1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,060 Imagine this. You're at the Hyatt Regency Chicago 2 00:00:03,439 --> 00:00:06,000 immersed in insightful discussions with the health care 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,459 industry's top leaders. 4 00:00:07,839 --> 00:00:10,580 Welcome to Becker's 12th annual CEO 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,740 and CFO roundtable from November 11th to 14th, 6 00:00:15,119 --> 00:00:15,619 2024. 7 00:00:16,214 --> 00:00:19,355 Picture yourself networking with over a 1000 executive 8 00:00:19,414 --> 00:00:20,315 level attendees, 9 00:00:20,695 --> 00:00:23,835 collecting business cards and forging valuable connections. 10 00:00:24,295 --> 00:00:26,614 Feel the excitement as you engage in 4 11 00:00:26,614 --> 00:00:28,714 days of sessions featuring 400 12 00:00:29,095 --> 00:00:30,919 elite health system speakers. 13 00:00:31,460 --> 00:00:35,000 Envision yourself diving deep into critical topics like 14 00:00:35,059 --> 00:00:37,320 rural health care, digital transformation, 15 00:00:38,100 --> 00:00:40,439 health equity, and c suite diversity. 16 00:00:41,219 --> 00:00:44,759 Now imagine being inspired by our celebrity keynotes, 17 00:00:45,225 --> 00:00:48,265 pro football hall of famers Troy Aikman and 18 00:00:48,265 --> 00:00:52,104 Emmett Smith, 43rd president George w Bush, and 19 00:00:52,104 --> 00:00:55,385 author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager. Their stories 20 00:00:55,385 --> 00:00:57,645 will leave you motivated and energized. 21 00:00:58,289 --> 00:00:59,590 Don't miss this unparalleled 22 00:01:00,050 --> 00:01:03,270 opportunity. Get registered today. Visit beckershospitalreview.com 23 00:01:05,170 --> 00:01:07,010 and click on the events page to find 24 00:01:07,010 --> 00:01:09,510 the conference website. That's the beckershospitalreview.com 25 00:01:11,650 --> 00:01:13,754 events page. See you in Chicago. 26 00:01:15,734 --> 00:01:17,754 Welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 27 00:01:18,055 --> 00:01:20,295 My name is Paige Twenter. I'm an assistant 28 00:01:20,295 --> 00:01:21,994 editor here at Becker's Healthcare. 29 00:01:22,454 --> 00:01:25,114 I'm thrilled today to interview doctor James Kravec. 30 00:01:25,819 --> 00:01:27,120 On the podcast today. 31 00:01:27,739 --> 00:01:30,379 I'm really excited. But before we dive in, 32 00:01:30,379 --> 00:01:33,900 I'd love to have, doctor Kravick introduce himself 33 00:01:33,900 --> 00:01:35,519 and tell us about his background. 34 00:01:37,099 --> 00:01:38,939 Well, thank you for having me on the 35 00:01:38,939 --> 00:01:41,864 podcast today. My name is doctor Jim Kravick. 36 00:01:42,084 --> 00:01:43,944 I'm an internal medicine physician. 37 00:01:45,045 --> 00:01:45,784 By background, 38 00:01:46,805 --> 00:01:49,125 I'm born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio in 39 00:01:49,125 --> 00:01:50,265 Northeast Ohio. 40 00:01:51,629 --> 00:01:53,310 I went through my training as an internal 41 00:01:53,310 --> 00:01:55,549 medicine physician, and about 10 years into my 42 00:01:55,549 --> 00:01:56,049 career 43 00:01:56,670 --> 00:01:59,390 as a program director of a residency, as 44 00:01:59,390 --> 00:02:01,310 a core faculty member of a residency, and 45 00:02:01,310 --> 00:02:04,689 as a hospitalist and outpatient physician kinda combination, 46 00:02:05,405 --> 00:02:06,064 I switched 47 00:02:06,444 --> 00:02:07,244 into add on, 48 00:02:07,805 --> 00:02:08,784 some part time 49 00:02:09,245 --> 00:02:10,384 administrative roles, 50 00:02:10,925 --> 00:02:13,264 and then I became more full time administrative, 51 00:02:13,324 --> 00:02:15,245 although I still see some patients on an 52 00:02:15,324 --> 00:02:16,544 in a part time role. 53 00:02:17,164 --> 00:02:19,425 I serve as chief clinical officer 54 00:02:19,969 --> 00:02:22,849 for Mercyhealth in Lorraine in Youngstown. So I 55 00:02:22,849 --> 00:02:24,550 have 5 hospitals that I oversee 56 00:02:24,930 --> 00:02:25,990 in in Lorraine, 57 00:02:26,530 --> 00:02:27,030 Oberlin, 58 00:02:27,409 --> 00:02:30,069 Warren, Boardman, and Youngstown, Ohio. 59 00:02:30,449 --> 00:02:32,449 And I also serve as a medical director 60 00:02:32,449 --> 00:02:35,509 for graduate medical education for our our system, 61 00:02:35,569 --> 00:02:37,564 which is Bon Secours Mercy Health. 62 00:02:39,705 --> 00:02:41,645 Right. So focusing first, 63 00:02:43,064 --> 00:02:44,525 in the c suite, 64 00:02:45,224 --> 00:02:47,305 can you kind of, you know, talk a 65 00:02:47,305 --> 00:02:48,925 little bit about the 66 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,680 potential evolution or the evolution you're already seeing 67 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,479 among chief medical officer roles as well as 68 00:02:54,479 --> 00:02:55,780 chief clinical officers? 69 00:02:57,519 --> 00:02:59,780 You know, probably back in the mid 2000 70 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,159 tens, a new term came to be in 71 00:03:02,159 --> 00:03:04,000 the physician leadership role, and it was a 72 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:04,819 chief clinical 73 00:03:06,125 --> 00:03:08,944 officer. If you look back historically, the CMO, 74 00:03:09,245 --> 00:03:11,985 chief medical officer, historically had been 75 00:03:12,365 --> 00:03:14,284 over the 4 walls of a building, you 76 00:03:14,284 --> 00:03:16,365 know, the lead physician of 4 walls of 77 00:03:16,365 --> 00:03:17,025 a building. 78 00:03:17,780 --> 00:03:20,340 And that person led by influence. They were 79 00:03:20,340 --> 00:03:21,639 usually more a senior 80 00:03:22,099 --> 00:03:22,599 physician 81 00:03:22,900 --> 00:03:24,120 leader in the community. 82 00:03:25,939 --> 00:03:27,620 Yeah. And and that was they they really 83 00:03:27,620 --> 00:03:28,900 just had they they were more of the 84 00:03:28,900 --> 00:03:30,840 esteemed member of the medical staff. 85 00:03:31,664 --> 00:03:34,224 As the CMO role changed, they also found 86 00:03:34,224 --> 00:03:36,944 a need for a chief clinical officer. Chief 87 00:03:36,944 --> 00:03:39,425 clinical officers don't just have 4 walls of 88 00:03:39,425 --> 00:03:40,084 a building. 89 00:03:40,784 --> 00:03:43,364 They tend to have maybe multiple hospitals, 90 00:03:44,110 --> 00:03:46,129 a medical group that's employed, 91 00:03:46,830 --> 00:03:48,370 an accountable care organization, 92 00:03:49,629 --> 00:03:51,650 responsibility for graduate medical education, 93 00:03:52,030 --> 00:03:55,069 responsibility for recruitment and quality. So, really, you 94 00:03:55,069 --> 00:03:57,310 know, the other term sometimes for chief clinical 95 00:03:57,310 --> 00:03:59,250 officer is the chief physician executive. 96 00:03:59,944 --> 00:04:02,044 So sometimes those were used interchangeably. 97 00:04:02,825 --> 00:04:04,745 But I I I find the chief clinical 98 00:04:04,745 --> 00:04:07,064 officer role is a newer role, and it 99 00:04:07,064 --> 00:04:07,885 really encompasses 100 00:04:08,745 --> 00:04:10,125 the entire breadth of 101 00:04:10,425 --> 00:04:10,925 leadership 102 00:04:11,224 --> 00:04:12,365 of a health system 103 00:04:12,939 --> 00:04:14,379 rather than the four walls of a cyst 104 00:04:14,539 --> 00:04:16,319 of a of a building of a hospital. 105 00:04:18,860 --> 00:04:20,959 And what does that look like, 106 00:04:21,419 --> 00:04:22,800 for you, you know, that 107 00:04:23,419 --> 00:04:24,879 full clinical outlook, 108 00:04:25,259 --> 00:04:27,199 outside the four walls of a system? 109 00:04:27,805 --> 00:04:29,485 Yeah. Yeah. I think I think it's interesting 110 00:04:29,485 --> 00:04:31,425 because as you think think of the CMO 111 00:04:31,564 --> 00:04:32,704 or the CCO 112 00:04:33,164 --> 00:04:33,904 of today 113 00:04:34,764 --> 00:04:37,084 versus the CMO of the past. Right? So 114 00:04:37,084 --> 00:04:38,685 we focus on a lot of things such 115 00:04:38,685 --> 00:04:39,904 as hospital strategy, 116 00:04:40,620 --> 00:04:43,439 hospital clinical strategy, working with the hospital president, 117 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:46,399 working with finance and nurses, the strategy team. 118 00:04:47,020 --> 00:04:49,980 I focus on physician relationships and advanced practice 119 00:04:49,980 --> 00:04:51,120 clinician relationships, 120 00:04:51,819 --> 00:04:54,699 between the credentialing and the medical executive process, 121 00:04:54,699 --> 00:04:56,160 but also working with, 122 00:04:56,995 --> 00:04:59,235 recruitment and how do we grow our medical 123 00:04:59,235 --> 00:05:01,314 staff and how do we grow our employed 124 00:05:01,314 --> 00:05:02,214 physician group. 125 00:05:03,074 --> 00:05:04,455 A lot of clinical operations, 126 00:05:04,915 --> 00:05:06,675 things like, you know, when when we talk 127 00:05:06,675 --> 00:05:09,235 about our star ratings and our leapfrog ratings, 128 00:05:09,235 --> 00:05:10,535 how do we have less 129 00:05:10,959 --> 00:05:12,099 CAUTIs and CLABSIs 130 00:05:12,399 --> 00:05:13,779 and less c diff, 131 00:05:15,039 --> 00:05:17,220 cases and decreased blood 132 00:05:17,759 --> 00:05:18,899 transfusion utilizations 133 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,120 and on all that? And then and case 134 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,604 management throughput, how do I focus on, length 135 00:05:24,604 --> 00:05:26,925 of stay and making sure that patients are 136 00:05:27,004 --> 00:05:29,104 have have less time in the emergency department, 137 00:05:29,324 --> 00:05:29,824 increase, 138 00:05:31,245 --> 00:05:33,644 experience of care? But and when I think 139 00:05:33,644 --> 00:05:35,485 about that, that's one component of it. Then 140 00:05:35,485 --> 00:05:37,670 the other component is I I really see 141 00:05:37,670 --> 00:05:39,689 the role of the chief clinical officer as 142 00:05:40,069 --> 00:05:41,930 the lead physician communicator 143 00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:44,870 talking about, you know, we just finished our 144 00:05:44,870 --> 00:05:47,029 pandemic for a couple years, and and I 145 00:05:47,029 --> 00:05:49,290 I served as the spokesperson for the clinical 146 00:05:49,830 --> 00:05:50,330 roles, 147 00:05:51,415 --> 00:05:54,055 for clinical evolution of of COVID and how 148 00:05:54,055 --> 00:05:57,335 we've communicated that, working with health departments, working 149 00:05:57,335 --> 00:05:58,074 with our 150 00:05:58,455 --> 00:06:01,735 university partners and medical schools. But I I 151 00:06:01,735 --> 00:06:03,355 see that really in 2024 152 00:06:03,655 --> 00:06:05,500 as the role of the chief clinical officer 153 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:06,740 as opposed to what it was in the 154 00:06:06,740 --> 00:06:07,240 past. 155 00:06:09,540 --> 00:06:12,600 And what role are you envisioning for 2034? 156 00:06:15,139 --> 00:06:16,680 You know, I think as we 157 00:06:17,379 --> 00:06:17,879 continue 158 00:06:18,259 --> 00:06:18,759 to 159 00:06:19,504 --> 00:06:22,165 gain knowledge on the business side for physicians, 160 00:06:22,384 --> 00:06:25,105 I see the physicians being more in involved 161 00:06:25,105 --> 00:06:26,644 in the finance of MepHealthcare. 162 00:06:28,225 --> 00:06:29,605 You know, it's it's easy 163 00:06:30,225 --> 00:06:31,985 to manage a medical staff when you have 164 00:06:31,985 --> 00:06:34,230 to and if you had unlimited money. It's 165 00:06:34,230 --> 00:06:36,569 easy to run strategy with unlimited money. 166 00:06:37,029 --> 00:06:39,449 But as margins have become thinner and thinner, 167 00:06:39,829 --> 00:06:41,290 as we have worse 168 00:06:41,670 --> 00:06:44,230 payment models through insurance companies, and as we 169 00:06:44,230 --> 00:06:45,290 have higher salaries, 170 00:06:45,845 --> 00:06:47,845 our margins are smaller and smaller, so we 171 00:06:47,845 --> 00:06:49,465 have to be smarter with our decisions. 172 00:06:49,845 --> 00:06:52,245 And I think having physicians with that knowledge 173 00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:53,625 of the business of medicine 174 00:06:54,485 --> 00:06:56,085 is is only is where we're gonna see 175 00:06:56,085 --> 00:06:57,845 this role go in the next 10 years. 176 00:06:57,845 --> 00:06:58,345 Really 177 00:06:58,645 --> 00:06:59,465 focusing on 178 00:06:59,810 --> 00:07:02,789 not just clinical quality that's given that's expected, 179 00:07:03,250 --> 00:07:05,669 but also how do you balance that with, 180 00:07:05,889 --> 00:07:08,370 you know, the return on projects and the 181 00:07:08,370 --> 00:07:10,370 finances and the amount of money you spent 182 00:07:10,370 --> 00:07:12,470 on on this and that in the hospital. 183 00:07:12,529 --> 00:07:14,209 I I see that role going, 184 00:07:14,764 --> 00:07:16,865 in that direction over the next 10 years. 185 00:07:18,444 --> 00:07:20,865 With margins getting thinner and thinner, 186 00:07:21,564 --> 00:07:24,685 chief clinical officers, chief, medical officers need to 187 00:07:24,685 --> 00:07:26,144 be more financially nimble. 188 00:07:26,764 --> 00:07:28,225 Is is that what I'm 189 00:07:28,540 --> 00:07:30,620 hearing or I wanna make sure I'm understanding 190 00:07:30,620 --> 00:07:31,120 properly. 191 00:07:31,740 --> 00:07:33,660 Yeah. You no. That's that's I think that's 192 00:07:33,660 --> 00:07:34,939 true. Because, again, we 193 00:07:35,980 --> 00:07:38,620 you might say, as the lead physician, your 194 00:07:38,620 --> 00:07:40,319 job is to focus on quality. 195 00:07:41,745 --> 00:07:42,805 Well, that's true 196 00:07:43,185 --> 00:07:45,824 and focus on physicians. That's true. But you 197 00:07:45,824 --> 00:07:48,165 have to understand the finance component. 198 00:07:48,625 --> 00:07:50,865 We can say I need 5 more quality 199 00:07:50,865 --> 00:07:52,545 leaders, and I need to pay this, and 200 00:07:52,545 --> 00:07:54,465 I need this person, this this new service 201 00:07:54,465 --> 00:07:55,525 line and and whatnot. 202 00:07:55,879 --> 00:07:57,800 But the reality is it's all tied to 203 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,199 the finance of the hospitals and the finances 204 00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:02,779 of medicine. And if those don't match up, 205 00:08:03,639 --> 00:08:05,959 then we're not working we're working in silos. 206 00:08:05,959 --> 00:08:07,180 You have to be aligned 207 00:08:07,639 --> 00:08:08,539 with the finance 208 00:08:08,884 --> 00:08:11,225 on everything we do on the physician strategy, 209 00:08:11,285 --> 00:08:12,985 the quality strategy, the recruitment. 210 00:08:13,444 --> 00:08:15,125 It has to has to come together. Because 211 00:08:15,125 --> 00:08:15,944 if it doesn't, 212 00:08:16,324 --> 00:08:17,704 it's really not gonna succeed. 213 00:08:20,245 --> 00:08:23,044 And with that forecast, do you have, 214 00:08:24,019 --> 00:08:24,519 recommendations 215 00:08:24,899 --> 00:08:26,680 or action items you recommend 216 00:08:27,220 --> 00:08:30,419 for your peers across the US, you know, 217 00:08:30,419 --> 00:08:33,240 other clinical officers, other medical officers? 218 00:08:34,740 --> 00:08:36,039 You know, as as I 219 00:08:36,419 --> 00:08:38,339 think about my role as a chief clinical 220 00:08:38,339 --> 00:08:38,839 officer, 221 00:08:39,554 --> 00:08:41,174 you know, we should be 222 00:08:41,794 --> 00:08:43,475 and we we we say use the the 223 00:08:43,475 --> 00:08:44,914 term tied to the hip with the chief 224 00:08:44,914 --> 00:08:47,475 nursing officer and really understand nursing and physician. 225 00:08:47,475 --> 00:08:49,554 That's really important. And this doesn't minimize what 226 00:08:49,554 --> 00:08:51,715 I'm about to say doesn't minimize that. But 227 00:08:51,715 --> 00:08:53,735 you also have to be tied very closely 228 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,519 with your strategy team and with your finance 229 00:08:56,519 --> 00:08:57,019 leaders. 230 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:00,379 And I think, you know, the the historical 231 00:09:00,759 --> 00:09:01,259 CFO, 232 00:09:01,799 --> 00:09:03,500 just like the historical CMO, 233 00:09:05,159 --> 00:09:05,899 was very 234 00:09:06,375 --> 00:09:07,514 focused and siloed. 235 00:09:07,894 --> 00:09:11,115 The CFO focused on on money and on 236 00:09:11,654 --> 00:09:13,835 the balance sheet and focused on 237 00:09:14,455 --> 00:09:17,754 that part only. The CMO focused on quality 238 00:09:17,975 --> 00:09:19,355 and that part only. 239 00:09:19,870 --> 00:09:22,129 Reality is they're they're they're so intertwined. 240 00:09:22,830 --> 00:09:25,389 And the finance physician finance leader needs to 241 00:09:25,389 --> 00:09:25,889 understand 242 00:09:26,830 --> 00:09:29,070 what it means to hit quality measures and 243 00:09:29,070 --> 00:09:30,590 what it means to recruit and what it 244 00:09:30,590 --> 00:09:32,269 means to have a good performer in the 245 00:09:32,269 --> 00:09:33,950 operating room and where the but the physician 246 00:09:33,950 --> 00:09:34,769 needs to understand 247 00:09:35,105 --> 00:09:37,825 the cost of supplies and, you know, the 248 00:09:37,825 --> 00:09:39,745 return on having a new physician or a 249 00:09:39,745 --> 00:09:42,144 new service or a new robot. Those have 250 00:09:42,144 --> 00:09:43,665 to be brought together. So I think working 251 00:09:43,665 --> 00:09:45,684 with your finance lead is is so important. 252 00:09:47,759 --> 00:09:48,980 And I can only imagine 253 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,299 the clinical efficiencies 254 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,699 or unlocked opportunities 255 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:56,720 there. You know, the more integrated CFO and 256 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:57,860 CMO and CCO 257 00:09:58,399 --> 00:09:59,459 work comes together. 258 00:10:00,865 --> 00:10:02,304 I I I think it is. And it 259 00:10:02,304 --> 00:10:03,605 really it really makes 260 00:10:04,625 --> 00:10:06,065 us work as a team. I I I 261 00:10:06,065 --> 00:10:07,904 I remember meeting I had recently with our 262 00:10:07,904 --> 00:10:08,644 our chief 263 00:10:09,424 --> 00:10:12,065 finance officer and chief nurse, and we were 264 00:10:12,065 --> 00:10:14,324 almost telling each other's story and and defending 265 00:10:14,850 --> 00:10:17,190 their position because, you know, the finance person 266 00:10:17,409 --> 00:10:19,009 was saying that you need that clinically. And 267 00:10:19,009 --> 00:10:20,209 I was saying, yeah. But it's too expensive. 268 00:10:20,209 --> 00:10:21,589 You know? And that and that it's 269 00:10:22,129 --> 00:10:23,970 just you reach a success point when you're 270 00:10:23,970 --> 00:10:26,450 fighting the other person's battles, and they're fighting 271 00:10:26,450 --> 00:10:28,129 yours because you see their point of view 272 00:10:28,129 --> 00:10:29,785 so much. And I think that's kind of 273 00:10:29,785 --> 00:10:31,705 how that's that's a level of success, I 274 00:10:31,705 --> 00:10:33,085 think, as you have these relationships. 275 00:10:35,144 --> 00:10:36,205 That's funny. 276 00:10:36,985 --> 00:10:39,225 We have a few minutes left. I really 277 00:10:39,225 --> 00:10:41,065 wanna make sure I get to this, other 278 00:10:41,065 --> 00:10:42,365 question I have for you. 279 00:10:45,250 --> 00:10:47,970 At Mercyhealth and your practice, in the multiple 280 00:10:47,970 --> 00:10:49,669 cities that you're working in in Ohio, 281 00:10:50,450 --> 00:10:53,730 what's your most successful project or initiative from 282 00:10:53,730 --> 00:10:56,289 the past few months? You know, can you 283 00:10:56,289 --> 00:10:58,210 kinda dive into what you did and what 284 00:10:58,210 --> 00:10:59,429 you've seen so far? 285 00:11:00,345 --> 00:11:01,865 Yeah. We we spend a lot of time. 286 00:11:01,865 --> 00:11:03,485 I spend a lot of time on recruitment 287 00:11:03,544 --> 00:11:04,284 of physicians 288 00:11:04,664 --> 00:11:07,304 and planning from 1 to 3 to 5 289 00:11:07,304 --> 00:11:09,384 to 7 years down the road. And and 290 00:11:09,384 --> 00:11:10,904 and, you know, the 1 to 2 years 291 00:11:10,904 --> 00:11:12,584 is easy. I I talk to physicians while 292 00:11:12,584 --> 00:11:15,029 they're in residency or if they're in practice 293 00:11:15,029 --> 00:11:16,629 and then working with them coming over to 294 00:11:16,629 --> 00:11:19,029 Mercyhealth in Lorraine or Mercyhealth in Youngstown. But 295 00:11:19,029 --> 00:11:21,210 as I as I look down the road, 296 00:11:21,750 --> 00:11:24,330 we're working on building residency programs. 297 00:11:24,870 --> 00:11:26,389 You know, how do we start a family 298 00:11:26,389 --> 00:11:28,629 medicine residency program? How do we start internal 299 00:11:28,629 --> 00:11:31,304 medicine residency program to build our pipeline? 300 00:11:31,924 --> 00:11:34,325 That's gonna take 3 to 5 to 7 301 00:11:34,325 --> 00:11:36,004 years to see the the the fruits of 302 00:11:36,004 --> 00:11:38,565 our labor. And so as I look at 303 00:11:38,565 --> 00:11:41,284 that, that that success of of building these 304 00:11:41,284 --> 00:11:44,070 new programs is something I'm so proud of 305 00:11:44,070 --> 00:11:45,909 because, you know, we're gonna kinda feel that 306 00:11:45,909 --> 00:11:48,149 in in a couple years. But, you know, 307 00:11:48,149 --> 00:11:48,889 in 2030, 308 00:11:49,589 --> 00:11:51,190 when we have our graduates of our new 309 00:11:51,190 --> 00:11:53,509 residency program, the work we're doing now in 310 00:11:53,509 --> 00:11:56,325 2024 will be will be just tremendous. So 311 00:11:56,325 --> 00:11:58,164 that that's probably one of the biggest, areas 312 00:11:58,164 --> 00:11:58,664 of, 313 00:11:59,284 --> 00:12:00,965 work that's made me proud over the last 314 00:12:00,965 --> 00:12:01,865 couple of years. 315 00:12:04,085 --> 00:12:06,105 My last question for you, 316 00:12:07,125 --> 00:12:08,745 what's a really large 317 00:12:09,220 --> 00:12:12,039 challenge you're expecting to face in next year? 318 00:12:13,460 --> 00:12:14,580 You know, I think if I look at 319 00:12:14,580 --> 00:12:16,600 the work that our primary care physicians 320 00:12:16,899 --> 00:12:17,399 do, 321 00:12:18,580 --> 00:12:20,200 there is a lot of 322 00:12:21,220 --> 00:12:23,320 clicking in electronic medical records, 323 00:12:24,414 --> 00:12:25,235 a lot of, 324 00:12:26,014 --> 00:12:28,754 outside pressures on primary care physicians, 325 00:12:30,095 --> 00:12:33,695 answering questions, coding queries about the accountable care 326 00:12:33,695 --> 00:12:34,195 organization, 327 00:12:35,294 --> 00:12:38,355 or working directly with patients through their portals 328 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,740 or communication, their MyChart, and whatnot. 329 00:12:42,519 --> 00:12:44,539 And the document documentation 330 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:45,500 requirements 331 00:12:45,879 --> 00:12:47,960 are so heavy. My wife's a primary care 332 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,759 physician. I see firsthand the time that she 333 00:12:50,759 --> 00:12:51,980 spends at home 334 00:12:52,815 --> 00:12:54,415 after seeing a full day of patients and 335 00:12:54,415 --> 00:12:55,774 you spend eat dinner for an hour and 336 00:12:55,774 --> 00:12:57,054 you come home and turn the computer back 337 00:12:57,054 --> 00:12:58,415 on and work for 3 to 4 more 338 00:12:58,415 --> 00:12:59,715 hours every night. 339 00:13:01,054 --> 00:13:03,054 And I think that is the challenge that 340 00:13:03,054 --> 00:13:05,375 we feel both at in my organization and 341 00:13:05,375 --> 00:13:08,100 really across the country in primary care. That 342 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:08,600 needs 343 00:13:09,539 --> 00:13:11,379 fixed. That needs fixed because that's gonna burn 344 00:13:11,379 --> 00:13:13,240 out, primary care physicians, 345 00:13:14,100 --> 00:13:15,700 and that will be a problem. So we 346 00:13:15,700 --> 00:13:16,899 we have a lot of ideas and a 347 00:13:16,899 --> 00:13:18,419 lot of things that we're working on, but 348 00:13:18,419 --> 00:13:19,960 that's a big problem I see. 349 00:13:21,875 --> 00:13:23,014 And not one easily 350 00:13:23,554 --> 00:13:24,855 fixed probably? 351 00:13:26,034 --> 00:13:28,115 No. It's gonna it's it's gonna take resources. 352 00:13:28,115 --> 00:13:29,794 And then and you might say that resources 353 00:13:29,794 --> 00:13:31,475 and maybe a person to help them within 354 00:13:31,475 --> 00:13:33,174 basket or person help with communication. 355 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:36,259 Or as a technology such as artificial intelligence 356 00:13:36,319 --> 00:13:38,019 to help write notes or 357 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,799 or check charts or whatnot. But it it 358 00:13:40,799 --> 00:13:42,339 it has to be addressed because, 359 00:13:42,879 --> 00:13:44,240 you know, I've talked to my colleagues in 360 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:45,759 other health systems and other parts of the 361 00:13:45,759 --> 00:13:47,059 country. It's the same 362 00:13:47,664 --> 00:13:49,424 problem they're dealing with in primary care. And 363 00:13:49,424 --> 00:13:50,785 probably as you talk to other guests, if 364 00:13:50,785 --> 00:13:52,225 you ask that same question, you're probably gonna 365 00:13:52,225 --> 00:13:53,285 get a similar answer. 366 00:13:53,664 --> 00:13:55,825 It's the the the moral injury of those 367 00:13:55,825 --> 00:13:57,684 in primary care is so 368 00:13:58,625 --> 00:14:01,205 challenging because the work does not end. 369 00:14:01,690 --> 00:14:04,250 And electronic medical record with all of its 370 00:14:04,250 --> 00:14:04,750 positivity, 371 00:14:05,769 --> 00:14:07,690 it has made it very, very easy for 372 00:14:07,690 --> 00:14:09,690 patients to get ahold of their doctors at 373 00:14:09,690 --> 00:14:12,090 any time, and that's a challenge for primary 374 00:14:12,090 --> 00:14:12,830 care doctors. 375 00:14:14,584 --> 00:14:17,225 Not to end on a sour note or 376 00:14:17,225 --> 00:14:19,865 ending on a problem, but we are at 377 00:14:19,865 --> 00:14:22,264 time. I just wanna say, doctor Kravec, thank 378 00:14:22,264 --> 00:14:23,945 you so much for joining me today. I 379 00:14:23,945 --> 00:14:26,424 really appreciate your, you know, your time ensuring 380 00:14:26,424 --> 00:14:28,980 your sharp insights with me and our audience 381 00:14:28,980 --> 00:14:29,800 listening today. 382 00:14:30,580 --> 00:14:32,580 For our audience, you can catch more of 383 00:14:32,580 --> 00:14:35,460 doctor Kredick at our upcoming clinical leadership forum 384 00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:38,420 at the Becker CEO and CFO roundtable, which 385 00:14:38,420 --> 00:14:41,620 is taking place November 11th through 14th in 386 00:14:41,620 --> 00:14:43,955 Chicago. We do have limited space available, 387 00:14:44,575 --> 00:14:46,575 and contact us to learn more. Thank you 388 00:14:46,575 --> 00:14:47,634 again, doctor Pradak. 389 00:14:48,575 --> 00:14:50,114 Thank you. Have a wonderful day.