Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Cody Walker, President of Baptist Health Medical Center North Little Rock

Transcript

Cody Walker, President of Baptist Health Medical Center North Little Rock · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  This is where health care leadership comes together.
• 0:04
  Becker's sixteenth annual meeting brings more than 3,500
• 0:07
  hospital and health system executives and nearly 800
• 0:10
  speakers to Chicago, April
• 0:13
  the sixteenth.
• 0:14
  This series event includes keynote conversations with Dallas
• 0:17
  Cowboys legend Troy Aikman and former president George
• 0:20
  w Bush. For the agenda and event details,
• 0:23
  visit beckershospitalreview.com
• 0:25
  and click on the events tab in the
• 0:26
  upper right. We're looking forward to hosting you
• 0:29
  in Chicago.
• 0:32
  This is Scott Becker with the Beckers Healthcare
• 0:35
  Podcast.
• 0:37
  Thrilled today to be joined by a brilliant
• 0:39
  leader. We're joined today by Cody Walker,
• 0:42
  president of Baptist Health Medical Center in Little
• 0:45
  Rock. Cody, so thrilled to get a chance
• 0:48
  to visit with you today.
• 0:49
  Can you take a moment and tell us
• 0:51
  a little bit about Baptist Health and also
• 0:53
  about yourself and your career?
• 0:55
  You bet, Scott. Thanks so much for having
• 0:57
  me.
• 0:58
  I, am the president of Baptist Health Medical
• 1:01
  Center, here in North Little Rock. Been here
• 1:03
  for the last three years. Been with Baptist
• 1:05
  Health for the last six. And,
• 1:08
  Baptist Health is a 12 hospital
• 1:10
  system,
• 1:11
  here exclusively in Arkansas. We've been here over
• 1:14
  a hundred years and
• 1:16
  my my primary role is to oversee
• 1:18
  a 225
• 1:20
  bed,
• 1:21
  tertiary care facility. It's pretty busy these days,
• 1:24
  Chronically full to the brim and,
• 1:26
  but I also have some system responsibilities,
• 1:29
  that
• 1:30
  might be a little interesting as well. I
• 1:32
  oversee, with some executive leaders,
• 1:35
  case management,
• 1:36
  lab, respiratory, and our contact center from our
• 1:39
  ambulatory front,
• 1:41
  in addition to our command center that coordinates
• 1:44
  all of the acute and behavioral health,
• 1:46
  transfers from around the state and involves our
• 1:49
  bed placement logistics for our entire health system.
• 1:51
  Baptist Health is a $2,000,000,000
• 1:53
  system,
• 1:54
  with hundreds of points of access and, you
• 1:57
  know, we we really strive to be a
• 1:58
  leader in innovation while making sure that patients
• 2:01
  get the best care possible close to home.
• 2:04
  Thank you. And you and you've had a
• 2:05
  remarkable career, and you you won the administrator's
• 2:08
  award of the year award several years ago.
• 2:12
  You also grew up as a nurse originally,
• 2:15
  I think.
• 2:16
  Talk a little bit about
• 2:18
  as you look at this year,
• 2:20
  I'd love to talk about career in a
• 2:21
  moment in leadership
• 2:23
  because a great leadership career
• 2:25
  talk a bit about
• 2:27
  as you head into 2026,
• 2:29
  what are you most focused on? What's most
• 2:31
  top of mind as you look at this
• 2:33
  year and get going for this year?
• 2:35
  You bet.
• 2:36
  You know, we're we're watching a lot, on
• 2:38
  the federal and state legislative front. To be
• 2:41
  honest, it's just it's really it's really volatile.
• 2:43
  Right? It's, you know, between the premium tax
• 2:46
  credits
• 2:47
  expiration and,
• 2:49
  the anticipated disenrollment through, Medicaid.
• 2:52
  You know, Arkansas had an experience with that
• 2:54
  in 2018 where we lost, you know, 25%
• 2:56
  of their their enrollees
• 2:58
  through some work requirements. We we kind of
• 3:00
  see that coming down the pipe. You know,
• 3:02
  the recent rural health transformation funds and the
• 3:05
  state distributions,
• 3:06
  what our state is looking to do under
• 3:09
  the leadership of the governor.
• 3:11
  You know, there's just so much going on,
• 3:12
  three forty rebate program pause and site neutral
• 3:15
  payments
• 3:16
  reform. You know, we were watching all those
• 3:18
  things, right? All the while trying to manage,
• 3:21
  what's right in front of us within our
• 3:23
  facilities and,
• 3:25
  you know, the the consumer trends
• 3:27
  are,
• 3:29
  really what I think is is driving my
• 3:32
  everyday focus. You know, we we have to
• 3:33
  manage our hospital. We have
• 3:35
  to do it efficiently. You know, that's the
• 3:38
  efficiency sometimes with our providers is our only
• 3:41
  currency with them. We have to manage a
• 3:44
  a very efficient operation to to earn their
• 3:47
  their trust and care for their patients. But
• 3:50
  OpenAI just released a report which I thought
• 3:52
  was fascinating.
• 3:54
  You've probably already seen it, but, you know,
• 3:55
  40,000,000 Americans are using ChatGPT
• 3:58
  for health related questions today. And 600,000
• 4:01
  of,
• 4:02
  the messages coming in a week are from
• 4:04
  individuals in rural and underserved
• 4:06
  communities.
• 4:08
  I mean, if if we have to be
• 4:09
  maniacal about improving our access
• 4:12
  through tech enabled solutions, and you've you've spoken
• 4:15
  on that in the past, Scott, enough,
• 4:17
  you know, how long it takes to get
• 4:19
  an appointment with a provider.
• 4:21
  And and, we our operational resilience sometimes and
• 4:24
  access,
• 4:25
  to our our services haven't always kept up
• 4:28
  with the
• 4:28
  incredibly advanced treatments and care we deliver. So,
• 4:31
  you know, we've we've historically worked off of
• 4:34
  back and neck and math,
• 4:36
  to manage our facilities.
• 4:38
  You know, and until recently,
• 4:39
  you know, we've rested on our laurels as
• 4:42
  that consumers are gonna come to our hospitals
• 4:44
  or our health care system because of what
• 4:46
  we offer. And,
• 4:47
  you know, we've got to flip that script
• 4:48
  really hard here,
• 4:50
  because we're honest with ourselves.
• 4:52
  We're
• 4:53
  way behind the curve in terms of other
• 4:55
  sectors
• 4:56
  leading in the tech solution world.
• 4:58
  You know, if there's any reservation about whether
• 5:01
  consumers are are are looking for advancements
• 5:04
  in in technology as it relates to health
• 5:06
  care, stories like the one I just mentioned
• 5:08
  are you know, show that they're already there
• 5:10
  looking for it. So we're doing that at
• 5:11
  BabaS Health today. We're we're focused on that
• 5:14
  right now and and continue and we'll continue
• 5:16
  to hit the gas in the days ahead.
• 5:18
  And and what is sort of it seems
• 5:20
  like so many of the access problems are
• 5:22
  due to not just tech and scheduling, but
• 5:25
  also due to just shortages
• 5:27
  of physicians and labor.
• 5:29
  What does that look like today in
• 5:32
  your area in Little Rock? Little Rock's a
• 5:34
  great city. What what do shortages look like?
• 5:37
  Is it challenging,
• 5:39
  brutal, not so bad? What what does it
• 5:41
  look like in terms of shortages and being
• 5:43
  able to staff everything you need to staff
• 5:44
  and the right specialties and everything else?
• 5:47
  Yeah. It it's it's still
• 5:50
  significantly short in terms of providers to demand.
• 5:54
  You know, and it's difficult to recruit
• 5:57
  to to a state like Arkansas as well,
• 5:59
  you know, where
• 6:01
  cost of living is good,
• 6:02
  but we're playing on a national scale as
• 6:04
  far as comp and and those expectations.
• 6:08
  You know, so
• 6:10
  so that that presents its own challenges when,
• 6:13
  you know, folks can can go to other
• 6:15
  states and make what they expect, but we're
• 6:17
  reimbursed at a different level,
• 6:18
  in Arkansas. In fact, we're 50 out of
• 6:21
  50 in both,
• 6:23
  government and commercial pay. So we're on a
• 6:25
  different reimbursement
• 6:26
  scale,
• 6:27
  in both those buckets, but yet, you know,
• 6:30
  physicians are expecting a compensation that is commensurate
• 6:33
  with with other, you know, competing states. So,
• 6:37
  that aside,
• 6:39
  you know, the the residency
• 6:41
  slots for the number of physicians that are
• 6:43
  that really are projected and needed in a
• 6:45
  market like ours,
• 6:47
  are, you know, woefully short to meet that
• 6:50
  demand. And and you've you've spoke on that
• 6:52
  in the past and
• 6:53
  I couldn't agree with you more on this
• 6:56
  maybe the lack of of speed inside of
• 6:59
  our GME programs to train up enough physicians
• 7:03
  to get us in a place,
• 7:05
  that's going to satisfy that demand. Right? So,
• 7:08
  you know, we've taken a step towards that,
• 7:10
  a big step, frankly, in in Babbis Health.
• 7:13
  We've partnered with the University of Medical, or
• 7:15
  University of Arkansas for Medical Science, UAMS,
• 7:17
  and opened a GME residency training program here
• 7:20
  in in North Little Rock about five years
• 7:22
  ago and have scaled those those residency slots
• 7:26
  to a 117
• 7:27
  residents here on our campus
• 7:29
  where there were zero five years ago
• 7:32
  with the hopes to to continue to to
• 7:34
  do that more in our rural markets.
• 7:36
  It's been a very
• 7:37
  big success for us, but it's only really
• 7:40
  scratched the surface,
• 7:41
  as you can imagine, for for what's needed
• 7:43
  in in our market and in our state
• 7:45
  and particularly in our rural markets where it's,
• 7:48
  even more dire to recruit and and train
• 7:50
  folks
• 7:52
  for the future.
• 7:53
  Thank you. And and when you look at
• 7:55
  sort of the I mean, it's fascinating what
• 7:57
  you talk about.
• 7:59
  50 is the 50 in commercial pay, 50
• 8:01
  is the 50 in government pay, but but
• 8:03
  yet the state's a growth state currently, and
• 8:06
  and they've got some big, big employers.
• 8:08
  That must just present great challenges because you've
• 8:10
  got great needs in the state, and and
• 8:12
  the reimbursement
• 8:13
  seems,
• 8:14
  really challenging. Just give me a little bit
• 8:17
  of that juxtaposition because the state's growing. It's
• 8:19
  got healthy employers.
• 8:21
  And
• 8:22
  and can anything be done about that reimbursement
• 8:24
  those reimbursement levels and rates?
• 8:27
  Yeah.
• 8:28
  It's a good point. You know, we we,
• 8:30
  in certain pockets, have some some really rapid
• 8:32
  growth. And you're right. The the employer market
• 8:35
  here in Arkansas is pretty strong considering,
• 8:39
  the size of the state. So
• 8:41
  it it's a real struggle. And we we
• 8:43
  work, you know, closely with our legislature and
• 8:45
  have been over the last few years,
• 8:47
  and our hospital association,
• 8:49
  to really help to to bridge that gap.
• 8:51
  You know, because we treat patients across
• 8:54
  state lines, you know, from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana,
• 8:57
  Tennessee,
• 8:59
  that have much different pay structures,
• 9:02
  you know, than than we do. And and
• 9:05
  oftentimes that there's there's stark disparity there
• 9:09
  in how we're able to,
• 9:11
  overcome some of the inflation pressures that we've
• 9:13
  seen
• 9:14
  over the past few years, whether it's, you
• 9:16
  know, staff salaries or or supply expense. You
• 9:18
  know, we don't get a we don't get
• 9:20
  a 50 out of 50 break when it
• 9:21
  comes to implants. We don't get a 50
• 9:24
  out of 50 break on on locum tenons
• 9:26
  or,
• 9:28
  you know, travel nursing. And so I think
• 9:30
  for us,
• 9:31
  you know, it's it's having to do that
• 9:33
  creatively in other realms. Right? So,
• 9:36
  we've been maniacal about capacity optimization,
• 9:40
  because we really can't afford not to,
• 9:42
  because we're we
• 9:44
  we have to be, you know, what we
• 9:46
  would consider the world's best in,
• 9:50
  predictability
• 9:51
  and efficiency
• 9:52
  and reliability.
• 9:53
  I I think for us,
• 9:55
  while we continue to work
• 9:57
  locally with our our state legislation on
• 10:00
  payer reform,
• 10:01
  we we have to kind of,
• 10:04
  you know, within that circle of influence,
• 10:06
  Stephen Covey analogy, focus on the things we
• 10:08
  can in in the meantime
• 10:10
  to to make sure that our operations
• 10:12
  are hyper efficient
• 10:14
  to really overcome some of those those disparities.
• 10:18
  Thank you. Can you talk a little bit,
• 10:19
  Cody? You've got this incredibly inspirational
• 10:22
  leadership career. You're an incredibly straight shooter as
• 10:25
  well and a pleasure to visit with. Can
• 10:27
  you talk a little bit about what advice
• 10:29
  you would give to emerging leaders and people
• 10:31
  trying to develop impactful careers?
• 10:33
  You bet.
• 10:35
  You know, we're all a byproduct of our
• 10:37
  upbringings, and and I think for me, I've
• 10:39
  I've been very fortunate to,
• 10:42
  have people that have spoken positivity in my
• 10:43
  life and, you know,
• 10:45
  from from sports as well. I know you
• 10:47
  you're a sports fan,
• 10:48
  Scott, and and, you know, I've had some
• 10:50
  good coaches and and mentors along the way.
• 10:52
  But some things that I continue to cling
• 10:55
  on to or maybe some phrases that mean
• 10:57
  a lot to me is,
• 10:59
  one from my dad who who said you
• 11:01
  become like the people you hang around. And
• 11:02
  that that may be a little Arkansan,
• 11:05
  in in the way it's phrased, but,
• 11:08
  it means a lot to me to know
• 11:09
  that, you know, it could go one way
• 11:11
  or another. You're influenced by those you surround
• 11:13
  yourself with, and you wanna you wanna be
• 11:16
  around people who are pushing you to to
• 11:18
  be better, who are inspiring you to do
• 11:21
  great things and to speak positivity
• 11:23
  into your life, you know, because they always
• 11:25
  could go the opposite direction.
• 11:27
  I think for me, along my career,
• 11:29
  I've tried to do that both with the
• 11:30
  teams I've built and
• 11:32
  the teams I've belonged to
• 11:34
  to to ensure that that is causing me
• 11:37
  to be to be better.
• 11:39
  Another one that is is, that I would,
• 11:41
  you know, advise evolving leaders is don't let
• 11:43
  perfect get in the way of progress. Oftentimes,
• 11:46
  I see that leaders, you know, spend inordinate
• 11:49
  amounts of of energy trying to get something
• 11:52
  absolutely perfect before we try something. And,
• 11:55
  there's there's a lot of value in being
• 11:57
  able to to pilot and
• 11:59
  and,
• 11:59
  to try something even if you don't have
• 12:01
  it all figured out as long as patients'
• 12:04
  care and safety and quality is accounted for,
• 12:06
  we need to get out and
• 12:09
  give things a go.
• 12:12
  And maybe the final principles that I'd share
• 12:14
  are pretty simple, but just something I try
• 12:16
  to live
• 12:17
  life by and and instill in others is,
• 12:20
  you know, listening first. We are so quick
• 12:22
  to speak these days. And, you know, there's
• 12:24
  a passage out of James that talks about
• 12:26
  let every person be, you know, quick to
• 12:28
  hear and slow to speak and slow to
• 12:29
  anger. And I think that's that's something I
• 12:31
  try to instill
• 12:33
  in my everyday, whether it's physicians or frontline
• 12:35
  staff. Listening to them, you you can
• 12:38
  can get a a ton of,
• 12:41
  knowledge,
• 12:42
  by by being slow to speak.
• 12:44
  And then be data driven. You know, when
• 12:46
  data is available, don't be subjective.
• 12:48
  Be as much of an expert as you
• 12:50
  possibly can,
• 12:52
  by by leveraging that data and and being
• 12:54
  resourceful to go find it. You know, that's
• 12:56
  that's kind of the principle of this lifelong
• 12:57
  learning concept. But then the last thing is
• 13:00
  just to build trust. Focus on showing up,
• 13:03
  focus on showing empathy,
• 13:04
  and focus on, serving others. And I think
• 13:06
  that helps to build that trust. So,
• 13:09
  those are some of the things I think
• 13:11
  that that are that I'd share with evolving
• 13:12
  leaders today, Scott. I think we need more
• 13:14
  of it. No. Cody, I I I I
• 13:16
  love all of that from data driven to
• 13:19
  perfections to enemy the good to who you
• 13:21
  surround yourself with to,
• 13:24
  you know, to constant learning and and a
• 13:26
  and a lot more. I I love all
• 13:28
  of that, and I think it's right on.
• 13:30
  And you you live that. I I love
• 13:32
  it. I'll ask you one other question. The
• 13:34
  Razorbacks. Arkansas Razorbacks. As long as you mentioned
• 13:37
  sports, I'm a sports fan, and I am.
• 13:39
  How are the Razorbacks? Football, basketball? What does
• 13:41
  what does Razorback Nation look like? I know
• 13:43
  you're not yourself an Arkansas Razorback, but you
• 13:46
  are an Arkansan. Tell us what what what
• 13:48
  does that look like?
• 13:49
  Yeah. I was I was afraid you might
• 13:51
  ask that.
• 13:54
  I I I have, been a part of,
• 13:55
  you know, pretty
• 13:58
  significant heartbreak over the years.
• 14:00
  You know, I'd I'd like to say that
• 14:02
  we,
• 14:03
  as Razorbacks,
• 14:04
  have the opposite saying that we,
• 14:07
  have a unique ability to still defeat from
• 14:09
  the jaws of victory. It's it's usually the
• 14:11
  opposite for us. We can play three and
• 14:13
  three quarters of a game with anybody
• 14:15
  in the country,
• 14:17
  but but it usually comes down to the
• 14:19
  finish. But, you know, a rebuilding phase in
• 14:21
  football,
• 14:22
  you know, coach Cal's doing great things on
• 14:24
  the court and basketball, and and I think
• 14:26
  we've got a goat and a coach and
• 14:28
  and Dave Van Horn in baseball. And, you
• 14:31
  know, two out of the three, I'd I'd
• 14:32
  put us up against anybody, but,
• 14:35
  you know, we we've got a lot of
• 14:36
  work to do on on the football field
• 14:38
  these days. So, we got a new coach
• 14:40
  in Ryan Silverfield, and we'll see how it
• 14:42
  goes. But,
• 14:43
  I'm a loyalist to the to the Razorbacks,
• 14:45
  but sometimes that, doesn't always
• 14:47
  pay out to,
• 14:49
  you know, a satisfying outcome,
• 14:52
  year over year. But Yeah.
• 14:54
  I I I know the feeling. I'm a,
• 14:56
  you know, and and I love your comment,
• 14:58
  Doss, about listening more than talking. Just fantastic.
• 15:01
  And and I I love that.
• 15:03
  But I'm a Chicago sports fan, and so
• 15:05
  I I share your your misery and the
• 15:06
  challenge and and snatching defeat from the jaws
• 15:09
  of victory. We we see it here often.
• 15:12
  Cody, it is a great pleasure to visit
• 15:14
  with you. What a pleasure for me. Thank
• 15:16
  you so much for joining us today on
• 15:18
  the Becker's Healthcare podcast. Thank you very, very
• 15:20
  much. Thank you.