Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT / Scott B. Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer at St. Luke’s Health Corporation

Transcript

Scott B. Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer at St. Luke’s Health Corporation · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

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- This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
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I'm thrilled today to be joined by Scott B. Johnson,
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chief Strategy Officer at St.
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Luke's Health Corporation.
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Scott, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
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- Laura, it's a pleasure to meet you,
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and thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed.
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I'm really excited about it.
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You know, Becker's is the go-to source
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for healthcare information and insights.
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My peers and I all read it everywhere I've been,
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and, uh, so you know, I, well, I've got you on the line.
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I wanna say thank you for the tremendous value
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that you provide all of us.
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- Well, thank you so much, Scott, and Absolutely.
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I, I know the team here works really hard to try
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to make sure we've got the most updated news
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and information for healthcare executives
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to really do the important work that you are doing
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for your communities and, and workforces.
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And, um, it is just such an inspiration to be able
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to connect with so many executives, um,
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through this podcast and through our broader network.
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So I'm so glad to have you on the line today, Scott,
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and, you know, along those lines here, could you
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tell us a little bit more
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about yourself and your background?
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How did you grow up in the healthcare space?
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- Sure. That, that's a great question.
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I started at a very small 72 bed rural hospital in a town
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of about 4,000 in Awa, Tennessee.
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As a director there, a director of pr.
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And the way I got the job was I was fresh outta college,
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and I literally bugged the HR director to death
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until she said, okay,
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if you will quit calling me about this job,
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I'll give you five minutes with our CEO.
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You know, I went up for the interview, five minutes,
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turned into two hours.
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One thing led to another.
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And, you know, that was the start of my healthcare journey.
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And it was a incredibly fun time, uh, for a young man to,
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you know, be in a hospital and learn about a new industry
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and, you know, meet physicians from a business perspective.
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And it, it was a, a great start to a, a career
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that has been extremely fulfilling and enjoyable for me.
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Uh, from there, I ended up going to, uh,
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Tennessee Donor Services in Nashville.
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Worked there for a brief time,
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did tissue education across the state of Tennessee,
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was in my car all the time,
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and then got recruited to a hospital in Hopkinsville,
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Kentucky, uh, Jenny Stewart Medical Center, where, uh,
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it was a very appealing role.
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It was a director of marketing.
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I have a lot of family there, and went to that organization
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and just really flourished from a marketing perspective.
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I had a great team that I worked with.
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We had the good fortune of doing extremely well as far
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as external awards and accolades and things of that nature.
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Grew market share, which led to me being recruited
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to community health systems, which is a company based out
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of Franklin, Tennessee.
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They have a national presence.
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Uh, started out doing marketing for them,
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and it was a, a really wonderful experience.
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We developed their marketing template, how we do, um,
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marketing across each of our facilities.
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While there, I, I noticed
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that the strategic business plan process seemed a bit
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varied, and so I approached my boss, Debbie Landers,
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and said, Hey, I think this could be done
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a slightly different way.
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And she said, if you think it could be done, you know,
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in a more effective manner, put something together.
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And so I did and presented to a bunch
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of vice presidents that I knew.
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And next thing I know, you know, I was being charged
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with helping write the template for the organization,
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the strategic plan.
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And, you know, quite frankly, that changed my career.
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Uh, the trajectory of it.
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I went from being more of a marketing focused, uh, executive
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to one that focused on strategic planning
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and business development.
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I really had a fantastic time, uh,
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at community health systems, great organization,
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great people, and, you know, really enjoyed it.
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Uh, ended up transitioning from there to Christus Health,
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which is a large, uh, Catholic healthcare system.
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Uh, for them. I was a group vice president over Louisiana
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and C Tex at the southeast Texas market.
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Got to do a lot of really interesting
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and accretive projects for, uh,
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that healthcare organization,
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whether it was acquiring hospitals, you know, we
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invested in a heart hospital within a hospital
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that had a expanded ed.
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You know, we did the micro hospital, uh, aspect
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for the hub and spoke.
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It was truly an exciting time
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and really enjoyed my time with Christus Health.
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And then last March, uh, March of 23, I transitioned to,
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um, St.
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Luke's here in St. Louis as their Chief Strategy officer.
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And that has been a really great move.
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Um, what appealed to me about this organization is it has
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exceptional quality and outcomes
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and patient, uh, satisfaction engagement scores.
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And, you know, I wanted to be part of an organization that,
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you know, in my opinion is one of the best in the country
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for, you know, a small community health system,
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and be able to come in and bring the insights
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and learnings that I've had throughout my career
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and help this organization get to that next level.
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I mean, it, it has been a terrific move
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for me on a professional, uh, basis.
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I love what I do every day here, great people to work with.
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And then even on a personal, uh, standpoint,
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it's closer to family.
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So, you know, that's been nice for the holidays.
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We don't have quite the long trek that we used to have it.
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It has been quite the journey.
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I, as I was telling you
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before the call, I have far exceeded any expectation
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I had for my career.
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Um, you know, I've been a very fortunate and blessed person.
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- Well, that's amazing to hear.
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And what a great journey in terms of being able to,
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you know, kind of talk your way into a job initially at the
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hospital in Tennessee as director of pr
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and then growing to continue to identify issues and,
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and figure out how to do things better, um,
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within the healthcare space.
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That's so, so crucial, um, for any organization
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to have people like that who are willing to take ownership
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of those challenges and rewrite the strategy
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and really move forward.
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So I think that's so fascinating to hear
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and inspiring as well.
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From your perspective, what are some of the biggest issues
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that you're following right now in 2024?
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How are you really thinking about things in,
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in prioritizing initiatives going forward?
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- Yeah, you know, we're really keeping a close eye on the
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labor shortage, right?
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There's a labor and a provider shortage.
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It's real, it's concerning.
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You know, we have a lot of retirements
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that are happening post covid, you know,
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especially in the provider, uh, space.
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We've got physicians
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where I believe the average age is about 54,
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and then about 41%
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or so of those physicians say, Hey,
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I'm gonna retire in my sixties.
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So that's something that we're really keeping
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a close eye on.
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You know, the shortages in labor
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and physicians has created some access issues.
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So, you know, that's an area that we have a tight reign on.
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You know, here at St. Luke's, we're really saying, okay,
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how do we get patients that want
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to come into our healthcare system in, in a timely manner?
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You know, we don't, we don't want people to have
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to wait for their care.
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Um, and so we're actively working to improve that.
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Uh, you know, you've got escalating costs which are being
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driven up, you know, through intense competition.
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And, you know, you know, inflation's a real thing over
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the last several years.
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So we're really managing our, um,
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operational excellence within the organization saying, Hey,
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we always have to keep our eye on the ball.
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Then you add to that, you know, there's some denials
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and delays from a certain slack group of payers for care
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that truly is appropriate.
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That's something that it's been a real challenge, you know,
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especially in a healthcare system that doesn't have,
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you know, a massive resource to be able to, um,
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gauge with these insurers on these claims.
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So, you know, that's something
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that is a very real and tangible thing.
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You've got cyber attacks that are happening almost daily.
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It's, it's not a matter of where, it's not a matter
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of if you're gonna have a cyber attack these days, it seems
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to be much more a matter
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of when you're gonna have a cyber attack.
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So, you know, we're trying to balance all
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of these different things and keep up with them
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and, uh, really make sure
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that we position the organization first
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and foremost to provide the great care that we're known for,
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but then also to make sure that we are a financially healthy
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and strong organization moving into the future.
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And, uh, we feel very good about where we're headed,
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uh, as an organization.
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- Well, that's great to hear.
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And you know, absolutely so many things to be thinking about
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and kind of have that front of mind for you
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as you're looking at growth development
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and how to build that financially strong organization, um,
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and sustainably as well.
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When you think about the future in all these different, um,
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issues that
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that are affecting healthcare in health systems today,
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what are you most excited about and what makes
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- Yeah, that's, that's an excellent question.
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Now I'll speak first what I'm most excited about,
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that's within my sphere of influence, which is St.
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Luke's. Um, we recently completed our strategic plan.
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Uh, that was one of the first things that my boss,
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Andy Bagnal had us put together.
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And we, we branded it one St. Luke's.
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We wanted a moniker that was memorable.
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We wanted something that conveyed, Hey,
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we're all in this together,
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that we can no longer operate in silos.
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We have to be integrated, uh, to benefit our patients.
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So, you know, we're really, um,
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thrilled about the progress that we've made.
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We've set some really ambitious, uh, goals
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and visions for ourself.
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You know, we've got pillars that we build on.
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We've got centers of excellence that we're focused on.
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And as an organization, you know, we're really,
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we've really been able to pull together a passionate group
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of people that are committed
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to doing the right things in the right way,
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and that have a hunger to be the best.
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And it's really an exciting time, um, from a St.
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Luke's perspective. And, you know, we'll know
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that we've really succeeded as an organization, uh,
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when we can transition our patients
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to true fans of the organization.
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We want anybody who engages with our organization
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to say it's different there.
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It's incredible there. And we wanna make them fans, right?
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People are fans of sports teams
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and different, uh, companies and organizations.
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And we help people, uh,
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at a time when they need help the most.
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And we think there's a real opportunity for us to take, uh,
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what we do today and leverage it to be incredible
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and better tomorrow, uh, from a larger healthcare,
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healthcare landscape.
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You know, there's a lot to be excited about.
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You know, agency utilization is down across the board.
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We've got AI
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and big data is actually being integrated now
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to improve care and outcomes in a meaningful way.
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So that's exciting.
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You've got the development of, uh, more personalized care
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where you take into account people's unique,
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uh, genetic makeup.
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I think that's gonna be a big thing on the horizon.
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And even telehealth and remote patient
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care monitoring, right?
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They're growing and we're being able
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to meet patients where they're at.
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Uh, so that's, uh, a very exciting development.
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And then two, I think there's a movement to say, okay,
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how do we take patient from a 360 degree view
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and meet the entire needs of that individual?
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You know, if you're the president of the United States,
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your care is amazing, right?
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It's integrated, it's coordinated,
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and everybody, um, works actively
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to keep him or her healthy.
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And that's what we want to be able to do
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for our patients in, in healthcare.
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I think we're really close. Uh, the way I see it,
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our job in healthcare really is to anticipate patient needs
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to help alleviate their fears so
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that we can give them hope, right?
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Because that's really, in my opinion,
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you have the technical side of healthcare,
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but real healing comes from a strong
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belief in your provider.
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And that's the most beautiful gift
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that we can give our patients when they have confidence that
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that provider, that organization, you know, we have 'em,
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we're gonna take great care of 'em.
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We got this. I think that's something that is, uh,
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extremely exciting.
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There are also a few things we're
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a little concerned about too.
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I, I know I mentioned a few earlier,
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but there's a, you know,
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major shortage in a couple key specialties.
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Anesthesia is a challenge, radiology is a challenge.
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And then we've got an aging workforce
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and pending retirements.
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And then you've got a younger generation who went
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through Covid, right?
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And they have a different worldview than maybe the
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older generation does.
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It's much more about work life balance.
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And that's completely understandable and valid.
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You know, if, if there's one thing we all learned in Covid,
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it's, you know, life is short.
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You need to spend it in ways that are meaningful
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and memorable to you.
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And we want to be able to help
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that younger generation achieve that.
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But we also want to say, okay, as we transition our provider
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and workforce, how do we meet the needs of
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that younger generation while also ensuring
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that our patients get the care that they need
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and we meet, meet their concerns and those kind of things.
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Then the other thing that I'd I'd like to touch on is,
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you know, it's really exciting with AI
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and all the technological advancements that are happening,
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but you know, it's really important that at the end
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of the day, we don't forget that healthcare is really about
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that one person in front of you.
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You know, they're scared
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and they need somebody to say, you know,
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I see you kinda like from the movie avatar, right?
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I see you, I hear you.
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And you know, we need to make sure that the kind
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of the glitz and the glamor of AI
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and technology doesn't make us forget that healthcare,
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healthcare is always personal.
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It's always about caring for
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that one person in front of you.
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'cause I think if we ever lose that intimate side
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of healthcare, you know, as we have this quest
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to offer amazing tech,
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I think we'll have failed miserably, quite frankly.
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'cause there is no way that tech can replace personal touch.
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It can't happen,
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and we cannot, um, let that be something
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that develops in our industry.
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- That's such a great point.
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And, you know, certainly so important for everyone to
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remember and think about as technology
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evolves in AI really solidifies its place in the healthcare
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space, is, is really that human touch, like you said,
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and interaction is such a important
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and vital aspect of healthcare and, and really a trademark.
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Um, you know, what healthcare should be, it needs to be,
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um, to serve patients.
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And I love, as you were talking about
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as well from your strategic plan
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and, um, thinking through how you can really make sure
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that you're creating patients into fans
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of the health system, the organization.
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Um, I really feel like that's inspiring
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and something, you know, um, that
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the whole organization would have
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to jump in and, and buy into.
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And, you know, when you're, um, making a, a, um,
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tagline like that or really trying
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to make change within the culture of the organization,
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even if it's one that, you know, um, makes a lot
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of sense intuitively, how do you really, um, tie back,
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you know, some big changes, whether it's with technology,
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virtual care, or other initiatives that you're doing, um,
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that people might bristle at a little bit.
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Um, you know, to really show that, hey, we want to,
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this is in service of our, our, um, desire
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and mission to serve patients and create accessibility
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and really, you know, transition them into fans that see
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that we can do incredible things, um, within St.
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Luke's.
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- Yeah, it, it starts with the providers and the staff
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and you know, as part of our One St.
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Luke's goal, we've set a vision for our organization
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that we want to be a nationally
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recognized healthcare system.
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One that wins awards not for the sake of awards,
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but for the fact of what they mean our patients, right?
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That, hey, you're getting exceptional
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care when you come here.
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And I know, you know, we're a smaller healthcare, uh, system
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and you know, we think, wow, that's really kind
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of an ambitious statement or vision for the organization,
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but, but to be honest, timid goals don't move the solve.
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So we really set that bar high,
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and I will say we've got tremendous buy-in from those
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within our organization.
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Uh, you know, it's one thing to have goals and aspirations,
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but you really have to have the metrics of success.
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'cause you know, the old saying, what is measured moves?
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And so we have all these different areas of, we say,
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how are we doing on our big goal as far
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as making the experience exceptional for patients?
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How are we doing as far as making, um,
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the clinical outcomes exceptional for our patients?
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And those are really being ingrained into the
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organization right now.
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We have 275 plus tactics
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that tie back into our pillars that we monitor, right?
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Every month we're saying, Hey, how are we doing on this?
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Are we moving the ball forward?
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We have listening sessions with our patients.
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We listen to their concerns.
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Um, we're trying to take our view
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of the patient experience from more of a, um,
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how do you say, like a rear view mirror view.
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Like, oh wow, we, we did this patient
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who came here two months ago didn't have a,
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a great experience to her front view out the windshield
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where we say real time, how was the patient in room
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1500 doing?
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Is he or she having a good experience?
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You know, we're building in some real time metrics
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and ability for that patient to say, wow, my food was cold.
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Or, Hey, you know, this didn't go quite right,
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and within five to 10 minutes, we want to be in that room
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and we wanna make it right for the patient.
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Anybody who entrusts you with their care deserves the best
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that we can possibly give them.
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And so we're really committed to that.
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And that's what excites me about this organization, St.
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Luke's, that there's such a passion for people here.
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And, you know, I've worked in a lot of different places
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and, you know, with a lot of different, uh,
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healthcare systems and structures,
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and this is not to speak ill or negative of them at all,
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but for me, and what I was looking for, the people here
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that really, in my opinion, are just solely focused on
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that patient and their experience.
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And man, that could be your mother.
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That could be your brother, that could be your child,
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your best friend in the hospital.
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And they get that and they want to say, okay, what do I need
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to do to make sure that this person knows I got you,
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you're well cared for,
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we're gonna find out what's going on for you.
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It's, it's a, i I know it sounds probably a little corny,
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Laura, but it, it really just lights my fire, so to speak.
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And, uh, I'm super excited to be here
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and I, I feel very confident that over the next two
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to four years, people are going to start to hear about St.
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Luke's in St. Louis, right?
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That we're gonna start to do some things
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that are really innovative, that really are impactful
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and, you know, our goals are big
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and we want to be able to impact the larger,
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broader healthcare system and take these ideas
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and share them across the board so
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that everybody gets great care.
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That's kind of where we're at.
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It's, it's an exciting time and a great time to be here.
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- Absolutely. I love that mantra
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and definitely, you know, excited to see how things grow.
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Um, really quick here
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before we wrap up, as you're talking through all of these
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transformational changes and really, um,
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some exciting things going on, I'm wondering
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what from your perspective will the most effective
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healthcare leaders need in order
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to be successful over the next two to three years?
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- You know, the healthcare landscape has really changed
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and it's evolved at an unprecedented pace, really.
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But what hasn't changed are those timeless qualities
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that make a leader great.
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You know, attributes like integrity, empathy, authenticity,
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character, that's
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what will make a leader great in both good and bad times.
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You know, to me they have to be able to bring
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that steady hand, a calm demeanor, you know,
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they have a bright mind, but they're also flexible
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and they're able to really work with those people
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around them and inspire 'em.
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And you know, the analogy I always think of is, okay,
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if it's tough time in the market, you know, there's all kind
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of raging storms about you.
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You want to know from your leader that, Hey,
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our ship is on course.
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These tough times are temporary, better,
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brighter days are ahead.
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You know, don't worry about the fact
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that the boat is swaying in the swell
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of this recent business cycle.
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Got a steady hand at the helm,
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we're gonna hit our destination and where we want to go.
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So it's almost like we don't have
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to reinvent leadership.
21:46
We just have to remember what great leadership is
21:50
and make sure that we bring that
21:51
to our healthcare organizations so that our, the individuals
21:56
who work there and you know,
21:58
practice there can feel confident about the direction
22:01
and the vision of the organization.
22:03
And if we do that, I really believe we will emerge stronger,
22:07
more resilient, just robust organizations on the back end
22:12
of some of this kind of turbulent times
22:14
that we're going through right now.
22:16
So me, whatever we do today
22:20
as a leader, a strong leader will help us
22:22
be successful tomorrow.
22:24
And I would encourage everybody to just
22:27
rely on those timeless values
22:28
and qualities that make a leader,
22:31
somebody you would like to follow yourself.
22:37
- I love that. Scott, thank you so much
22:39
for joining us on the podcast today.
22:42
This has been such a fascinating discussion
22:43
and I look forward to connecting with you again soon,
22:46
- Laura.
22:47
I really appreciate it,
22:47
and for the opportunity to kind of tell our story.
22:51
And again, keep up the great work, work at Becker's.
22:54
You know, you guys are awesome.