Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Expanding Access Through Partnerships and Rural Innovation with William Davis

Transcript

Expanding Access Through Partnerships and Rural Innovation with William Davis · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - There's a small circle of people who truly
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  - understand what it takes to lead a health
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  - system right now. The decisions are enormous.
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  - The variables are constantly shifting, and the stakes
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  - of getting a call wrong don't stay contained.
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  - That's not a complaint. It's a structural reality.
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  - And it's why the most effective c suite
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  - leaders are deliberate about where they go to
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  - pressure test their thinking.
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  - Becker's fourteenth annual CEO and CFO roundtable
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  - brings together more than 1,500
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  - executive level attendees
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  - and nearly 400 speakers for four days built
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  - around growth, financial sustainability,
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  - workforce strategy, and the leadership questions that don't
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  - have easy answers.
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  - Join us November second through the fifth in
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  - Chicago.
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  - For the agenda and event details,
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  - visit beckershospitalreview.com
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  - and click on the events tab in the
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  - upper right.
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  - This is Laura Dierdahl with the Becker's Healthcare
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  - podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
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  - Will Davis, president of the Illinois region at
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  - Deaconess, Illinois.
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  - Will, it's a pleasure to have you on
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  - the podcast today. Hey. Good afternoon, Laura. It
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  - is a pleasure to be with you all,
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  - this afternoon on this this beautiful July 23.
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  - And,
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  - weather is great, and that's not always the
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  - case in, in middle of July. Right? So
• 1:15
  - we're taking it as a win.
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  - Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, always,
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  - wanna get some sunshine in and and monthly,
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  - some of the things have settled, so we're
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  - in a good good place.
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  - Excellent. Well, I'm excited for our conversation. I
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  - know you're always, so forthcoming and candid about
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  - everything that's going on, with Beaconist and and
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  - how you're looking at health care. So we'll
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  - spotlight some of the things that you're doing
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  - today as well as how you're,
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  - planning to grow and develop in the future.
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  - But before we dig in, can you share
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  - with our listeners just a little bit more
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  - about yourself and Deaconess, Illinois?
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  - Sure. You know, Deaconess, Illinois consists of,
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  - we've got four own hospitals in the in
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  - the Illinois region and then few other affiliate
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  - locations, about seven,
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  - locations in total in Illinois.
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  - It's part of the Deaconess,
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  - system, based out of Evansville, Indiana with,
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  - roughly 23,
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  - now locations.
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  - You all did a beautiful story with our
• 2:12
  - retiring CEO, Sheryl Wathan,
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  - a few weeks ago and,
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  - just talking about that tremendous growth from one
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  - health care,
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  - location to now 23 and something beautiful to
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  - watch. And and I'm fortunate to be a
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  - part of that and and part of a
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  - a system that truly cares about the communities
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  - it serves. So,
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  - and and the mission is is very, very
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  - real of keeping care close
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  - to home, which we'll talk about today. I
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  - love it. And, so important having that community
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  - feel and that mission base is really at
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  - the center of everything. So with that, could
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  - you give us a quick state of the
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  - union? What has gone well this year for
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  - Deaconess, Illinois, and what are you focused on
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  - for the rest of 2026?
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  - Yeah. So,
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  - really, you know, if I had to kinda
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  - describe,
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  - state of the union in a in a
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  - few words, I'd say it's been a definitely
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  - a year of momentum.
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  - And I would also couple that with,
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  - I'll say I'll phrase it like this, disciplined
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  - execution,
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  - you know, and strategic execution.
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  - We've definitely,
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  - you know, been in in growth mode as
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  - I kinda just mentioned
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  - across the system, and and Illinois is definitely
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  - part of that and has been a part
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  - of that.
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  - One thing I'd I would say with I'm
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  - proud of is we have,
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  - not lost focus of, you know, the patient
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  - and quality,
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  - and the patient,
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  - safety and patient experience through that rapid growth.
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  - And so,
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  - that's something that we are gonna continue to
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  - to focus on.
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  - We've been able to expand, you know, access,
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  - which I'm very passionate about here in these
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  - rural communities,
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  - in rural Southern Illinois.
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  - I,
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  - always like giving examples on this and and
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  - one program,
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  - I'm very proud of it in Union County.
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  - So think remote
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  - Southern Illinois area, we launched a memory care,
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  - program,
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  - that's now seeing patients come from three different
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  - states, at a critical access hospital if you
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  - can believe that. And they're doing some tremendous
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  - work. But we've got examples across the the
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  - region, across the system
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  - of, of how we've been expanding care and
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  - and truly raising the bar on health care
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  - in, in the in the region.
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  - That's incredible to hear. And, you know, I
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  - know that idea of, making sure that you've
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  - got,
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  - great care, what the community needs, and being
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  - able to,
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  - create access points, you know, is a huge
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  - focus for a lot of organizations, but not
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  - always easy. So how do you think about,
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  - and what are the things that you're doing
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  - to raise that level of care, and then
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  - how do you measure that success with your
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  - team?
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  - Yeah. So I I will say one of
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  - the benefits in in being part of a
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  - system is being able to to leverage those
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  - expertise. Right? And you couple that with today,
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  - we're we're so fortunate, you know, here in
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  - 2026
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  - that, you know, now we've got advanced technology
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  - to do that and and to, to leverage
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  - that technology to, you know, help expand access
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  - in these remote and rural areas.
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  - We're able to to,
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  - you know, use, tele or,
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  - use AI and and different, things like that
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  - that,
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  - you know, before, you know, we weren't able
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  - to do. And even,
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  - when,
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  - part of another system,
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  - you know, prior to to joining Deaconess, we
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  - we just didn't have the capital and the
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  - investment wasn't there to do these, these, you
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  - know, fun, fun things that expand access.
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  - So, you know, that has been definitely a
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  - a change in our,
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  - the way we've approached medicine in rural health
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  - care. And so, like I said, just in
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  - in with that memory care program,
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  - now with the amyloid,
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  - plaque testing that we're doing there and the
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  - early detection, we've been able to partner with,
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  - another,
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  - neuroscience
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  - group that, also, you know,
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  - helps bring in their expertise.
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  - And I would say helping to leverage all
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  - of these partnerships has really been to the
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  - betterment of of these rural communities that we're
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  - in.
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  - I love that. That's so helpful to understand,
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  - and I think especially the idea of partnerships
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  - are becoming more and more critical for any
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  - type of health care organization today.
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  - And, you know, along those lines, what do
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  - you see as being some of the biggest
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  - headwinds that you're keeping an eye on right
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  - now and preparing for?
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  - Laura,
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  - I don't know if we've got enough time
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  - to answer that one. You know, it it
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  - is it is it definitely not one single
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  - issue. It's that combination of the the financial
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  - pressures. It's the combination of the workforce dynamics,
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  - the change in reimbursement,
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  - or lack thereof of reimbursement.
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  - And you gotta you know, here in health
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  - care, we we don't get a pass. We've
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  - gotta continue to provide
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  - high quality health care every time. That's what
• 7:07
  - our patients expect every time they walk in
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  - our door that we're given our best, and
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  - the bar isn't lowering. And so amidst all
• 7:15
  - of these headwinds,
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  - I was just talking to our our CFO,
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  - and, you know, we're looking at the the
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  - Medicaid enrollment numbers here, and we're we're looking
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  - at, you know, those folks shifting from some
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  - pay to to no pay, and that is
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  - impacting our bottom line. You know, we're we're,
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  - next quarter projecting, you know, some of our
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  - our state directed payments to drop, you know,
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  - $500,000
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  - at at one of our locations. And we're
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  - saying, okay.
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  - That expectation, what do we do to offset
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  - that? And so
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  - these pressures are are very real.
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  - But, you know, what I can assure our
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  - communities that is that we aren't gonna let
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  - our quality or safety and and that experience
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  - drop off. We're gonna figure it out.
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  - Absolutely. I think that's so critical and such
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  - a helpful and important message to be sharing
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  - with your teams and, you know, the the
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  - broader community at large. I think,
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  - in understanding what some of these changes with
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  - Medicaid are will entail and then Yeah. You
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  - know, other policy shifts. I know three forty
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  - b is a big one for many people.
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  - Yeah. You know, it it's hard to really
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  - communicate
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  - what that's gonna happen to the broader public,
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  - but at the same time you know? So
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  - how do you, I guess, navigate through that
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  - when you're looking at, you know, what what
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  - is gonna make the biggest difference for us?
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  - How do you kinda limit the impact without
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  - taking on too much risk?
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  - Yeah. I tell you one key relationship has
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  - truly been,
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  - with with,
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  - our CFO and our finance,
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  - teams
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  - and truly trying to project out and and
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  - going through all the scenarios
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  - and what, you know,
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  - the impact of these, you know, changes are,
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  - payer changes,
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  - as you say, policy changes, three forty b,
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  - and truly trying to project out and scoring
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  - through scenarios
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  - of, you know, if thens.
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  - And so that we actually have a game
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  - plan to not just be able to react,
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  - but how do we
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  - actually
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  - get ahead of hit get ahead of things
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  - and start positioning ourselves
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  - or, you know, what we already know is
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  - is this, you know,
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  - financial mountain, that that is, in front of
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  - us. And so that,
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  - for me has been a a key,
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  - relationship,
• 9:30
  - in our organization that,
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  - you know, we're very we're staying very close
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  - to or,
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  - I think,
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  - you know, we're having breakfast and dinner together
• 9:39
  - now. So it's just
• 9:41
  - is is is one of those things that,
• 9:43
  - I'm sure every health care organization is is
• 9:46
  - really looking at and and diving into,
• 9:49
  - and and having good data,
• 9:51
  - is definitely an important part to that.
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  - Absolutely. That makes a a a ton of
• 9:57
  - sense. And, you know, I the thing you
• 9:58
  - brought up just now having good data and
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  - having the technology and that kind of infrastructure
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  - backbone to drive the success,
• 10:06
  - you know, is so important, but not easy.
• 10:08
  - You know, those are huge investments, of not
• 10:10
  - only financial resources but then time from the
• 10:12
  - team.
• 10:13
  - Absolutely. But you said it right. It's an
• 10:15
  - investment. It's an investment. It, ultimately pays dividends,
• 10:19
  - and and that's how, you know, that's how
• 10:21
  - we definitely look at it, in in our
• 10:23
  - health care system as as truly
• 10:26
  - it's not a it's not necessarily a a
• 10:28
  - cost. It's an investment.
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  - Absolutely. That's a great way to look at
• 10:32
  - and think about it. And, you know, to
• 10:33
  - that point, where do you see some of
• 10:35
  - your best opportunities for growth in the next
• 10:36
  - two to three years or so?
• 10:38
  - Yeah. You know,
• 10:40
  - I'm sure, you know, we kinda like the
• 10:42
  - traditional answer. There's there's, you know, growth in,
• 10:45
  - you know, specialty clinics and and some of
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  - the the,
• 10:49
  - outpatient
• 10:50
  - ambulatory, you know, there's always those opportunities. I
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  - think what I would add to much of
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  - that discussion for, for us is again,
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  - the partnership piece. I think, there is
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  - a big opportunity here in in Southern Illinois.
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  - Definitely when we look from a strategic standpoint
• 11:09
  - on of leveraging that, we've got a lot
• 11:11
  - of FQHCs
• 11:12
  - in the area,
• 11:14
  - as well as, you know, some independent specialists
• 11:18
  - that, you know, historically, we've not had,
• 11:21
  - relationships with, and we're now doing those things.
• 11:24
  - A few, few, few,
• 11:26
  - months ago, we we just announced the partnership
• 11:28
  - with the VA hospital.
• 11:30
  - I'll just give you an example of of
• 11:32
  - a a true partnership to better the patient.
• 11:35
  - And so we partner with, WellHive and and,
• 11:38
  - we're the first ones in the state of
• 11:40
  - Illinois,
• 11:41
  - to partner with the VA and give them,
• 11:43
  - you know, direct access to our scheduling. And
• 11:45
  - so,
• 11:46
  - now, you know, the VA,
• 11:49
  - you know, can see real time
• 11:51
  - availability.
• 11:52
  - And so it just cuts that,
• 11:54
  - gauntlet down of making multiple phone calls to
• 11:57
  - try to coordinate care for our veterans. And,
• 12:00
  - I know we got recognition in in DC
• 12:02
  - and and several other places, but at the
• 12:04
  - end of the day, we've gotta make that
• 12:06
  - patient experience,
• 12:07
  - better. And so that's just, you know, one
• 12:10
  - of the the things I will say, you
• 12:11
  - know, as far as growth that that we
• 12:14
  - have a real,
• 12:15
  - opportunity for and, you know, in addition to
• 12:18
  - those traditional,
• 12:20
  - areas.
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  - It makes a ton of sense. And,
• 12:24
  - you know, I think it's so interesting to
• 12:26
  - look at the patient experience, look at,
• 12:29
  - you know, their journey through the health care
• 12:31
  - organization, whether it's inside the walls of the
• 12:32
  - hospital or a clinic or,
• 12:34
  - you know, what they're doing at home and
• 12:36
  - and how they the different access points they
• 12:38
  - get. And so are there any, things that
• 12:40
  - you've noticed that have changed over the last
• 12:43
  - couple years, or what do you really see
• 12:44
  - as patients needing now that would make that
• 12:46
  - experience,
• 12:48
  - you know, the one that you wanna be
• 12:49
  - able to give them?
• 12:51
  - You know, it it's a it's a different
• 12:53
  - perspective,
• 12:54
  - I would I would say. And so, you
• 12:56
  - know, patients now,
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  - give you instant feedback.
• 13:01
  - And so you it's very real time,
• 13:05
  - and they'll go online. They'll make a post.
• 13:07
  - I mean and so you
• 13:09
  - every health care system, we've gotta be on
• 13:11
  - our p's, on our q's, and making sure
• 13:13
  - that, you know, that that experience
• 13:16
  - meets the expectation because that expectation has definitely
• 13:19
  - that bar has been been moved, and rightfully
• 13:22
  - so. And so, you know, I'm I'm blessed
• 13:25
  - to be a a part of a a
• 13:26
  - health care organization that recognizes that and, you
• 13:29
  - know, truly stop tries to stay in front
• 13:31
  - of those things and and examine from, you
• 13:34
  - know, that patient perspective what is it can
• 13:36
  - that we can get that do better.
• 13:39
  - And so that patient voice,
• 13:42
  - you know, it it resonates,
• 13:44
  - throughout our our locations. And, we talk about
• 13:47
  - being the the deaconess difference,
• 13:50
  - in a patient's life, and it's it's very
• 13:51
  - real, gets to the culture of of our
• 13:54
  - very organization and the fabric of who we
• 13:56
  - are.
• 13:57
  - And so I'm I'm I'm definitely proud to
• 13:59
  - be a part of an organization like that.
• 14:02
  - And I'll say conversely,
• 14:04
  - the employee voice is is equally,
• 14:07
  - as loud.
• 14:08
  - Having a culture where people want to come
• 14:10
  - to work is at the utmost important because
• 14:13
  - they are truly the the face of your
• 14:15
  - organization.
• 14:17
  - And so,
• 14:18
  - I I I'll stop there, but I as
• 14:21
  - you know, Laura, I can keep going on
• 14:22
  - this stuff.
• 14:24
  - Oh, yeah. Absolutely. We could get a a
• 14:26
  - whole dissertation on on the team culture and
• 14:28
  - building,
• 14:29
  - what is gonna be a positive,
• 14:31
  - foundation for the future. So another podcast, another
• 14:33
  - day will be deeper than that. But Absolutely.
• 14:36
  - You got it. This is great. You gotta
• 14:37
  - do. Yeah. Yeah.
• 14:39
  - Perfect. And, you know, before we wrap up
• 14:42
  - here with the last couple of minutes, I
• 14:43
  - wanted to just talk to you a little
• 14:45
  - bit about leadership. Who do you admire as
• 14:48
  - a leader, really, from any industry and why?
• 14:50
  - Oh, man. That is a tough
• 14:53
  - question.
• 14:54
  - I I will I'll give you I'll give
• 14:56
  - you cut well, first, I'm gonna tell you,
• 14:58
  - our our CEO,
• 15:00
  - Sean McCoy, he is, you know, very genuine,
• 15:04
  - very forward thinking,
• 15:06
  - and also allows, you know, us as as
• 15:09
  - teams and and leaders of of teams to,
• 15:13
  - to to truly own
• 15:15
  - our regions, own our business, own our service
• 15:18
  - lines,
• 15:19
  - but often
• 15:20
  - and always reminds us, you know, of what
• 15:23
  - that mission is, in our organization. And,
• 15:26
  - and plus the guy can run, like, a,
• 15:28
  - marathon in no time. So he's definitely on
• 15:31
  - the on the list.
• 15:33
  - And I'll I'll I'll also say,
• 15:36
  - I'll tell you another one. I'll give you
• 15:38
  - another one. Shaquille
• 15:40
  - O'Neal.
• 15:41
  - And, you know, not just because he's a
• 15:43
  - giant, but because, you know,
• 15:47
  - when you look at the guy and his
• 15:48
  - and his life, he's he has truly
• 15:50
  - done some really great work on the, in
• 15:53
  - the philanthropic space.
• 15:56
  - And so I, I love, you know, people
• 15:58
  - who, who give,
• 16:00
  - to help, the betterment of, of others and
• 16:02
  - not for a thank you, but because it's
• 16:04
  - the the right thing to do or the
• 16:06
  - thing to do when you you're in that
• 16:08
  - position to give back. And so,
• 16:10
  - you know, those are are some, you know,
• 16:13
  - that that would make the list. And, of
• 16:14
  - course, you know, I it my my dad,
• 16:17
  - my my my father-in-law, there's so many others
• 16:19
  - just that, you know, locally that I I
• 16:22
  - look up to and and our true heroes,
• 16:25
  - to me, just day in day out. They,
• 16:28
  - thankless jobs that they do, but they they
• 16:30
  - impact so many lives.
• 16:32
  - That's incredible to hear. I mean, it seems
• 16:34
  - like a through line really is that humility,
• 16:36
  - ability to inspire others, and,
• 16:39
  - really, you know, having that positive impact on
• 16:42
  - the the community no matter, you know, where
• 16:44
  - you're at, being able to have that focus
• 16:46
  - drive, and energy, which is so meaningful in
• 16:48
  - the health care space as well.
• 16:50
  - It is. It is. It is. Yeah. Absolutely.
• 16:53
  - Yep. Now if only Shaq could have made
• 16:54
  - a couple more free throws, we would be
• 16:56
  - in a better place.
• 16:58
  - Notice notice I didn't say anything about basketball.
• 17:00
  - Basketball. He's not the not in prison. No.
• 17:02
  - I'm not Sorry if you're listening, Jack. Sorry
• 17:04
  - if you're listening.
• 17:07
  - Excellent. Excellent. Well, Will, thank you so much
• 17:09
  - for joining us on the podcast today. This
• 17:11
  - has been such a fun conversation, you know,
• 17:13
  - really Always. Absolutely. Inspiring to hear. Yeah. And
• 17:16
  - so I know you'll be,
• 17:18
  - speaking at our CEO CFO roundtable too. So
• 17:20
  - we'll be looking forward to seeing you there
• 17:22
  - in person and digging deeper into these things
• 17:24
  - and, you know, being able to problem solve
• 17:26
  - together.
• 17:27
  - Absolutely. Thanks, Laura. Always a great time, and,
• 17:30
  - we'll we'll see you all at the, at
• 17:33
  - the, at Becker's event coming up here. Thank
• 17:35
  - you.