Latest / Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast / Dr. Dirk Slaker, Chief Medical Officer at Sonder Health Plans

Transcript

Dr. Dirk Slaker, Chief Medical Officer at Sonder Health Plans · Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

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Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the
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Becker's Pay Your Issues podcast.
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Thrilled today to be joined by a special
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guest. Doctor Dirk Slaker is the chief medical
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officer at Sonder Health Plans. Dirk, thanks so
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much for taking the time to be with
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me on the podcast today.
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Well, Jacob, thank you for inviting me. It's
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my pleasure to be here. Yeah. Absolutely. And
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and before we dive into everything we wanna
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talk with you about, can you tell us
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a little bit more about yourself, your background
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in health care, and what it is that
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you're doing today at Sonder Health Plans?
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Yeah.
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I've I've had quite a a extensive journey
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in health care. My first half of my
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professional career
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was in the clinical world.
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I graduated from Emory,
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as a gastroenterologist
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and hepatologist.
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When completing my fellowship, I segued into a
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position with a large single specialty GI group
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in
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the Atlanta Metro Area. While working there, I
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became involved in a project,
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a research project that was looking at developing
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a device to treat hepatitis c using hyperthermia.
1:03
The FDA approved our submission, but would not
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let it be, tested
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in a clinic in a private sector. So
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I transitioned to Emory,
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back to Emory as an academician,
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and where I continued with the project
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as well as being a
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regular hepatologist and a transplant hepatologist
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that continued,
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until about 02/2004,
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at which time I sustained a pretty catastrophic
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c spine injury,
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that left me as a functional quadriplegic,
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for several years.
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After a protracted recovery, I decided I wasn't
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ready to retire. So
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without possessing the physical attributes to be a
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gastroenterologist
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anymore, I segued into the business of medicine
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first with a company called r one out
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of Chicago,
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where I became the, chief of Medicare compliance.
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Basically, the company
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was a vendor who would assess
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both facilities and providers and
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help them increase their, Medicare compliance.
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After a time there,
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I transitioned to a job as a medical
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director with UnitedHealthcare.
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I first worked, there as a medical director
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in appeals and grievances Medicare appeals and grievances.
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That was followed by a stint in,
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specialty drugs,
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and genetic testing.
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And then my last position with United was
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as a national medical director for transplant
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and cellular and gene therapies
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contemplating
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retirement, but then a friend came to me
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and said,
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hey. Do you have interest in becoming our
2:44
chief medical officer? I work with, Saundra Health
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Plans
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out of Atlanta. We're a Medicare Advantage Plan,
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and, we need a chief medical officer.
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So I thought with my business expertise and
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my clinical years of clinical,
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training and practice that that was a good
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fit. And so as of November eighteenth
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of twenty twenty four, I became the chief
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medical officer for Songer.
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Fantastic. So a long career both on the
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clinical and business side of health care.
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You're now working at a Medicare Advantage company,
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Derk. And as you know, the market here
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continues to grow year after year with seniors
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enrolling in more Medicare Advantage plans. But we're
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hearing from insurers all over the country this
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year, especially, of some of the challenges that
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they're facing in this market, especially as they
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they work to meet the complex needs of
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this population,
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certainly as the as the country continues to
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to age.
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So what do you personally think are are
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some of the biggest hurdles for Medicare Advantage
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Plans today
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in terms of providing comprehensive
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age appropriate care to seniors?
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Yeah. I mean, you already touched on some
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of the major points.
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One,
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what concerns the payers always is the rising
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health care costs.
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As you said, the population is aging, and
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with it, you know, the prevalence of chronic
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conditions, diabetes, heart disease,
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Alzheimer's increases as well.
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And of course, this is gonna result in
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higher health care costs.
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Attempting to manage these costs while maintaining quality
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care, which is what Medicare mandates,
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is probably
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the major challenge that we we come across.
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Also,
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complex care needs. These seniors have multiple chronic
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conditions. It's not like you're treating somebody basically
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for diabetes alone. They have multiplicity of disorders,
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and this requires coordinated and complex care,
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ensuring that all aspects of, of a patient's
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health are managed.
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You know, that can be difficult.
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You know, financial sustainability, probably. The financial sustainability
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of Medicare Advantage Plans is a concern
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in light of the rising health care costs
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and increasing number of beneficiaries.
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Plans must find, you know, plans like ours,
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which is a small plan,
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must find ways to remain financially viable while
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providing,
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you know, the highest quality of care,
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Technology and the integration of such,
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integrating new technologies such as telehealth and,
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you know, more expansive electronic user friendly electronic
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health records into care delivery
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can improve,
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can improve outcomes.
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But again, with money at at the center
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of the conversation,
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these require require significant investment
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just for the systems themselves as well as
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the cost of training.
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And last, probably, I would say member education
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engagement.
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If you've ever looked at an EOC
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for any type of,
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benefits, any type of insurance benefit, they're complex,
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and we need to do a better job
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in educating members about their benefits and engaging
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them in their own care for, you know,
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having the best,
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optimal health outcomes.
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But that can be difficult because, you know,
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health literacy
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is limited across the large sector of our
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population.
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Absolutely. And speaking of benefits that seniors receive,
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we we have seen from some insurers in
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different parts of the country rolling out caregiver
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benefits,
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to their members, especially as we see more
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people become caregivers
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for aging loved ones.
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But as this this caregiving crisis,
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is expected to grow, Dirk, how do you
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think Medicare Advantage Plans can better support
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caregivers and and ensure that they have the
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resources and guidance needed to manage their responsibilities
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alongside the health care of their family members?
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Yeah.
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That's a very, very, very important topic. And,
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I can say from personal experience,
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I had to be the sole caregiver for
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my father
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who had progressive idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and I
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took care of him until end of life.
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And and
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it wasn't easy. It was a challenge. So
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in in discussing of what we need to
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do for the caretakers first is,
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most people don't know what it means to
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be a caretaker. So training
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and education,
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providing, you know, training programs for caregivers on
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how to manage
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specific health conditions, Medicare administrations, and,
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other tasks,
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you know, how to use,
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DME that's related to improving
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somebody's life, can empower them with the knowledge
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and skills they need,
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you know, helping them again,
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understand technology at the core of this again,
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you know, utilizing technology,
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so the caregivers can also participate in telehealth
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services,
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remote monitoring, and electronic health records,
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can make it easier for caregivers to manage
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their loved ones and stay connected with the
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providers, which is critical.
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Respite care,
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offering respite care services can provide caregivers,
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you know, temporary leave, allowing them to rest
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and recharge. It's a twenty four seven
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additional
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job when you when you become a caregiver.
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And
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most people nowadays,
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have have jobs in addition to be being
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a caregiver. So, you know, offering respite care
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can help prevent burnout and ensure caregivers can
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continue to provide the high quality care that's
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required.
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You know, possibly financial assistance, you know, offering
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financial
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support or or subsidies for caregiving related expenses,
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you know, travel and things like that can
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alleviate some of the financial burdens that, you
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know, caregivers are gonna face on a daily
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basis
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and include also assistance with medical supplies or
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modifications,
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ramps for wheelchairs, things like that, and and
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transportation outside of what Medicare covers.
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So, Dirk, let's talk a little bit about
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how Sander Health Plan specifically is is tackling
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some of these challenges that you just explained
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for us. You've got a new partnership with
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Clio to help address some of these caregiving
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crisis pains.
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How do you see Clio's integrated care coordination
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and family caregiving support aligning with the needs
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of your members, and what's some of the
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impact that you're anticipating
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in terms of,
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what your members and your caregivers are are
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really gonna get from this?
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Well, so, you know, Clio
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is an organization
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that offers integrated
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care coordination
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and family caregiving support.
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By doing this, this really aligns well with
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the needs of our Medicare Advantage members,
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in particular addressing, you know, the complex and
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multifaceted
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challenges that most of these seniors and their
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caregivers face. And specifically
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for Clio, they kind of offer holistic care
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coordination.
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They are a proactive
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care model, and they focus on managing chronic
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conditions,
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elder care conditions, and end of life care.
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They They really have a comprehensive approach that
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ensures that members receive tailored care plans to
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address,
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both their physical and mental health needs, which
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most people tend to ignore.
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Clio fits well with us because they, as
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I said earlier, you need to have
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caregiver support in addition to patient support.
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And Clio helps these caregivers manage their responsibilities,
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more effectively than they provide.
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In some
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aspects, they provide virtual coaching, they provide care
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navigation,
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and accesses to resources
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for the caregiver
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that can alleviate that stress and burden of
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caregiving.
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I think that
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by doing so, we see improved health outcomes.
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Clio's approach is, you know, aims to improve
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adherence to treatment plans.
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And by doing so, we reduce hospital admissions
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and ensure that members receive the right care.
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That's a real important point because
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reducing hospital admissions is not only good for
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the patient, but it's also good for
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the payer. Right?
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I mean,
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an inpatient hospital state is a very costly
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event for a payer.
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And,
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so this is a win win for the
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payer and the patient
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because it leads to better overall outcomes for
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the member, but also leads to cost reductions
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for,
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us, the payer.
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And, you know, one of the things is
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they also
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by involving Clio, we see, you know, enhanced
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member satisfaction.
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We streamline the care coordination by comprehensive
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supports partnership
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should enhance member satisfaction
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and improve key outcomes,
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within the Medicare star rating system. So,
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you know, that
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that for a Medicare Advantage organization is huge.
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One one star
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increase or decrease
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can cost
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hundreds of millions of dollars either positively
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or negatively.
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And
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last, probably, you know, to try and achieve
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equity and health outcomes,
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this collaboration between our our groups focuses on
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closing those gaps in care
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that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations,
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and
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our members
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fall into those categories. And by doing so,
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we try to ensure that all members have
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access
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to high quality
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care and support.
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So addressing those social determinants of health.
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Absolutely. Well, it sounds like from everything you
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just said, Dirk, this is going to be
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a very impactful relationship for both Sonder
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and and your members' health outcomes. So it's
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it's fantastic to hear.
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Speaking of of care coordination more broadly as
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a key issue for seniors,
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especially those with chronic conditions,
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what do you think other Medicare Advantage Plans
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can do in terms of improving care coordination
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for their for their older members
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and ensure that these seniors receive timely and
13:07
appropriate care without being overwhelmed by what we
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know is a very complex
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health care system?
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It's so we are a small plan. Right?
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We we have 13,000 members. You look at
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people like United where I came from, and
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they have 3,000,000 Medicare Advantage members.
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They,
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are going to have greater resources
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to allow us to address,
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to address care coordination.
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For us,
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you know, to do this effectively,
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we we needed to partner with somebody else
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to have kind of end to end care.
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We provide
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the benefits and the payment for benefits, and,
13:48
you know, you need those other supportive
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entities
13:52
to ensure
13:54
that those steps are taken care of. Right?
13:56
Like, any cardiologist can prescribe drugs for heart
14:00
failure, but when when it starts to become
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you can have as many as six medications
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for chronic congestive heart failure.
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Who's gonna ensure that those members understand
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what it takes there to be compliant? Or
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if they have side effects, what step should
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they next take?
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That's
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that's what we're seeing now in the Medicare
14:20
Advantage world is
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this comprehensive care. Right? It's not just
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identifying a condition and providing a treatment.
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It's making sure that those treatments are put
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into effect
14:31
and everything to support treatment of those conditions
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are also available.
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Yeah. No. It's a great explanation of of
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what seniors are facing and some of the
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solutions
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available to them. Dirk, before we go, we've
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got a lot of health plan leadership listening
14:46
in, including Medicare Advantage Plans.
14:48
Any final thoughts for them or or final
14:50
tidbits of advice you wanna offer based off
14:52
of your your career expertise?
14:55
No. I well, yeah. Always always have something
14:58
to say, but,
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you know,
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I think
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this this is not
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the Medicare Advantage taking care of Medicare Advantage
15:08
members is not
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as simple as it once was. I think
15:12
that's now why you're seeing
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some of the major plans,
15:17
the Blues,
15:18
United
15:19
starting to withdraw
15:21
from the Medicare Advantage space.
15:24
I think
15:25
that
15:26
for me,
15:28
change could be effective
15:30
when it's done on a smaller scale. Right?
15:34
I I think with a plan that we
15:36
have in the tens of thousands of members,
15:39
we're able to be more effective
15:42
in providing
15:44
that comprehensive care to our members. And it's
15:47
not just even in treatment of
15:50
medical conditions alone. It's for,
15:53
also food security.
15:55
You know, we we provide a grocery cart
15:59
for our members. You know, nutrition is a
16:01
critical
16:02
variable in in in the wellness of any
16:05
individual.
16:06
And so making sure that people have adequate,
16:10
nutrition through supplemental food benefits,
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those are the kind of things. So you
16:15
can see this is like I said in
16:17
when you asked me the last question,
16:19
this is not,
16:21
you know, step a, diagnose, step b, prescribe
16:24
treatment. This is
16:25
much more complex
16:27
and has many more directions that need need
16:30
to be focused upon to be successful.
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Fantastic. Well, doctor Slacker, it's it's been a
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pleasure. I wanna thank you for taking the
16:38
time to sit down with us and for
16:40
sharing your insights with our listeners. We really
16:42
appreciate
16:43
it. I appreciate it, Jacob.
16:45
You know, it's, our aging seniors really
16:49
deserve the best that we can provide for
16:51
them, and, I think it can be done.
16:55
But but there's a lot to be done
16:57
with it.
16:58
Wonderful. Well, if you'd like to listen to
17:01
more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare, you can visit
17:03
beckershospitalreview.com.