1
00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,120
The most important health care decisions don't happen

2
00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:05,779
in isolation.

3
00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,179
They happen when leaders come together.

4
00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:11,519
Becker's sixteenth annual meeting brings together more than

5
00:00:11,519 --> 00:00:12,559
3,500

6
00:00:12,559 --> 00:00:15,519
hospital and health system executives this April in

7
00:00:15,519 --> 00:00:15,914
Chicago.

8
00:00:16,635 --> 00:00:20,254
With 800 speakers from Ascension, Cleveland Clinic, CommonSpirit

9
00:00:20,394 --> 00:00:23,434
and more, the conversations get real. Leaders will

10
00:00:23,434 --> 00:00:26,094
share how their scenario planning for policy shifts,

11
00:00:26,234 --> 00:00:28,750
breaking through value based care barriers and building

12
00:00:28,750 --> 00:00:31,550
clinical teams that translate new ideas into real

13
00:00:31,550 --> 00:00:32,370
world care.

14
00:00:32,909 --> 00:00:35,480
Join top decision makers in the room April

15
00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:37,010
13 through the sixteenth.

16
00:00:37,469 --> 00:00:40,109
For the agenda and event details, visit beckers

17
00:00:40,109 --> 00:00:42,429
hospital review dot com and click on the

18
00:00:42,429 --> 00:00:43,965
events tab in the upper right.

19
00:00:45,405 --> 00:00:47,645
This is Laura Dirdle with the Becker's Healthcare

20
00:00:47,645 --> 00:00:49,564
podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by

21
00:00:49,564 --> 00:00:52,204
doctor Harpreet Paul, chief medical officer at Hackensack

22
00:00:52,204 --> 00:00:55,085
Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center and k

23
00:00:55,085 --> 00:00:55,585
Hovnanian

24
00:00:55,885 --> 00:00:58,520
Children's Hospital, as well as professor of pediatrics

25
00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,000
at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. Doctor Paul,

26
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:01,880
it's a pleasure to have you on the

27
00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:02,780
podcast today.

28
00:01:03,079 --> 00:01:04,519
It's such a pleasure to be here with

29
00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:07,640
you, Laura. Thank you. Absolutely. Now I'm excited

30
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:09,239
for our conversation. I know we'll talk a

31
00:01:09,239 --> 00:01:10,599
little bit about some of the cool things

32
00:01:10,599 --> 00:01:12,325
that you've been doing over the last year

33
00:01:12,325 --> 00:01:14,768
or so as well as your perspective on

34
00:01:14,768 --> 00:01:17,210
the future. But before we dive in, can

35
00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:19,653
you tell us a little bit more about

36
00:01:19,653 --> 00:01:22,095
yourself and your organization? Absolutely. I'll tell you

37
00:01:22,095 --> 00:01:24,538
first a little bit about Jersey Shore University

38
00:01:24,538 --> 00:01:27,250
Medical Center. We're a large academic medical center

39
00:01:27,250 --> 00:01:29,730
in New Jersey. We're located in Neptune, New

40
00:01:29,730 --> 00:01:31,510
Jersey, and we're one of the

41
00:01:32,049 --> 00:01:35,829
academic hospitals within, Hackensack Meridian Health.

42
00:01:36,130 --> 00:01:38,770
We've got a diverse patient population in Monmouth

43
00:01:38,770 --> 00:01:41,834
and Ocean Counties, and we're also a referral

44
00:01:41,834 --> 00:01:43,534
center for complex care.

45
00:01:43,915 --> 00:01:46,075
So we're a level one trauma center for

46
00:01:46,075 --> 00:01:47,694
both adults and children.

47
00:01:48,555 --> 00:01:50,974
We've got advanced cardiac care, oncology,

48
00:01:51,674 --> 00:01:52,174
neuroscience,

49
00:01:52,715 --> 00:01:56,334
and, children's hospital as well, Cajobanian Children's Hospital.

50
00:01:57,109 --> 00:01:58,250
In my role

51
00:01:58,869 --> 00:01:59,530
as CMO,

52
00:02:00,229 --> 00:02:03,290
it it's really at the intersection of,

53
00:02:03,909 --> 00:02:05,369
leadership for our physicians,

54
00:02:05,829 --> 00:02:06,890
clinical quality,

55
00:02:07,590 --> 00:02:09,830
hospital operations. A lot of my time is

56
00:02:09,830 --> 00:02:12,490
spent working with our clinical teams to

57
00:02:13,105 --> 00:02:15,605
really look at how care is delivered across

58
00:02:15,825 --> 00:02:18,085
the hospital and across the continuum

59
00:02:18,784 --> 00:02:20,784
and see how we might be able to

60
00:02:20,784 --> 00:02:22,485
enhance that from

61
00:02:22,944 --> 00:02:25,605
patient safety and outcomes to

62
00:02:26,349 --> 00:02:27,489
performance and innovation.

63
00:02:28,110 --> 00:02:30,769
I'm also a practicing pediatric gastroenterologist,

64
00:02:31,629 --> 00:02:32,930
and I'm also,

65
00:02:33,550 --> 00:02:36,590
very much engaged in our academic activities at

66
00:02:36,590 --> 00:02:38,844
our medical school. So I'm,

67
00:02:39,305 --> 00:02:42,185
remaining closely connected to both our clinical and

68
00:02:42,185 --> 00:02:43,245
academic missions.

69
00:02:44,344 --> 00:02:45,944
That's amazing to hear. And, you know, really

70
00:02:45,944 --> 00:02:47,704
cool to understand where you're positioned in the

71
00:02:47,704 --> 00:02:50,584
community and how you're, really continuing to serve

72
00:02:50,584 --> 00:02:52,659
them well. Now can you tell me about

73
00:02:52,659 --> 00:02:54,180
the most important initiatives that you led in

74
00:02:54,180 --> 00:02:55,540
the last year? What did you do and

75
00:02:55,540 --> 00:02:56,439
what were the results?

76
00:02:57,219 --> 00:02:58,180
Well, one of the,

77
00:02:58,659 --> 00:03:01,960
areas that we've had a focus on is

78
00:03:02,260 --> 00:03:03,240
clinical variation

79
00:03:03,620 --> 00:03:06,760
across the hospital. And the goal has been

80
00:03:06,955 --> 00:03:07,455
straightforward,

81
00:03:08,155 --> 00:03:10,814
ensuring that the patients we serve get the

82
00:03:11,435 --> 00:03:14,074
consistent right care at the right time in

83
00:03:14,074 --> 00:03:14,974
the right setting

84
00:03:15,435 --> 00:03:18,655
while we're focusing on reducing that unnecessary

85
00:03:19,114 --> 00:03:21,629
variation. And as you know, sometimes when you

86
00:03:21,629 --> 00:03:22,610
have that variability,

87
00:03:22,909 --> 00:03:24,290
that can drive longer

88
00:03:24,669 --> 00:03:25,650
hospital stays,

89
00:03:26,270 --> 00:03:28,430
higher costs, and lead to,

90
00:03:28,990 --> 00:03:30,129
inconsistent outcomes.

91
00:03:30,590 --> 00:03:32,750
So what we did, as one of our

92
00:03:32,750 --> 00:03:34,129
focus areas is

93
00:03:34,605 --> 00:03:35,504
ensure that

94
00:03:35,965 --> 00:03:36,544
the multidisciplinary

95
00:03:37,004 --> 00:03:37,504
teams

96
00:03:38,125 --> 00:03:40,224
across the service lines that we have

97
00:03:40,525 --> 00:03:43,504
are really drilling into areas like readmissions,

98
00:03:44,844 --> 00:03:46,784
efficiency of our discharge processes,

99
00:03:47,790 --> 00:03:49,710
care pathways for some of our high risk

100
00:03:49,710 --> 00:03:51,810
conditions like heart failure or

101
00:03:52,189 --> 00:03:53,490
COPD and pneumonia.

102
00:03:54,510 --> 00:03:55,250
An example

103
00:03:56,430 --> 00:03:58,590
that really highlights some of this work is

104
00:03:58,590 --> 00:04:00,370
how we've looked at our multidisciplinary

105
00:04:00,990 --> 00:04:03,330
rounds that take place on a daily basis

106
00:04:03,924 --> 00:04:04,424
and

107
00:04:04,805 --> 00:04:08,104
see what the opportunities were for redesigning them.

108
00:04:09,284 --> 00:04:09,784
Historically,

109
00:04:11,525 --> 00:04:13,704
in healthcare, sometimes these Multidisciplinary

110
00:04:14,245 --> 00:04:15,864
Rounds or MDR Rounds

111
00:04:16,379 --> 00:04:19,199
can become somewhat of a reporting exercise.

112
00:04:19,980 --> 00:04:22,879
So our team's focused on redesigning the process

113
00:04:22,939 --> 00:04:26,000
so that the attending physician leads the discussion

114
00:04:26,060 --> 00:04:28,480
and the entire care team aligns

115
00:04:29,020 --> 00:04:32,080
around a clearly defined expected discharge date.

116
00:04:32,595 --> 00:04:34,294
And when that happens consistently,

117
00:04:35,634 --> 00:04:37,495
you know, that leads to better coordination

118
00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:40,615
across the clinical teams and case management.

119
00:04:41,634 --> 00:04:42,854
It can lead to improved

120
00:04:43,154 --> 00:04:44,134
flow of patients,

121
00:04:44,669 --> 00:04:45,410
avoiding unnecessary

122
00:04:45,789 --> 00:04:46,289
delays,

123
00:04:46,829 --> 00:04:49,729
and really, very importantly, gives patients and families

124
00:04:49,789 --> 00:04:52,050
better expectations about their care journey.

125
00:04:52,350 --> 00:04:54,990
Sounds kind of, simple, but when implemented well,

126
00:04:54,990 --> 00:04:58,129
it can have a very significant impact. So,

127
00:04:58,925 --> 00:05:01,185
you know, it's that that clinical variation

128
00:05:01,644 --> 00:05:03,824
reduction isn't about isn't

129
00:05:04,285 --> 00:05:04,785
about

130
00:05:05,245 --> 00:05:08,285
restricting physicians and clinical teams. It's really about

131
00:05:08,285 --> 00:05:10,365
making sure that every patient gets the best

132
00:05:10,365 --> 00:05:12,144
evidence based care every time.

133
00:05:13,089 --> 00:05:14,449
I love that. I I think it's such

134
00:05:14,449 --> 00:05:17,009
an important distinction because understanding that and having

135
00:05:17,009 --> 00:05:18,769
that why out there, I can imagine, it

136
00:05:18,769 --> 00:05:20,769
really helped the teams get behind the changes

137
00:05:20,769 --> 00:05:22,370
you were trying to make and see a

138
00:05:22,370 --> 00:05:24,289
better and more efficient process for caring for

139
00:05:24,289 --> 00:05:26,564
patients and their outcomes. And, you know, I'm

140
00:05:26,564 --> 00:05:28,425
curious when you're going through all of that,

141
00:05:28,564 --> 00:05:29,444
what type of,

142
00:05:30,004 --> 00:05:31,685
change management did it take to do that

143
00:05:31,685 --> 00:05:33,685
with the teams? Who was involved? And how

144
00:05:33,685 --> 00:05:35,125
did you really get to the place where

145
00:05:35,125 --> 00:05:36,805
you're seeing the results that you were hoping

146
00:05:36,805 --> 00:05:37,305
for?

147
00:05:38,139 --> 00:05:40,540
Yeah. It's, you know, it it it it's

148
00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:43,759
really ensuring that the teams have a

149
00:05:44,699 --> 00:05:46,779
a voice and that they're engaged in the

150
00:05:46,779 --> 00:05:50,139
process. I think that with especially around complex

151
00:05:50,139 --> 00:05:52,080
change like this, these are not simple,

152
00:05:52,944 --> 00:05:54,404
interventions that we're,

153
00:05:55,425 --> 00:05:57,745
trying to deploy. We we've got, at a

154
00:05:57,745 --> 00:05:59,524
large scale, a lot of

155
00:05:59,904 --> 00:06:02,464
change and progress that needs to happen to

156
00:06:02,464 --> 00:06:04,704
deal with the complexity and the acuity of

157
00:06:04,704 --> 00:06:06,164
the patients that we're serving.

158
00:06:06,620 --> 00:06:08,379
So I think the most important part of

159
00:06:08,379 --> 00:06:11,120
this is ensuring that the teams are engaged

160
00:06:11,339 --> 00:06:12,160
in the process,

161
00:06:13,339 --> 00:06:15,759
that we take their ideas and we incorporate

162
00:06:15,819 --> 00:06:18,000
them into the planning that we have.

163
00:06:18,379 --> 00:06:21,020
And that leads to them being bought into

164
00:06:21,020 --> 00:06:23,395
the process and owning it as well. So

165
00:06:23,395 --> 00:06:25,175
I think that that's really the key

166
00:06:25,555 --> 00:06:28,435
that we take the multiple perspectives, that three

167
00:06:28,435 --> 00:06:31,155
sixty view of the issues that we're dealing

168
00:06:31,155 --> 00:06:33,175
with, which are very complex issues.

169
00:06:33,634 --> 00:06:34,375
They're not

170
00:06:34,689 --> 00:06:36,949
silos. Healthcare is one care model

171
00:06:37,490 --> 00:06:37,810
and,

172
00:06:38,370 --> 00:06:41,329
you know, making sure that the nurses, the

173
00:06:41,329 --> 00:06:45,169
doctors, the case managers, dietitians, and pharmacists, all

174
00:06:45,169 --> 00:06:45,669
the

175
00:06:46,209 --> 00:06:49,055
frontline teams who have a a voice in

176
00:06:49,055 --> 00:06:50,915
this, who have a stake in the outcomes,

177
00:06:51,295 --> 00:06:52,894
have a seat at the table and are

178
00:06:52,894 --> 00:06:54,035
able to contribute

179
00:06:54,495 --> 00:06:56,894
and give their perspectives so that ultimately we

180
00:06:56,894 --> 00:06:58,975
can come up with the best model and

181
00:06:58,975 --> 00:06:59,875
the best approach

182
00:07:00,495 --> 00:07:02,435
to deliver the the

183
00:07:02,990 --> 00:07:05,170
amazing outcomes that our teams deliver on.

184
00:07:05,949 --> 00:07:07,629
That's fantastic to hear. Thank you so much

185
00:07:07,629 --> 00:07:09,550
for digging a bit deeper there. Now I'm

186
00:07:09,550 --> 00:07:11,790
curious. I'm looking ahead to 2026. What are

187
00:07:11,790 --> 00:07:14,590
some of the, big headwinds as well as

188
00:07:14,590 --> 00:07:16,590
opportunities that you're looking at? What are your

189
00:07:16,590 --> 00:07:18,774
priorities heading into the next few months or

190
00:07:18,774 --> 00:07:19,274
so?

191
00:07:19,814 --> 00:07:21,834
Laura, there's a a few key,

192
00:07:22,375 --> 00:07:23,495
priorities. So,

193
00:07:24,214 --> 00:07:25,514
the first is really

194
00:07:25,814 --> 00:07:30,294
continuing to focus on the throughput and the

195
00:07:30,294 --> 00:07:31,274
patient flow

196
00:07:31,860 --> 00:07:34,259
while we're maintaining the highest standards of quality

197
00:07:34,259 --> 00:07:35,000
and safety.

198
00:07:35,699 --> 00:07:37,939
We we already know that hospitals across the

199
00:07:37,939 --> 00:07:41,639
country are facing capacity challenges, and addressing that

200
00:07:42,019 --> 00:07:43,800
requires a really tight coordination

201
00:07:44,500 --> 00:07:45,800
across the emergency

202
00:07:46,134 --> 00:07:47,435
departments, our inpatient

203
00:07:47,735 --> 00:07:50,714
care teams, and also the post acute transition.

204
00:07:50,855 --> 00:07:51,355
So

205
00:07:51,814 --> 00:07:54,694
that is, definitely gonna continue to be a

206
00:07:54,694 --> 00:07:55,675
major focus.

207
00:07:56,295 --> 00:07:57,274
I'd say another

208
00:07:57,975 --> 00:08:01,115
priority is continuing to expand the

209
00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,100
care delivery beyond the traditional

210
00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:05,620
hospital walls,

211
00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,259
and programs like hospital at home,

212
00:08:09,519 --> 00:08:11,220
virtual or remote monitoring,

213
00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,100
and some of our digital care platforms

214
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,220
are gonna allow us to deliver high quality

215
00:08:17,415 --> 00:08:19,915
care while improving access and experience. So

216
00:08:21,095 --> 00:08:23,915
that trend I think is gonna continue and

217
00:08:24,295 --> 00:08:26,714
that's an area for our focus as well.

218
00:08:27,495 --> 00:08:30,855
I'd say a third is in physician and

219
00:08:30,855 --> 00:08:32,154
clinician engagement.

220
00:08:32,940 --> 00:08:35,040
None of these initiatives succeed

221
00:08:35,419 --> 00:08:38,379
unless those frontline teams feel a strong sense

222
00:08:38,379 --> 00:08:39,919
of ownership in improving,

223
00:08:40,860 --> 00:08:42,460
how that care is delivered. And a big

224
00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:44,320
part of my role as the CMO

225
00:08:45,294 --> 00:08:48,415
is creating a structure where these clinical teams

226
00:08:48,415 --> 00:08:49,715
help lead these efforts,

227
00:08:50,495 --> 00:08:51,875
rather than feel that,

228
00:08:52,894 --> 00:08:55,054
our initiatives are simply being imposed on them,

229
00:08:55,054 --> 00:08:57,154
and we touched on that before. So,

230
00:08:57,590 --> 00:08:58,790
you know, all of this is in the

231
00:08:58,790 --> 00:09:01,370
backdrop of the headwinds that are,

232
00:09:01,750 --> 00:09:04,149
that many health systems are facing across the

233
00:09:04,149 --> 00:09:04,649
country.

234
00:09:05,350 --> 00:09:06,570
Workforce shortages,

235
00:09:07,590 --> 00:09:08,809
regulatory complexity,

236
00:09:09,350 --> 00:09:10,410
financial pressures,

237
00:09:11,365 --> 00:09:14,024
that all come with caring for these increasingly

238
00:09:14,404 --> 00:09:14,904
complex,

239
00:09:15,445 --> 00:09:16,425
patients. So,

240
00:09:16,965 --> 00:09:18,485
you know, to to sum it up that

241
00:09:18,884 --> 00:09:20,644
I I I think that health care leaders

242
00:09:20,644 --> 00:09:22,805
today have to think beyond the walls of

243
00:09:22,805 --> 00:09:24,264
the hospital, and the real

244
00:09:24,839 --> 00:09:27,480
opportunity is designing a system of care that

245
00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:29,339
meets patients where they truly are.

246
00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,440
Got it. That's so helpful to understand and,

247
00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,519
you know, really interesting to hear all of

248
00:09:34,519 --> 00:09:36,940
those different aspects we're intertwined together.

249
00:09:37,319 --> 00:09:38,600
What do you think the hardest thing you'll

250
00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:39,799
have to do in the coming year will

251
00:09:39,799 --> 00:09:40,184
be?

252
00:09:40,985 --> 00:09:43,465
Well, it it's it's also where the biggest

253
00:09:43,465 --> 00:09:45,865
opportunity is. So the hardest part of health

254
00:09:45,865 --> 00:09:48,904
care leadership right now is leading meaningful change

255
00:09:48,904 --> 00:09:50,684
in a very complex environment.

256
00:09:51,225 --> 00:09:53,449
Hospitals are very sophisticated.

257
00:09:53,750 --> 00:09:56,649
We've got thousands of people working together from

258
00:09:56,870 --> 00:09:59,049
physicians and nurses, administrators

259
00:09:59,429 --> 00:10:00,569
to support teams.

260
00:10:01,029 --> 00:10:03,929
So when we're talking about quality and performance

261
00:10:04,149 --> 00:10:04,649
improvement,

262
00:10:05,424 --> 00:10:08,144
we really need alignment across all of these

263
00:10:08,144 --> 00:10:08,965
different groups.

264
00:10:09,345 --> 00:10:11,504
And for me the hardest work, but also

265
00:10:11,504 --> 00:10:14,085
the most important, is building consensus

266
00:10:14,545 --> 00:10:15,045
around

267
00:10:15,504 --> 00:10:18,465
some of these operational changes like standardizing care

268
00:10:18,465 --> 00:10:18,965
pathways,

269
00:10:19,830 --> 00:10:21,529
looking at our discharge processes,

270
00:10:22,070 --> 00:10:23,850
and implementing new care models.

271
00:10:24,389 --> 00:10:26,950
And that requires trust, it requires us to

272
00:10:26,950 --> 00:10:29,990
be transparent with our teams, and also strong

273
00:10:29,990 --> 00:10:30,970
clinical leadership.

274
00:10:31,684 --> 00:10:34,345
But when that alignment happens, it's like magic.

275
00:10:34,485 --> 00:10:36,644
The impact on the patients that we serve

276
00:10:36,644 --> 00:10:38,485
and the culture that we have can be

277
00:10:38,485 --> 00:10:39,625
absolutely fantastic.

278
00:10:40,804 --> 00:10:42,964
I love that. And I think especially thinking

279
00:10:42,964 --> 00:10:45,945
about how leadership can truly, you know, transform

280
00:10:46,004 --> 00:10:46,860
with some of these,

281
00:10:47,899 --> 00:10:48,399
transparency

282
00:10:48,700 --> 00:10:50,779
and and and really being clear about how

283
00:10:50,779 --> 00:10:53,019
they're going about things and what will make

284
00:10:53,019 --> 00:10:55,019
a big difference, for them in the future

285
00:10:55,019 --> 00:10:57,259
is key. Now before we wrap up here,

286
00:10:57,259 --> 00:10:59,339
I wanted to ask about growth too. Where

287
00:10:59,339 --> 00:11:00,799
do you see some of the best opportunities

288
00:11:00,940 --> 00:11:01,679
for growth?

289
00:11:02,714 --> 00:11:03,514
There's a,

290
00:11:04,035 --> 00:11:05,054
a few

291
00:11:05,674 --> 00:11:07,455
key areas. The first is

292
00:11:08,394 --> 00:11:11,754
continuing to expand access to highly specialized care.

293
00:11:11,754 --> 00:11:13,214
For us as a

294
00:11:13,835 --> 00:11:17,500
destination academic medical center, we're continuing to grow

295
00:11:17,500 --> 00:11:18,720
programs in

296
00:11:19,179 --> 00:11:22,000
advanced cardiac care, in our children's hospital,

297
00:11:22,860 --> 00:11:23,360
neuroscience,

298
00:11:23,740 --> 00:11:24,240
oncology,

299
00:11:24,779 --> 00:11:26,160
and complex surgery.

300
00:11:27,179 --> 00:11:28,559
Patients are increasingly

301
00:11:29,019 --> 00:11:32,004
seeking out centers of excellence for these complex

302
00:11:32,004 --> 00:11:34,584
conditions and having that multi disciplinary

303
00:11:34,884 --> 00:11:35,384
team,

304
00:11:36,245 --> 00:11:38,745
is really important. So those Centres of Excellence

305
00:11:38,804 --> 00:11:40,345
is definitely one area.

306
00:11:41,284 --> 00:11:41,784
Another,

307
00:11:42,644 --> 00:11:46,149
major opportunity is looking at how care is

308
00:11:46,149 --> 00:11:49,290
delivered and whether there's opportunities to redesign that.

309
00:11:49,509 --> 00:11:51,670
You know, patients are expecting health care to

310
00:11:51,670 --> 00:11:52,170
be

311
00:11:52,790 --> 00:11:56,389
accessible, to be coordinated, and more so now

312
00:11:56,389 --> 00:11:58,889
digitally enabled as well. And,

313
00:11:59,695 --> 00:12:03,294
these programs, these innovations like remote monitoring, hospital

314
00:12:03,294 --> 00:12:06,735
from home, virtual specialty care allows us to

315
00:12:06,735 --> 00:12:10,254
touch more patients and manage chronic disease more

316
00:12:10,254 --> 00:12:10,754
effectively.

317
00:12:11,779 --> 00:12:13,320
The third major opportunity,

318
00:12:14,179 --> 00:12:16,040
is the ambulatory expansion.

319
00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:17,799
You know, that is really

320
00:12:18,340 --> 00:12:19,960
a critical part of our

321
00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:23,559
strategy as care shifts to the ambulatory

322
00:12:23,940 --> 00:12:24,440
setting.

323
00:12:25,394 --> 00:12:26,834
And and I think at the end of

324
00:12:26,834 --> 00:12:28,054
the day, the organizations

325
00:12:29,315 --> 00:12:33,254
that really combine strong clinical programs with innovation

326
00:12:33,394 --> 00:12:35,554
and how care is delivered are gonna be

327
00:12:35,554 --> 00:12:37,414
positioned really well for the future.

328
00:12:38,500 --> 00:12:39,940
That's amazing to hear, and I'd agree. I

329
00:12:39,940 --> 00:12:42,339
mean, it's so much is happening within how

330
00:12:42,339 --> 00:12:44,659
you're looking at care. The ambulatory space is

331
00:12:44,659 --> 00:12:47,000
making a a big impact right now. So

332
00:12:47,059 --> 00:12:48,740
I love that focus and drive it and

333
00:12:48,740 --> 00:12:51,054
seeing growth potential there. Doctor Paul, thank you

334
00:12:51,054 --> 00:12:52,495
so much for joining us on the podcast

335
00:12:52,495 --> 00:12:54,595
today. This has been such a fun conversation,

336
00:12:55,294 --> 00:12:56,815
really to truly get behind some of the

337
00:12:56,815 --> 00:12:58,595
things that have really made you successful,

338
00:12:59,294 --> 00:13:01,214
in how you're thinking about the next steps.

339
00:13:01,214 --> 00:13:03,054
So, thank you for your time today, and

340
00:13:03,054 --> 00:13:03,690
I look forward to

341
00:13:05,690 --> 00:13:05,837
seeing you as well at our annual meeting.

342
00:13:05,837 --> 00:13:06,669
I know you'll be speaking on a panel,

343
00:13:07,129 --> 00:13:08,570
coming up here in a couple of weeks

344
00:13:08,570 --> 00:13:10,909
in April. So excited to catch up there.

345
00:13:11,210 --> 00:13:12,570
Thank you so much, Laura. It's been a

346
00:13:12,570 --> 00:13:14,649
lot of fun, and I'm excited to to

347
00:13:14,649 --> 00:13:16,169
be at the meeting and to meet you

348
00:13:16,169 --> 00:13:16,699
as well.