Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the
Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
Thanks so much for tuning in today. We're
joined by a special guest. Catherine Tabaka is
the CEO of Matrix Medical Network.
Catherine, thanks so much for taking the time
to be with us on the podcast today.
Thanks for having me, Jacob. Look forward to
the discussion.
Likewise, Catherine. And before we dive into everything
that we wanna talk with you about, can
you tell us a little bit more about
yourself, your your background in health care, and
what you're doing today at Matrix Medical Network?
Sure. Pleasure.
So I joined Matrix
3 years ago, Jacob, and I was appointed
CEO of Matrix Medical Network in July of
2022, so just over 2 years.
I came to the organization
with just under 20 years of experience in
health care, though
it's fair to say that I grew up
on the med tech and med device side
of the industry, as well as the provider
side of the industry rather than the payer
side where Matrix operates today.
In a way, though, I will say closely
with payers and risk bearing entities today brings
me back to the first part of my
career, which started in financial services,
where enabling consumers
and managing financial risk is not widely different
from how health plan offer health and care
benefits to their membership and manage the financial
risks associated with the utilization
of those benefits.
Fantastic. Well, I appreciate you taking us through
that, Catherine. Let's get going by talking a
little bit about a trend that we continue
to see,
increase every single year, health care services
moving more into patients' homes.
How would you say that in home assessments
factor into that shift? And you brought up
payers and and the space that Matrix operates
in. What opportunities here are most important for
payer organizations
to be considering?
So before diving into that question, Jacob, let
me maybe walk you through what the company
does. Matrix was founded nearly 25 years ago,
and it actually pioneered the 1st national in
home clinical network.
Today, and based on continued healthy
merger and acquisitions
activity in our category of the industry, we
are the only independent,
truly independent provider of in home health assessments
across the nation.
So we operate as an extension of our
client partners, those risk bearing entities that I
mentioned earlier.
And what we do is really caring for
individuals where they're the most comfortable, which is
in their home.
And in that way, we enhance and we
activate access to the benefits that health plans
and other risk bearing entities extend to their
members.
So to the question around,
the health care services moving towards the home,
the first thing I would say, Jacob, is
that the pandemic certainly
did accelerate
a trend that frankly had already started
well before 2020.
And in households or in home assessments
are not really a new concept
post pandemic.
And it's really related to how health care
is incentivized
by the regulating agencies in the US
based on
how health care is incentivized, the health plan
or any other entity really that bears the
risk of the total cost of care for
an individual
needs to ensure that, 1, they understand,
and, 2, that they are appropriately
covered financially to
attend to the specific care needs of that
individual.
And that's true for any health plan program,
but especially for government programs such as Medicare
Advantage or Medicaid.
So through the summer, I'm sure that you,
have seen that in home health assessments and
in Medicare Advantage health plans specifically,
made the the headlines of several publications
nationwide.
And I think the argument is less so,
Jacob, about the benefit of an in home
health assessment as a complement to other potential
touch points in the health care ecosystem of
an individual.
Because at the end of the day, as
an industry,
I think we need to meet individuals
where they are physically and in their care
journey. And and many, especially the senior population,
values that undivided
attention that they receive when we meet them
in their home.
So the controversy that that, was pointed in
those articles
was really around the utilization,
by the recipients of those government program dollars,
namely the health plans,
in, how that
reimbursement is is used in delivering care that
truly improves the outcome of those members.
So to the question,
Jacob, of what opportunities are are most important
for payers and payer organizations to consider with
care moving into the home
and how in home health assessments
factor into this shift,
I would say in this highly scrutinized environment
that we operate in, I'll put a plug
for matrix. I would say partner and lean
on a company whose core business it is
to perform those visits.
So during a matrix comprehensive health and care
assessment, Jacob, our clinicians see each patient
in the context of their living environment wherever
they call home. And the way I like
to think about our assessments is really a
head to toe, turkey head in a complete
3 picture of an individual.
Everything that our experienced, highly trained and board
certified nurse practitioners
observe and diagnose is is thoroughly documented.
And that information is shared with the patient's
BCP and the health plan, obviously, to help
better coordinate and enhance the patient the patient's
care management.
In in that way, Jacob, our organization really
operates as an extension to the broader care
ecosystem of an individual.
We
we are what I like to think of
the eyes and ears in the home of
that patient on behalf of their everyone else
who cannot be in the home of that
patient.
The other piece
to think about is is because we spend
quality time with people in their home, Jacob,
frankly,
probably more than most other key stakeholders in
the care ecosystem of that individual is able
to spend with them.
We develop a trusted relationship
with each of those
patients that we see, which really allows us
to get people to take action.
So not only do we thoroughly assess and
document what a patient needs, but we also
connect them to medical and nonmedical
services and resources
that can improve their health, wellness, and overall
their quality of life.
So I like to think about our clinicians
and our organization
as kind of a health companion in a
way.
You know, that little trusted voice on your
shoulder, that trusted resource that empowers you to
navigate, to take action, to stay on track
with your health regimen,
help optimize resources, and and potentially improve outcome
and and connect
the care that is delivered in the home
with the rest of the care network for
everyone that we touch.
So the most
the more sophisticated
maybe payer organizations
look at the in home health assessment, Jacob,
as what I call
or what I like to think of as
the first domino.
The domino that will tilt all other dominoes
in the care ecosystem of that individual that
we see in their home
in a much more personalized and in a
much more orchestrated way because of the level
of specificity that we're able to provide
through that comprehensive assessment that we perform.
So in home health assessments are sometimes, you
know, contested in terms
of being one additional step,
in lieu of a relationship with a PCP
or a relationship with a specialist.
That's not what they are.
When they're purposely organized
in addition to other scheduled care encounters,
they really serve the purpose of seeing, recording
things
that we see in the home that cannot
be seen in an office or in a
hospital setting. So in many ways, the in
home visit
has the ability to become that activation point
for more personalized care delivery
and the point of coordination for many other
actors that need to be part of that
care ecosystem to really coordinate
and partner better
to enhance the outcome.
Understood. So I really appreciate the thoroughness of
your answer there, Catherine. And overall, really, it
seems like the opportunities here for health plans,
is is going directly into the member's home,
meeting the member where they are, seeing the
things that impact their health, like you said,
developing that that trusting relationship, and then leading
them to those potential touch points within the
broader health care system,
to then improve their health overall.
In that vein, Catherine, can you share an
example of of how these in home assessments
can help identify
health related issues that that might not be
apparent to clinicians during traditional
on-site visits. You mentioned being that companion to
your members
on the ground. What what does that mean?
Can you can you give us an example
of a patient that is really seeing how
these in home assessments can can improve
their health outcomes?
Sure. And maybe I'll start by sharing a
statistic with with our audience, Jacob.
Last year, for one of our large client
nationwide,
25%
of the membership that we saw in their
home on behalf of that health plan,
didn't
seem to have any other encounter with the
health care system
that year.
So when you talk about things that may
not be seen
at another point of care being the PCP
or specialist for 25%
of those members that we saw for that
health plan last year,
those members didn't see any other PCP. So
we truly are,
the eyes and ear, and it's sometimes the
only
health care encounter for
a certain population and specifically for underserved, rural,
and sometimes dual eligible or,
people that are not as literate with the
health care system and sometimes afraid of the
health care system.
So we've got many, many stories,
Jacob, which which we, are found of internally,
stories from patients who have called
the organization to thank the nurse practitioner that
that came to their home for the excellent
care that they provided.
The the visits are really impactful
in in the sense that in many cases,
they
really
help people in in in a way that
they were not expected as our nurse practitioner
enter the home. So I'll give you a
couple of examples.
One of the patients,
that I that I remember,
will name that person, Claude,
said that the nurse practitioner
who visited my home was efficient.
She was amazing.
I have an amputated leg and struggled to
get out of my home. After the visit,
she reached out to some contacts, and I
will soon be receiving a ramp for my
home at no cost.
Understand
benefit from the health plan. And Claude,
finishes
by saying, I'm grateful because my life will
be improved now.
So that's one example, Jacob. Another example,
that I have here from a patient,
named Doris.
Doris said the nurse practitioner was very thorough,
very professional,
and very attentive.
Using a stethoscope,
she heard an irregular heart sound and recommended
that I see my primary care provider.
The primary care provider then ordered a Doppler
of my carotid artery,
and the results showed that I had 86%
blockage.
They immediately took me to surgery, and it
was successful.
I truly believe the matrix nurse practitioner saved
my life.
So those are examples, Jacob, where really,
again, they're they're
stunning examples of of how being in the
home at that moment in time, spending the
time,
having a conversation,
observing people in their contextual environment, in the
case of Claude, where a ramp would have
made his life easier,
activating the benefits within the health plan really
changed the trajectory, the enhance the quality of
life of of Claude, and in in the
case of Doris, probably saved our life.
Wow. I mean, those are some amazing testimonials
that you just shared, Catherine. And and to
your point, you the the statistic you shared
earlier, about 25% of your membership not interacting
with any other part of the health care
system before Matrix,
visited them in their home. It's it's an
amazing number.
And something that we hear about from from
health plan leaders constantly is that their their
organizations
are always striving to meet quality care access
and health equity goals and metrics.
So given given the examples you just shared,
Catherine, given the numbers you just shared,
why are these in home assessments so important
for health plans in terms of meeting their
their care access and other broader goals?
Well, in many instances, you know, we talked
about medical
circumstances in the two example, but in many
other
circumstances
or situations,
we
provide
care and help and assist members,
when they are not always able to shop,
cook, or feed themselves. So insecurities
for food, for shelter, for violence,
We help members
by
identifying problems related to to housing, to economic
circumstances,
and and,
some some of them,
in terms of their limitations
in activities and of daily living.
So that that in home encounter, again, because
we do spend anywhere between 45
to 60 minutes
minimum
with that individual in their home,
and having been on ride along with myself,
Jacob, with our clinicians,
it's fair to say that the first 5,
10 minutes, it's not different, very different from
probably
the encounter that you would have with your
PCP in in office setting or in any
other health care setting.
But with time passing and the conversation
or or the encounter taking more of a
conversational
style,
you get to understand
circumstances
a lot better
than, again, maybe the 8 to 10 or
15 minutes that you'll you'll spend with a
specialist if you're lucky. And if you're lucky
in the case of of Claude, right, if
you if you're not able to actually get
out of home, the chances that you get
access to that care, that you get access
to the resources that health plans
absolutely look to provide to their membership.
But if you don't have
information as to what is relevant and what
will help this person return to living the
best possible life, no matter
what
condition, health condition, and or life circumstances they're
dealing with,
it it's really an enhancer to everything else
that's already in place for that person
in the way they, they take care of
themselves on a day to day basis.
Absolutely. It's such a great point. And I
I also wanna ask because you brought up
going to some of these assessments yourself and
and seeing how your clinicians operate with patients.
How would you say then, Catherine, that technology
is helping to benefit your clinicians during these
these in home assessments?
And is there anything further on the horizon
that you'd add in terms of rapidly evolving
technology that you really think is going to
make an impact,
during these assessments for your clinicians?
Yeah. Absolutely. The technology technology at Matrix is
really an enabler
to the in home health assessment and delivery
of care.
What is most important to us though as
an organization is that our clinicians are able
to use their clinical judgment to evaluate
the whole person that is in front of
them and to drive
all care decisions.
The technology that supports our clinicians
is meant to be intuitive.
It really needs to empower them to apply
their expertise.
And it needs to enable them to perform
at the top of their license
when they face the patient in their home.
Currently and through the end of the year,
we are in the process of deploying a
new proprietary whole person care management platform,
Jacob, at Matrix.
And this new technology platform
really, will allow our provider to deliver a
comprehensive health assessment,
care assessments,
but would also make sure and ensure that
they stay focused on each patient encounter and
have that encounter really be tailored to what
matters the most to that individual at that
moment in time in their care journey.
Specifically, the the technology
provides compared to what we were using before,
enhanced functionality and, more importantly, interoperability,
which enable
our clinicians to participate
in the care planning
of each of those individuals in a much
more in a much more meaningful manner.
Will,
enable our clinician to assist members with accessing
those benefits that are essential to enhancing their
care,
outcomes and their health outcomes
and also appropriately connect their those patients to
their personalized care ecosystem. Again, it's rare that
somebody doesn't have a caregiver or trust their
pharmacist or maybe their
their church association.
How do we make sure that
inter interoperability
and the,
information
and data that every point of care
collects is made available to the broader ecosystem
so that everybody is always
up to speed as to what's
happened the most recently and what the next
appropriate
next step should be.
So when we think about advancement
to technology,
Jacob, I think of it in in mostly
two ways. 1, we need to continue to
focus on continuously improving that provider patient experience.
So the technology being in the background, the
technology being an assistant and enabler, but
the really unique vantage point that we have,
spending as much time as we do in
a patient's home, on a in an individual's
home to really turn the technology to facilitate
the most the best possible experience,
during each of the encounters that we, that
we perform every year.
And then the second area for for us
in terms of advancements
and continued enhancements to technology will certainly be
in terms of the interoperability
that I mentioned
to really make that real time information,
available at the the the tip of everybody's
fingers, everybody who's part of the care ecosystem
so that each encounter is personalized
and that each encounter is
net accretive
in the way I like to think about
this to the rest of that individual care
ecosystem.
There is a lot of waste today in
the health care system,
which which comes in the form of repeating
activity
because we don't have the information available. So
how do we make that information circulate a
lot better?
Technology should be what allows the aggregation of
all that structured
and unstructured data and information that we have
about an individual, which could be care medically
related, could be social, could be whatever it
is. But that
aggregation of information
should then allow
every actor in that care ecosystem
of every individual to be informed to be
up to date with the latest development of
the health situation or the the the environmental
situation
and really more importantly, educated as to what
to do next.
So
to me, technology, Jacob, is what makes that
end of 1
a reality.
It it adds specificity.
It adds context, precision
to the health care system the way we
know it today and the way it operates
today, which is mostly based on averages.
Absolutely. Well, clearly, a lot of exciting things
coming down the pipeline for both the matrix
and in home care
more broadly.
But before we go, Catherine, what else are
we missing? You you have the ears of
a lot of health care leaders nationally.
What else would you like to share with
them?
I am personally excited, Jacob, about the future
of health care. I think the health care
industry in the US has a unique opportunity
to to reinvent
care delivery models, and and home is definitely
the place where people,
want to consume,
health care, more of it to the extent
that they can.
And and home is is where we will
be able to meet individuals and patients,
where they are and and where they wanna
consume that care in the home, in the
community.
Technology has transformed many
aspects of our lives,
and it can, and I think it will
continue to push the boundaries of health care
in the way we know it today.
Matrix touches about a 1000000 lives every year.
And,
in this context of being in the home
of a 1000000
patients every year in partnership
with health plan payers as well
as health systems and providers around the country,
the organization I and the organization look forward
to really be part of that revolution
that
will empower every individual to live their best
life no matter who they are and wherever
they call home.
Wonderful. Well, Catherine, thank you so much for
your time and for sharing your insights with
our listeners today. We truly appreciate
it. Thanks for having me.
I'd also like to thank our podcast sponsor
for this episode, Matrix Medical Network. You can
tune in to more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare
by visiting our podcast page at beckershospitalreview.com.