1 00:00:04,970 --> 00:00:06,460 This is the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, 2 00:00:06,530 --> 00:00:08,180 created by the team of Becker's Healthcare, 3 00:00:08,340 --> 00:00:11,380 a multimedia company devoted to the people who power us healthcare. 4 00:00:11,650 --> 00:00:15,620 Four new 15 minute episodes are released daily containing industry news analysis 5 00:00:15,620 --> 00:00:16,420 and thought leadership. 6 00:00:16,420 --> 00:00:20,460 From powerful healthcare decision makers Support our show by leaving it a five 7 00:00:20,460 --> 00:00:23,740 star rating and review on Apple Podcast or other platforms you use. 8 00:00:23,890 --> 00:00:26,980 It's a chance to tell us what you like about the show and act on your feedback. 9 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,940 Thanks for listening. Now here's the episode. 10 00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:34,820 Welcome everyone, to the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. I'm Mara Mohammed, 11 00:00:34,820 --> 00:00:36,620 writer and moderator with Becker's Healthcare, 12 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,580 and I'm absolutely thrilled to have with me today Michael Weiner, 13 00:00:39,580 --> 00:00:42,820 chief Medical Officer at M S U Healthcare. Michael, 14 00:00:42,820 --> 00:00:44,940 it's very nice to have you on the podcast today. How are you? 15 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,300 Really, really well, thank you so much. 16 00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:49,660 Yeah, of course. Well, to get us started, 17 00:00:49,660 --> 00:00:52,500 would you mind please introducing yourself and then telling us a bit about your 18 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:53,940 background? Michael. 19 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,020 Weiner. I am, uh, 20 00:00:56,050 --> 00:01:00,260 osteopathic physician out of the wonderful college of, uh, 21 00:01:00,570 --> 00:01:02,140 osteopathic medicine in Philadelphia. 22 00:01:02,940 --> 00:01:06,180 I have been an internal medicine physician for about three decades, 23 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,620 and for the majority of that I served in the United States Navy, where I, uh, 24 00:01:11,620 --> 00:01:13,900 served a multitude of roles around the globe, 25 00:01:13,950 --> 00:01:18,340 everything from being an internal medicine physician to being the head of 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,900 NATO's, clinical informatic, uh, 27 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:24,580 systems to being a space shuttle, um, 28 00:01:24,610 --> 00:01:27,100 takeoff and landing physician. And I'm just, 29 00:01:27,260 --> 00:01:30,540 I recently joined the incredible team over at, uh, 30 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:35,460 Michigan State University and started earlier this year and I'm excited to 31 00:01:35,530 --> 00:01:37,620 help transform healthcare in the Midwest. 32 00:01:39,010 --> 00:01:42,780 Yeah, absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you for your service. Um, 33 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,180 and second, I am a Ohioan, so you know, we have a bit of issues, 34 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:48,700 but that's okay. Alright, we just. 35 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,260 Met, we can't start off like this. 36 00:01:50,780 --> 00:01:53,660 I know. I'm so sorry, . Um, 37 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,980 but with all your busy experience being in this field for a long time, 38 00:01:58,080 --> 00:01:59,780 the first thing I wanted to ask you is, 39 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,820 can you tell me about your most successful project or initiative from the last 40 00:02:03,850 --> 00:02:07,340 year? What issues were you trying to solve and also what drove the success? 41 00:02:08,090 --> 00:02:08,400 Yeah, 42 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,100 so my last year has really been here at Michigan State 43 00:02:13,190 --> 00:02:16,980 University in, uh, support of their healthcare and the community we serve. 44 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,100 So I will say thus far, 45 00:02:19,660 --> 00:02:23,980 I think one of our biggest collective successes has been in driving, 46 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,540 um, primary care within mid-Michigan. So we, 47 00:02:28,730 --> 00:02:33,500 when I first got here, we started a primary care task force, um, 48 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:37,220 understanding the needs of the local community of the state, 49 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,140 and really of the nation, um, 50 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:44,020 to help patients find primary care providers. 51 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,740 So we've been growing out our primary care teams, 52 00:02:47,150 --> 00:02:50,540 we've been reaching out virtually across the state, um, 53 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:55,260 and we're addressing the needs of primary care physicians around 54 00:02:55,330 --> 00:03:00,160 recruitment and retention in addition to the needs of our patients to 55 00:03:00,700 --> 00:03:01,840 go with, to, 56 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:06,480 to not be homeless when it comes to having a primary care 57 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:07,673 provider. And, 58 00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:12,520 and to dive a little deeper into some of their actual clinical needs of 59 00:03:13,250 --> 00:03:18,240 blood, you know, blood pressure control, diabetes control, um, 60 00:03:18,850 --> 00:03:23,840 lipid control in addition to helping solve some of the opioid crisis that, 61 00:03:24,100 --> 00:03:24,450 you know, 62 00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:28,760 we're facing in the state and the nation is facing from coast to coast. 63 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:33,970 Yeah, that is absolutely incredible. Thank you for sharing that insight. 64 00:03:34,310 --> 00:03:38,570 As you know, the clinical workforce has changed a lot in the last few years. 65 00:03:38,910 --> 00:03:39,410 Mm-hmm. , 66 00:03:39,410 --> 00:03:42,770 what challenges are you still facing and how do you see the clinical workforce 67 00:03:43,170 --> 00:03:44,330 evolving? Well. 68 00:03:44,450 --> 00:03:49,080 I, I have to tell you, you know, post covid, I, we, 69 00:03:49,170 --> 00:03:52,360 we've seen a retirement, uh, an entire, you know, 70 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,320 generation begin to go into retirement. Um, 71 00:03:55,580 --> 00:03:59,960 and we've seen a new group of providers coming up through the ranks that I, 72 00:04:00,060 --> 00:04:00,360 you know, 73 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:05,240 that I think are potentially even more altruistic than the generations before 74 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:10,040 them. With that, though, they grew up, the, the generation of, uh, 75 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,480 providers that we're seeing now, they grew up, you know, 76 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,760 with technology buried in their lives. And as part of that, 77 00:04:17,380 --> 00:04:22,280 the electronic health record is no longer the source subject of 78 00:04:22,300 --> 00:04:26,960 the day for our next generation of providers. And, you know, 79 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,920 they're very comfortable in a more virtual world. So, you know, 80 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,840 when we meet with them, you know, in recruitment and retention, you know, 81 00:04:34,900 --> 00:04:36,800 one of the requests is how, you know, 82 00:04:36,860 --> 00:04:41,800 can I continue to see my patients virtually and how can I have 83 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:46,040 a, you know, a little bit of a hybrid lifestyle, uh, as a provider. You know, 84 00:04:46,300 --> 00:04:51,080 we saw all of our patients virtually for a few years. So, you know, 85 00:04:51,140 --> 00:04:55,360 I'd like to continue some of that practice, uh, at this particular time. 86 00:04:55,500 --> 00:04:59,640 So I think the new generation of providers, certainly altruistic, 87 00:04:59,830 --> 00:05:02,400 wanting to go out and, you know, 88 00:05:02,650 --> 00:05:05,520 write the injustices that, um, 89 00:05:06,110 --> 00:05:10,520 that we often find within healthcare around health equity and social 90 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,280 determinants of health, and, um, 91 00:05:13,470 --> 00:05:18,440 much more aptt to enjoy and utilize the technology that's 92 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:23,360 given to them. And that also often will result into just a much more virtual 93 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,120 practice than I think any of us who came up through healthcare, you know, 94 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:29,280 a few decades ago. 95 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,860 Yes. Wonderful. Thank you so much for giving us that information. And Michael, 96 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,460 before I let you go, being the C m O, the last question I wanted to ask you is, 97 00:05:41,460 --> 00:05:45,020 what is your best advice for aspiring physician and nurse leaders? 98 00:05:45,690 --> 00:05:47,300 Yeah, I, I have to tell you, 99 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:49,940 things that have helped me over the years have been number one, 100 00:05:50,540 --> 00:05:51,373 learning technology. 101 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,380 So along the way I picked up a master's in information system 102 00:05:55,910 --> 00:06:00,680 technology as seeing how healthcare, I think ultimately, 103 00:06:01,020 --> 00:06:06,000 uh, one of its saving graces was going to be technology. So, you know, 104 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,560 with this aging population and this inundation of this tsunami 105 00:06:10,980 --> 00:06:15,680 of gray hair patients who are not aging gracefully 106 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:21,480 and you know, a shortage of providers, you know, I think that that gap, 107 00:06:21,510 --> 00:06:25,880 that delta will be filled in through, um, technology advancements. 108 00:06:26,460 --> 00:06:29,800 So, you know, number one, learn technology, learn data, 109 00:06:30,130 --> 00:06:31,720 learn how to analyze the data, 110 00:06:31,890 --> 00:06:36,640 learn how to utilize the data and learn how to act upon the data. And then, 111 00:06:37,020 --> 00:06:40,960 you know, I think for aspiring physician and nurse leaders, 112 00:06:41,740 --> 00:06:44,720 you know, leadership can be taught. 113 00:06:45,340 --> 00:06:47,640 Now I did my undergraduate at the Naval Academy. 114 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:52,560 I spent years and years in the Navy as a, um, 115 00:06:52,710 --> 00:06:55,760 medical officer leader. And you know, 116 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,880 throughout that I was taught leadership. 117 00:06:59,140 --> 00:07:03,960 And along the way I went out and got a master's in management to also learn 118 00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:08,000 how to manage teams of people, manage a business, 119 00:07:08,100 --> 00:07:12,600 manage an organization. So, you know, I think more education, um, 120 00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:17,880 for those that are aspiring to actually run and lead an organization, 121 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,360 I think, you know, leaders need to continue to see patients. 122 00:07:23,020 --> 00:07:26,600 The provider community is a tough lot. And if you're not there, 123 00:07:27,450 --> 00:07:30,080 elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder with them, you know, 124 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:35,080 I think it's very hard to evoke some of the changes that we are all hoping to 125 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:36,320 see within healthcare. 126 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,860 Yes, I 100% agree. Um, thank you so much for those final thoughts. Michael, 127 00:07:43,010 --> 00:07:44,820 this has been an amazing discussion. So again, 128 00:07:44,820 --> 00:07:46,900 I wanna thank you so much for coming on Beckers Healthcare, 129 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,060 and I look forward to connecting with you again consumed. 130 00:07:49,590 --> 00:07:50,423 Thank you, Mariah. 131 00:07:52,930 --> 00:07:56,180 It's so important for leaders at the top of organizations to keep learning, 132 00:07:56,330 --> 00:07:57,090 stay sharp, 133 00:07:57,090 --> 00:08:00,900 grow their networks to help our audience better do this in a more simplified, 134 00:08:00,900 --> 00:08:05,340 personalized, and meaningful way. Becker's Healthcare has launched my B h c, 135 00:08:05,850 --> 00:08:09,100 it's your trusted Becker's healthcare experience and more with content, 136 00:08:09,170 --> 00:08:11,340 connections, events and learning opportunities, 137 00:08:12,050 --> 00:08:13,900 join the community free of charge at 138 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,900 www.my.beckerhospitalreview.com and we'll see you there.