Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Building Albany Med’s Future Through Vision, Innovation and Growth with Daniel T. Pickett III

Transcript

Building Albany Med’s Future Through Vision, Innovation and Growth with Daniel T. Pickett III · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

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  - The strategic agenda facing hospital and health system
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  - So join us November second through the fifth
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  - at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, and come
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  - ready to do the hard thinking.
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  - Register on our events page at beckershospitalreview.com
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  - upper right.
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  - This is Laura Dierda with the Beckers Healthcare
• 1:00
  - podcast.
• 1:01
  - I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dan
• 1:02
  - Pickett, president and CEO of Albany Med Health
• 1:05
  - System. Dan, it's a pleasure to have you
• 1:06
  - on the podcast today. Oh, thanks for having
• 1:09
  - me, Laura. I appreciate it. Absolutely. Now I'm
• 1:11
  - excited for our conversation. I know we're gonna
• 1:13
  - talk through a lot of the cool things
• 1:14
  - you're doing here at Albany Med as well
• 1:16
  - as how you're thinking about the future. But
• 1:18
  - before we dig in, can you tell us
• 1:19
  - a little bit more about yourself, your background
• 1:21
  - in the health system?
• 1:23
  - Yeah. Sure.
• 1:24
  - You know, so I I grew up in
• 1:26
  - in the region, you know, in the Albany
• 1:28
  - region.
• 1:30
  - I'm the son of a nurse. So,
• 1:32
  - you know, I went to college locally. I
• 1:34
  - went to,
• 1:36
  - an engineering and technology school called RPI.
• 1:40
  - And my mom actually worked at the hospital
• 1:41
  - that was in the same town in Troy,
• 1:43
  - New York, you know, right near RPI. So
• 1:45
  - I spent a lot of time, you know,
• 1:47
  - when I was in college seeing her and,
• 1:49
  - you know, I I've got a lot of
• 1:51
  - history,
• 1:52
  - with,
• 1:53
  - you know,
• 1:54
  - watching nurses do what they do. That that's
• 1:56
  - incredible.
• 1:57
  - You know, and then just from a from
• 1:59
  - a career perspective, I've spent, you know, thirty
• 2:02
  - five years
• 2:03
  - in in the technology,
• 2:05
  - you know, area, you know, building businesses
• 2:08
  - in financial technology,
• 2:10
  - in in infrastructure,
• 2:12
  - and then in health care technology.
• 2:13
  - You know? So it's,
• 2:16
  - was probably a different path to being the
• 2:18
  - the CEO of an academic health system, but,
• 2:22
  - I think a lot of value in in
• 2:23
  - what that diversity might bring to the role
• 2:25
  - that I'm in today.
• 2:27
  - Absolutely. I love that. And, you know, to
• 2:28
  - have that kind of backbone in health care
• 2:30
  - and and really,
• 2:32
  - have it be part of the way you
• 2:33
  - grew up, I can imagine, influences how you
• 2:35
  - think about things as a CEO.
• 2:38
  - Yeah.
• 2:39
  - You know, I I had to have piece
• 2:41
  - and then, you know, as it relates
• 2:44
  - to health care and and Albany Med specifically,
• 2:47
  - you know, before before I I sat in
• 2:49
  - this,
• 2:50
  - you know, CEO chair, which, you know, started
• 2:53
  - in in December of last year. You know,
• 2:55
  - I was on the board, at Albany Med
• 2:57
  - since 2012.
• 2:59
  - I was the board chair for a period
• 3:01
  - of time. So, you know, I I think
• 3:03
  - one of the things that was
• 3:05
  - was
• 3:06
  - really beneficial
• 3:07
  - is that I, you know, I had an
• 3:08
  - understanding
• 3:09
  - of of the amazing things that
• 3:11
  - Albany Med did and the strengths that Albany
• 3:14
  - Med had and, you know, at the same
• 3:15
  - time had, you know, an understanding for what,
• 3:18
  - you know, what the work ahead might look
• 3:19
  - like. You know, it's one of those things
• 3:21
  - where you come into the role and, you
• 3:23
  - know, you you you think you know a
• 3:26
  - lot, but then when you're in there, you
• 3:28
  - actually get in the seat. You realize that,
• 3:30
  - well, you know a lot. It's a fraction
• 3:31
  - of what you're gonna learn. And I think
• 3:33
  - back, like, over the seven months that I've
• 3:35
  - I've been CEO,
• 3:36
  - I have learned,
• 3:38
  - I've learned so much. It's it's been really,
• 3:41
  - it's been incredible. It's been it's been really
• 3:43
  - compelling and rewarding in terms of the real
• 3:45
  - opportunity that the team has as as we
• 3:48
  - think forward. So, it's,
• 3:51
  - I think it's a it's an interesting and
• 3:53
  - and beneficial mix of, you know, different experience
• 3:58
  - with some
• 3:59
  - real specific Albany Med experience. And, you know,
• 4:01
  - putting it together,
• 4:03
  - you know, I
• 4:04
  - I have, like, a good a reasonable degree
• 4:07
  - of of confidence that it's gonna be a
• 4:08
  - value to the work that we have ahead
• 4:10
  - and and the important mission that we have.
• 4:13
  - That's great to hear. Now,
• 4:15
  - could you give us just a quick state
• 4:16
  - of the union of Albany Med? What has
• 4:18
  - gone well this year, and what are you
• 4:19
  - focused on for the rest of 2026?
• 4:22
  - Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, a little bit
• 4:24
  - I guess, first, you know, just to to
• 4:25
  - give a little feel for for who Albany
• 4:27
  - Med is. So we we sort of we
• 4:30
  - sit in, you know, headquartered,
• 4:32
  - in Albany, you know, the region's only academic
• 4:35
  - health system. And, you know, the system, you
• 4:37
  - know, consists of four hospitals. We've got, you
• 4:40
  - know, Albany Medical College. We've got visiting nurses.
• 4:43
  - We've got,
• 4:44
  - you know, about a, you know, thousand physician
• 4:47
  - enterprise. And then, you know, in terms of
• 4:50
  - what we do, you know, we sit as,
• 4:52
  - you know, really the region's highest level of
• 4:54
  - of specialty in trauma care,
• 4:56
  - and we have a real diverse
• 4:59
  - patient and family base and and and community
• 5:02
  - based that our providers work. And we've got,
• 5:04
  - you know, urban safety net, suburban, and then,
• 5:07
  - you know, rural communities that are part of
• 5:09
  - the
• 5:09
  - the care that we deliver. And it you
• 5:11
  - know, it's in Northeastern New York and then
• 5:14
  - a bit of Western New England. So, you
• 5:16
  - know, we've got a big, big footprint,
• 5:18
  - really diverse population,
• 5:20
  - and,
• 5:22
  - it's also important. I mean, the the cities
• 5:25
  - that we're in are important. And then as
• 5:26
  - we go out to those rural communities that
• 5:29
  - are really, you know, dependent on us, you
• 5:31
  - know, bringing access, it's it's a range that,
• 5:35
  - keeps us really, really busy. You know? So
• 5:38
  - we we've got that, you know, market that
• 5:41
  - we care for. And, you know, one of
• 5:44
  - the things when I came in, there were
• 5:45
  - really a couple of things that, you know,
• 5:47
  - we focused on early. You know? One was
• 5:50
  - around,
• 5:52
  - vision and getting really clear on, you know,
• 5:55
  - what our North Star was. So what was
• 5:57
  - what was gonna be, you know, important to
• 5:59
  - Albany that as we looked out, you know,
• 6:01
  - say, through 2030. So, you know, what we
• 6:03
  - did is we got, you know, all 17,000
• 6:06
  - of our
• 6:07
  - colleagues rallied around
• 6:09
  - a vision called First Choice 2030
• 6:11
  - and thought it was really important that, you
• 6:13
  - know, in in that vision, we were really
• 6:15
  - clear on what it meant, what success was.
• 6:18
  - So, you know, First Choice is about, you
• 6:20
  - know, all the embed being First Choice for
• 6:23
  - patient experience, for quality, and for clinical excellence.
• 6:26
  - And everything we do and as we think
• 6:28
  - forward, you know, is how we deliver on
• 6:31
  - that vision. So the team worked through, you
• 6:33
  - know, vision, mission, strategy, the values that we
• 6:37
  - were all going to, you know, hold each
• 6:39
  - other accountable to, and then, you know, working
• 6:41
  - that into
• 6:43
  - very
• 6:43
  - understandable,
• 6:45
  - manageable plans as we think about, you know,
• 6:48
  - you know, not only what we're working on
• 6:49
  - today, but what the work is gonna look
• 6:51
  - like as well. Again, you know, we think
• 6:52
  - out, you know, quarter over quarter, into the
• 6:55
  - future.
• 6:56
  - And, you know, what was
• 6:58
  - really important is that, you know, we become
• 7:01
  - one Albany Med. We've got a lot of
• 7:02
  - businesses that are part of Albany Med and,
• 7:05
  - you know, a real focus on how we
• 7:08
  - would
• 7:09
  - integrate. So we would be one integrated system
• 7:11
  - for both, you know, a clinical,
• 7:13
  - and operational, and a and a financial perspective.
• 7:16
  - So, you know, we've got really, really, you
• 7:18
  - know, clear focus for everybody in terms of,
• 7:21
  - you know, what the future look looks like
• 7:23
  - and what's what's important in in us getting
• 7:26
  - there together.
• 7:28
  - That's really helpful to understand, and it seems
• 7:30
  - like the perfect way to take on a
• 7:32
  - role and and
• 7:34
  - think through the future, make sure everybody knows
• 7:36
  - what they're accountable for, and have that vision
• 7:38
  - you can come together around,
• 7:40
  - in thinking about your community, your patients, your
• 7:43
  - team at the health system.
• 7:45
  - Now I'm curious. When you think ahead, what
• 7:48
  - does it take then to take some of
• 7:49
  - those plans and then implement them into action?
• 7:52
  - How do you really go from one step
• 7:53
  - to the other and be as effective as
• 7:55
  - possible?
• 7:57
  - Yeah. I think
• 7:59
  - that it's in it's really important that
• 8:01
  - you're really clear on, you know, what what
• 8:04
  - I've talked about, patient experience, quality, and clinical
• 8:07
  - excellence, you know, ultimately, you know, and at
• 8:10
  - the end of the day, you know, it's
• 8:11
  - what what's what's the scorecard, you know, look
• 8:14
  - like? What's what's success look like in your
• 8:17
  - scorecard and in your balance scorecard?
• 8:19
  - So, you know, we're spending
• 8:22
  - a lot of time as a team. And
• 8:23
  - then, you know, as we you know, I
• 8:25
  - think through, like, our executive leadership
• 8:27
  - team, our senior leadership team, and then down
• 8:29
  - into, you know, right out to the front
• 8:31
  - line that we have real
• 8:34
  - clear line of sight in terms of, you
• 8:36
  - know, how all the work we do
• 8:39
  - contributes back to how we collectively have have
• 8:42
  - defined success.
• 8:44
  - You know? So
• 8:45
  - all of this happens at the front line.
• 8:47
  - That's where where it all starts and where
• 8:49
  - it all ends. You know, one of the
• 8:50
  - things that I've been I've been talking about,
• 8:52
  - you know, with the team is in in
• 8:54
  - with, you know, all of our frontline staff
• 8:56
  - is that, you know, the system,
• 8:58
  - you know, doesn't drive a penny of revenue.
• 9:01
  - The system doesn't touch a patient.
• 9:03
  - The system supports
• 9:05
  - all of the hospitals and visiting nurses and
• 9:07
  - all of the physicians
• 9:09
  - in the work that they do. And our
• 9:10
  - job is to enable them to do the
• 9:12
  - best work that they can do to operate
• 9:14
  - at the top of their license,
• 9:16
  - to give them the tools they need, you
• 9:17
  - know, the teammates they need,
• 9:19
  - the process they need, the technology they need,
• 9:22
  - the physical working environments that they need for
• 9:24
  - them to deliver,
• 9:26
  - you know, all the things that contribute to
• 9:28
  - an incredible patient experience and the best quality
• 9:31
  - and, you know, the best outcomes, you know,
• 9:33
  - we can deliver. So I think that, you
• 9:36
  - know, clear clear line of sight is is
• 9:39
  - so important, and
• 9:40
  - we can't do it without physicians.
• 9:43
  - Nothing happens without the physicians.
• 9:45
  - Nothing happens without, you know, the APPs. Nothing
• 9:48
  - happens without the nurses and all the people
• 9:50
  - that are on that front line, you know,
• 9:52
  - supporting
• 9:54
  - the the work that we do. So I
• 9:55
  - think that whole
• 9:57
  - clear line of sight between
• 9:59
  - the frontline
• 10:01
  - all the way to, you know, system leadership
• 10:03
  - is is so important. And then, you know,
• 10:06
  - it's that we we have a culture where,
• 10:10
  - you know, people
• 10:11
  - like working with each other. They trust working,
• 10:14
  - you know, with each other, and they respect
• 10:16
  - working with each other. And, you know, I
• 10:18
  - I just I think those fundamentals, regardless of
• 10:21
  - the
• 10:21
  - the industry that you're in, are always gonna
• 10:24
  - prevail at the end of the day if
• 10:26
  - you have a a culture that just encourages
• 10:29
  - in in in the fabric of that culture
• 10:30
  - is is people working together like that.
• 10:33
  - That's amazing to hear. And, you know, it
• 10:35
  - really truly
• 10:36
  - adds color and light into how you can,
• 10:40
  - look at the organization
• 10:41
  - and think about those mission, the vision, the
• 10:43
  - values, and then bring those into action and
• 10:45
  - actually realize them and live them out every
• 10:47
  - day. Now I'm curious. When you're looking at
• 10:49
  - the future as well, what are some of
• 10:51
  - the big headwinds that you're keeping an eye
• 10:52
  - on and preparing for?
• 10:55
  - Yeah. I mean,
• 10:57
  - a simple question, but a big one. Right?
• 11:00
  - Yeah. A big one. So
• 11:02
  - one of the things that we we we
• 11:04
  - we've focused on is the things that we
• 11:07
  - can control. And, you know, everything we've talked
• 11:09
  - about so far, you know, we have under
• 11:12
  - our control. I mean and and I think
• 11:13
  - that, you know, that's really important. That's what
• 11:15
  - we really need to, you know, embrace and
• 11:18
  - double and triple down on. And then, you
• 11:21
  - know, to this question, we've got some things
• 11:23
  - that we maybe have influence,
• 11:25
  - on, but, you know, we we've gotta really
• 11:28
  - pay pay
• 11:29
  - close attention to in in terms of those
• 11:31
  - headwinds. So, you know, of course, there's there's
• 11:34
  - the reimbursement in public policy
• 11:36
  - and, you know, what is the impact of,
• 11:39
  - you know, what's happening in in Medicare and
• 11:41
  - Medicaid? What's that what's that gonna look like?
• 11:44
  - You know? So we've gotta be really, you
• 11:47
  - know, I think, crisp in how we model
• 11:49
  - the impact of HR one and what the
• 11:51
  - guardrails look like there. And, of course, we're
• 11:53
  - doing that, you know, because we we're gonna
• 11:55
  - need to find ways that in that environment,
• 11:57
  - we can we can make up for the,
• 12:00
  - you know, unfavorable
• 12:01
  - variance that's gonna hit our business financially.
• 12:04
  - You know, we've got
• 12:06
  - also that the impact of that on how
• 12:08
  - we, you know, we care for our, you
• 12:11
  - know, rural communities,
• 12:13
  - and and also how we care for for
• 12:15
  - our urban communities.
• 12:17
  - You know, we've got three forty b that
• 12:19
  - we we need to keep an eye on.
• 12:20
  - You know? So the whole reimbursement and public
• 12:23
  - policy component is is, you know,
• 12:26
  - important for us to
• 12:28
  - understand. There's a lot of it that we
• 12:30
  - we can't control.
• 12:32
  - You know, we'll work with all the support
• 12:34
  - organizations that we have there. But, you know,
• 12:36
  - we we need to really understand what the
• 12:38
  - the impact is gonna be. So
• 12:41
  - that's one that that's big for us in
• 12:43
  - in understanding that like it is for for
• 12:44
  - everybody that that that sits in the same,
• 12:46
  - you know, seat that I do and that
• 12:47
  - our team does.
• 12:49
  - You know, I would say, you know, also
• 12:51
  - we're we're really looking at
• 12:53
  - access,
• 12:54
  - and we're looking at shift from, you know,
• 12:58
  - the hospital to ambulatory
• 13:00
  - and, you know, things that, you know, are
• 13:03
  - gaining momentum. I mean, they're they're gaining momentum
• 13:05
  - for the right reasons. I mean, anytime we
• 13:07
  - can deliver care, you know, the right care
• 13:10
  - at the right place at the right time,
• 13:11
  - and it's closer to home, and it's in
• 13:13
  - that ambulatory environment, and it's, you know, in
• 13:16
  - the hospital only when it needs to be,
• 13:18
  - it's gonna be, you know, really important. And
• 13:21
  - I think also, you know, that plays into,
• 13:23
  - you know, us keeping close tabs on the
• 13:25
  - shift from, you know, from volume to value.
• 13:28
  - And that value play is gonna be really
• 13:30
  - important.
• 13:31
  - So we've got, you know, those components. And
• 13:34
  - then I think in in parallel with that,
• 13:36
  - the other big one in you know, this
• 13:38
  - would be more of a a rapidly building
• 13:41
  - tailwind is what what is, you know, AI
• 13:43
  - and digital and data going to mean to
• 13:46
  - our business. We know, you know, and we
• 13:48
  - haven't, you know, come from from that space.
• 13:51
  - No.
• 13:52
  - It's gonna mean something, you know, beyond evolutionary.
• 13:55
  - Right? Like, revolutionary
• 13:56
  - for health care.
• 13:57
  - And, you know, that's something that we really
• 14:00
  - have our eye on in terms of what
• 14:02
  - what that's gonna look like as we think
• 14:03
  - forward.
• 14:05
  - That that makes a lot of sense. You
• 14:06
  - know, it is kind of fascinating to have
• 14:08
  - at this moment in time both the really
• 14:10
  - big financial challenges that already a lot of
• 14:13
  - health systems have today and then thinking about,
• 14:15
  - you know, some of the additional challenges that
• 14:17
  - will be ahead with HR one and whatnot.
• 14:19
  - But then two, having the technology there, which
• 14:21
  - is obviously a huge investment, but can,
• 14:24
  - support future growth and development in a hugely
• 14:27
  - meaningful way. And so I can imagine it
• 14:29
  - feels somewhat,
• 14:30
  - frenetic sometimes for leadership teams and and c
• 14:32
  - suites and and just trying to make sure
• 14:35
  - you've got both things squared and and planning
• 14:37
  - for the future.
• 14:39
  - Yeah. You know, I was having a conversation,
• 14:41
  - and I remember, you know, it's like when
• 14:43
  - you're younger and you start working, I think
• 14:45
  - at one point, I had a public, what's
• 14:46
  - gonna happen when we solve all the problems?
• 14:48
  - Like, what will we do? Mhmm.
• 14:50
  - What work are we gonna have? And then
• 14:52
  - you sort of look today, and it's like,
• 14:53
  - alright. Well, there's there there are enough, you
• 14:56
  - know, opportunities,
• 14:58
  - to do amazing things, and there's enough challenges
• 15:01
  - out there that at least I'm comfortable that
• 15:03
  - there's gonna be work for a long time.
• 15:06
  - But, yeah, you're you're right. It's like they're
• 15:08
  - sort of both sides of of the scale.
• 15:10
  - Right? There's there's things that are are, you
• 15:13
  - know, real headwinds that we need to address,
• 15:15
  - but at the same time, you know, there's
• 15:17
  - tremendous
• 15:18
  - opportunities in terms of, you know,
• 15:21
  - new ways of thinking about things and new
• 15:23
  - ways of of of executing,
• 15:26
  - that are out there. So I think
• 15:28
  - what's gonna be important is that you really
• 15:30
  - understand both of those and you you've gotta
• 15:32
  - put the the the team and and the
• 15:35
  - enterprise assistant in a place where, you know,
• 15:38
  - you're getting more of the benefit,
• 15:41
  - and less of the headwind in terms of
• 15:43
  - how how it impacts your ability to achieve
• 15:46
  - your goals. So, you know, that that's what
• 15:48
  - what we're we're focused on. You know, when
• 15:51
  - you think about to your point on, you
• 15:53
  - know, the the opportunity that's out there, if
• 15:54
  - you look at the amount of
• 15:56
  - capital that has been invested in AI, like,
• 15:59
  - so in the core
• 16:01
  - AI
• 16:01
  - players, whether it's the, you know, folks, you
• 16:04
  - know, with the the large language models like
• 16:07
  - Anthropic or like OpenAI
• 16:10
  - or whether it's the folks that are specifically
• 16:12
  - focused on on health care,
• 16:15
  - that there's there's tremendous opportunity. And the reason
• 16:18
  - all that capital
• 16:19
  - is going in is, you know, because there's
• 16:22
  - use cases that are out there that are
• 16:24
  - gonna drive value
• 16:25
  - that will return that capital. And, you know,
• 16:28
  - one of the biggest use cases you think
• 16:29
  - about just how big
• 16:31
  - health care
• 16:32
  - spending is in in The US. It's,
• 16:35
  - you know, it's why you have, you know,
• 16:37
  - companies like Open Evidence, you know, and health
• 16:39
  - care focused on
• 16:41
  - really transforming
• 16:44
  - the capabilities of physicians and of administrators, right,
• 16:47
  - to be able to, you know, offset some
• 16:50
  - of these, you know, headwinds and try and
• 16:52
  - bend the curve on, I think, you know,
• 16:54
  - cost of it cost of it increasing
• 16:57
  - at a rate that is just,
• 16:59
  - it's not sustainable in perpetuity for sure. There's
• 17:01
  - just there's just not enough there's not enough
• 17:03
  - capital out there for things to continue the
• 17:06
  - way they have been. So we we absolutely
• 17:07
  - need to get, you know,
• 17:09
  - smarter at, you know, how we deliver
• 17:13
  - better care,
• 17:14
  - in a more affordable way that's accessible. And
• 17:17
  - at the end of the day, it's it's
• 17:18
  - it delivers more value.
• 17:21
  - Absolutely. That makes a ton of sense, you
• 17:22
  - know, and it's fascinating to think about how
• 17:24
  - the technology is playing a role on that
• 17:26
  - and what where the money and funding and
• 17:28
  - all those kinds of things is coming from
• 17:30
  - and flowing into. And when you think about
• 17:32
  - growth in particular for Albany Med, is there
• 17:34
  - anything that, you see as a great opportunity
• 17:37
  - in the next two to three years? Obviously,
• 17:39
  - bringing technology in its core and important, but
• 17:42
  - where do you see us being places to
• 17:44
  - expand the business or or growth is, most
• 17:46
  - beneficial?
• 17:48
  - Yeah. So so we're thinking about, you know,
• 17:51
  - the business.
• 17:53
  - The business is already met at the the
• 17:54
  - highest level. We're thinking about it in in
• 17:57
  - in a bimodal way. So, you know, mode
• 18:00
  - one
• 18:01
  - is the business that we're in. So all
• 18:04
  - of the things that we've been doing for,
• 18:07
  - you know, in some cases,
• 18:09
  - quite a long period of time,
• 18:11
  - and some of the things that, you know,
• 18:12
  - we've been doing for a shorter period of
• 18:14
  - time. But, you know, looking at
• 18:16
  - business today
• 18:18
  - that and and the the focus on the
• 18:20
  - business today is how do we operate
• 18:23
  - that mode, mode one, in a very, you
• 18:27
  - know, efficient, effective
• 18:29
  - way. So there's a lot that we can
• 18:31
  - do in
• 18:33
  - our current business
• 18:34
  - to grow. I mean, we can look at,
• 18:37
  - for instance, again, back to what I started
• 18:38
  - with. I mean, nothing without physicians and our
• 18:41
  - medical staff, all the
• 18:44
  - amazing people that care for our patients. So
• 18:47
  - there, you know, we really have to look
• 18:49
  - at how we're
• 18:51
  - retaining
• 18:52
  - and rewarding
• 18:54
  - our our medical staff,
• 18:56
  - how we're attracting
• 18:57
  - the absolute best to Albany Med,
• 19:00
  - because
• 19:02
  - solving for that and having a really healthy,
• 19:05
  - right, forward view and healthy medical staff is
• 19:08
  - gonna have big impact on on access.
• 19:11
  - It's gonna have impact on, you know, how
• 19:14
  - when, you know, patients need Albany Med, we
• 19:16
  - can get them into care
• 19:18
  - in a in a timely,
• 19:20
  - right, manner.
• 19:21
  - So, you know, we've got that component.
• 19:24
  - You know, once once we're caring for patients,
• 19:27
  - we need to be, you know,
• 19:29
  - really, really effective in terms of how we're
• 19:32
  - managing our length of stay.
• 19:34
  - You know, are we, you know, effective in
• 19:37
  - post acute?
• 19:38
  - Are we effective in logistics in terms of
• 19:40
  - who's being cared for, you know, where?
• 19:43
  - That's gonna have a big, you know, impact
• 19:45
  - on our case mix. And, you know, if
• 19:47
  - you think about how our system is is
• 19:49
  - organized, I mean, we've got Albany Medical Center
• 19:52
  - Hospital, you know, that's our RTQ hospital. It's
• 19:55
  - the hospital for our other hospitals
• 19:57
  - that handles our most, complex cases.
• 20:00
  - So it's, you know, how do we make
• 20:02
  - sure the right people are being cared for
• 20:05
  - at Albany Medical Center Hospital,
• 20:07
  - and then
• 20:09
  - closely integrated with that and centered on on
• 20:12
  - the patient, how do we make sure that
• 20:13
  - patients that they can be cared for in
• 20:16
  - our community hospitals or at home are being
• 20:18
  - cared for in those environments? You know, because,
• 20:20
  - again, you know, closer to home is is
• 20:23
  - better for everybody. It's better for the patient.
• 20:25
  - It's better for the family that many patients
• 20:28
  - depend on. It's better for for our providers,
• 20:30
  - and it's better for our community. So, you
• 20:32
  - know, we have focus there.
• 20:34
  - We also then have focus in that care
• 20:37
  - model with how can we get, you know,
• 20:39
  - more efficient. So back to the, you know,
• 20:41
  - conversation we had on the impact of things
• 20:43
  - like, you know, technology and AI and how
• 20:45
  - we leverage our data. You know, I think
• 20:47
  - that more of the the more intent we
• 20:50
  - have in how we execute is gonna drive
• 20:52
  - better better result.
• 20:55
  - And it all sort of points back to
• 20:57
  - you. There's a lot we can do
• 20:59
  - with the current business to grow. So mode
• 21:02
  - one is the focus on on that. And,
• 21:06
  - you know, there, if you, you know, you
• 21:07
  - look at our business today, you know, we've
• 21:09
  - got, you know, over a 100 ambulatory sites.
• 21:12
  - We absolutely expect that, you know, as we
• 21:15
  - think forward in our in for instance, our
• 21:17
  - plan for 2027,
• 21:19
  - you know, we're thinking about what does what
• 21:21
  - does that ambulatory growth look like.
• 21:24
  - We've got some investments,
• 21:25
  - you know, that are already in process right
• 21:28
  - now,
• 21:28
  - where, for instance, we're going to open up
• 21:31
  - a new ambulatory surgery center in our Southern
• 21:34
  - market.
• 21:35
  - That's due to come online at the beginning
• 21:36
  - of twenty twenty seven. We've got large ED
• 21:39
  - expansion progress,
• 21:41
  - projects in that mode one at Albany Medical
• 21:44
  - Center Hospital and at Glen's Falls Hospital.
• 21:47
  - We have some really, you know, interesting work
• 21:50
  - we're doing around,
• 21:51
  - you know, aging and wellness in Saratoga. So
• 21:54
  - a lot of really
• 21:56
  - patient driven, patient need driven, community driven, you
• 22:00
  - know, opportunities in the business that we're in
• 22:02
  - today.
• 22:03
  - And then, you know, the other product growth
• 22:06
  - is, you know, mode two. Right? If you,
• 22:09
  - you know, you look at our income statement
• 22:10
  - today, there's a there's a lot of volume
• 22:12
  - dependency,
• 22:13
  - in our income statement today. And mode two
• 22:16
  - is, you know, what are the emerging
• 22:18
  - opportunities we have? Like, more, you know, consumer
• 22:21
  - centric, consumer driven opportunities that that we need
• 22:25
  - to be thinking about. So, you know, I
• 22:26
  - think about I wear a loop, and you
• 22:28
  - think about all of the opportunity you have
• 22:30
  - around
• 22:31
  - biomarkers and biometrics
• 22:33
  - and, you know, how how will we be
• 22:35
  - more
• 22:36
  - wellness oriented in terms of our understanding of
• 22:38
  - our patients and how we take that data
• 22:40
  - and make that data
• 22:42
  - available to our our physicians and our medical
• 22:44
  - staff. I think there's there's a lot there,
• 22:48
  - and that would be both too. So a
• 22:49
  - lot of thinking in terms of how mold
• 22:52
  - two that is, you know, really a de
• 22:54
  - minimis part of our business today becomes a
• 22:56
  - material part of of the all new med
• 22:58
  - business. And, again, we're thinking out through through
• 23:01
  - 2030. So we're looking at both, you know,
• 23:04
  - the short view that we have on
• 23:07
  - being really effective at what we do today
• 23:09
  - and then how we need to be thinking
• 23:10
  - more, you know, out and allocating capital with
• 23:12
  - some of the things that are really exciting
• 23:15
  - for all the stakeholders in Albany Med in
• 23:17
  - the future.
• 23:18
  - Got it. That's fascinating to hear and, you
• 23:20
  - know, truly,
• 23:21
  - seems like a a lot to consider and
• 23:24
  - think about, but also very exciting about where
• 23:26
  - the organization can go, how accessibility,
• 23:30
  - as well
• 23:31
  - as the,
• 23:32
  - just overall
• 23:33
  - growth and and strength and foundation of the
• 23:35
  - organization is going to grow. Now before we
• 23:38
  - wrap up here, I'm curious, who do you
• 23:39
  - admire as a leader from health care or
• 23:42
  - any industry really and why?
• 23:44
  - Yeah.
• 23:45
  - That that's that's a a great question. You
• 23:48
  - know?
• 23:50
  - I I I'm I love mentors,
• 23:53
  - and I look back on my career and
• 23:54
  - I look at where I am. And, you
• 23:56
  - know, if
• 23:57
  - you know, I I I honestly, I never
• 24:00
  - thought I would be sitting in the the
• 24:01
  - chair of, you know,
• 24:03
  - academic health system president and CEO.
• 24:06
  - You know, I I didn't. But, you know,
• 24:08
  - again, it goes back to, like, regardless of
• 24:10
  - the the
• 24:11
  - executive, you know, the CEO chair that you're
• 24:13
  - sitting in. I think that the story of
• 24:15
  - how you got there is really important. Mine
• 24:17
  - has a lot to do with with, you
• 24:19
  - know, the mentors that I had.
• 24:21
  - You know, I got invited to a CEO,
• 24:24
  - a retired CEO lunch club, like, ten years
• 24:27
  - ago, and they would invite, like, somebody still
• 24:30
  - working as a guest. And after I went
• 24:31
  - to the first lunch club, they invited me
• 24:33
  - to join the club. And it just it
• 24:35
  - gets to your question. So, you know, I
• 24:37
  - I I had, you know, my my most
• 24:40
  - impactful mentor was was an executive named John
• 24:43
  - Cavalier,
• 24:44
  - who was one of the first, you know,
• 24:45
  - executives executives at Apple. Steve Wozniak actually, you
• 24:49
  - know, worked for John, and John worked for
• 24:51
  - Steve Jobs. So So I had a lot
• 24:52
  - of chance to learn about Apple from the
• 24:54
  - inside. I actually had a chance to, you
• 24:56
  - know, to speak with and spend a lot
• 24:58
  - of time with Steve Wozniak. So, you know,
• 25:00
  - someone like John, I really I learned how
• 25:03
  - important,
• 25:04
  - you know, people in culture were. And in
• 25:07
  - in in at the same time with John,
• 25:09
  - I learned how important, like, your relationship with
• 25:11
  - your CFO was and your executive team,
• 25:14
  - in terms of the disciplines and how you
• 25:16
  - manage performance.
• 25:17
  - You know? So John always comes to mind,
• 25:20
  - and, you know, he passed away a few
• 25:22
  - years ago. And and but he he just
• 25:24
  - I think he lives on,
• 25:26
  - in terms
• 25:27
  - of how I do, you know, in in
• 25:30
  - what I do.
• 25:31
  - And then I would say, I'm gonna go
• 25:33
  - to my mom,
• 25:34
  - you know, in terms of in terms of
• 25:36
  - someone I admire. I mean, my mom passed
• 25:38
  - away at 62,
• 25:39
  - but I watched her as a nurse. And
• 25:41
  - I watched her interaction with fellow nurses and
• 25:43
  - doctors and patients. And, you know, that was
• 25:46
  - back at a time where there really was
• 25:48
  - closeness. Like, I remember, you know, we would
• 25:50
  - spend weekends with the doctors that my mom
• 25:52
  - worked with. And in my office right now,
• 25:54
  - I have her time card. She was an
• 25:56
  - RN nurse manager, and I have her time
• 25:59
  - card probably back from 1990,
• 26:01
  - something like that. And she was working, you
• 26:03
  - know, three twelves for the, like, the month
• 26:06
  - that's on the time card. And I remember
• 26:08
  - the three twelves. I remember her. You know,
• 26:10
  - she would be gone,
• 26:11
  - you know, when I I got up in
• 26:14
  - the morning.
• 26:15
  - And, you know, she when she came home,
• 26:17
  - I will be at practice for sports or
• 26:19
  - something, and she would go back to work
• 26:21
  - by the time I got home from practice.
• 26:22
  - So there would be, you know, days in
• 26:24
  - a row where I didn't see her. And
• 26:25
  - I think about the dedication and how much
• 26:28
  - care, like, our nurses have for the patients
• 26:30
  - they care for. So I would say, you
• 26:32
  - know, John Cavalier, my mom. And then also,
• 26:35
  - I watch the work that our
• 26:38
  - people do every day, like, all 17,000
• 26:40
  - people, and they care so much. That's you
• 26:44
  - know, I admire that.
• 26:47
  - I love it. Who better to learn from
• 26:49
  - than the those who are most successful in
• 26:51
  - their own industries and and the people closest
• 26:53
  - to you. Dan, thank you so much for
• 26:55
  - joining us on the podcast. This has been
• 26:57
  - such a fascinating conversation and truly valuable to
• 27:00
  - learn more about what you're doing at Albany
• 27:01
  - Med, and I look forward to seeing you
• 27:03
  - in person as well at our CEO, CEO
• 27:04
  - of a roundtable. I think it'd be a
• 27:06
  - great opportunity to connect and and dig deeper
• 27:08
  - into many of the themes you talked about
• 27:10
  - today.
• 27:11
  - That sounds great. Thank you, though. I really
• 27:13
  - appreciate it.