Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Leading the Future of Safety Net Care Through Innovation and Community Partnerships with Deborah Visconi

Transcript

Leading the Future of Safety Net Care Through Innovation and Community Partnerships with Deborah Visconi · 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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  - Deborah Lusconi, president and chief executive officer at
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  - Bergen Newbridge Medical Center. Deborah, it's a pleasure
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  - to have you on the podcast today. Great,
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  - Lauren. It's great to be here. Thank you
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  - for having me. Absolutely. Now I'm excited for
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  - our discussion because and I wanna be talking
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  - about some of the cool things that you've
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  - been doing at Bergen Newbridge and, how you're
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  - thinking about the future. But before we dive
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  - in, can you tell us just a little
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  - bit more about yourself and your background?
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  - Sure. Well, I'm Deb Viscone, president and CEO
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  - of Bergen Newbridge Medical Center, and I am
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  - a lifelong health care executive and provider.
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  - I started my career,
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  - long ago as a phlebotomist,
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  - and I grew my career up through the
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  - laboratory ranks. So I'm a medical lab technologist
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  - by clinical background,
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  - spending the early part of my career working
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  - in microbiology
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  - labs
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  - and, growing my career further by getting my
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  - master's in health administration
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  - and then growing up through the administrative ranks
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  - in service,
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  - to communities in New York market primarily and
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  - then moved over to New Jersey market and
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  - serving,
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  - populations
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  - across the state of New Jersey and vulnerable
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  - populations today in my role as president and
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  - CEO of Bergen Newbridge.
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  - I, serve a very unique population,
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  - the vulnerable population in Bergen County and beyond,
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  - as well as individuals
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  - that suffer from mental health and behavioral health
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  - and addictions,
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  - and a big focus on our geriatric and
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  - aging population,
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  - as well as individuals suffering with chronic diseases.
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  - So,
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  - it's been a tremendously
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  - gratifying
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  - journey of career,
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  - starting at the literally at the bedside,
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  - to where I am today as being, the
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  - leader of the largest hospital in the state
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  - of New Jersey.
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  - I love it. Wow. I mean, I think
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  - having all the those different experiences in the
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  - background and and certainly,
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  - those, you know,
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  - that have brought you into the place you
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  - are today is always helpful to understand and
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  - really critical as a leader. Now could you
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  - give us just a quick state of the
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  - union of Bergen Newbridge Medical Center? What's going
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  - well this year, and what do you focus
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  - on for the rest of 2026?
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  - So 2026
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  - has been a year of building for the
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  - future. You know? We have a lot to
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  - be proud of. We opened our newly expanded
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  - emergency department, which has dramatically
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  - improved our ability to care for patients
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  - with both medical and behavioral health needs.
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  - We've also launched our employed physician enterprise named
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  - One Bergen Health, which is our medical group.
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  - And that that group is helping us better
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  - connect care across the continuum and truly
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  - reach out into the community. So our providers,
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  - our doctors are able
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  - to go and practice in the community, which
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  - is really something that Bergen Newbridge, the team
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  - here is really focused on is meeting patients
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  - where they are.
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  - Operationally,
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  - especially proud that we've continued to improve the
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  - quality here at the medical center while maintaining
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  - our commitment
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  - as New Jersey's largest public hospital.
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  - We're we're proving here at Bergen Newbridge that
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  - you can care for the most vulnerable populations
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  - and still deliver exceptional
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  - clinical outcomes.
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  - And, you know, looking ahead,
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  - our focus is, continued to continues to be
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  - on execution.
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  - We've laid the foundation for several transformational
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  - initiatives, including our EPIC implementation. We're in the
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  - middle of EPIC build. So in the first,
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  - half of the year, first actually, two months
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  - of the year, we will, be turning the
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  - switch on EPIC.
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  - We're expanding our ambulatory access,
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  - strengthening our specialty service lines,
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  - and continuing to build a workforce that is
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  - ready for for health care's future.
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  - And health care has no shortage of ideas.
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  - The challenge is a disciplined execution, and that's
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  - where my attention is right now.
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  - I love that. I I think, you know,
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  - having the execution focus,
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  - really is important these days, especially as how
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  - quickly health care is changing, you know, with
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  - new technologies
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  - and different,
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  - policies and and things coming up. So definitely
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  - makes a a helpful difference when you've got
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  - that idea of the strategy in place and
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  - then laying the foundation too,
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  - is so critical. And I I know bringing
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  - in Epic and and turning it on is
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  - a huge group effort and team effort. So
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  - how do you keep everyone focused, throughout this
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  - process and really make sure that, you know,
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  - you're doing everything you need to do in
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  - order for adoption to,
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  - happen once you you get everything,
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  - accelerated and and turned on?
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  - Yeah. So it's certainly about focus, keeping the
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  - team focused on, you know, what our priorities
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  - are. It's, a culture of accountability.
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  - It's a culture of engagement because it is
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  - a tremendous team effort from the bottom up
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  - and all the way around. So it's really
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  - communicating,
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  - engaging,
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  - listening
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  - to the voices of the people on the
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  - front lines,
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  - and making sure that everyone is really rowing
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  - in the same direction and that there's a
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  - lot of energy around that type of leadership,
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  - you know, engaging and being there, being that
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  - on the ground CEO
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  - where you walk and talk with the people
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  - and you're in the trenches with them. So,
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  - but it's a true
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  - testament,
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  - to the team here that we can, you
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  - know, align ourselves and move forward with that,
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  - really
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  - spry execution that you need to to be
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  - successful.
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  - Absolutely. That's great advice and, you know, such
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  - a a strong way to ensure the team
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  - is working together and towards a common goal.
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  - Now I wanted to look ahead,
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  - in terms of some of the things that
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  - you're paying attention to because, again, I I
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  - know there's a lot happening today. So what
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  - are some of the big headwinds that you're
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  - keeping your eye on and preparing for as
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  - you are, going through this epic implementation and,
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  - really truly thinking about planning for the future?
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  - Yeah.
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  - I would say the biggest headwind continues to
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  - be the financial pressure facing hospitals,
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  - particularly safety net hospitals like ours.
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  - Reimbursement
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  - isn't keeping pace with the cost of delivering
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  - care,
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  - especially as patients are presenting with greater medical
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  - complexity and social needs.
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  - And at the same time, we're seeing policy
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  - changes around Medicaid eligibility and coverage that create
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  - uncertainty, not only for patients, but for hospitals
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  - trying to plan
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  - responsibly.
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  - Other things,
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  - that we're keeping an eye on is workforce.
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  - That remains an evolving challenge.
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  - While hiring has improved compared to a few
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  - years ago, today's workforce has different expectations. People
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  - want flexibility,
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  - purpose, opportunities to grow, and leaders who invest
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  - in them. So, we really we really do
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  - invest in people at multiple levels, and so
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  - making sure that we
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  - support our workforce
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  - is something that we keep a a really
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  - close eye on.
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  - And to me, you know, my philosophy has
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  - always been that we can't simply react to
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  - the pressures.
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  - We have to redesign how we deliver care
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  - and leverage technology
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  - intelligently
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  - and continue finding partnerships that improve outcomes while
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  - controlling costs.
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  - Absolutely. Oh, that makes so much sense. And,
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  - you know, especially when you're talking about the
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  - reimbursement and and policy changes, I think that's
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  - something so many health system leaders and executives
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  - are trying to plan around and figure out
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  - how they're going to navigate,
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  - some of those those challenges. So,
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  - I think, you know, being proactive instead of
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  - reactive is,
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  - a great way to do that. And when
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  - you think about care redesign, what does that
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  - mean or look like for you?
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  - How are you,
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  - going about that process, and what can we
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  - expect as you make that redesign in the
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  - future?
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  - You know, it's it's really thinking about the
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  - place of a hospital or a health care
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  - provider
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  - in the community,
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  - really
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  - looking outwardly.
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  - You know, historically,
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  - health care has been centered around the hospitals,
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  - and and the future is centering around the
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  - patient.
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  - And that you know, as I mentioned earlier,
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  - that means expanding access into the communities, build
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  - building those stronger ambulatory networks,
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  - integrating behavioral health and primary care. That's something
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  - we
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  - really,
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  - we really excel at here at Bergen Newbridge.
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  - That is, you know, one of our pillars
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  - of strength is integration, true integration,
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  - using technology to connect patients wherever they are,
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  - and addressing those social factors that influence health.
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  - Right? Because health starts outside of the hospital.
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  - Right? It's in the community.
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  - And so for us, that means continuing to
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  - build our physician enterprise, growing our specialty services,
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  - creating a truly connected system of care, which
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  - is where our epic
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  - platform will really be helpful to us because
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  - we wanna extend beyond the the walls of
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  - the campus.
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  - And we can't think of ourselves as buildings
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  - anymore. Now we have to think of ourselves
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  - as a health
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  - system that exists to serve the people where
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  - they are
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  - and truly listening to the voices of our
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  - community. What do they need from us
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  - to be able to be that beacon of
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  - health, hope, and healing that they deserve?
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  - I love it. I I I love that
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  - kind of, focus on the patient, the community,
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  - and and being able to take in that,
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  - feedback and and then help realize what the
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  - community needs. And to that point, what are
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  - some of the best opportunities for growth in
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  - the next two to three years?
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  - Yeah. I do I think it's gonna be
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  - the ambulatory sector. I think it's gonna be
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  - linkages to partners that can help us address
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  - some of the social determinants of health
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  - that lead to people,
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  - not being healthy.
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  - It's really,
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  - working with physicians and
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  - other types of professionals, whether it's, you know,
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  - the social workers or your dietitians,
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  - you know, your nurse practitioners,
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  - really being that community
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  - connector and providing that service
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  - outside of the walls of the hospital and
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  - and really focusing on keeping people healthier
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  - and connecting them to care more effect effectively.
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  - Absolutely.
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  - I think that makes a ton of sense
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  - and being able to have more of those
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  - touch points throughout the community, the ambulatory
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  - care, and then anything to the
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  - addressing some of those social determinants, will
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  - really
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  - dovetail into everything that you talked about on
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  - your strategy and and keeping the community front
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  - and center. Do you see any of those
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  - social determinants changing, or a lot of them,
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  - continuing to be the same as they've always
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  - been in in, you know, looking for,
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  - some new solutions in order to make a
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  - difference?
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  - Yeah. I mean, you know, we see a
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  - lot of
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  - food insecurity.
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  - We see a lot of transportation issues.
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  - We see housing issues. I think those would
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  - be the top three.
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  - And I think, again, as as a hospital
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  - provider, I feel it's our responsibility to be
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  - able to
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  - connect individuals
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  - to resources or programs
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  - that will help,
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  - address some of those issues for them, including
• 12:07
  - like, we can do we do our own
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  - food program here,
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  - and, you know, connecting people
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  - to services, resources, and sometimes giving them
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  - gift cards to a supermarket or having them
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  - leave here with nonperishable
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  - food items they can take home with them.
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  - But but the the the the key is
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  - really addressing those issues when you first meet
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  - the patient at the front door, you know,
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  - and finding out what what some of their,
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  - needs are beyond the medical need.
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  - Absolutely. I I love that.
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  - Really, it's so important and inspiring to think
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  - about how you're supporting the community in that
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  - way. Now before we wrap up here, I
• 12:46
  - wanted to ask you about leadership.
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  - Who do you admire as a leader, really,
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  - from any industry and why?
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  - That's a toughie.
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  - I'm gonna say Satya Nadella,
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  - CEO of Microsoft.
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  - And I
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  - I I admire
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  - him because
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  - he's demonstrated that transformational leadership isn't about having
• 13:07
  - all the answers,
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  - but it's about creating a culture where people
• 13:10
  - can innovate, learn, and thrive.
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  - When he became CEO, he shifted Microsoft from
• 13:16
  - a culture that often rewarded being the smartest
• 13:18
  - person in the room to somebody that built
• 13:21
  - around curiosity, collaboration, and continuous learning,
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  - and that cultural transformation
• 13:26
  - ultimately fueled business transformation.
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  - And, you know, for me, it's it's that
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  - emphasis on empathy, continuous learning, and long term
• 13:35
  - thinking
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  - in leadership that resonates with me. You know,
• 13:39
  - health care, we're sort of in the same
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  - place as technology right now. Everything's changing rapidly.
• 13:44
  - Patient expectations are evolving. Workforce is changing.
• 13:48
  - And the organizations that will succeed won't necessarily
• 13:51
  - be the ones with the biggest budgets or
• 13:52
  - the biggest buildings,
• 13:54
  - but they'll be the ones that build cultures
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  - where people embrace change,
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  - challenge old assumptions, and and stay relentlessly focused
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  - on the people that they serve
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  - and building that trust.
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  - And that's the culture I I build I
• 14:08
  - bring here and I'm trying to build every
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  - single day.
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  - That that thank you so much for joining
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  - us on the podcast today. This has been
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  - such a fun conversation. Really amazing to hear
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  - what you're doing at Bergen Newbridge Medical Center.
• 14:20
  - I look forward to seeing you as well
• 14:22
  - at our CEO CFO roundtable coming up here
• 14:24
  - in November. I know you'll be, speaking on
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  - a panel and digging deeper into some of
• 14:29
  - these themes as well as,
• 14:30
  - sharing and interacting with peers. So looking forward
• 14:33
  - to seeing you there. Yes. Likewise, Lauren. Thank
• 14:35
  - you for having me. It was a lovely
• 14:37
  - time. Thank you.