Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / How Healthcare Leaders Can Shape Policy Instead of Reacting to It with Maria Ghazal

Transcript

How Healthcare Leaders Can Shape Policy Instead of Reacting to It with Maria Ghazal · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - There's a small circle of people who truly
• 0:04
  - understand what it takes to lead a health
• 0:05
  - system right now. The decisions are enormous.
• 0:08
  - The variables are constantly shifting, and the stakes
• 0:11
  - of getting a call wrong don't stay contained.
• 0:14
  - That's not a complaint. It's a structural reality.
• 0:17
  - And it's why the most effective c suite
• 0:19
  - leaders are deliberate about where they go to
• 0:21
  - pressure test their thinking.
• 0:22
  - Becker's fourteenth annual CEO and CFO roundtable
• 0:26
  - brings together more than 1,500
• 0:28
  - executive level attendees
• 0:30
  - and nearly 400 speakers for four days built
• 0:32
  - around growth, financial sustainability,
• 0:35
  - workforce strategy, and the leadership questions that don't
• 0:38
  - have easy answers.
• 0:39
  - Join us November second through the fifth in
• 0:41
  - Chicago.
• 0:42
  - For the agenda and event details,
• 0:45
  - visit beckershospitalreview.com
• 0:47
  - and click on the events tab in the
• 0:49
  - upper right.
• 0:50
  - This is Gracelyn Keller with the Becker's Healthcare
• 0:52
  - podcast, and I'm excited today to be joined
• 0:55
  - by Maria Gazelle who serves as the president
• 0:57
  - and CEO of Healthcare Leadership Council.
• 1:01
  - So, Maria, thank you for being here today,
• 1:03
  - and I'll have us start our conversation
• 1:05
  - with you introducing yourself a little bit more
• 1:07
  - and telling us more about your
• 1:10
  - role on the Health Care Leadership Council and
• 1:13
  - what you do.
• 1:14
  - Great. It's great to be with you, Grace.
• 1:16
  - Thanks for for hosting.
• 1:18
  - So my name is Maria Gazelle. As you
• 1:20
  - mentioned, I'm the president and CEO of an
• 1:22
  - organization in Washington, DC
• 1:24
  - called the Healthcare Leadership Council. We also go
• 1:26
  - by our acronym, which is HLC.
• 1:28
  - We were established over thirty eight years ago
• 1:31
  - as the organization
• 1:33
  - to be engaged with if you really care
• 1:36
  - about the future of health care.
• 1:37
  - And our organization
• 1:39
  - is a membership organization, the only one that
• 1:42
  - brings together leaders from every major segment of
• 1:45
  - health care, from hospitals to health plans, pharmaceutical,
• 1:48
  - medical device companies,
• 1:50
  - health tech, and really more. So we established
• 1:53
  - thirty eight years ago really to to enable
• 1:55
  - ourselves to convene diverse stakeholders
• 1:58
  - and to really communicate
• 2:00
  - with Congress, the whoever the administration,
• 2:03
  - with one collective and powerful voice. So we're
• 2:06
  - a public policy organization as well, and we
• 2:09
  - engage with the really the highest echelon of
• 2:11
  - policy makers
• 2:12
  - here in Washington on the most pressing health
• 2:15
  - care issues
• 2:15
  - and, including with the staff on Capitol Hill.
• 2:18
  - And we've been doing this for nearly forty
• 2:20
  - years, and we've been engaged in all sorts
• 2:23
  - of major health care policy debates.
• 2:26
  - Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for being
• 2:28
  - here.
• 2:29
  - And I'd love to know since you are
• 2:31
  - deep into the legislative side of health care,
• 2:33
  - what trends are you currently watching there,
• 2:36
  - that you'd like to share with our audience?
• 2:39
  - Well, when I speak to certainly my members
• 2:42
  - and when I look at what's going on
• 2:44
  - here in health care, whether in Washington or
• 2:46
  - throughout the country, there's really three trends that
• 2:49
  - consistently rise to the top, affordability,
• 2:52
  - the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, and
• 2:55
  - then workforce issues. So let me just make
• 2:57
  - a point about each one. With affordability,
• 3:00
  - it's part of just about virtually every conversation
• 3:03
  - in health care right now. And
• 3:05
  - so the question is for our members, how
• 3:07
  - can we deliver better outcomes at a lower
• 3:09
  - cost?
• 3:10
  - And our organizations, our members are trying to
• 3:12
  - pursue this through innovation,
• 3:14
  - operational improvements, preventions, new models of care, and
• 3:18
  - value based care is is playing a big
• 3:20
  - role in that. And of course, technology is
• 3:22
  - is playing a major role from, you know,
• 3:24
  - AI enabled administrative efficiencies to better data sharing,
• 3:28
  - interoperability.
• 3:29
  - All these things can really work toward reducing
• 3:32
  - friction,
• 3:33
  - eliminating waste, and really freeing up resources so
• 3:36
  - that they can be directed toward patient care.
• 3:39
  - So but what stands out is that affordability,
• 3:42
  - of course, isn't just one issue. It's how
• 3:44
  - can the entire system be working towards improving
• 3:46
  - it. And I think that that really is
• 3:48
  - a good transition to the second trend I'm
• 3:50
  - watching, which is the rapid adoption of AI
• 3:53
  - and other digital tools across health care. And
• 3:56
  - how you know,
• 3:57
  - it was not that long ago, it seems
• 3:59
  - to me that AI was a future looking
• 4:01
  - conversation, but now it's being deployed in very
• 4:04
  - real and practical right ways all across health
• 4:07
  - care.
• 4:08
  - And we believe it's a force multiplier.
• 4:10
  - It can help from the get go with,
• 4:12
  - you know, administrative burdens, improving interoperability,
• 4:15
  - but very importantly, you know, they'll have an
• 4:18
  - enormous impact on drug discoveries, clinical trials,
• 4:21
  - AI enabled devices.
• 4:23
  - But the trend that we're also watching there
• 4:25
  - with AI is that we,
• 4:27
  - you know, we know that AI successful in
• 4:29
  - health care will depend a lot on trust.
• 4:32
  - So we have to make sure that, that
• 4:34
  - the technologies
• 4:35
  - are all being deployed responsibly,
• 4:37
  - transparently, and with appropriate safeguards.
• 4:40
  - And then the the third trend that I'm
• 4:42
  - I'm looking at is one that I'm sure
• 4:44
  - you hear about a lot, and that's the
• 4:45
  - workforce challenges.
• 4:47
  - You know, that that is something that comes
• 4:49
  - up all the time across virtually every sector
• 4:51
  - of healthcare.
• 4:52
  - And, you know, demand for care continues to
• 4:55
  - grow, certainly with an aging population.
• 4:58
  - And, so that it's really a public policy
• 5:01
  - issue as well. And so on a number
• 5:02
  - of fronts, we're trying to engage with, with
• 5:05
  - Congress and the administration to make sure that
• 5:08
  - that that is that there's better policies in
• 5:10
  - place to, to enable more workforce.
• 5:13
  - Absolutely. I think those are definitely great,
• 5:17
  - trends to be watching, and
• 5:19
  - it kind of rolls into then my next
• 5:21
  - question for you. What are you specifically most
• 5:24
  - focused on and excited about right now, when
• 5:27
  - it comes to legislation?
• 5:29
  - And then also what you are most proud
• 5:31
  - of from the last
• 5:32
  - six months to a year?
• 5:35
  - Well, it's it's not it's not only about
• 5:37
  - legislation, it's also just about what else is
• 5:39
  - going on and how legislation can help. So
• 5:42
  - what I'm what I'm focused on, and that's
• 5:44
  - really because of my of my role, certainly,
• 5:47
  - is that I wanna make sure, and that's
• 5:49
  - the, you know, the goal of of the
• 5:50
  - Healthcare Leadership Council, is we wanna make sure
• 5:53
  - that our members and other healthcare leaders have
• 5:55
  - an important seat at the table as, you
• 5:57
  - know, there's all sorts of decisions being made,
• 6:00
  - whether it's by CMS or Congress, every day
• 6:02
  - that will shape the future of health care.
• 6:04
  - And we think that public private collaboration is
• 6:06
  - key,
• 6:07
  - and we make sure that we are at
• 6:09
  - the center of these conversations from productive
• 6:12
  - engagement with leaders at CMS, the White House,
• 6:14
  - policymakers in Congress, as well as, you know,
• 6:17
  - congressional staff.
• 6:18
  - And we are really bringing our members to
• 6:21
  - the table on all sorts of issues, whether
• 6:23
  - it's on affordability,
• 6:25
  - AI,
• 6:26
  - and we play a big role in educating,
• 6:28
  - whether it's the staff or the policymakers themselves.
• 6:31
  - Just recently, we had two standing room only
• 6:34
  - briefings on Capitol Hill to talk directly to
• 6:36
  - staffers about issues like
• 6:39
  - AI, and also last week, we had a
• 6:41
  - whole program on Medicare Advantage and its role
• 6:44
  - in the sustainability of the Medicare program.
• 6:47
  - So that's what I'm really focused on right
• 6:49
  - now. And then what excites me,
• 6:52
  - I think it's it's what's happening right now.
• 6:54
  - It's it's the innovation, the opportunity of innovation,
• 6:58
  - what's happening right now in healthcare.
• 7:00
  - I we think that AI really has
• 7:03
  - great opportunity to improve patient outcomes.
• 7:06
  - It will and we know it's reducing administrative
• 7:09
  - burdens, and we think that it will make
• 7:11
  - health care more efficient, and that will go
• 7:13
  - toward the affordability question.
• 7:15
  - We see continued momentum around prevention, value based
• 7:18
  - care, and models that are really, right now,
• 7:20
  - delivering better outcomes at lower cost. And I'm
• 7:23
  - encouraged just by, you know, whether it's with
• 7:25
  - my membership and then, you know, working with
• 7:27
  - others, trying to make sure that we collaborate
• 7:30
  - across sectors and and getting beyond the traditional
• 7:33
  - industry boundaries.
• 7:35
  - That's something that's very important
• 7:37
  - because, you know, blaming each other is is
• 7:40
  - not is not going to improve health care.
• 7:42
  - And so we spent a lot of time
• 7:44
  - making sure we are convener and we are
• 7:46
  - a consensus builder.
• 7:47
  - And then what am I proud of is
• 7:50
  - looking back over the past year or so,
• 7:52
  - you know, just how we are just really
• 7:54
  - trying to be continuing to be a trusted
• 7:57
  - voice for policymakers and healthcare leaders.
• 8:00
  - We've put together recommendations on cybersecurity.
• 8:03
  - We recently released,
• 8:05
  - a report on AI that includes not only
• 8:08
  - use cases, but also recommendations
• 8:10
  - and how we can make sure
• 8:12
  - that that there's a national
• 8:14
  - federal framework that will be the best way
• 8:16
  - to to move forward and how we have
• 8:18
  - a responsible AI system.
• 8:21
  - Absolutely.
• 8:22
  - Well, thank you for sharing those, and I'd
• 8:25
  - love to know as we wrap our conversation
• 8:27
  - up what advice you have for
• 8:30
  - leaders in health care,
• 8:33
  - as you are the bridge really between policymakers
• 8:36
  - and health care leaders, health care voices, what
• 8:38
  - advice do you have for health care leaders
• 8:40
  - as they navigate wanting to create real change
• 8:43
  - or maybe taking that step to, move forward
• 8:46
  - and do that?
• 8:47
  - I would say
• 8:49
  - don't sit on the sidelines. You really need
• 8:51
  - to get in the game and hear whether
• 8:53
  - it's at the federal or the state level.
• 8:56
  - The leaders who will really have the greatest
• 8:58
  - impact are the ones who
• 9:00
  - not only get involved with public policy, but
• 9:02
  - also speak with each other, work with each
• 9:04
  - other, engage, collaborate. That's really how we're going
• 9:07
  - to shape the future of healthcare rather than
• 9:09
  - simply reacting to changes.
• 9:12
  - We can't afford for healthcare leaders to be
• 9:14
  - passive when it comes to public policy.
• 9:16
  - Decisions are made every day, whether it's in
• 9:18
  - Washington
• 9:19
  - and beyond, that will affect every patient, clinician,
• 9:23
  - employer, healthcare organization.
• 9:25
  - And frankly, the policy environment is moving faster
• 9:28
  - than ever, and there's a lot of information
• 9:30
  - coming at,
• 9:31
  - policymakers.
• 9:32
  - So it's really critical that the leaders themselves
• 9:35
  - in health care are engaged and that they're
• 9:37
  - bringing their real world perspectives
• 9:40
  - to these conversations because that's that's going to
• 9:43
  - make the difference so that you bring to
• 9:45
  - life what what maybe the unintended consequence of
• 9:48
  - a change in a rule will bring. Really,
• 9:50
  - I'm making sure that everyone understands at CMS,
• 9:53
  - the White House, Congress, what is happening on
• 9:55
  - the ground, how are you dealing with the
• 9:56
  - workforce shortages,
• 9:58
  - what are you what are you excited about.
• 10:00
  - And, you know, I mean, it all really
• 10:02
  - comes back to the to the old saying
• 10:04
  - of, if you don't have a seat at
• 10:05
  - the table, you're probably at the on the
• 10:07
  - menu. Nobody wants that that to be their
• 10:09
  - case. So I really think that, that that's
• 10:13
  - the way that that was probably my my
• 10:15
  - best advice. And I I also think, and
• 10:17
  - this comes from the organization that I have
• 10:19
  - the privilege to lead, the Healthcare Leadership Council,
• 10:21
  - is that that healthcare's biggest challenges, they just
• 10:24
  - don't neatly fit into one sector. We like
• 10:26
  - to say that healthcare is complicated, it's complex,
• 10:29
  - all these things, and that that is true.
• 10:31
  - But if we're going to be able to
• 10:33
  - address issues like affordability or the workforce shortages,
• 10:36
  - how to use AI, how to protect ourselves
• 10:39
  - from cybersecurity challenges, all of these issues require
• 10:42
  - collaboration
• 10:44
  - across the healthcare continuum.
• 10:46
  - So if you're not engaged in a broader
• 10:48
  - way, you should be. And you because at
• 10:50
  - a minimum, you need to understand as a
• 10:51
  - healthcare leader the broader ecosystem that you're working
• 10:54
  - in. You can't just understand your one sector,
• 10:58
  - and that that will make every leader more
• 11:00
  - effective.
• 11:01
  - And I think that it will also lead
• 11:03
  - to just more open conversations,
• 11:06
  - more opportunities for collaboration,
• 11:09
  - and, and hopefully,
• 11:11
  - better ways that we can address what is
• 11:14
  - a complex system and in a rapidly aging
• 11:17
  - population.
• 11:18
  - We have a lot of things to work
• 11:20
  - together on, and so I think that
• 11:22
  - working together, collaborating,
• 11:24
  - we will we will have a better chance
• 11:26
  - of solving all these problems together.
• 11:29
  - Absolutely. Well, Maria, thank you so much for
• 11:31
  - joining me today on the Becker's Healthcare Podcast,
• 11:33
  - sharing these thoughts and insights.
• 11:36
  - Thank you so much. Thank you. It's great
• 11:38
  - to be with you.