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Transcript

06: Collective Solutions to Save Healthcare · Still Caring

• 0:03
  Abby Fox (Host): Welcome to the Still Caring Podcast,
• 0:05
  presented by Stillwater Medical.
• 0:07
  Joe Akin (Host 2): Here, community is at the heart of healthcare.
• 0:09
  Katon Lunsford (Host 3): Through honest conversations and shared experiences
• 0:12
  Abby Fox (Host): we explore what it means to care for our health—
• 0:14
  Joe Akin (Host 2): and each other.
• 0:15
  Katon Lunsford (Host 3): Because better health takes a
• 0:17
  village and you're part of ours.
• 0:19
  Abby Fox: Hello and welcome.
• 0:20
  I'm Abby Fox, the PR and marketing manager here at Stillwater Medical,
• 0:24
  and we're joined today by Denise Weber, president and CEO of Stillwater Medical.
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  Denise, thanks for being here.
• 0:30
  Denise Webber: Thanks so much for having me, Abby, and thanks for
• 0:33
  starting this on behalf of Stonewater Medical, I've got to catch a couple
• 0:36
  episodes And this has been fun.
• 0:38
  Abby Fox: Absolutely.
• 0:39
  Well, I know just from hearing the stories that I get to hear in my seat
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  what an incredible community we have And what incredible stories that they
• 0:47
  have about their own health journeys.
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  And so getting to shine a light on That is really what has fueled this podcast.
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  So thank you, for listening.
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  We appreciate that.
• 0:56
  Tell us a little bit today about your background for listeners who
• 0:59
  might not know you very well, when did Stillwater become home for you?
• 1:03
  Denise Webber: Wow.
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  That was a long time ago.
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  Stillwater became home for me in 1994.
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  I'm originally from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
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  I came to Stillwater to go to school at Oklahoma State.
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  I was seeking sports medicine at that time.
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  I thought I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, and, healthcare I was
• 1:21
  always, just pulled into healthcare.
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  I.
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  Always loved healthcare.
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  I was a junior volunteer.
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  We called those candy stripers back in the day at my hometown hospital
• 1:30
  in Broken Arrow and got my degree in my undergrad in sports medicine.
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  And then I got a master's also from Oklahoma State and
• 1:39
  Healthcare Administration, and I joined the team of Stillwater
• 1:42
  Medical in 2003, so 23 years ago.
• 1:46
  Abby Fox: Yeah.
• 1:47
  Well we are so grateful for your leadership over that time.
• 1:50
  this podcast is all about how, better Health is grounded in community and how
• 1:54
  it takes a village for better health.
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  How have you seen that play out in your own health journey?
• 1:59
  Denise Webber: Oh my goodness, Abby, when I think back to my entire, my
• 2:02
  entire life, that whole phrase, it takes a village, to raise a child.
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  That's definitely me.
• 2:09
  every health situation that I've been through, whether that's been
• 2:13
  challenges in my childhood or, my first delivery of my daughter.
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  a village is really what it's been about, if that makes sense.
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  I, I have had a couple cancer scares in my life and I think there's always
• 2:29
  something special about when you experience something, questionable
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  or a health struggle or condition, And that the people around you
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  are what make the difference and.
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  And having those people that care about you, that check in with you,
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  that you can share some of your most, vulnerable thoughts and moments with.
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  And, just this morning I was around the table with some of our physicians
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  And we were having a conversation about, how fragile life is.
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  You know, you're.
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  If you're bebopping along and, And then you can, you get bit by a mosquito
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  and your life can never be the same.
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  And so, I think the village around you for all that life throws at
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  you is so important, to health.
• 3:11
  Abby Fox: absolutely.
• 3:12
  Well, and you get a kind of unique seat at that, You know, from the inside of
• 3:17
  this organization, seeing how we work as a village to kind of care for other's.
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  What has stood out to you most about observing that and seeing
• 3:24
  that, and honestly, leading that?
• 3:26
  Denise Webber: You know, I think that's a really great, great
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  question, Abby, that a lot of times our community doesn't get to see.
• 3:33
  I would say the one thing that comes to mind, there's a lot that that kind of
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  surfaces to the top, but the one thing that really is on my heart to share is.
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  people that dedicate their lives to serving other's, they
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  typically are very empathetic.
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  And so when someone gets a diagnosis that's life altering or life-changing, or
• 3:55
  when something happens, that's, you know, a challenge, they really bring that home.
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  And I can't tell you how many times I've sat across the table of someone who's
• 4:06
  an angst or concern or, stressed about, one of our community members and, and
• 4:14
  empathizing with them and, and how much I would say caregivers, take-home of what
• 4:19
  I'm gonna call the community's health.
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  It's really inspiring to watch, And that this team of people, watching
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  them walk through, You know, you think about doing that all day long
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  and, You know, we talk about that.
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  We have the, it's really a privilege to sometimes be present in the
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  first moments of someone's life.
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  And to also be present sometimes in the last moments of someone's
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  life and everywhere in between.
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  That's such a privilege.
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  And to watch people have to, to lean on each other, to, to understand that.
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  And especially as things are evolving, healthcare is not, when
• 4:55
  you go to school, it stays the same.
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  They've gotta constantly evolve and figure out all this stuff that we
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  are learning about the human body.
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  And so it's really, I'm inspired on a regular basis by the, people
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  that we, we get to work with just.
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  Shilah Eggers was just sharing with me.
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  We had a, a health fair in Blackwell and she had no idea
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  what would might happen that day.
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  She thought she was just going for a health fair, and it turns out
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  someone in Blackwell really needed our help because they were really
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  struggling with, with their life, And that was caught at a health fair.
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  And we were able to get her the care that she needed.
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  And so you just never know the difference that you can make in someone's life.
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  And this team is, is incredible with how much they care.
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  Abby Fox: Yeah, and that's been so precious to me to get to be a part of
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  because somebody that has no clinical background, you know, being able to.
• 5:49
  Somehow contribute to that, has been amazing for me personally.
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  I know.
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  so let's talk about some of the hard stuff that you've had to go through.
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  Um, you've been CEO for 10 years, you've walked through a lot.
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  A lot of people might say healthcare feels broken as a system.
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  And so how are we solving for that on the inside?
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  How are we making sure that we're protecting those people that you talked
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  about who are kind of putting themselves out there and providing the best
• 6:14
  service that we can to our community?
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  Denise Webber: You know, Abby, it is broken.
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  I wish I could, say it's not, And that we have an easy fix.
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  The truth about healthcare and why it's broken, it is because it's
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  been built through legislative efforts over, decades and.
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  We don't have a lot of control in healthcare.
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  when I think about hospitals and physicians and providers throughout
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  the nation, we don't get to determine the processes And the
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  rules And the regulations we have to use within those frameworks.
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  Figure out ways that work And so that can, create all sorts of competing, um.
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  incentives and that's a real struggle for healthcare.
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  The other side of That is when things are not aligned and, you know, there's a
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  lot of, when I use the word healthcare, there's so many more industries or
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  players or, I don't know exactly how I wanna phrase that, but there's
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  insurance companies, there's pharmacies, there's manufacturers of, drugs.
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  There's.
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  equipment manufacturers.
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  And so you think about all these different components that make up the
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  healthcare system and all the laws that regulate each one of Those are, are
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  independent and uniquely different.
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  And there are bodies that advocate for each one of those,
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  uniquely and independent.
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  And so that just creates a lot of what I would call muck.
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  And that's really tough for a caregiver.
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  Because at the end of the day, what they love is taking care of people.
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  And, you think of our physicians and our nurses, how often they have to
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  sit on the phone advocating with an insurance company to try to get a test
• 8:01
  approved or a medication approved.
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  And That is.
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  So frustrating to them that they've spent years of education and know that,
• 8:11
  you know, This is what this person needs to extend the outcome of their life.
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  This is gonna be a really sad story, but it, and it's not directly tied to
• 8:19
  Sorter Medical, but it just shows how tough this world that we live in is.
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  My cousin recently, he was 40 something.
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  He recently died of cancer and his wife's grief because.
• 8:34
  The insurance company would not pay for a ct, and she ultimately believes that
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  he would've lived longer with that ct.
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  And so I think of all that, and I don't know that sh we'll ever know if that's
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  true or not, but That is such a heavy thing for patient's and physicians and
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  everybody in the healthcare space to have to, to sort through and way through.
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  I would tell you, you asked what are we doing to try to make it better?
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  It is just one step at a time.
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  You know, we're not gonna be able to solve this overnight.
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  It didn't get created overnight.
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  And so it's all the little things we can do to advocate for our
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  communities, for our patient's, for our caregivers, and to get involved.
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  I mean, that's what I would ask everybody from the community to get
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  involved because our livelihood, our community, our everything in our lives.
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  health is central to it, And so it's important that we, we get involved,
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  know what's happening and, and advocate.
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  Abby Fox: I have appreciated so much.
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  You know, the leadership that you've shown through that and just the encouragement
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  And the education that you've given us about different things that are happening
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  legislatively that are making an impact.
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  And so I think that's great.
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  And I think what I've also observed being involved in this organization is a.
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  Resiliency, it's like a grit, that I feel that everyone has because
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  they are committed at the end of the day to the patient and doing
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  what's best for the patient.
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  So how is that resiliency?
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  We're celebrating 50 years on sixth Street in that location.
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  How has that resiliency played out, and how have you seen that?
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  Denise Webber: Oh my goodness.
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  to think about, I wasn't here 50 years ago, but I was here 32 years ago as a
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  college student, and while I wasn't in and out of the doors of Stillwater Medical
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  every day, I do have a memory of what Stillwater Medical was like back then and.
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  It's remarkable to think of this team and all the dedication,
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  the strategy, the community, uh.
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  It is phenomenal to think of what Stonewater Medical was back
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  in 94 or 76 when this building was built to what we are today.
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  It really is an integrated group of people that, everybody from the coders,
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  the housekeepers, the physicians, the nurses, the techs, everybody is dedicated
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  and, and I think we realize that without.
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  Without any, any one of those people.
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  If they're not here, somebody might not get the care they need
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  It takes every single one of us in each of those positions to be.
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  A hundred percent dedicated to realize that collectively we make the difference.
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  And you know, I always try to remind everybody of this, and I think the more we
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  can lean in to this, this very, thing that I'll share, the better we are at staying
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  grounded and connected to why we're here.
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  And healthcare, whether you are the coder or you are the housekeeper or
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  you're the nurse or the physician or the tech, everything is a problem.
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  You know, whether it's a billing problem or a health problem or a coding problem.
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  And so we're a building full of people that are, that are expertly
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  trained to deal with problems.
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  And sometimes when you deal with those all day long, that can be so draining to you.
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  And so trying to remind each and every one of us that we show up.
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  And we help other people all day long to connect those dots and realize that the
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  difference they're making, you know, a billing problem may seem, trivial to some,
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  but really if that person just got outta the hospital and they're stressed about
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  their bill, if our billing team realize.
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  That they're a part of the care team and they handle that with
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  grace and kindness and respect.
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  That could be the difference in that patient's outcome.
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  And so reminding everybody about the difference that we make, not
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  only does it fuel the passion for why they chose this career path, but
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  it really makes a difference and, our community and how people, view
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  their health and Stillwater Medical.
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  Abby Fox: Well, when I zoom out and think about the last 50 years, it seems like
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  we've transformed from just a hospital to a health system, and I feel like a
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  lot of that growth has been driven by the need that we have in this region.
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  And so, how do you see that?
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  What is your hope for the next 50 years of what that might look like?
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  Denise Webber: You nailed it, Abby.
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  I mean that you, you almost, said exactly what I would say.
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  when you think back to the 50 years of when this building was built, why we've
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  been able to continue to grow and meet the needs of the community is because
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  we've listened and we're very fortunate in Stillwater to have and independent.
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  public trust health system That is here to serve the citizens of this area.
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  And the reason to me why we've been able to maintain this independent health system
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  is because we listen to the community And we grow based on what they need from
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  us, versus somebody else in another town.
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  telling us what we need.
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  And so my hope for the future is that we continue to listen to what
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  our, our friends, our neighbors, our community members need and
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  want from this health system.
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  And we respond.
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  And if we do that, I think we'll thrive for many years to come.
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  Abby Fox: I love that.
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  I think that's great.
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  We're ending every conversation here with a challenge to care.
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  So something that the listeners can do for themselves or for their
• 14:11
  community to better improve health.
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  what would be your challenge to care today?
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  Denise Webber: You
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  know.
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  It is such a busy world right now.
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  I really worry about each and every one of us.
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  because we are pulled, our attention spans are getting less and less because
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  we are pulled every second of the day.
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  There is some sort of piece of information or multiple pieces of
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  information that are fed to us from devices, computers, phones, video games.
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  It's just everywhere.
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  And that.
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  when I see that worries me is we're becoming less and less connected
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  with each other, which I think is neat and, And what you're trying
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  to, become a part of or create an inspiration around, which I love.
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  And so my advice, or my hope for the community is that we would
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  slow down for a minute and get back together, invite people over for
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  a dinner, a party, a gathering.
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  You the human condition is about connection with other people,
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  not with devices and I'm not, I use a device all the time, so
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  I'm not an anti-D device person.
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  But I really think at the pace that we go on these devices, we're exhausted.
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  By the time the day is done And that exhaustion leads to.
• 15:29
  You know, maybe not gathering with each other.
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  And so my advice or my hope for the world would be to limit that to some degree and
• 15:37
  make some time in our space to connect.
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  Because as if I wrap this back to my first comment, it does take a village
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  and sometimes when you're on your device.
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  Devices so much, you lose pieces of your village.
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  at some point in time you might need that village.
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  And so that's what I would say is, is to spend some time with, people, and build
• 15:57
  those connections and those relationships.
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  So, you have a village when you need 'em.
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  Abby Fox: Well, I think that's profound and there have been so many
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  studies about why those relationships matter so much to our health.
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  You know, it's all connected and it all plays into it.
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  Well, thank you Denise.
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  This has been wonderful.
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  We really appreciate you being here today and sharing your story with us.
• 16:17
  Denise Webber: Thank you, Abby, for doing this.
• 16:18
  Really excited for this to be, so educational for our community.
• 16:22
  Abby Fox: Yes.
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  Happy to have it in the world.
• 16:24
  Denise Webber: Yes, thanks, Abby.