1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,639 At Kindred Hospitals, we believe that treating the 2 00:00:02,639 --> 00:00:05,519 most medically complex patients isn't about a single 3 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:08,080 victory. It's a series of small victories that 4 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,160 advance our patients to their next level of 5 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:10,660 recovery, 6 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,460 increasing their hope for the best possible outcome. 7 00:00:13,599 --> 00:00:16,904 Ensuring complex patients have early access to specialized 8 00:00:16,904 --> 00:00:19,244 care and rehabilitation at Kindred Hospitals 9 00:00:19,545 --> 00:00:22,904 can help reduce costly readmissions and increase patient 10 00:00:22,904 --> 00:00:23,404 satisfaction. 11 00:00:23,945 --> 00:00:25,404 Visit Kindred managedcare.com 12 00:00:26,425 --> 00:00:27,324 for more information. 13 00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:30,119 Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the 14 00:00:30,119 --> 00:00:31,899 Becker's Payer Issues podcast. 15 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,679 Thrilled today to be joined by the 1st 16 00:00:34,679 --> 00:00:37,079 chief health equity officer at Blue Shield of 17 00:00:37,079 --> 00:00:39,820 California Promise Health Plan, Valerie Martinez. 18 00:00:40,425 --> 00:00:42,265 Valerie, thank you so much for taking the 19 00:00:42,265 --> 00:00:43,704 time to be with me on the podcast 20 00:00:43,704 --> 00:00:44,204 today. 21 00:00:44,825 --> 00:00:47,145 Absolutely. I'm so grateful for the invitation to 22 00:00:47,145 --> 00:00:47,885 be here. 23 00:00:48,265 --> 00:00:50,265 So, Valerie, before we dive into everything we 24 00:00:50,265 --> 00:00:51,784 wanna talk with you about, can you tell 25 00:00:51,784 --> 00:00:54,105 us a little bit more about yourself, your 26 00:00:54,105 --> 00:00:55,484 health care career background, 27 00:00:55,869 --> 00:00:57,469 and what it is that you're doing today 28 00:00:57,469 --> 00:00:58,770 at Blue Shield of California? 29 00:00:59,869 --> 00:01:00,369 Certainly. 30 00:01:00,829 --> 00:01:03,149 I am a native of Southern California. So 31 00:01:03,149 --> 00:01:05,790 having grown up in Los Angeles County, I've 32 00:01:05,790 --> 00:01:08,174 been afforded the opportunity to work in, I 33 00:01:08,255 --> 00:01:10,174 would say, the clinical space. I worked at 34 00:01:10,174 --> 00:01:13,795 federally qualified health centers and ambulatory care setting, 35 00:01:13,855 --> 00:01:16,594 mostly in roles of risk management, quality improvement 36 00:01:17,135 --> 00:01:19,555 at, the executive and director levels. 37 00:01:19,855 --> 00:01:21,935 And then I during this time, I just 38 00:01:21,935 --> 00:01:22,995 found my passion 39 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,359 for advocating for communities in need, and I 40 00:01:26,359 --> 00:01:29,500 recognize the opportunity to move into managed care 41 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,640 where my reach and the scope and the 42 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:33,640 impact of the work that we do would 43 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,439 be recognized at a greater level. And so 44 00:01:36,439 --> 00:01:38,534 I started in managed care about, 45 00:01:39,174 --> 00:01:41,814 10 years ago, and I appreciate that I 46 00:01:41,814 --> 00:01:44,454 can bring the experience having worked in the 47 00:01:44,454 --> 00:01:46,935 clinical setting, bridging that now with the managed 48 00:01:46,935 --> 00:01:49,415 care setting, and understanding what it's like for 49 00:01:49,415 --> 00:01:52,454 provider practices for patients and some of the 50 00:01:52,454 --> 00:01:52,954 challenges 51 00:01:53,655 --> 00:01:55,840 or issues with access to care, let's say, 52 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:56,900 or to quality healthcare. 53 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,379 And so I love the opportunity 54 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:02,319 about being able to serve, in this position, 55 00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:03,700 the Medi Cal population. 56 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:05,540 Absolutely. 57 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,080 And like we mentioned in the intro, to 58 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,775 our conversation today, Valerie, you're the 1st chief 59 00:02:10,775 --> 00:02:11,914 health equity officer, 60 00:02:12,854 --> 00:02:15,914 for one of the state's largest medical plans. 61 00:02:16,134 --> 00:02:17,574 Can you share with us a little bit 62 00:02:17,574 --> 00:02:19,675 about what the scope of your responsibilities 63 00:02:20,055 --> 00:02:23,814 entail and ultimately why Blue Shield decided to 64 00:02:23,814 --> 00:02:24,794 create this role? 65 00:02:25,689 --> 00:02:26,509 Yes, certainly. 66 00:02:26,810 --> 00:02:29,469 Starting first, I report to Blue Shield's Promise, 67 00:02:29,930 --> 00:02:32,669 President and Chief Health Equity Officer, Kristin Cerf. 68 00:02:32,810 --> 00:02:35,310 And I think that that is indicative of 69 00:02:35,370 --> 00:02:38,169 the level of importance of this role and 70 00:02:38,169 --> 00:02:41,284 recognizing how critical this role will be to 71 00:02:41,284 --> 00:02:43,525 meeting and exceeding some of our goals when 72 00:02:43,525 --> 00:02:45,465 it comes to ensuring that our members 73 00:02:45,764 --> 00:02:48,004 have the best opportunities to be able to 74 00:02:48,004 --> 00:02:49,625 reach their full potential. 75 00:02:50,405 --> 00:02:52,485 That said, in my role, I'm responsible for 76 00:02:52,485 --> 00:02:56,030 meeting all of the equity related regulatory requirements, 77 00:02:56,409 --> 00:02:58,330 and this is a new focus for our 78 00:02:58,330 --> 00:02:59,710 regulator in California. 79 00:03:00,090 --> 00:03:02,010 And so I'm working to lead a lot 80 00:03:02,010 --> 00:03:03,790 of cross functional work coordinating 81 00:03:04,330 --> 00:03:05,469 across the organization 82 00:03:06,010 --> 00:03:08,584 and even externally with our partners and some 83 00:03:08,584 --> 00:03:11,164 of our practices and community based organizations 84 00:03:11,704 --> 00:03:14,185 with whom we partner. And so my focus 85 00:03:14,185 --> 00:03:15,644 is mostly on regulatory, 86 00:03:16,025 --> 00:03:18,745 but we're also working to integrate health equity 87 00:03:18,745 --> 00:03:21,750 internally across some functional areas and then working 88 00:03:21,750 --> 00:03:24,629 on enhancing those relationships with our members, the 89 00:03:24,629 --> 00:03:26,650 communities we serve, our providers, 90 00:03:26,949 --> 00:03:28,729 to be able to truly listen, 91 00:03:29,030 --> 00:03:30,870 hear from them, hear about some of their 92 00:03:30,870 --> 00:03:32,330 perceived needs and challenges, 93 00:03:32,629 --> 00:03:34,490 and be able to drive programming 94 00:03:34,949 --> 00:03:37,264 that helps to bridge those gaps or those 95 00:03:37,264 --> 00:03:37,764 inequities. 96 00:03:38,784 --> 00:03:42,085 Absolutely. And I appreciate you, bringing up California's, 97 00:03:42,865 --> 00:03:45,344 really strong focus on health equity right now 98 00:03:45,344 --> 00:03:47,185 for its Medicaid program, and I I definitely 99 00:03:47,185 --> 00:03:49,044 wanna dive into that a little bit more. 100 00:03:49,104 --> 00:03:51,090 But, Valerie, before we do, I think it 101 00:03:51,090 --> 00:03:52,610 would be helpful for our audience to ask 102 00:03:52,610 --> 00:03:53,110 you, 103 00:03:53,650 --> 00:03:56,689 what your view of health equity is. How 104 00:03:56,689 --> 00:03:59,010 do you define that both personally, but also 105 00:03:59,010 --> 00:04:01,830 from the lens of Blue Shield and the 106 00:04:01,889 --> 00:04:04,310 really important population that you serve? 107 00:04:05,094 --> 00:04:07,175 Yeah, I would define equity if we just 108 00:04:07,175 --> 00:04:09,735 look at the the standard definition, right? It's 109 00:04:09,735 --> 00:04:11,754 making sure that we're affording opportunities 110 00:04:12,294 --> 00:04:15,415 so individuals can achieve their best optimal health. 111 00:04:15,415 --> 00:04:18,540 And we recognize that everybody's best optimal health 112 00:04:18,540 --> 00:04:20,939 varies per person. Right? Your your best health 113 00:04:20,939 --> 00:04:22,540 state is gonna be very different from my 114 00:04:22,540 --> 00:04:24,300 health state. So what can we do to 115 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:25,279 remove barriers 116 00:04:25,580 --> 00:04:26,800 to improve access, 117 00:04:27,259 --> 00:04:29,759 look at cultural concordance? Are folks 118 00:04:30,104 --> 00:04:32,664 seeing a provider who's gonna best meet their 119 00:04:32,664 --> 00:04:34,664 needs and listen and be able to support 120 00:04:34,664 --> 00:04:35,964 them? And so 121 00:04:36,345 --> 00:04:38,904 to me, that's the definition, right? Everybody is 122 00:04:38,904 --> 00:04:41,384 achieving their best version of their health, and 123 00:04:41,384 --> 00:04:43,224 as a health plan, we're working to remove 124 00:04:43,224 --> 00:04:46,169 those barriers or help to improve or make 125 00:04:46,169 --> 00:04:46,669 accommodations, 126 00:04:47,529 --> 00:04:48,910 and create those custom, 127 00:04:49,610 --> 00:04:51,129 plans, if you will, to be able to 128 00:04:51,129 --> 00:04:52,910 help people get to that end state. 129 00:04:53,689 --> 00:04:55,529 Absolutely. And what would you say are some 130 00:04:55,529 --> 00:04:57,865 of the challenges you faced, Valerie, in terms 131 00:04:57,865 --> 00:05:01,004 of removing some of those barriers to access 132 00:05:01,305 --> 00:05:02,285 optimal health? 133 00:05:03,225 --> 00:05:05,305 Well, when we look at access, right, we 134 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:06,444 recognize that there, 135 00:05:07,064 --> 00:05:09,000 there in some areas are gaps, 136 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:10,860 to be able to have providers 137 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,480 just within time and distance standards. Right? There 138 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,040 there are not enough providers that exist, so 139 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,259 this can lend to, 140 00:05:17,639 --> 00:05:19,639 maybe a longer wait than than we would 141 00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:20,459 hope to see. 142 00:05:20,759 --> 00:05:23,224 So just, you know, just looking at geographically, 143 00:05:23,444 --> 00:05:26,104 time distance standards lends to, inequitable 144 00:05:26,485 --> 00:05:27,464 access to care. 145 00:05:27,844 --> 00:05:30,084 But when we look at even understanding our 146 00:05:30,084 --> 00:05:32,644 populations and the needs of our communities, I 147 00:05:32,644 --> 00:05:34,500 would say that data is a challenge. 148 00:05:35,139 --> 00:05:37,319 Having that information at the ready, 149 00:05:37,939 --> 00:05:39,560 to be able to identify 150 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:42,360 who is in need of what and when 151 00:05:42,420 --> 00:05:44,500 so we can be able to provide that 152 00:05:44,500 --> 00:05:47,095 support immediately to help bridge those gaps and 153 00:05:47,095 --> 00:05:49,415 maybe not 30, 60, 90 days after we 154 00:05:49,735 --> 00:05:52,295 after that point in time occurs. So looking 155 00:05:52,295 --> 00:05:54,535 at the data, understanding our populations, I think, 156 00:05:54,535 --> 00:05:56,535 is critical. It's gonna be critical to the 157 00:05:56,535 --> 00:05:58,694 work that we're leading in equity to be 158 00:05:58,694 --> 00:06:00,634 able to create those tailored interventions 159 00:06:01,050 --> 00:06:02,810 for the populations who are in need. Right? 160 00:06:02,810 --> 00:06:05,930 Looking at certain demographic variables, maybe it's certain 161 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:06,430 subpopulations 162 00:06:06,810 --> 00:06:09,290 like members who speak Vietnamese. What are the 163 00:06:09,290 --> 00:06:12,649 challenges that our Vietnamese speaking members are having, 164 00:06:12,649 --> 00:06:14,595 and what can we do to help them 165 00:06:14,595 --> 00:06:16,435 again to reach that equity goal that we 166 00:06:16,435 --> 00:06:18,615 have. So for us, I think that data 167 00:06:18,675 --> 00:06:21,095 is an opportunity to be able to enhance 168 00:06:21,154 --> 00:06:23,415 the the data connections, health, equity 169 00:06:23,795 --> 00:06:25,175 data, looking at disaggregation 170 00:06:25,714 --> 00:06:28,139 of some of the demographic variables, or maybe 171 00:06:28,139 --> 00:06:29,120 it's infrastructure 172 00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:32,639 looking at connection with HIEs or health information 173 00:06:32,699 --> 00:06:35,259 exchanges to be able to get information from 174 00:06:35,259 --> 00:06:38,080 our partners and send information to our partners. 175 00:06:38,139 --> 00:06:39,660 So again, we're able to be able to 176 00:06:39,660 --> 00:06:41,500 help members at the time that they need 177 00:06:41,500 --> 00:06:43,605 it. Right? It's all about providing the right 178 00:06:43,605 --> 00:06:44,904 care at the right time. 179 00:06:45,524 --> 00:06:47,764 Absolutely. So you're really digging into the data 180 00:06:47,764 --> 00:06:49,944 to find out what your members need across 181 00:06:50,084 --> 00:06:53,044 what is a very diverse state and population 182 00:06:53,044 --> 00:06:55,845 that you serve. Any other specific innovations you 183 00:06:55,925 --> 00:06:58,560 you'd mentioned, Valerie, in terms of what's taken 184 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,240 place over, let's say, the last year or 185 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:00,740 so, 186 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,300 at Blue Shield's Promise Health Plan? 187 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,319 Certainly. I would say we have a a 188 00:07:06,319 --> 00:07:08,339 focus on serving our communities, 189 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:09,939 supporting our providers, 190 00:07:10,319 --> 00:07:13,220 looking at our internal infrastructure and workforce, 191 00:07:13,574 --> 00:07:16,394 and then also working with our members directly, 192 00:07:16,535 --> 00:07:18,714 right, as we look at our quality outcomes. 193 00:07:19,175 --> 00:07:20,535 So I can give you one example. When 194 00:07:20,535 --> 00:07:23,115 we look at our community focus, we have 195 00:07:23,414 --> 00:07:26,235 community resource centers down in Los Angeles County, 196 00:07:26,509 --> 00:07:28,669 and this year marks the 5 years of 197 00:07:28,669 --> 00:07:31,870 having launched those community resource centers. And with 198 00:07:31,870 --> 00:07:34,910 these resource centers, we're able to bring support 199 00:07:34,910 --> 00:07:36,129 services into 200 00:07:36,509 --> 00:07:38,769 areas that are in vital need of support 201 00:07:39,149 --> 00:07:41,805 or even it's activity engagement education. 202 00:07:42,605 --> 00:07:45,564 So the CRCs, the Community Resource Centers, they 203 00:07:45,564 --> 00:07:48,944 offer workshops, we have fitness classes, nutrition classes, 204 00:07:49,004 --> 00:07:50,305 there's cooking classes. 205 00:07:50,685 --> 00:07:52,704 We offer CPR certification 206 00:07:53,004 --> 00:07:55,019 and first aid to our community members. 207 00:07:55,819 --> 00:07:58,300 We even bring in health screenings or assistance 208 00:07:58,300 --> 00:08:00,860 with social services and helping people fill out 209 00:08:00,860 --> 00:08:01,680 any applications 210 00:08:02,220 --> 00:08:05,680 if there's a linguistic barrier or, a literacy 211 00:08:05,819 --> 00:08:06,959 barrier as well. 212 00:08:07,285 --> 00:08:09,604 And so, we have, by the end of 213 00:08:09,604 --> 00:08:11,845 the year, we will have 14 community resource 214 00:08:11,845 --> 00:08:13,944 centers, and they're just they're amazing, 215 00:08:15,365 --> 00:08:17,545 offerings that we're able to bring the community. 216 00:08:17,925 --> 00:08:20,564 And we are seeing some some value with 217 00:08:20,564 --> 00:08:22,879 that. Right? Members are feeling better connected 218 00:08:23,259 --> 00:08:25,500 to to Blue Shield. They're getting the vital 219 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:28,860 education, vital support services that without these community 220 00:08:28,860 --> 00:08:30,699 resource centers, they would not be able to 221 00:08:30,699 --> 00:08:32,320 have the support within the community. 222 00:08:33,019 --> 00:08:35,715 And speaking of the the community work and 223 00:08:35,715 --> 00:08:38,115 outreach that Blue Shield does, Valerie, can you 224 00:08:38,115 --> 00:08:39,634 tell us a little bit more about the 225 00:08:39,634 --> 00:08:43,235 company's mobile mammography clinics? We've heard about that, 226 00:08:43,475 --> 00:08:45,475 from your leadership in the past. We would 227 00:08:45,475 --> 00:08:48,434 love, your perspective on this and any updates 228 00:08:48,434 --> 00:08:50,054 on those clinics to date. 229 00:08:50,769 --> 00:08:51,269 Certainly. 230 00:08:51,649 --> 00:08:53,570 And first, let's just talk about that from 231 00:08:53,570 --> 00:08:56,529 an equity perspective. Blue Shield using the data. 232 00:08:56,529 --> 00:08:59,089 Right? We identified that there were areas who 233 00:08:59,089 --> 00:09:00,389 were in need of mammograms 234 00:09:00,769 --> 00:09:02,129 where as we talked about the top of 235 00:09:02,129 --> 00:09:02,710 the call, 236 00:09:03,089 --> 00:09:05,169 with the access issues. Right? Just not having 237 00:09:05,169 --> 00:09:07,784 enough providers in certain areas. So we use 238 00:09:07,784 --> 00:09:10,605 that data to identify where we can bring 239 00:09:10,664 --> 00:09:13,384 mobile mammography on the road and bring it 240 00:09:13,384 --> 00:09:15,704 to the very streets and communities that we 241 00:09:15,704 --> 00:09:17,944 serve who are in most need. And so 242 00:09:17,944 --> 00:09:20,620 we offered mobile mammogram vans, and then there 243 00:09:20,620 --> 00:09:22,699 were the units that are taken to locations. 244 00:09:22,699 --> 00:09:25,259 This was in Los Angeles County and also 245 00:09:25,259 --> 00:09:27,419 at some of our community resource centers. We 246 00:09:27,419 --> 00:09:29,419 went to shopping centers and some of our 247 00:09:29,419 --> 00:09:32,000 neighborhood clinics as well, or 248 00:09:32,495 --> 00:09:35,134 federally qualified health centers. And so each week 249 00:09:35,134 --> 00:09:37,455 before the event, we would identify members who 250 00:09:37,455 --> 00:09:39,615 were due for their mammogram screening, and then 251 00:09:39,615 --> 00:09:41,774 we would help to coordinate an appointment, and 252 00:09:41,774 --> 00:09:44,174 then we even offer transportation to bring them 253 00:09:44,174 --> 00:09:45,955 in when these on-site mammogram 254 00:09:46,379 --> 00:09:48,620 services would be available. And then we also 255 00:09:48,620 --> 00:09:51,179 stressed that the screenings were offered at no 256 00:09:51,179 --> 00:09:53,660 cost to our members. And what we found 257 00:09:53,660 --> 00:09:56,720 is that we we hosted 72 mobile clinics, 258 00:09:56,860 --> 00:09:59,200 and we were able to provide over 1300 259 00:09:59,934 --> 00:10:00,434 mammograms 260 00:10:00,735 --> 00:10:03,774 to members who would previously have very little 261 00:10:03,774 --> 00:10:05,774 access or have challenge to being able to 262 00:10:05,774 --> 00:10:06,835 complete those screenings. 263 00:10:08,014 --> 00:10:09,855 Wow. I mean, some great numbers you just 264 00:10:09,855 --> 00:10:12,495 shared. 1300 members that access to service they 265 00:10:12,495 --> 00:10:14,620 may not have been able to before. Really 266 00:10:14,620 --> 00:10:16,299 great example. So I I appreciate you sharing 267 00:10:16,299 --> 00:10:17,679 that with us, Valerie. 268 00:10:18,059 --> 00:10:19,819 Before we go, I I earlier, you had 269 00:10:19,819 --> 00:10:23,579 briefly touched on, California's work with its Medicaid 270 00:10:23,579 --> 00:10:25,500 program to try and make it a more 271 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:26,000 equitable 272 00:10:26,539 --> 00:10:29,085 program across the state. Can you give a 273 00:10:29,165 --> 00:10:31,165 brief overview to our listeners who might not 274 00:10:31,165 --> 00:10:33,804 be familiar with the transformation that the state 275 00:10:33,804 --> 00:10:35,184 has has been undergoing, 276 00:10:35,965 --> 00:10:37,965 recently, and why it's so important for a 277 00:10:37,965 --> 00:10:40,205 role like yours to exist within one of 278 00:10:40,205 --> 00:10:42,144 the largest managed care plans? 279 00:10:43,079 --> 00:10:45,480 Yeah. The the state, our regulators, the Department 280 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,279 of Health Care Services, and they've incorporated into 281 00:10:48,279 --> 00:10:51,000 their mission and vision the need to integrate 282 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,799 equity. Right? Quality and equity are are they 283 00:10:53,799 --> 00:10:55,414 go hand in hand, right? We cannot have 284 00:10:55,414 --> 00:10:55,914 quality 285 00:10:56,215 --> 00:10:57,835 without equity, and that's critical 286 00:10:58,215 --> 00:11:00,455 to understand, and we're so grateful that our 287 00:11:00,455 --> 00:11:03,654 regulator acknowledges that and is now holding managed 288 00:11:03,654 --> 00:11:06,075 care plans accountable for equity essentially. 289 00:11:06,615 --> 00:11:08,855 And so what the regulator has done is 290 00:11:08,855 --> 00:11:11,740 created on our boilerplate contract. There is an 291 00:11:11,740 --> 00:11:13,980 entire section now for equity goals that we 292 00:11:13,980 --> 00:11:16,459 must achieve. One of those is managed care 293 00:11:16,459 --> 00:11:19,200 health plans actually must have NCQA 294 00:11:19,579 --> 00:11:20,879 health equity accreditation 295 00:11:21,259 --> 00:11:22,720 by the end of 2025. 296 00:11:23,485 --> 00:11:25,725 So we're moving from this is a nice 297 00:11:25,725 --> 00:11:27,644 to do, really great, we applaud you for 298 00:11:27,644 --> 00:11:30,465 doing equity. We're now moving from that philanthropic 299 00:11:30,684 --> 00:11:31,184 perspective 300 00:11:31,644 --> 00:11:34,044 into this is required and you must do 301 00:11:34,044 --> 00:11:36,029 this. And so I think that's a shift 302 00:11:36,110 --> 00:11:37,889 as we look at the regulatory landscape, 303 00:11:38,350 --> 00:11:41,250 recognizing now that we must do equity 304 00:11:42,190 --> 00:11:44,029 to be able to drive our quality scores, 305 00:11:44,029 --> 00:11:46,050 to be able to increase member satisfaction, 306 00:11:46,509 --> 00:11:48,370 or looking at some of our health outcomes 307 00:11:48,590 --> 00:11:52,024 and acknowledging that we must have health equity 308 00:11:52,024 --> 00:11:54,585 and this equity focus on our work, right? 309 00:11:54,585 --> 00:11:57,304 Driving program planning, looking at the data and 310 00:11:57,304 --> 00:11:59,304 being able to understand the needs of our 311 00:11:59,304 --> 00:11:59,804 populations 312 00:12:00,264 --> 00:12:02,184 to drive towards some of those better or 313 00:12:02,184 --> 00:12:04,720 optimal health outcomes. And so the state has 314 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,320 recognized this and now it's a it's a 315 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,139 requirement in California. And then also that mandated 316 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:11,360 role, the chief health equity officer role is 317 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:13,919 now mandated where we are required to have 318 00:12:13,919 --> 00:12:16,159 somebody at the helm who is leading this 319 00:12:16,159 --> 00:12:17,059 equity program. 320 00:12:17,784 --> 00:12:19,945 Wow. Well, it's exciting changes and clearly a 321 00:12:19,945 --> 00:12:22,024 lot of important work for you and your 322 00:12:22,024 --> 00:12:24,264 team, in the year ahead. So we we 323 00:12:24,264 --> 00:12:27,065 look forward to hearing more about it. But 324 00:12:27,065 --> 00:12:29,225 before we go, Valerie, you have the ears 325 00:12:29,225 --> 00:12:30,904 of a lot of other health plan leaders 326 00:12:30,904 --> 00:12:31,965 from around the country. 327 00:12:32,279 --> 00:12:34,839 Any other final words or or bits of 328 00:12:34,839 --> 00:12:36,139 advice you'd like to offer, 329 00:12:36,759 --> 00:12:37,339 to them? 330 00:12:38,039 --> 00:12:40,279 One bit of advice I would say is 331 00:12:40,279 --> 00:12:43,480 organizations are looking to begin to integrate equity 332 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:44,699 or begin to apply 333 00:12:45,164 --> 00:12:47,565 whether it's this role or that equity lens 334 00:12:47,565 --> 00:12:49,745 into the work that we do, is recognizing 335 00:12:49,964 --> 00:12:53,105 that this is a huge undertaking, right? We're 336 00:12:53,245 --> 00:12:56,365 up against systemic racism and implicit bias that 337 00:12:56,365 --> 00:12:58,320 exists And so some organizations 338 00:12:58,779 --> 00:13:00,779 are ready to do this work and some 339 00:13:00,779 --> 00:13:02,779 are in, I would say the pre contemplation 340 00:13:02,779 --> 00:13:04,779 phase, right, where we're thinking about how do 341 00:13:04,779 --> 00:13:07,419 we structure this work and make it a 342 00:13:07,419 --> 00:13:09,659 critical component to what we do. And so 343 00:13:09,659 --> 00:13:11,679 it's just, I think important, I would acknowledge 344 00:13:12,004 --> 00:13:14,585 how important this work is, but how significant 345 00:13:14,725 --> 00:13:16,884 in terms of the administrative lift it is 346 00:13:16,884 --> 00:13:17,945 to get this going. 347 00:13:18,325 --> 00:13:20,565 And so I would applaud any organization that 348 00:13:20,565 --> 00:13:23,625 is choosing to center equity into their operations, 349 00:13:23,684 --> 00:13:26,570 into their program planning, into their strategic plans. 350 00:13:26,570 --> 00:13:27,950 And there are tools available, 351 00:13:28,490 --> 00:13:30,730 for organizations that are beginning to do this 352 00:13:30,730 --> 00:13:33,289 work and just recognizing that this will, this 353 00:13:33,289 --> 00:13:35,209 is a journey. This is not a one, 354 00:13:35,209 --> 00:13:37,065 I often say it's not, we don't want 355 00:13:37,065 --> 00:13:38,345 this to fizzle out. Right? It's not a 356 00:13:38,345 --> 00:13:40,424 1, 3, 5 year hot topic that's gonna 357 00:13:40,424 --> 00:13:42,264 fizzle out. This is a journey now, and 358 00:13:42,264 --> 00:13:44,345 so we're all on board to be able 359 00:13:44,345 --> 00:13:45,004 to support 360 00:13:45,384 --> 00:13:48,424 this this new idea of integrating HealthEquity into 361 00:13:48,424 --> 00:13:51,160 the day to day operations of health systems, 362 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,879 health plans, even hospitals. This is kind of 363 00:13:53,879 --> 00:13:56,120 the the new charter where we're headed and 364 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:57,960 I would suspect that we're gonna see other 365 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,600 regulators across the state getting on board with 366 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:02,440 those health equity mandates as we've seen in 367 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:02,940 California. 368 00:14:04,434 --> 00:14:07,075 Fantastic. Well, Valerie, thank you so much for 369 00:14:07,075 --> 00:14:08,995 taking the time to be with us and 370 00:14:08,995 --> 00:14:11,235 for sharing your insights with our listeners. We 371 00:14:11,235 --> 00:14:12,375 really appreciate it. 372 00:14:13,315 --> 00:14:15,235 Thank you. Thank you, Jacob, for having me 373 00:14:15,235 --> 00:14:15,735 today. 374 00:14:16,629 --> 00:14:18,949 Absolutely. And to our listeners, if you'd like 375 00:14:18,949 --> 00:14:21,289 to listen to more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare, 376 00:14:21,350 --> 00:14:22,570 you can visit beckershospitalreview.com.