Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Thomasina Wilkins, Chief Revenue Officer at Sinai Chicago

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Thomasina Wilkins, Chief Revenue Officer at Sinai Chicago · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

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  - There's a small circle of people who truly
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  - understand what it takes to lead a health
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  - system right now. The decisions are enormous.
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  - The variables are constantly shifting, and the stakes
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  - of getting a call wrong don't stay contained.
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  - That's not a complaint. It's a structural reality.
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  - And it's why the most effective c suite
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  - leaders are deliberate about where do they go
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  - to pressure test their thinking.
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  - Becker's fourteenth annual CEO and CFO roundtable
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  - brings together more than 1,500
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  - executive level attendees
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  - and nearly 400 speakers for four days built
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  - around growth, financial sustainability,
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  - workforce strategy, and the leadership questions that don't
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  - have easy answers.
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  - Join us November second through the fifth in
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  - Chicago.
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  - For the agenda and event details,
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  - visit beckershospitalreview.com
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  - and click on the events tab in the
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  - upper right.
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  - This is Laura Dierdo with the Becker's Healthcare
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  - podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
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  - Thomasina Wilkins, chief revenue officer at Sinai Chicago.
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  - Thomasina, it's a pleasure to have you on
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  - the podcast today.
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  - Thank you for having me.
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  - Absolutely. Now I'm excited for our conversation. I
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  - know that we've got a lot going on
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  - at Sinai Chicago, and it'll be great to
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  - dig in there as well as get your
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  - perspective on the future of leadership too. But
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  - before we do, can you introduce yourself and
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  - just tell us a little bit more about
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  - Sinai Chicago?
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  - Definitely.
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  - So my name is Thomas Wilkins. I am
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  - the first chief revenue officer
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  - for Sinai Chicago.
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  - Sinai Chicago is one of the biggest and
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  - largest safety net hospitals in the state of
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  - Illinois. We are mission driven,
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  - and we definitely
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  - put a
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  - a deep focus on mission driven care
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  - that it's more than medicine. It is definitely
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  - personal.
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  - I love that. And I I think it
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  - really just brings the humanness in health care,
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  - down to every single thing that you're doing,
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  - whether you're on the clinical side, administrative side,
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  - finance side, anything. It it seems like that's
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  - a a great motto to run by.
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  - Absolutely.
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  - Now what are some of the trends that
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  - you're watching currently?
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  - So as chief revenue officer, I am definitely
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  - watching a lot of trends. The
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  - I would say that the the major one
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  - that we are watching is state and federal
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  - policy, also denials management as well.
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  - And what are the trends in denial, specifically
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  - in the areas of,
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  - medical necessity as well as authorization.
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  - So those two are at the top of
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  - the list, denials management,
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  - as well as,
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  - state and federal
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  - rules and,
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  - regulations and policies that may impact,
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  - our ability to be able to provide care.
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  - Absolutely. I know there's a variety of things
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  - happening, whether it's, you know, HR one connected
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  - to some of the things nationally and the
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  - federal government as well as in Chicago, how,
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  - you know, some of the especially Medicaid
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  - rules have been changing and and whatnot. So,
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  - from your perspective, what are some of the
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  - ways that you are, working with your teams
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  - to
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  - meet the challenges that are either,
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  - have already begun or coming down the pipe
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  - in the next couple years,
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  - when you're thinking about, you know, these different
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  - policies and trying to make sure that you're
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  - able to continue to bring revenue into the
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  - organization and serve patients,
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  - who very much need those services.
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  - Absolutely.
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  - So
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  - first and foremost, I wanna tell you about
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  - an exciting,
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  - I would say an exciting
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  - approach
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  - that Sinai Chicago takes to everything, and that's
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  - mission driven care.
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  - So we know that, you know, up and
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  - coming, you know, policies like HR one, Medicare
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  - redetermination,
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  - One of the biggest challenges for us is
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  - that we serve a vulnerable
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  - community,
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  - some of the most vulnerable, you know, patients
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  - in, the state,
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  - whereas they have to choose between,
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  - you know, food, medication,
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  - rent. And now with Medicaid coming under scrutiny
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  - and deter redetermination
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  - as well as,
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  - you know, new rules and regulations
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  - for, you know, making sure that they are,
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  - they are in alignment with what's required.
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  - We have to take a a different approach
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  - to how we care for our patients and
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  - how we're assisting and supporting them. So right
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  - now, we are ramping up at Sinai Chicago
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  - to be able to do that, not only
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  - from a care perspective to ensure
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  - that, you know, access
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  - to care is there, but also
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  - making sure that we have community health care
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  - workers in place
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  - to be able to answer those hard questions
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  - about,
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  - you know, what are the redeterminations?
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  - What do I need to do? And cyanide
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  - Chicago stands strong
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  - to be able to lead
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  - that initiative at our hospital.
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  - So when you pick up the phone and
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  - you call for an appointment, you not you
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  - not only get, you know, care, but you
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  - also get,
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  - you know, an engagement that asks you, you
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  - know, what else do you need? Do you
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  - need food? Do you need rent
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  - assistance and support with, you know, Medicaid redetermination?
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  - So we're looking at, you know, the full
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  - picture of care, not only from a clinical
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  - perspective, but we take a holistic
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  - approach,
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  - to full care and access to care. So
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  - those are the things that we're we're trying
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  - to do right now,
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  - a collaborative
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  - approach to not only help the patients that
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  - we have, but the community as well.
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  - I love it. And I think it's so,
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  - beneficial for the community to have an institution
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  - like Sinai Chicago who is looking at them
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  - holistically
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  - and trying to make sure that they have
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  - the right services they need and access to
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  - all the different things that can help them,
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  - grow and develop.
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  - Now when you think about things that you
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  - are are working on right now, what are
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  - you most focused on and excited about? And
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  - I'd love to hear about anything you're most
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  - proud of from the last six to eighteen
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  - months as well.
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  - So yes. So as the first chief revenue
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  - officer for Sinai Chicago,
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  - I will share with you that this is
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  - an exciting time for me to serve,
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  - at a safety net hospital.
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  - As you know, my my focus over the
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  - last twenty five years as being a subject
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  - matter expert, not only in, you know, 20
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  - of the 50 states internationally,
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  - but also in the role that I serve
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  - right now.
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  - Collaboration
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  - when it comes to patient financial services
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  - is definitely leading the forefront at Sinai Chicago.
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  - So
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  - one of the things that I am excited
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  - about is
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  - the revenue cycle is all of us,
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  - initiative.
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  - And that means, you know, from the time
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  - that the patient calls in to schedule an
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  - appointment,
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  - at the time that the patient receives
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  - we're we're trying to get an authorization for
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  - their care.
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  - We take a holistic approach where at every
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  - step of the way,
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  - revenue cycle is all of us, and we
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  - are all partners
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  - in our patients' care. So
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  - you may see that on the clinical side
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  - that,
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  - the employees are called caregivers, but our patient
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  - financial services,
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  - employees are called caregivers as well. The reason
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  - being is because
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  - revenue cycle is all of us and that
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  - we partner across the organization to make sure
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  - that there is a holistic approach to that.
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  - So all of the leaders work together to
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  - ensure that the patient experience
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  - is top notch in there.
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  - And then it's all of our responsibility
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  - to ensure
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  - that our patients have the highest quality of
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  - care that we possibly can provide. And so
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  - I'm excited about that as, you know, Sinai
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  - Chicago's chief revenue officer
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  - because this is an important approach
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  - that that needs to be there in this
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  - day and age. We are also,
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  - embarking apart upon artificial intelligence.
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  - So there's a lot of new and exciting
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  - things that's that's coming
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  - to our organization.
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  - And I just wanna put that out there.
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  - But,
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  - as a team, as a leadership team, and
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  - all of the caregivers who work at Sinai
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  - Chicago,
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  - this is an all of us approach. So,
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  - the partnership in terms of collaboration
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  - and operational efficiency is there, and I'm proud
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  - to serve for this organization,
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  - and the community based off of that.
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  - That's amazing to hear. And, you know, I
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  - love that tagline
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  - that all of us approach it all in,
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  - together
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  - in making sure that everybody knows the mission
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  - and is living it out and to have
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  - everyone consider themselves caregivers in their role and
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  - in what their care they're providing for the
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  - community is so critical.
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  - And and from your perspective, as you've been
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  - making this transformation and working with your teams
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  - in order to realize this this vision and
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  - approach,
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  - what have you worked well for you? What,
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  - how have you communicated this? And what have
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  - you seen and noticed among the teams as
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  - you've gone through this process of really bringing
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  - everybody together and partnering across the organization?
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  - Absolutely. So,
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  - in my background, of course, you know, most
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  - folks know that I am cross functional, so
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  - that's clinical finance as well as IT.
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  - And I think that getting that message out
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  - there and bridging the gap is important, not
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  - only at Sinai Chicago, but at other health
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  - care organizations
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  - as well and understanding that it's a it's
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  - a partnership. It starts with mission,
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  - and it starts with partnership. So those two,
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  - I would say, strategies
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  - really drive home what excellence in care is.
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  - So I would say that collaborative approach,
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  - is definitely communicated every single day, and that's
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  - what we strive for at Sinai Chicago.
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  - Fantastic.
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  - And, you know, you mentioned,
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  - AI as well coming in exciting things for
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  - the organization. I know AI is something that
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  - many hospitals and systems are trying to figure
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  - out and make sure they're optimizing the right
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  - way and looking at adoption too. So
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  - how have you been,
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  - approaching the technology and AI as you've been
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  - selecting, you know, what technology to use and
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  - then incorporate it into the workflow? What's that
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  - been like for you, and what have you
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  - learned? What what's ahead?
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  - Oh, yeah. So right, Tari, you know, I
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  - have shared about my approach to
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  - holistic care,
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  - and it is proactive loss mitigation. Proactive loss
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  - mitigation
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  - means at the start of the process, even,
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  - you know, when a patient is thinking about,
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  - hey, should I choose
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  - side eye Chicago
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  - as my place of care?
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  - Artificial intelligence plays an important role in that
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  - as well. So we are
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  - embarking upon implementing that organization wide.
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  - Most recently,
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  - you know, we have you know, we've gone
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  - to Epic. We used to be on a
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  - different system. So Sinai Chicago
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  - is definitely new, with Epic. We're probably about,
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  - you know, three years in.
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  - So artificial intelligence
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  - is just a way for us to have,
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  - you know, additional tools. But I do think
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  - that, you know, the,
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  - warm hand off and the approach
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  - by utilizing that as a tool would just
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  - hide in, you know, the experience for our
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  - patients. So,
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  - that's every step of the way. That means
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  - in operations. That means in clinical care. That
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  - also means in,
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  - patient financial services too.
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  - So we are improving every single day on
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  - our workflows and our operational practices,
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  - mostly because that we are a mission driven
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  - care
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  - organization. And so,
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  - AI just improves
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  - and just makes us stronger.
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  - But, definitely, the caregivers behind,
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  - the tools that are, I would say, in
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  - place,
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  - are just as important as well.
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  - Absolutely.
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  - That makes a lot of sense and, you
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  - know, it is definitely something that is so
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  - cool about health care right now because you
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  - have the technology that really augments what the
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  - human workforce is doing and and can superpower
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  - them in a way, it seems like, to
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  - really get more done and then serve, patients
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  - in a more
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  - personalized and meaningful way. So that's amazing to
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  - hear.
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  - Absolutely. Now
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  - yeah.
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  - Yeah. Now before we wrap up, I wanted
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  - to get your advice on leadership as well.
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  - What would you tell evolving leaders today who
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  - are looking to get in a role like
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  - yourself or really just make a career,
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  - and continue to lead in the health care
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  - space?
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  - I would say, you know, partnership.
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  - Lead with partnership.
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  - Understand that, you know, being a caregiver at
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  - the end of the day, whether you serve
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  - in an IT space, an operational space,
• 12:51
  - or inpatient financial services,
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  - bringing that all together is important. Collaboration
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  - is important to strategy.
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  - And at the end of the day,
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  - you know, staying focused on the mission, which
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  - is ensuring that our patients have access to
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  - care and working across the organization together
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  - as a collaborative team to ensure
• 13:11
  - success in the highest quality of care organization
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  - wide, I say, you know, that's where success
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  - comes from. That's where a heightened patient experience
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  - comes from.
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  - And if you are looking to, you know,
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  - serve in a leadership position,
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  - this is one of the things that I've
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  - learned. I started out at the front desk,
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  - you know, serving. I've also served on the
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  - the IT side as well as clinical and
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  - financial.
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  - And being mission driven and understanding at the
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  - end of the day
• 13:43
  - that collaboration and approach and shared,
• 13:47
  - philosophy is what drives success, is what drives
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  - mission, what drives,
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  - you know, the the passion every single day
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  - for me to stay in this particular role.
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  - And then keeping in in in mind, you
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  - know,
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  - the patient experience as well. And if in
• 14:03
  - the event that the first approach didn't work,
• 14:06
  - I would say
• 14:08
  - recalibrate what that looks like and also engage,
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  - you know, the patients for,
• 14:14
  - surveys
• 14:14
  - and,
• 14:16
  - experiences as well to see what they think.
• 14:18
  - But,
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  - to those leaders out there, you know, godspeed
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  - to you.
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  - At Sinai Chicago,
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  - care is provided by all of us regardless
• 14:28
  - of, you know,
• 14:30
  - what role we serve in, and I think
• 14:32
  - that mission driven approach
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  - is why, you know, we're one of the
• 14:36
  - best in,
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  - in care.
• 14:41
  - That's fantastic.
• 14:42
  - Thomasina, thank you so much for joining us
• 14:44
  - on the podcast today. This has been an
• 14:46
  - inspiring conversation. It's truly remarkable to hear about
• 14:49
  - all the things you're doing here at Sinai
• 14:50
  - Chicago, and I love the way that you're
• 14:53
  - transforming the culture, especially on the finance side.
• 14:56
  - So thank you so much for your time
• 14:57
  - today, and I look forward to connecting with
• 14:59
  - you again soon.
• 15:00
  - Thank you.