Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Reinventing Community Healthcare for the Future with Christine Schuster

Transcript

Reinventing Community Healthcare for the Future with Christine Schuster · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - The strategic agenda facing hospital and health system
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  - leaders right now is not a short list.
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  - Growth in a consolidating market, sustainable margins in
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  - a reimbursement environment that rarely moves in your
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  - favor,
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  - a tech investment cycle that demands both urgency
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  - and discipline,
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  - and a workforce story that is still being
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  - written.
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  - Eker's fourteenth annual CEO CFO roundtable brings together
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  - more than 1,500 executive level attendees and nearly
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  - 400 speakers across four days of sessions that
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  - are designed to help c suite leaders benchmark,
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  - pressure test, and sharpen their priorities.
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  - Not in the abstract, but against the real
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  - decisions they'll face heading into the next year.
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  - It's the kind of event you leave with
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  - a clear sense of where you stand and
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  - what comes next.
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  - So join us November second through the fifth
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  - at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, and come
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  - ready to do the hard thinking.
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  - Register on our events page at beckershospitalreview.com
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  - by clicking on the events tab in the
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  - upper right.
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  - This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare
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  - podcast.
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  - I'm thrilled today to be joined by Christine
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  - Shuster, president and CEO of Emerson Health. Christine,
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  - it's a pleasure to have you on the
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  - podcast today.
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  - Thanks, Laura. I'm really happy to be here.
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  - I'm big Becker's followers, so I'm happy to
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  - be able to contribute to the content,
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  - that others will see as health care is
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  - truly challenging today.
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  - Absolutely. And, you know, what better way to,
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  - come through the challenges than to connect with
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  - others and and share expertise and insights and
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  - really,
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  - figure out together how we're gonna navigate the
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  - next couple of years because there's so many
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  - different dynamics, and I will talk about that.
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  - But before we dig into the conversation,
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  - can you tell us a little bit more
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  - about yourself and Emerson Health?
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  - Yes. Well, I I think my claim to
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  - fame is I'm the longest sitting male or
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  - female
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  - president and CEO in a Massachusetts
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  - hospital at twenty six years.
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  - I've been in three different hospitals and just
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  - started my twenty second year at Emerson Health.
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  - And I think that really speaks to
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  - the challenges in health care continue to change.
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  - The work is interesting.
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  - And so it's great to stay in one
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  - place and be able to really
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  - move things forward with a stable board and
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  - a stable leadership team and and an outstanding
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  - medical staff. So,
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  - that's why I'm here and, you know, I'm
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  - a nurse by background. I have an MBA
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  - from University of Chicago.
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  - And I I think the combination
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  - of my clinical skills and my business acumen,
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  - you know, have allowed me to work within
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  - my system and also within the the state
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  - to be able to create a hospital that's
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  - truly special
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  - and,
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  - is deeply clinically affiliated with Mass General Brigham,
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  - and that partnership has really helped us to
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  - provide the best possible services to the communities
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  - we serve.
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  - I love it. And and definitely being able
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  - to partner is so critical right now, and
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  - for the future. So can you give us
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  - a quick state of the union of Emerson
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  - Health? What has gone well this year, and
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  - what are you focused on for the rest
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  - of 2026?
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  - Sure. You know, as we look at '26,
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  - you know, I would describe the state of
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  - health care in general and also at Emerson
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  - as
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  - cautiously optimistic as we really start to emerge
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  - from what I'll call the COVID era.
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  - So with that in the the rear view
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  - mirror, when we look ahead with some of
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  - the federal and state things that are coming
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  - down, it's still incredibly challenging.
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  - And I think for community hospitals, you know,
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  - we continue to face
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  - workforce shortages,
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  - and rising costs just in about every area.
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  - Labor, pharmaceuticals,
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  - supplies, health insurance,
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  - even food and,
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  - you know, electricity cost have really risen this
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  - year. So that general inflation factor
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  - is something that is hitting us
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  - in every possible way, and also our staff.
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  - And as a result, they're always looking for,
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  - you know,
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  - increase in their wages that are
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  - far and above,
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  - the reimbursement that we get. So reimbursement
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  - isn't really keeping,
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  - pace with the increases that we find across
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  - the board.
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  - So, you know, at Emerson,
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  - you know, after
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  - some challenging years through the COVID era, we
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  - we think we're back on stable footing. We've
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  - made a lot of progress this year. We're
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  - financially stable. We received outstanding quality scores with
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  - leapfrog a and a five star CMS rating.
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  - And and recognitions for some of our other
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  - services, like
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  - we were received America's best maternity hospital
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  - by Newsweek and also US News and World
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  - Report,
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  - also Newsweek best of home health agency.
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  - You know, in a number of other awards,
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  - we had a 100 doctors on the Boston
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  - Magazine top doc list. So, you know, we
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  - continue to really focus on, you know, high
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  - quality,
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  - low cost services.
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  - Probably the most important thing we've done is
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  - really invest in our workforce, and so we
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  - have a lot of pipeline programs.
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  - If you can't get it on the outside,
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  - what you do is you build the programs
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  - internally
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  - to educate everyone from phlebotomists
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  - to nursing staff to
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  - health care administrators
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  - through our internship and fellows program. So really
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  - focusing on having a stable workforce.
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  - Why? They take care of the patients, and
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  - that's what we're in the business of, patients.
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  - So we wanna make sure that we have
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  - enough
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  - well qualified and well trained staff to care
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  - for them. And then we've also really stepped
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  - back and,
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  - focused on strengthening our key partnerships.
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  - In
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  - I think in today's,
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  - you know,
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  - world with the challenges we face, it's really
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  - important to not focus on what you get
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  - done today,
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  - but to work in partnership to prepare for
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  - the future.
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  - That makes a ton of sense. And I
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  - appreciate that overview of so many of the
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  - different things that you're dealing with and thinking
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  - about as you're looking into the next six
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  - months. I I can imagine, you know, some
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  - of those challenges of financial stressors for many
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  - organizations,
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  - continue to to steepen, especially ahead of 2027
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  - with a lot happening with HR one. But,
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  - from your perspective, you know, when you're you're
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  - looking at some of the big headwinds, what
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  - are you keeping your eye on? What are
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  - you focused on? And how are you preparing
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  - for it and planning to overcome some of
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  - these challenges in the next couple years?
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  - So that's a great question. So we're really
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  - laser
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  - sharply focused
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  - on staying in the back. You know, no
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  - money, no mission. We can't do all the
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  - great work,
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  - if we're, you know, behind all the time.
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  - We're continuing to really engage
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  - with our workforce.
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  - Again,
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  - patients,
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  - we put them at the center of everything
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  - we do, and we need to have great
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  - staff to care for them.
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  - We're also advancing some of our, transformative
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  - initiatives. In particular, we're focused on building a
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  - new emergency department.
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  - You know, that has expanded
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  - mental health
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  - services where we have we'll have a dedicated
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  - unit for that in creating
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  - a easy access
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  - for patients and a a great
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  - laid out space for our staff.
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  - And I think the most interesting thing that
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  - we're working on is we're thoughtfully leveraging
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  - technology
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  - and AI to improve efficiencies,
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  - not only for our staff in the hospital,
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  - but also how we can enhance the patient
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  - experience.
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  - And putting a structure in that allows us
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  - to be really responsible,
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  - with how we introduce this. We are are
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  - using it in several different areas now
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  - and making sure that we can take advantage
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  - of the technology that's out there,
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  - for both our staff and for our patients.
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  - You know? So I often say to my
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  - team, your health care is not returning to
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  - what it was.
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  - We're building what it needs to become.
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  - So really trying to preserve our mission,
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  - but realizing that we're gonna be in a
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  - constant state of change. And instead of being
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  - paralyzed by that,
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  - using that to,
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  - you know, embrace the kind of transformative
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  - Kia delivery that we need
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  - given the changes that are happening around us.
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  - Absolutely. I think that's so critical in having
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  - that financial mindset of knowing exactly, you know,
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  - what you need in order to be,
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  - staying in the black and and continuing to
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  - strive to find new ways to bring revenue
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  - into the system and and serve the community
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  - at the same time,
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  - you know, and and have that type type
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  - of balance, I know, is so helpful. And
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  - on that flip side, where are some of
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  - those opportunities you're seeing for growth, development, and,
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  - you know, to really bring more into the
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  - health system?
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  - So, you know, I mean, the way I
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  - look at it is community health care is
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  - really at a bit of an inflection point,
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  - and the organizations that thrive will be the
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  - ones that can simultaneously
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  - reinvent themselves
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  - while remaining deeply committed to their missions and
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  - caring for
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  - the folks that that are in their community.
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  - The most important thing is is to be
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  - able to
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  - assemble all the parts that you need to
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  - make the kind of changes you need. So
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  - I think over the next two or three
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  - years,
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  - we really have to take a step back
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  - and look at how care is delivered.
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  - And, you know,
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  - I once heard a a number that just
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  - has resonated with me my whole career,
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  - that eighty five percent of the care that
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  - one person would need in their lifetime can
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  - be delivered
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  - safely,
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  - in the community setting.
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  - And so we're working with our partner, Mass
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  - General Brigham,
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  - to bring more
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  - care from the academic medical centers into the
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  - community. So they have two large academic centers,
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  - and, you know, we're working with how can
• 9:34
  - we bring more cancer services to the community
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  - and any of the surgeries that that might
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  - go along with that.
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  - So,
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  - really
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  - trying to create
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  - the future
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  - not around
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  - the hospital, because the hospital is always the
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  - anchor for everything, but how do we really
• 9:54
  - create
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  - a health care system that's built around the
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  - patients? And I think this is a once
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  - in a a generation opportunity,
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  - you know, that we really have to embrace.
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  - It really means,
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  - you know, upsetting the status quo, taking it
• 10:09
  - apart, and kind of putting it back together
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  - again. And I think that's where,
• 10:13
  - you know, advances in in AI,
• 10:16
  - digital health, and and different care models outside
• 10:19
  - of the traditional hospital setting
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  - have to be looked at. And this is
• 10:23
  - probably,
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  - you know, the one chance we're gonna have,
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  - you know, in the next couple of years
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  - to improve access, to reduce the administrative burden,
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  - which has become, you know, crazy for all
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  - of us,
• 10:34
  - and to create a more personalized patient experience.
• 10:36
  - You know, with the baby boomers aging,
• 10:39
  - We have an opportunity
• 10:40
  - to think about hospital at home and how
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  - do you bring a lot of those services
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  - to patients virtually.
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  - And
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  - not just, you know, in the urban areas,
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  - but also considering
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  - the rural areas, which
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  - more and more are under intense pressure.
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  - And, you know, how do we make sure
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  - that we can extend out to them
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  - as well? So there's a lot to tackle,
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  - but I think it's all good stuff. And
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  - I think that it's we have the skills,
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  - the talent,
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  - and the makings of a a pretty solid
• 11:13
  - health care system now
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  - to be able to change it in a
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  - way that's gonna be
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  - cost effective,
• 11:19
  - patient centered,
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  - and,
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  - still allow us to deliver the quality
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  - care at at the highest level that patients
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  - need.
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  - I love it. I I think that makes
• 11:30
  - so much sense and, you know, it'll be
• 11:32
  - truly fascinating to see how that care delivery
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  - process and access to care
• 11:36
  - evolves given, you know, just the environment today,
• 11:39
  - the technology available, and everything else that's possible
• 11:42
  - that wasn't possible years ago.
• 11:44
  - Before we wrap up here, I'm curious, who
• 11:47
  - do you admire as a leader from really
• 11:49
  - any industry and why?
• 11:51
  - So there's just so many folks out there,
• 11:53
  - but, you know, as I really reflected on
• 11:55
  - this,
• 11:56
  - I admire
• 11:57
  - Satya Nadella from
• 12:00
  - Microsoft. He's the CEO.
• 12:02
  - And he's achieved incredible financial success, but that
• 12:05
  - isn't really why I like him.
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  - The way he's transformed the culture of a
• 12:10
  - massive organization
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  - is truly admirable.
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  - I I know I'm a $500,000,000
• 12:17
  - community hospital, and I I know how challenging
• 12:19
  - it is to,
• 12:21
  - develop a culture over time. But he really
• 12:23
  - has shifted Microsoft from a know it all
• 12:26
  - culture to a learn it all culture. And
• 12:28
  - he emphasizes
• 12:30
  - empathy, collaboration,
• 12:31
  - innovation,
• 12:33
  - and continuous learning. And those are all the
• 12:35
  - things
• 12:36
  - that are so important in health care, in
• 12:38
  - any health care organization.
• 12:40
  - And so, you know, I think that
• 12:43
  - health care is kinda where Microsoft is, is
• 12:46
  - that it's in constant change.
• 12:48
  - There are many challenges,
• 12:50
  - and and it gets increasingly more
• 12:53
  - difficult and complex to to manage
• 12:55
  - the the things that are facing us. But
• 12:58
  - as leaders, you know, it's our job to
• 13:00
  - create environments where people feel that they are
• 13:03
  - empowered to innovate and work together across disciplines.
• 13:06
  - So, you know, leadership today is less about
• 13:09
  - having all the answers
• 13:11
  - and more about creating a culture
• 13:13
  - where people can solve problems together.
• 13:16
  - And I think this is really different from
• 13:18
  - how health care has evolved over the years,
• 13:21
  - and I think that Nadella has got it
• 13:24
  - right. And I think if we continue to
• 13:27
  - work toward creating cultures where we empower people
• 13:30
  - at all levels, especially the front lines,
• 13:33
  - where those are the moments of truth, where
• 13:36
  - they can tell us exactly what can be
• 13:39
  - changed to make things work more smoothly, more
• 13:41
  - efficiently, and and more cost effectively,
• 13:44
  - I think that's gonna be the key to
• 13:46
  - our success.
• 13:48
  - Amazing. I love it. Christine, thank you so
• 13:50
  - much for joining us on our podcast today.
• 13:52
  - This has been so much fun and inspiring
• 13:54
  - to hear from you and everything you're doing
• 13:56
  - at Emerson Health. And, you know, I look
• 13:57
  - forward to seeing you in person as well
• 13:59
  - at our CEO, CFO roundtable. I know you'll
• 14:01
  - be speaking on our panel, and it'll be
• 14:02
  - just a pleasure to dig deeper into many
• 14:04
  - of these topics.
• 14:06
  - Thanks for having me, Laura. It's been a
• 14:07
  - pleasure being here, and I look forward to
• 14:09
  - seeing you at the conference as well.