Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Ashley Vertuno on Expanding Access and Value-Based Care

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Ashley Vertuno on Expanding Access and Value-Based Care · 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 they go to
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  - 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 Dirdo with the Becker's Healthcare
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  - podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
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  - Ashley Bertuno, chief executive officer of the Arizona
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  - market for a health care outcomes performance company.
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  - Ashley, it's a pleasure to have you on
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  - the podcast today.
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  - Hey, Laura. Thank you for having me today.
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  - I'm really excited to be here.
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  - Absolutely. And I'm looking forward to our conversation.
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  - I know you're doing some incredible things
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  - and really a lot to be proud of
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  - over the last year, especially
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  - then looking into where growth is gonna come
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  - from in the next couple years or so
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  - as well. But before we dig into the
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  - broader conversation, can you tell us a little
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  - bit more about yourself, your background, and health
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  - care outcomes performance company?
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  - Sure.
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  - My my background is really around fifteen plus
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  - years in the health care industry,
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  - starting in physician practices,
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  - then overall
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  - service line
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  - management over multiple service lines inclusive of some
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  - physician alignment strategies.
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  - And then over the last,
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  - six years,
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  - hospital CEO with, with HCA
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  - and really
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  - focused on
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  - building services,
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  - growing and working through teams
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  - and
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  - being a,
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  - I'd say a force to be reckoned with
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  - in the community.
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  - And so now,
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  - within the last month,
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  - I've transitioned
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  - to Arizona
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  - as leading the Arizona market for Copco
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  - and it's an exciting new beginning for me
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  - and
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  - I couldn't be more thrilled to be leading
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  - this organization
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  - at this time in in our really in
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  - our healthcare industry.
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  - Absolutely. And what a fascinating time it is
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  - with so much transformation and growth and opportunities,
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  - as well as some very real challenges. So
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  - I'm curious. Could you give us just a
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  - quick state of the union of APCO and
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  - in particular,
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  - the Arizona market? What has gone well this
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  - year so far, and what do you focus
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  - on for the rest of 2026?
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  - Yeah. Great question.
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  - I think '26 has been a year of
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  - new beginnings
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  - for me.
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  - One thing I'd highlight
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  - is that Arizona market has
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  - celebrated last year their twentieth year in the
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  - community. So really long standing
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  - organization
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  - that has been providing care to the Arizona
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  - community. And what's important with that is
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  - I've stepped into this CEO role leading the
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  - Arizona market,
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  - but also understanding
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  - that my first two months are around listening,
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  - learning, and building the relationships.
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  - And I am incredibly
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  - impressed
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  - by our physicians,
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  - our clinical teams, and the strong culture that
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  - is already in place. And I think that's
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  - what speaks volumes
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  - when you hear that this organization has actually
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  - had a lasting legacy for twenty plus years.
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  - As we finish and and really look at
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  - the the next six months of of 2026,
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  - my priorities
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  - really align around three things and that's strengthening
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  - our physician alignment and engagement,
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  - expanding our patient access so people receive the
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  - right care at the right time in the
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  - right setting,
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  - and building the long term strategy that allows
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  - us to continue to grow
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  - while we're continuing on our on our footprint
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  - of quality
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  - outcomes, our value based care, and keeping the
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  - patient at the center of what we do.
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  - So I I've always said this and I
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  - think, Laura, we've talked before that health care
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  - is local.
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  - Every market is unique.
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  - And before you can lead and before I
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  - lead, you have to understand the people you're
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  - leading. And that's where I'm at today and
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  - couldn't be more excited for the next six
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  - months in '26.
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  - That's amazing to hear. And, you know, I
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  - I think to your point, being able to
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  - understand
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  - the team that you have, the the,
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  - organization, and then learning, you know, what's gonna
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  - be the best for growth in the future
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  - is so critical.
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  - So I'm curious. You know, as you're going
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  - around it and and learning the new organization,
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  - becoming more integrated with TopCo and and the
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  - team,
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  - what are some of the ways that you've
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  - been able to connect and,
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  - really understand the local market and some of
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  - the unique things about it, as well as
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  - how, you know, what are you is exciting
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  - to, I guess, about this whole process?
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  - We have a really robust
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  - team of experts
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  - here at our corporate,
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  - corporate offices, but even in the field. So
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  - all of our frontline staff really do have
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  - a wealth of institutional knowledge.
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  - Really learning from them. I mean, that's the
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  - key is building the relationships
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  - with our physicians,
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  - with our frontline staff
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  - and having a cadence to understand
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  - where they are today, where we're going as
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  - an organization and truly,
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  - how do we
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  - move forward and
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  - grow with
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  - the innovation
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  - and,
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  - the connections that we can truly make in
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  - the community. I think that we've had some
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  - really long standing partnerships
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  - and I couldn't be more excited to really
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  - lean into those as well as learn from
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  - our health systems that are here because we
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  - are we're part of that whole ecosystem.
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  - So it's it's going to take
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  - a lot of,
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  - time in the sense
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  - of being
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  - in the community,
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  - learning
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  - through our partnerships
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  - and existing relationships, and then also our own
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  - team that have really spearheaded the last twenty
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  - plus years.
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  - I really appreciate that. It's amazing to hear
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  - and, you know, what a great opportunity for
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  - you to keep growing and innovating with the,
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  - team that you've got there in Arizona.
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  - Now I'm curious, what are some of the
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  - big headwinds that you're keeping your eye on
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  - and preparing for?
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  - Oh,
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  - man. That's a that that could be a
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  - loaded question, Laura. I'm sure you've seen this
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  - across
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  - all of health care.
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  - We're facing
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  - every everyone's facing financial pressures with multiple directions.
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  - You've got labor costs remain a bit elevated.
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  - Physician reimbursement
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  - continues to be some challenge, especially I think
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  - I saw, recent articles on upcoming changes.
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  - And CMS continues to look at reshaping physician
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  - payment.
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  - At the end of the day, every healthcare
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  - leader is challenged
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  - in a and I think in a great
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  - way to think differently on how we deliver
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  - that high value care. And this is the
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  - opportunity
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  - to really
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  - put pen to paper on what's gonna work,
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  - what could we try,
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  - and what what really is gonna set us
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  - in the right direction forward.
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  - I I don't believe
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  - that our future is truly defined by the
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  - reimbursement alone. I think we've really got a
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  - good background in our value based care here
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  - in our organization, and so you'll hear that
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  - a lot when we talk about HOPCO.
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  - And the organizations that are gonna thrive will
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  - be the ones that are innovative,
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  - embracing
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  - technology
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  - and just the responsibility
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  - that comes with that,
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  - reducing our unnecessary
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  - complexity,
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  - so thinking of just how do we reduce
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  - our system as a whole on complexity and
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  - keeping things simple
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  - and continuing to invest in our physicians
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  - so that we can truly focus on or
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  - well, really, they can focus on, but delivering
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  - that exceptional care.
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  - It's it's just imperative that
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  - we think about all of those things
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  - and
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  - and really move the organization,
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  - in that direction.
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  - And honestly, our job isn't simply to manage
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  - through change,
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  - it's to lead through it.
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  - And I think that's what you're gonna see
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  - as you you kinda see some of these
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  - headwinds that are facing,
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  - again, not just our organization, but every organization
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  - that's out there.
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  - I love it. I I think that makes
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  - a ton of sense. It's just exciting at
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  - the possibilities when you think about value based
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  - care, when you look at technology and what's
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  - becoming possible today that never was in the
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  - past. I I think a lot of, potential
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  - and excitement around those things and, truly being
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  - able to then pass along a lot of
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  - those efficiencies and improvements to the patient population.
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  - And to that point, where do you see
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  - some of the best opportunities for growth in
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  - the next two to three years? Obviously,
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  - challenges ahead, but I can imagine, you you
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  - know, looking into the future, there's some really
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  - bright spots as well.
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  - Oh, you hit it. I mean, you hit
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  - it on, hit the nail on the head.
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  - I believe the greatest opportunity is expanding access
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  - while really while continuing to improve outcomes. And
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  - that's where
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  - I'm very proud of, being here at HOPCO
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  - because I do think we're leading in that
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  - state.
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  - Healthcare is moving beyond the traditional hospital campus.
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  - Patients are are really consumers now and they're
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  - increasingly
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  - wanting care that's
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  - that access is convenient,
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  - it's coordinated,
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  - and delivered
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  - in a lower cost, high quality setting.
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  - And so with that,
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  - that means
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  - growth in recruiting outstanding physicians,
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  - which
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  - we do,
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  - expanding the ambulatory
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  - and our specialty care,
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  - inclusive of our specialty hospitals,
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  - and leveraging the technology. Again, new advancements that
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  - are coming out that we could really leverage
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  - in improving patient experience but outcomes,
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  - that's what's gonna set us apart in our
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  - next growth.
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  - We'll stay relentless
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  - and focus on value for patients and then
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  - sustainable growth that actually follows.
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  - Love it. That that makes a ton of
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  - sense. And I know to your point, being
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  - able to figure out what's going to be
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  - in that specialty space, how inventory is moving.
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  - I know, especially, when you think about Orthopedics,
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  - it's amazing to look out and and see
• 10:44
  - what you're able to do in the outpatient
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  - setting, and then just continue to
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  - deliver
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  - higher quality care at that lower cost setting.
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  - So, do you see that continue to spread,
• 10:55
  - across the regions and and country and more?
• 10:58
  - I do. Yeah. I mean, I think you
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  - see that just even in how,
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  - innovation is coming
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  - And different services,
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  - again, outside of muscular skeletal
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  - and neurosciences
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  - are really looking at opportunity that is consumer
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  - driven.
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  - I mean, really,
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  - we've gotten very, we've we've got smart consumers
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  - out there. And so they're doing their due
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  - diligence, they're doing their homework,
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  - and they're asking the questions.
• 11:28
  - That's amazing to hear and so important.
• 11:30
  - A huge huge seed change in health care
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  - where it's not just, you know,
• 11:35
  - blindly doing what's prescribed to them, but really
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  - seeing and doing research and understanding what's gonna
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  - be best and and pushing for that high
• 11:41
  - quality as well. Now before we wrap up
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  - here, I'm curious, who do you admire as
• 11:46
  - a leader, really, from any industry and why?
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  - I am going to say, and this is
• 11:52
  - really let me just preface, this is based
• 11:54
  - on
• 11:55
  - innovation,
• 11:56
  - like really
• 11:58
  - who is challenging
• 12:00
  - the status quo
• 12:02
  - and pushing the agenda forward, and I would
• 12:04
  - actually say Elon Musk.
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  - I mean,
• 12:08
  - his his companies have done a lot of
• 12:11
  - innovative work and really challenged the status quo
• 12:15
  - from
• 12:16
  - the, you know, the electric vehicles with Tesla,
• 12:20
  - then you've got rockets and and SpaceX
• 12:23
  - and really leveraging
• 12:25
  - AI and robotics.
• 12:27
  - And I think those challenges
• 12:29
  - allow us to think differently even in our
• 12:32
  - own industry and you're seeing that with the
• 12:34
  - innovation that has come from
• 12:38
  - really the tech world, that's now even getting
• 12:41
  - further into health care.
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  - It's it's really around what I see in
• 12:47
  - him as the willingness to tackle the extraordinarily
• 12:50
  - difficult problems
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  - with a long term thinking and vision. And
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  - and it's calculated
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  - and
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  - he's been able to execute
• 13:00
  - at an incredible pace. And and I think
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  - as we look at health care today, it
• 13:05
  - is
• 13:06
  - rapidly changing.
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  - And
• 13:10
  - thinking through how we
• 13:12
  - use innovation,
• 13:14
  - how we,
• 13:16
  - again, calculate the risk of it. Again, we've
• 13:18
  - got patients' lives
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  - at our hands
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  - and then what's the pace of play.
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  - So
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  - as as a health care leader,
• 13:28
  - I take inspiration from that kind of mindset
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  - and I think we've got tremendous opportunity to
• 13:34
  - innovate and our responsibility
• 13:36
  - is to embrace change. I mean, we have
• 13:39
  - always been consistently changing
• 13:42
  - while keeping our patients and physicians and our
• 13:44
  - and our colleagues at the center of every
• 13:47
  - decision.
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  - So
• 13:49
  - it's that that's who I would say,
• 13:52
  - I think to in today's world is someone
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  - that
• 13:56
  - we could look, you know, look to see
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  - how we can execute the same pace of
• 14:00
  - play that Elon does.
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  - That makes a ton of sense, you know,
• 14:04
  - and Scott, as you mentioned, just really, really
• 14:06
  - forward thinking and so much innovation that's going
• 14:09
  - on, and and, you know, imagining things that
• 14:12
  - others never would've thought possible and then bringing
• 14:15
  - many of those things to fruition, which I
• 14:17
  - know is very similar to what you're doing
• 14:19
  - at ATCO when you think about just the
• 14:21
  - whole,
• 14:22
  - field, musculoskeletal
• 14:24
  - and specialty care and how that can really,
• 14:26
  - really, transform health care delivery and the way
• 14:29
  - you think about it.
• 14:30
  - Exactly.
• 14:31
  - Exactly. So there I mean, I think in
• 14:33
  - there's multiple leaders in
• 14:36
  - in different industries
• 14:38
  - and we all and that any one of
• 14:40
  - us, probably admire and and and take
• 14:43
  - note of in terms of how did they
• 14:46
  - do it, how could you bring that into
• 14:47
  - health care. And
• 14:49
  - it's exciting
• 14:51
  - and it's also,
• 14:52
  - there's best practices out there and even some
• 14:55
  - opportunity that
• 14:56
  - we could learn from and
• 14:58
  - and do possibly even better.
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  - Absolutely.
• 15:02
  - That's such a great way to to think
• 15:05
  - about the world and and think about all
• 15:06
  - the changes that are happening today. Ashley, thank
• 15:08
  - you so much for joining us on the
• 15:10
  - podcast today. This has been such a fun
• 15:12
  - and inspiring conversation,
• 15:13
  - and I look forward to connecting with you
• 15:15
  - again soon. And I know you'll be speaking
• 15:17
  - at at our upcoming events. And so I
• 15:19
  - look forward to seeing you there and and,
• 15:21
  - talking through many of these things in person.
• 15:23
  - Laura, thank you so much for having me
• 15:25
  - today,
• 15:26
  - and really appreciate
• 15:28
  - what you and and Becker's do for our
• 15:31
  - community and in our healthcare industry. So again,
• 15:34
  - looking forward to seeing you in the next
• 15:36
  - couple months
• 15:37
  - and thank you for having me on the
• 15:39
  - show.