This is Chris Sok with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Robert Ansoft,
chief Operating Officer of Franciscan Children's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Eof,
thank you for joining us today.
Thank you. I appreciate the invitation.
Wonderful.
Would you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?
Sure. Um, uh, my name is Robert Gsoft, as you mentioned. I am the, uh,
chief Operating Officer at Franciscan Children's Hospital here in Boston.
And for those of you who aren't familiar with our institution, um,
we are one of the largest post-acute care, um,
and rehabilitative in behavioral health hospitals in the Northeast.
What would you say are top priorities today, Dr. Ansoft?
Um, um, my top priorities as Chief operating Officer,
actually we're going through like a lot of other hospitals and healthcare
systems. We're going through a period of transition where we're trying to,
you know, come out of, you know, the last three years of the Covid Pandemic, um,
basically to, you know, strengthen our workforce. Um, again,
it's been impacted like many other healthcare systems around the state and
around the country. Um,
and we're also in an unusual position in that we're very excited to be, um,
go entering into, um,
becoming part of a new healthcare system with Boston Children's Hospital. Um,
Boston Children's has never been a healthcare system.
It's always been a free-standing children's hospital,
one of the best in the country, if not the world.
And they're on a journey to become a full-fledged healthcare system.
And we are the first major piece in that journey to become a full-fledged
pediatric healthcare system, um,
by bringing in what we call state-of-the-art first class pediatric
rehabilitative behavioral health and education into the model of an acute
care, um, academic medical center.
What are the advantages you think of becoming part of that network?
For us, I think there's a, a lot of advantages. Uh, I think it both ways,
both for, for us at Franciscan Children's as well as for Boston Children's.
I think the first that comes to mind is that we're both very complimentary. Um,
we're both free-standing pediatric hospitals, but we serve, uh, like I said,
a complimentary patient population. Um, the services that we provide,
they currently do not and vice versa. So to become a, uh, you know,
one of the nation's leading pediatric healthcare systems,
I think you need to build on what are the institutions that each of you bring,
what are the strengths that each of you bring to the table? And I think for us,
it's an amazing opportunity to take what we've done over the last 70 years and
connect ourselves with one of the leading acute care, um,
pediatric hospitals in the country, if not the world.
Given all the changes that you just mentioned that Franciscan Children's is
undergoing right now and the challenges that pediatricians are facing, uh,
how do you anticipate your role will evolve over the le the next 18 months?
Sure. I think I'm a, you know, an unusual chief operating officer in that,
you know, first and foremost, I'm a pediatrician. I'm also a neonatologist, um,
board certified in pediatrics in neonatal per perinatal medicine.
My background is in critical care transport as well as neonatology.
And I've had the pleasure of being in numerous, um,
healthcare leadership positions in the past, including being NICU directors,
pediatric chiefs. Um,
most recently I served for over eight years as a chief medical officer,
and now as a chief operating officer.
I think I bring a very different dimension to the role in that I really can
link, um,
the operational improvement needs of our institution with what we need to do to
build ourselves into a system with also having that framework of what is the
ultimate goal,
providing the best high quality care and safest care for our patients and the
best patient experience for our patients and their families.
What are you most excited about right now and what makes you nervous?
I think first of all, what makes me most excited is that as a pediatrician,
first and foremost,
we are really developing a first of its kind pediatric healthcare system
that really will have all service lines that have to do with the care of
children from birth all the way through adolescents and young adulthood.
There won't be any specialty or service that will be left behind.
There'll be nothing that we can't provide as a system,
and that you will basically be able to come to our hospitals,
to our outpatient services, to any of our centers,
and be able to access all aspects of pediatric care regardless of what those
needs are. And in terms of what makes me the most nervous, I think, you know,
what makes me nervous is similar to what a lot of how the healthcare leaders are
failing, um, in this, in this market right now. You know, we're, we're,
we're struggling is like others with, you know, again, securing, um,
the right workforce. And that means not just the right numbers of staff,
but the right type of staff. We wanna make sure that we're,
that we're recruiting really highly committed mission focused pediatric
providers of all different types, whether it be frontline, pedia, pediatricians,
specialists, um, social workers, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, behavioral health specialists, psychologists,
psychiatrists. We wanna make sure that we really have the right people,
not just the right credentials, um,
who can really fit into what we're trying to do to basically set forth the
standard and what a pediatric healthcare system should be in the next 10 to 20
years.
It certainly seems like a terrific and ambitious project you have going in terms
of building the system when it comes to access to care and
behavioral health in particular.
How do you connect with people who are able to grow this project
in the way you want it to see it evolve?
I think for us, we actually will be able to offer all aspects,
specifically to your question about behavioral health,
everything from outpatient care to acute inpatient psychiatric
care in everything in, in between, including, uh,
community based treatment as well. Um, the other, the other unusual, um,
aspect of our hospital in our future system is that we already provide
direct mental healthcare and behavioral healthcare, um,
treatments directly in schools.
We have a very strong connection with our child wellness initiative where we
actually provide direct behavioral
services in the school setting. So the children and their families,
their parents,
their caregivers don't have to go outside the school to seek those important,
um, you know, first line behavioral healthcare needs When those,
when that need arises.
Uh, Dr. Ansoft,
as far as pediatric access to care is concerned,
who needs to be, let's put it this way,
who needs to help you step up and provide that access to care?
I think there's, that's a great question. I think there's a number of areas.
I mean, if I could draw it on a, on a, on a board,
you'd probably see it better than me be speaking to it.
But what I I envision is, comes from, you know, community leaders, um,
whether it be, you know, people who make the laws, our state legislators,
either in state or federal level,
being able to kind of get rid of some of those roadblocks that, um,
really impede us,
impede us being able to provide us some of the services that we can do so,
and being able to do so more efficiently. Um, as we all know,
there's a lot of bureaucracy that healthcare has to work around.
So I think getting rid of some of those bureaucratic roadblocks is first and
foremost. And then secondly,
I think we need to do a better job and we're doing it, um,
of teaming up with and partnering with our educational, um,
institutions that really are the pipeline for our future healthcare providers.
So, for example,
working with local universities in medical schools, nursing schools,
um, other, um, healthcare professional schools,
BA basically being able to be a training site for their trainees by showing
them, you know, how exciting it is to practice in their specific field.
And also, and not to sound selfish,
but also to show them this is a great place to work and hopefully become a
pipeline for those future trainees to make us a destination for their,
for their employment and their careers.
Also. Doctor Enol,
what issue in your line of work do you think needs to be discuss,
discussed more often?
I think by far and away, especially when it comes to pediatrics,
is the reimbursement piece. Um, what we are seeing still in this country,
especially locally, but even more nationally,
is the divide between reimbursement on the adult side versus the
similar type of care that's being delivered on the pediatric side.
And the divide in terms of what that reimbursement, um, holds for us.
So for example, as I mentioned earlier, you know,
I come from a strong background as a neonatologist,
having worked in a number of NICU and having led a number of nicu, um,
in some very, um, exciting, um, institutions throughout my career.
And you compare the reimbursement in critical care for newborns in,
in children compared to that in the adult world. And there's a huge division.
And I think those divisions need to be looked at better analyzed and kind of
brought up to par with our adult colleagues so that we can provide better care
for our children.
Dr. Ina, thank you so much for all your insight today.
It was an absolute pleasure speaking with you,
and hopefully we can connect again soon.
Oh, no. Thank you for the honor of being able to, uh,
provide this information for this podcast.
And thank you for the honor of the invitation.