:05:15,860 --> 00:05:18,259 That's something that I've been very dedicated to, 144 00:05:18,259 --> 00:05:20,579 Matrix is dedicated to, and and I'll just 145 00:05:20,579 --> 00:05:21,560 give you an example. 146 00:05:22,105 --> 00:05:24,264 You know, our processes for things like ensuring 147 00:05:24,264 --> 00:05:26,985 coding accuracy. Right? Things that we don't always 148 00:05:26,985 --> 00:05:27,964 all think about, 149 00:05:28,425 --> 00:05:30,524 but our processes for doing that, 150 00:05:30,904 --> 00:05:33,064 you know, they're rigorous and they're relentless and 151 00:05:33,064 --> 00:05:34,845 they have to be and they should be. 152 00:05:35,384 --> 00:05:36,285 And they establish 153 00:05:36,599 --> 00:05:38,120 consistency across the organization, 154 00:05:39,079 --> 00:05:40,939 and really provide the best outcomes. 155 00:05:41,879 --> 00:05:44,120 You know, we'll then, you know, transparently share 156 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,279 all of the information from our visits with 157 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,779 our health plans and primary care providers. 158 00:05:49,504 --> 00:05:50,404 And having 159 00:05:50,705 --> 00:05:51,605 that structure, 160 00:05:52,145 --> 00:05:53,205 and those processes, 161 00:05:54,305 --> 00:05:56,145 you know, allows us to do things like 162 00:05:56,145 --> 00:05:59,264 maintain a greater than 99% coding accuracy rate 163 00:05:59,264 --> 00:06:01,745 over the years. So incredibly important as we 164 00:06:01,745 --> 00:06:04,004 talk about what really is truly essential. 165 00:06:05,639 --> 00:06:07,400 And, Joe, you you kind of already touched 166 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,319 on, you know, the clinician led approach, but 167 00:06:09,319 --> 00:06:11,800 to dive a little deeper here, how does 168 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,259 this approach to in home assessments benefit payers' 169 00:06:15,639 --> 00:06:17,480 broader aims, you know, to what you were 170 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:18,860 touching on a little bit, patient 171 00:06:19,904 --> 00:06:22,625 experience, quality, health equity, and and care access. 172 00:06:22,625 --> 00:06:24,865 You could dive deeper here. Yeah. Absolutely. It's 173 00:06:24,865 --> 00:06:28,225 it's incredibly important. So, you know, being clinician 174 00:06:28,225 --> 00:06:30,464 led means that you really are centered around 175 00:06:30,464 --> 00:06:33,264 that whole person care model. Right? And that's 176 00:06:33,264 --> 00:06:34,920 that's the model we have at. 177 00:06:35,639 --> 00:06:37,100 You know, it's a comprehensive 178 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,560 model. You know, it's it's a home based 179 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,279 clinical care kind of model focused on assessing 180 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:42,939 and addressing 181 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,400 all of the patient's needs. Right? So it's 182 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,495 not just what you see when someone walks 183 00:06:47,495 --> 00:06:49,115 into a provider's office, 184 00:06:49,814 --> 00:06:52,694 but it addresses the physical, the emotional, the 185 00:06:52,694 --> 00:06:55,435 spiritual, the social, even the environmental needs, 186 00:06:55,975 --> 00:06:58,294 so that people can be connected with the 187 00:06:58,294 --> 00:07:00,314 right providers and the right resources. 188 00:07:01,574 --> 00:07:04,430 You know, one of the things that and, 189 00:07:04,430 --> 00:07:06,350 again, I I'll just keep saying how much 190 00:07:06,350 --> 00:07:07,970 I love care in the home, 191 00:07:08,589 --> 00:07:10,829 because we get to witness things that are 192 00:07:10,829 --> 00:07:13,709 complicated by life situations. Right? We can see 193 00:07:13,709 --> 00:07:16,574 obstacles that, you know, maybe can be navigated 194 00:07:16,714 --> 00:07:19,615 by providing, you know, access to some practical 195 00:07:19,675 --> 00:07:20,175 solutions. 196 00:07:20,954 --> 00:07:22,794 You know, we'll get to hear each person's 197 00:07:22,794 --> 00:07:25,594 unique story, see what their individual challenges are 198 00:07:25,594 --> 00:07:26,094 firsthand. 199 00:07:27,034 --> 00:07:28,875 You know, and and that allows us to 200 00:07:28,875 --> 00:07:30,334 do certain things. Right? 201 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,600 So in addition to being able to, you 202 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,180 know, support someone that might be medically complex, 203 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,960 you know, we get to connect people with, 204 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,120 you know, pharmacies maybe if they can't get 205 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:42,980 out of the home and they need 206 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,600 a mail order. We connect people to food 207 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,685 banks, transportation, you know, things like that that 208 00:07:48,904 --> 00:07:51,064 aren't always common in a lot of health 209 00:07:51,064 --> 00:07:53,785 care settings because, you know, someone's health has 210 00:07:53,785 --> 00:07:55,785 a lot of layers, and it's personal to 211 00:07:55,785 --> 00:07:56,285 everybody. 212 00:07:57,225 --> 00:07:59,625 You know, we we have the opportunity as 213 00:07:59,625 --> 00:08:01,645 well to to spend a lot of time. 214 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,699 Right? So no matter how long it takes, 215 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:05,919 one of the goals that that we talk 216 00:08:05,919 --> 00:08:06,979 about in the organization 217 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,620 and that that all of our clinicians have 218 00:08:09,919 --> 00:08:12,100 is that no matter how long it takes, 219 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:14,819 we always, 100% of the time, 220 00:08:15,154 --> 00:08:16,675 wanna make sure that people are in a 221 00:08:16,675 --> 00:08:18,915 better place when we leave than when we 222 00:08:18,915 --> 00:08:20,134 walk through their door. 223 00:08:20,514 --> 00:08:22,435 So these are the things that I mean 224 00:08:22,435 --> 00:08:24,215 when I kind of talk about that clinician 225 00:08:24,275 --> 00:08:27,074 led, that whole person care model and approach. 226 00:08:27,074 --> 00:08:29,629 Right? It's really kind of all of these 227 00:08:29,629 --> 00:08:31,790 things and being the bridge between the care 228 00:08:31,790 --> 00:08:34,769 teams, insurers, and and the community support resources 229 00:08:34,910 --> 00:08:37,309 that people need. So kinda going back to 230 00:08:37,309 --> 00:08:38,049 your question, 231 00:08:38,669 --> 00:08:40,750 it means the patient experience, you know, the 232 00:08:40,750 --> 00:08:43,784 quality care, the improved health equity is addressed 233 00:08:43,784 --> 00:08:47,164 and and positively benefits, really, the entire ecosystem. 234 00:08:47,384 --> 00:08:49,725 So that's the patient, the payer, the family, 235 00:08:50,825 --> 00:08:51,485 all involved. 236 00:08:52,504 --> 00:08:54,424 I could keep going and and talk about 237 00:08:54,424 --> 00:08:55,404 this for days. 238 00:08:56,159 --> 00:08:58,000 No. Definitely. It's nice to hear some passion 239 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,919 here in this area. And, you know, we've 240 00:08:59,919 --> 00:09:01,460 talked about, you know, the in home, 241 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,100 care and virtual care here. 242 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,320 So now let's look towards the future here. 243 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,399 How do you anticipate this this world to 244 00:09:08,399 --> 00:09:08,899 evolve? 245 00:09:09,725 --> 00:09:10,925 I will tell you, Madeline, I wish I 246 00:09:10,925 --> 00:09:13,425 had a crystal ball, but I'm pretty confident 247 00:09:13,485 --> 00:09:15,165 that some of the evolution that we're gonna 248 00:09:15,165 --> 00:09:17,325 see is that more and more care is 249 00:09:17,325 --> 00:09:20,045 gonna shift to the home, and and we 250 00:09:20,045 --> 00:09:22,285 all need to really embrace that. You know, 251 00:09:22,285 --> 00:09:23,585 there are several reasons. 252 00:09:24,365 --> 00:09:27,379 The first is access. It's critical. Right? So 253 00:09:27,379 --> 00:09:29,159 there are a lot of people 254 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:30,820 that are not able to get out of 255 00:09:30,820 --> 00:09:33,379 their home, either because they're homebound, they don't 256 00:09:33,379 --> 00:09:35,159 have reliable transportation. 257 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:39,434 Maybe they are not near a provider's office 258 00:09:39,434 --> 00:09:41,995 that they're comfortable getting to. Right? So access 259 00:09:41,995 --> 00:09:43,995 is a big deal. You know? And then, 260 00:09:43,995 --> 00:09:45,514 you know, if we're doing these things in 261 00:09:45,514 --> 00:09:47,274 the home, there are no waiting rooms. You 262 00:09:47,274 --> 00:09:48,794 know? There are no trying to figure out 263 00:09:48,794 --> 00:09:51,595 that transportation. And, you know, sad to say, 264 00:09:51,595 --> 00:09:53,570 a lot of people ignore their health care 265 00:09:53,570 --> 00:09:55,409 because they just don't know how they're gonna 266 00:09:55,409 --> 00:09:57,809 get to that doctor's office, or they're afraid 267 00:09:57,809 --> 00:09:59,669 of going into that doctor's office. 268 00:10:00,450 --> 00:10:01,429 You know, second, 269 00:10:02,049 --> 00:10:03,649 we know more now than we have ever 270 00:10:03,649 --> 00:10:06,325 known before about how someone's living situation can 271 00:10:06,325 --> 00:10:07,705 affect their health. Right? 272 00:10:08,245 --> 00:10:10,404 I remember a few years ago, I went 273 00:10:10,404 --> 00:10:13,125 into a patient's home, and and this gentleman 274 00:10:13,125 --> 00:10:13,945 was a diabetic, 275 00:10:14,644 --> 00:10:15,544 poorly controlled. 276 00:10:16,485 --> 00:10:18,565 And when I went in, there were 2 277 00:10:18,565 --> 00:10:19,705 glaring problems. 278 00:10:20,490 --> 00:10:22,330 One, you know, I was able to spend 279 00:10:22,330 --> 00:10:24,269 a pretty good amount of time with him, 280 00:10:24,730 --> 00:10:26,029 and I found out that 281 00:10:26,409 --> 00:10:28,970 besides not understanding diet very well and needing 282 00:10:28,970 --> 00:10:31,070 some education there, which he got, 283 00:10:31,610 --> 00:10:33,289 he didn't really have a way to store 284 00:10:33,289 --> 00:10:34,190 healthy food, 285 00:10:34,605 --> 00:10:36,044 nor did he have a way to store 286 00:10:36,044 --> 00:10:38,784 his insulin because he had a broken refrigerator 287 00:10:38,924 --> 00:10:41,024 and he couldn't afford to get it fixed. 288 00:10:41,644 --> 00:10:43,565 So we had to work through that and 289 00:10:43,565 --> 00:10:46,304 figure out in this person's unique situation, 290 00:10:46,684 --> 00:10:48,705 how do we make these things happen? 291 00:10:49,429 --> 00:10:50,870 If I were to see him in another 292 00:10:50,870 --> 00:10:52,649 care setting outside of his home, 293 00:10:53,029 --> 00:10:55,509 he probably wouldn't have told me about his 294 00:10:55,509 --> 00:10:56,009 refrigerator. 295 00:10:56,549 --> 00:10:58,169 I wouldn't have had his insulin, 296 00:10:58,549 --> 00:11:00,889 his room temperature insulin in my hand. 297 00:11:01,509 --> 00:11:03,589 So that's one of the reasons we need 298 00:11:03,589 --> 00:11:04,215 to embrace 299 00:11:04,695 --> 00:11:06,774 the shift of providing more care in the 300 00:11:06,774 --> 00:11:07,274 home. 301 00:11:08,055 --> 00:11:09,735 Home safety, you know, can be a lot 302 00:11:09,735 --> 00:11:10,475 more comprehensively 303 00:11:10,855 --> 00:11:11,355 evaluated. 304 00:11:12,055 --> 00:11:14,315 Falls, especially in our older population, 305 00:11:15,495 --> 00:11:17,115 can can be fatal, 306 00:11:17,509 --> 00:11:19,350 you know, and and, you know, being able 307 00:11:19,350 --> 00:11:21,509 to look at the home, do a fall 308 00:11:21,509 --> 00:11:24,330 risk assessment, and and really assess that environment, 309 00:11:25,029 --> 00:11:27,110 can really do a lot to keep someone 310 00:11:27,110 --> 00:11:29,830 safe. And there's just so many reasons, why 311 00:11:29,830 --> 00:11:31,590 bringing more care into the home should be 312 00:11:31,590 --> 00:11:32,955 part of the evolution of health 313 00:11:33,835 --> 00:11:35,274 care. Well, thank you so much for sharing 314 00:11:35,274 --> 00:11:37,355 that example, Joe. It's it's so interesting to 315 00:11:37,355 --> 00:11:39,434 hear, you know, how some of these patients, 316 00:11:39,434 --> 00:11:40,795 you know, might come in to see a 317 00:11:40,795 --> 00:11:42,875 provider and and they wouldn't even mention some 318 00:11:42,875 --> 00:11:44,154 of these things. And you get into the 319 00:11:44,154 --> 00:11:45,434 home and you can really see, you know, 320 00:11:45,434 --> 00:11:47,950 what they're working with. You're right. And and, 321 00:11:47,950 --> 00:11:49,649 Madeleine, you know, it's it's funny. 322 00:11:50,029 --> 00:11:52,210 What, is not uncommon 323 00:11:52,750 --> 00:11:54,290 is that when you have someone, 324 00:11:54,910 --> 00:11:56,910 that is trying to put their best forward 325 00:11:56,910 --> 00:11:59,250 so that they can go to their PCPs 326 00:11:59,389 --> 00:12:01,495 office, for example. That might be the only 327 00:12:01,495 --> 00:12:03,575 time that person showered that week and got 328 00:12:03,575 --> 00:12:05,335 out of the home, and that might be 329 00:12:05,335 --> 00:12:07,735 the only person they saw all week. So 330 00:12:07,735 --> 00:12:09,735 they're gonna put their best foot forward, 331 00:12:10,134 --> 00:12:11,894 and someone's gonna get to see them on 332 00:12:11,894 --> 00:12:14,190 what's gonna look like a good day. But 333 00:12:14,190 --> 00:12:15,870 when you actually get to go and see 334 00:12:15,870 --> 00:12:18,110 them in their environment, in their true living 335 00:12:18,110 --> 00:12:18,610 situation, 336 00:12:19,070 --> 00:12:20,850 things might look an awful lot different. 337 00:12:21,950 --> 00:12:24,910 No. So true. Well, Joe, is there anything 338 00:12:24,910 --> 00:12:25,649 else that, 339 00:12:26,075 --> 00:12:27,514 you know, we didn't cover here today or 340 00:12:27,514 --> 00:12:29,115 any additional final thoughts that you might like 341 00:12:29,115 --> 00:12:30,254 to share with our listeners? 342 00:12:31,274 --> 00:12:33,434 Yeah. I'll, you know, I'll I'll tell you 343 00:12:33,434 --> 00:12:34,955 a couple of things. And and you know 344 00:12:34,955 --> 00:12:37,835 what's interesting is that so many people don't 345 00:12:37,835 --> 00:12:39,995 know what their their health plan provides to 346 00:12:39,995 --> 00:12:41,820 them. Right? And I'll I'll tell you a 347 00:12:41,820 --> 00:12:44,220 quick story about my mom, if you don't 348 00:12:44,220 --> 00:12:44,720 mind. 349 00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:48,460 So 2 years ago, she she reached out 350 00:12:48,460 --> 00:12:49,980 to me and she said, you know, someone 351 00:12:49,980 --> 00:12:51,899 called her and asked her to schedule an 352 00:12:51,899 --> 00:12:54,240 in home wellness assessment with a nurse practitioner. 353 00:12:55,184 --> 00:12:56,465 And I said, well, mom, what did you 354 00:12:56,465 --> 00:12:58,384 say? And she said, well, I told them 355 00:12:58,384 --> 00:13:00,144 no because I've never heard of such a 356 00:13:00,144 --> 00:13:00,644 thing. 357 00:13:01,024 --> 00:13:03,105 Meanwhile, this is what I I do for 358 00:13:03,105 --> 00:13:04,784 a living and have done for many, many 359 00:13:04,784 --> 00:13:06,465 years. And I thought to myself, oh, mom, 360 00:13:06,465 --> 00:13:07,835 I have failed you as a son. 361 00:13:08,450 --> 00:13:10,049 You know, you should absolutely say yes to 362 00:13:10,049 --> 00:13:11,970 an in home assessment. So I explained to 363 00:13:11,970 --> 00:13:13,889 her what it was. I explained to her 364 00:13:13,889 --> 00:13:15,110 the importance of it, 365 00:13:15,889 --> 00:13:17,730 and we called them back, right, and and 366 00:13:17,730 --> 00:13:19,730 scheduled a visit. And my mother found it 367 00:13:19,730 --> 00:13:23,455 so valuable. Right? So she actually independently without 368 00:13:23,455 --> 00:13:26,274 my intervention this year, scheduled her second, 369 00:13:26,654 --> 00:13:29,394 annual visit about 2 months ago. And 370 00:13:29,935 --> 00:13:32,014 this is why I am so happy that 371 00:13:32,014 --> 00:13:33,935 she has done this, and I I wish 372 00:13:33,935 --> 00:13:35,009 everybody would. 373 00:13:35,889 --> 00:13:38,070 She's been a smoker for about 50 years. 374 00:13:38,210 --> 00:13:39,809 Right? And she will not talk to me 375 00:13:39,809 --> 00:13:42,470 about it. Right? She refuses. She has never 376 00:13:42,690 --> 00:13:44,710 expressed interest in quitting to me. 377 00:13:45,649 --> 00:13:48,129 But she actually discussed her desire to try 378 00:13:48,129 --> 00:13:50,235 and quit with the nurse practitioner that came 379 00:13:50,235 --> 00:13:51,214 to her to her home, 380 00:13:51,514 --> 00:13:54,154 and that NP spent time educating her. Right? 381 00:13:54,154 --> 00:13:56,235 And it turns out what was stopping my 382 00:13:56,235 --> 00:13:58,634 mom is that she was worried about going 383 00:13:58,634 --> 00:14:00,714 on the patch because she heard that the 384 00:14:00,714 --> 00:14:02,334 patch could cause heart palpitations. 385 00:14:03,355 --> 00:14:05,615 So the NP actually helped her 386 00:14:06,029 --> 00:14:08,269 prepare with questions and what she needed to 387 00:14:08,269 --> 00:14:10,449 think about when she met with her PCP. 388 00:14:11,470 --> 00:14:14,690 So that NP prepared her for that conversation 389 00:14:14,829 --> 00:14:17,629 with her family doctor. Right? So today, she's 390 00:14:17,629 --> 00:14:20,695 actually on the patch and, fingers crossed, on 391 00:14:20,695 --> 00:14:22,315 her way to being smoke free. 392 00:14:22,855 --> 00:14:24,695 The reason I wanted to share this kind 393 00:14:24,695 --> 00:14:25,674 of final thought, 394 00:14:26,134 --> 00:14:28,375 is really two reasons. You know, I see 395 00:14:28,375 --> 00:14:31,254 every day firsthand how valuable in home visits 396 00:14:31,254 --> 00:14:33,095 are. Right? Not just during the course of 397 00:14:33,095 --> 00:14:35,250 my work at Matrix, but in this case, 398 00:14:35,250 --> 00:14:37,110 in my own family's life. Right? 399 00:14:37,730 --> 00:14:38,230 2nd, 400 00:14:38,769 --> 00:14:41,649 we need to do everything possible to ensure 401 00:14:41,649 --> 00:14:43,490 that the benefits that people like my mom 402 00:14:43,490 --> 00:14:44,149 are enjoying 403 00:14:44,610 --> 00:14:47,009 are known to everyone that has these benefits. 404 00:14:47,009 --> 00:14:48,850 Right? We've gotta talk about them with a 405 00:14:48,850 --> 00:14:49,350 megaphone. 406 00:14:50,095 --> 00:14:52,335 Everyone needs to fully understand the power of 407 00:14:52,335 --> 00:14:54,575 meeting people where they are and wherever they 408 00:14:54,575 --> 00:14:56,654 call home, whether you're a health plan, whether 409 00:14:56,654 --> 00:14:57,475 you're a PCP. 410 00:14:58,414 --> 00:15:01,475 This is incredibly important. Right? This nurse practitioner 411 00:15:02,220 --> 00:15:04,299 did 2 things. Right? May have very well 412 00:15:04,299 --> 00:15:06,059 provided my mom with a pathway to a 413 00:15:06,059 --> 00:15:08,220 longer healthier life. Right? All because she was 414 00:15:08,220 --> 00:15:10,860 able to sit in my mom's living room 415 00:15:10,860 --> 00:15:13,199 where she was comfortable and spend an hour. 416 00:15:13,820 --> 00:15:15,820 This visit did a second thing too. Right? 417 00:15:15,820 --> 00:15:17,759 This drove my mom to her PCP. 418 00:15:18,195 --> 00:15:19,875 So now she had a reason to go 419 00:15:19,875 --> 00:15:20,695 to her PCP 420 00:15:21,394 --> 00:15:21,894 to 421 00:15:22,274 --> 00:15:24,274 help improve her health. Right? And this is 422 00:15:24,274 --> 00:15:26,115 something that we see quite often, and it's 423 00:15:26,115 --> 00:15:29,174 incredibly important and a very positive development. 424 00:15:31,090 --> 00:15:32,529 Yeah. And, of course, you know, it's nice 425 00:15:32,529 --> 00:15:34,850 to hear that, people like yourself, Joe, are 426 00:15:34,850 --> 00:15:37,170 championing patients to to to go do this 427 00:15:37,170 --> 00:15:38,610 as well, you know, to to to speak 428 00:15:38,610 --> 00:15:39,269 to someone. 429 00:15:39,809 --> 00:15:40,309 Absolutely. 430 00:15:40,850 --> 00:15:41,350 Wonderful. 431 00:15:41,730 --> 00:15:43,544 Well, Joe, thank you so much for your 432 00:15:43,544 --> 00:15:45,544 time in this wonderful discussion today, and we, 433 00:15:45,544 --> 00:15:47,544 of course, wanna thank our podcast sponsor for 434 00:15:47,544 --> 00:15:50,024 this episode, Matrix Medical Network. And you can 435 00:15:50,024 --> 00:15:52,105 tune in to more podcasts from from Becker's 436 00:15:52,105 --> 00:15:54,924 Healthcare by visiting our podcast page at beckershospitalreview.com.