Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Expanding Access While Preparing for Healthcare's Next Wave of Change with Cody Walker

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Expanding Access While Preparing for Healthcare's Next Wave of Change with Cody Walker · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - 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 Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare
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  - podcast.
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  - I'm thrilled today to be joined by Cody
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  - Walker, president of Baptist Health Medical Center in
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  - North Little Rock. Cody, it's a pleasure to
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  - have you on the podcast today. Pleasure to
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  - be here, Laura. Thanks so much for having
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  - me. Absolutely. Now I'm excited for our conversation.
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  - I know we'll catch up a bit on
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  - some of the things that you're doing at
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  - the hospital and then, you know, looking to,
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  - how you're thinking about the future. But before
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  - we dive in, can you tell us just
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  - a little bit more about yourself and Baptist
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  - Health Medical Center?
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  - Sure.
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  - My name is Cody Walker, president of Baptist
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  - Health Medical Center here in North Little Rock,
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  - Arkansas.
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  - Baptist Health is a 14 hospital
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  - system here exclusively in the state, and
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  - I've been in this role as president of
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  - our North Little Rock campus,
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  - which is about a 225
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  - bed facility for the last four years.
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  - Been with Baptist Health for the last six
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  - years and, you know, find myself busy. It
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  - seems like busier, each and every day
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  - with all that's going on,
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  - but, proud to be with you today and
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  - and to talk a little bit about what
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  - we're working on and what we're looking forward
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  - to.
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  - That's great to hear. And, you know, I
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  - think to get us started off, can you
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  - give us just a little state of the
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  - union of,
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  - the hospital and and what has gone well
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  - through this year so far as well as
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  - what you're focused on for 2026?
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  - Sure. I, you know, I I think as
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  - as I,
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  - ponder on that question,
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  - sometimes it's,
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  - what's going well is also some of what
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  - we're struggling with. And what I mean by
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  - that is is, you know, health care is,
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  - as I can imagine, many would resonate around
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  - the country today is as challenging as it's
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  - ever been and probably the easiest as it's
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  - ever going to be, it seems.
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  - But, you know, I think for what has
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  - been going well
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  - for for the for our hospital in specific
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  - is we've been able to make access for
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  - patients,
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  - new access, and and and grow in our
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  - our, ability to care for our community through
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  - new efficiencies, and we've we've been able to
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  - go from really a middle of the pack
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  - player in throughput and efficiency and link to
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  - stay to a top decile performer,
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  - through some of the rigors
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  - processes and and and group work that we've
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  - put into play
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  - recently that's really made an impact, I think,
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  - on access to care.
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  - So,
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  - but but at the same degree,
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  - you know, the demands for our services are
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  - higher than they've ever been. And, I think
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  - what, you know, what seems to be going
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  - well is also
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  - dovetailed and with some cautious optimism,
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  - about,
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  - you know, the demand for our services and
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  - and I, you know, with with all that's
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  - happening on the national and federal front,
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  - around,
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  - you know, the cost of of health care
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  - and people dropping off of
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  - and the ACA subsidy
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  - based plans and and the pending Medicaid work
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  - requirements, you know,
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  - as as good as it's been for us
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  - to
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  - make access
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  - for patients in our hospitals,
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  - I think the waves keep coming. And,
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  - unfortunately, I think that that beginning to look
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  - more like self pay and charity pay
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  - cases,
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  - to which, you know, as a nonprofit health
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  - system, we will continue to step up for
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  - our community, but it it certainly makes it
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  - a challenge.
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  - Something else I think that's been going well
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  - for us, Laura, is,
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  - our focus on guest experience,
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  - consumer
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  - consumer experience at large and and trying
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  - to to in our own ways as a
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  - hospital make that as best as we possibly
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  - can.
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  - We've tried
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  - a new partnership
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  - with
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  - a a texting platform
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  - that's being utilized in the the Marriott and
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  - Hilton
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  - resorts around texting with our our guests and
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  - and when they're on the inpatient setting,
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  - not necessarily about their hospital lab values or
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  - that an x-ray has been ordered, but more
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  - so about the the needs that we can
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  - address
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  - that they typically are more interested in in
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  - talking to us about, but oftentimes have to
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  - use a call light just to speak with
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  - our staff.
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  - We've we've been working through over the last
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  - several months ways to make texting available for
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  - operational needs or hospitality like needs in our
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  - hospital,
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  - And I've gotten some really good and encouraging
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  - feedback, some really strong engagement, and,
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  - some good feedback from our our our patients
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  - and even the support individuals that that come
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  - alongside and and care for the patient, you
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  - know as as a spouse or a loved
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  - one that
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  - that can inform us about how the care
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  - is going while they're here with us. So
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  - we really enjoyed that and and plan to
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  - to really hit the gas on that moving
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  - forward and improving our guest experience. We've seen
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  - some positive results so far. So those are
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  - some of the things that I'd say are
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  - are going well for us.
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  - Well, that's great to hear. And, you know,
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  - so interesting to think about that patient experience
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  - and texting platform too. I I'm curious,
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  - you know, what does it take to set
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  - up something like that? And, you know, anything
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  - you've been surprised by going through that process
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  - as you've kind of been thinking through more
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  - of the hospitality mindset versus the traditional
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  - health care, provider to patient relationship?
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  - Yeah. It's, it's been a codevelopment process for
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  - us with this
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  - with this company and and, you know, you
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  - always hear about, you know, buy, build,
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  - partner and and for us, this is one
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  - of those that we we felt like we
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  - needed to partner with an industry leader outside
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  - the health care sector to to begin laying
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  - the structure and groundwork to to try something
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  - new inside
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  - of health care. And and so we we're
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  - really learning
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  - a lot along the way. I mean, it's
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  - it's kind of the
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  - building the plane and flying it at the
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  - same time concept.
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  - And so we've we piloted it on,
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  - three of our units so far and and,
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  - we've been at it for about ninety days
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  - now and are seeing
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  - seeing those,
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  - reap the benefits through the what our patients
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  - are telling us. But
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  - so far it's been a bit manual, Laura.
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  - You know, not to
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  - make it overly complicated
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  - to start, you know, it's it's kind of
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  - like one of those things where we
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  - we wanna build a good process and then
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  - begin to automate it
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  - or or, you know, integrate it. And so
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  - I think what we're trying to do right
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  - now is is learn the process,
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  - learn what works and what doesn't, and then
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  - begin to build those integrations to to scale.
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  - So we're we're really probably going a mile
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  - deep in in the solution today,
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  - and and learning what what kinks,
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  - are are in the inherent process that we're,
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  - I think, you know, frankly, kinda building from
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  - from scratch.
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  - And and so I think that, we will
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  - get to those integrations here shortly, but we
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  - really wanna make sure that we're we have
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  - a crisp process before we, you know, accelerated
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  - it and automate it. What I think there's
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  - a lot of potential for for some of
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  - this to be,
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  - you know, auto or or agentic
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  - AI responded,
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  - because what we're finding is a lot of
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  - the questions are are, as you would imagine,
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  - are are categorized and routine, frequent questions that
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  - we can probably create a lot of, you
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  - know, automation around and then white glove the
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  - rest of them, to help help guests get,
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  - what they're looking for, the answers they need,
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  - or the services that that we can help
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  - them with.
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  - That makes a ton of sense. You know,
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  - it sounds like a really smart way to
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  - begin using the technology, figuring out what's gonna
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  - work best, and then,
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  - leveraging for more efficiencies in in the larger
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  - scale rollout too.
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  - So that's super interesting.
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  - And, you know, I'm curious. Obviously, a lot
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  - of, great opportunities and interesting things going on
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  - right now, but what are some of the
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  - headwinds as well that you're keeping an eye
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  - on and preparing for? I know you mentioned
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  - a little bit about some of the different,
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  - you know,
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  - payer challenges and and and things happening with
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  - the ACA plan drop offs and whatnot. So
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  - how are you thinking about those as well
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  - as any other headwinds,
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  - as you prepare for the future?
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  - Yeah. We we've seen,
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  - like, I know many of my colleagues around
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  - the country, we've seen
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  - a pretty alarming
• 8:44
  - drop off in the in the exchange products,
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  - because of that cost. And so we're we're
• 8:49
  - watching that really closely. But
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  - we also know that,
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  - the Medicaid work requirements for our state, soft
• 8:56
  - launch this month,
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  - well, actually, July 1, they they did a
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  - soft launch and will go into effect 01/01/2027.
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  - And this isn't our first round,
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  - of that in 2018. We we our state
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  - did something similar and it,
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  - it became a challenge,
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  - because,
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  - a lot a lot of people fell out
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  - of coverage and so we expect that to
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  - happen, you know, to some degree again,
• 9:20
  - and and I know for the right reasons,
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  - but also it it affects,
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  - you know, our how how we do our
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  - business. And so we're we're watching that really
• 9:28
  - closely and and,
• 9:30
  - continuing to try to make efficiencies along the
• 9:32
  - way,
• 9:33
  - because we know what our ER boarding looks
• 9:35
  - like today or or the demand for our
• 9:37
  - services is only going to increase
• 9:39
  - as people
• 9:41
  - don't seek care routinely and and come in
• 9:44
  - more emergently, so we're we're watching that very
• 9:46
  - close.
• 9:47
  - You know, working with our our local hospital
• 9:50
  - association in partnership with the National Hospital Association
• 9:53
  - around,
• 9:55
  - the three forty
• 9:56
  - b discussion,
• 9:57
  - on Capitol Hill and,
• 9:59
  - and even some of what CMS has proposed
• 10:02
  - around side neutral payments, and,
• 10:04
  - we're we're watching that really close. I think
• 10:06
  - those are, you know, headwinds we've all been
• 10:09
  - talking about for a while now that,
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  - you know, could be very disruptive
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  - in in how we conduct business every day
• 10:16
  - and and provide care for the the communities
• 10:18
  - that we serve. And so,
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  - those are some of the things that we,
• 10:22
  - you know, are not unique to our market
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  - per se, but, certainly something that would cause
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  - us to to have to pivot in a
• 10:29
  - variety of ways to to continue to provide
• 10:31
  - high level care to to those in our
• 10:33
  - market. So
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  - that that's what I'd say, Laura, is that
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  - we're watching.
• 10:37
  - Very you know, health care is very,
• 10:39
  - it's just as disruptive as ever. And,
• 10:43
  - there's there's some things that
• 10:45
  - are coming at us, or at least being
• 10:47
  - being discussed at a level that I think,
• 10:50
  - could cause a a lot of disruption.
• 10:52
  - That makes a ton of sense. And, you
• 10:54
  - know, I can imagine,
• 10:56
  - a a lot having having to balance a
• 10:58
  - lot when you're looking at, you know, what
• 11:00
  - you need to prepare for, for next year
• 11:02
  - and and some of these trends continue. And
• 11:04
  - just fascinating to hear about the Medicaid work
• 11:06
  - requirements too. I mean, you know, is there
• 11:08
  - anything that you're preparing to do differently as,
• 11:11
  - the the those continue,
• 11:14
  - as compared to 2018? Or, I guess, what
• 11:16
  - lessons did you learn
• 11:18
  - that would be helpful for other hospital executives
• 11:21
  - to know and think about?
• 11:23
  - Yeah. I mean, I think,
• 11:25
  - that's a good question. I I don't have
• 11:27
  - the best answer for you other than, you
• 11:29
  - know, we have to continue to be
• 11:32
  - efficient
• 11:32
  - and manage and steward the resources that we
• 11:35
  - have now more than ever, you know, looking
• 11:38
  - at ways that
• 11:39
  - to reduce waste within our systems,
• 11:42
  - because, you know, providing access to care is
• 11:45
  - not an option. It's never it's never
• 11:48
  - been something that we'd even entertain. It's just
• 11:50
  - that,
• 11:51
  - these are realities we have to deal with
• 11:53
  - and,
• 11:54
  - be
• 11:55
  - be flexible and willing to to pivot to
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  - make those adjustments to continue to do what
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  - we've been doing for over a hundred years.
• 12:02
  - Yeah. I do think we have
• 12:05
  - been having conversations with our state legislature
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  - around
• 12:09
  - ways to promote fairness and
• 12:12
  - preserve the rural hospitals
• 12:15
  - in our our state as well. I mean,
• 12:17
  - we're all under threat for that around the
• 12:19
  - country and I think for us, you know,
• 12:21
  - we in Arkansas get paid 50 out of
• 12:24
  - 50 on federal and CMS reimbursement and we
• 12:27
  - also get paid 50 out of 50 on
• 12:29
  - commercial reimbursement. So, you know, as a state,
• 12:32
  - we're at the bottom of the barrel on
• 12:34
  - reimbursement, but yet
• 12:36
  - cost is, you know, on par with bordering
• 12:39
  - states.
• 12:40
  - You know, the expenses for supplies, we don't
• 12:43
  - get a break on because of our reimbursement
• 12:46
  - structure in our state. So,
• 12:47
  - you know, ways to promote fairness for the
• 12:50
  - for who we care for,
• 12:52
  - across state lines like in Texas or Louisiana
• 12:55
  - or Tennessee. I mean, we still provide care
• 12:57
  - for for patients all around our state beyond
• 13:00
  - and yet we get paid on a on
• 13:02
  - a totally different scale. And so how do
• 13:04
  - how do we communicate that message to, you
• 13:06
  - know, promote fairness when the you know, it
• 13:08
  - seems like,
• 13:10
  - so much is changing around us to, you
• 13:12
  - know, make sure we're reimbursed on a
• 13:15
  - similar scale as those that,
• 13:18
  - you know, we share borders with, but then,
• 13:20
  - you know, ways that we can preserve the
• 13:22
  - the rural hospitals that provide such, you know,
• 13:25
  - life sustaining care to the communities they serve
• 13:27
  - along the way. And so I think those
• 13:29
  - are the messages that we,
• 13:31
  - would share with others, but also just promote
• 13:33
  - with them that as as the rules, you
• 13:36
  - know, continue to be reviewed and,
• 13:39
  - debated, I I think we have to continue
• 13:42
  - to focus on what we can here locally
• 13:44
  - around stewarding our our resources,
• 13:46
  - managing
• 13:47
  - high efficiencies,
• 13:48
  - and,
• 13:49
  - but then also
• 13:51
  - discussing more on the the lobby front around,
• 13:54
  - ways that we can preserve this in the
• 13:56
  - long run too, because it's it's as challenging
• 13:59
  - as ever and and,
• 14:01
  - we need our our communities and our our
• 14:04
  - legislator to,
• 14:06
  - to help us,
• 14:07
  - keep doing what we do so well.
• 14:10
  - Got it. That's so helpful to understand and,
• 14:12
  - you know, I know it's a constant,
• 14:14
  - constant
• 14:15
  - moving target in some ways, but it seems
• 14:17
  - like it makes so much sense to have
• 14:20
  - those, kind of local ties and and certainly
• 14:23
  - connected with the legislators too, as they're making,
• 14:26
  - different policies and updates. So I appreciate, your
• 14:29
  - thoughtful and candid response here. Now I wanted
• 14:32
  - to ask you about growth too. Where do
• 14:34
  - you see some of the best opportunities to
• 14:35
  - grow in the next two to three years
• 14:37
  - or so?
• 14:38
  - You know, we've seen a lot of disruption
• 14:40
  - in,
• 14:41
  - health care in the last, you know, year
• 14:43
  - or two, and it seems like every six
• 14:45
  - months
• 14:46
  - that new insurance or new, disruptions are are
• 14:49
  - affecting,
• 14:50
  - the ways that we strategically plan for the
• 14:52
  - next two to three years. But I I
• 14:54
  - think for our health system, we have always
• 14:57
  - prided ourselves on providing some of the highest
• 14:59
  - end specialties and the highest level of care
• 15:02
  - in and around our region, you know, being
• 15:04
  - the first to do
• 15:06
  - a a variety of, you know, tertiary
• 15:09
  - service lines or or treatments here. I think
• 15:12
  - that focus hasn't changed.
• 15:14
  - As much as we
• 15:16
  - will continue to focus on value based care
• 15:18
  - and population health and and access to primary
• 15:21
  - care,
• 15:22
  - and ways to be convenient to our consumers,
• 15:24
  - we we have to continue to be focusing
• 15:27
  - on the things that only we can do
• 15:29
  - in the ways that we can do it.
• 15:30
  - And so,
• 15:31
  - over the next two to three years, and
• 15:33
  - really even beyond, you know, we'll we'll remain
• 15:36
  - focused in on,
• 15:37
  - critical care and
• 15:39
  - high level specialties
• 15:40
  - like spine surgery and
• 15:42
  - neurosurgery, heart surgery,
• 15:45
  - you know, behavioral health,
• 15:47
  - women's health,
• 15:49
  - vascular,
• 15:50
  - those things that, you know, have built our
• 15:52
  - brand and have built whom we are known
• 15:54
  - for in the community, we have to continue
• 15:56
  - to be excellent at that. And that sometimes
• 15:59
  - means recruiting, you know, the best and the
• 16:01
  - brightest, sometimes that means, providing the
• 16:05
  - the level of technology and robotics minimally invasive
• 16:08
  - surgery with good outcomes that that only we
• 16:10
  - can provide,
• 16:11
  - all while continuing to
• 16:13
  - meet our consumers where they are along their
• 16:15
  - health journey and promoting,
• 16:17
  - you know,
• 16:18
  - well care instead of sick care too. So
• 16:21
  - that's
• 16:22
  - for us what we've we've got our sights
• 16:23
  - on,
• 16:24
  - all while continuing to promote access,
• 16:27
  - in and around our entire state. You know,
• 16:30
  - Baptist Health was built on
• 16:32
  - extending health care, not only just for urban
• 16:35
  - centers, but,
• 16:36
  - in in metropolitan
• 16:38
  - areas, but to to extend our tentacles into,
• 16:41
  - rural Arkansas to to make a difference,
• 16:44
  - because they deserve the same level of care
• 16:46
  - as as any one of us. And so
• 16:48
  - we have to be efficient. We have to
• 16:49
  - level load patients across all of our our,
• 16:52
  - access points and making sure that we're consistent
• 16:55
  - across our whole enterprise. So opportunity for us
• 16:58
  - is is doubling down a high end specialty,
• 17:00
  - but but also
• 17:01
  - making access,
• 17:03
  - as easy as it's ever been.
• 17:06
  - That makes a ton of sense. And I
• 17:07
  - know that access question is something that so
• 17:09
  - many organizations
• 17:10
  - and hospitals and systems across the country are
• 17:13
  - looking at and thinking about. And so to
• 17:15
  - understand how you're,
• 17:18
  - planning around it and and really seeing access,
• 17:20
  - especially
• 17:21
  - reaching further into some of the rural areas
• 17:23
  - too is just fascinating to hear. I know
• 17:25
  - it's, you know, never easy to to plan
• 17:28
  - through some of that expansion and access points,
• 17:30
  - but so critical for the larger and and
• 17:32
  - broader market there.
• 17:34
  - Before we wrap up, I wanted to ask
• 17:36
  - you,
• 17:37
  - about leadership as well. Who do you admire
• 17:40
  - as a leader from really any industry and
• 17:42
  - why?
• 17:43
  - That's a great question. You know, a lot
• 17:44
  - of people come to mind. I mean, personal
• 17:46
  - mentors,
• 17:48
  - first. But, you know, if I I have
• 17:50
  - to
• 17:51
  - in answer that, I think in light of,
• 17:53
  - where we are in, you know, our February,
• 17:57
  - you know, birthday as a country,
• 17:59
  - I've recently been
• 18:00
  - reading on and studying a lot about our
• 18:03
  - founding fathers, and I've I've just been,
• 18:06
  - I think in a renewed way,
• 18:08
  - so impressed and inspired by
• 18:11
  - George Washington.
• 18:13
  - He's
• 18:14
  - what he went through and the resilience and
• 18:16
  - really the opposition a lot of times.
• 18:19
  - To be remembered as such a, you know,
• 18:21
  - incredible pillar of our our
• 18:23
  - country, I it wasn't easy for him
• 18:26
  - in so many respects,
• 18:28
  - and and so I I appreciate his resilience
• 18:31
  - and fortitude
• 18:32
  - and so many of the things that he
• 18:33
  - did that, you know, his leadership qualities I
• 18:36
  - I wanna emulate
• 18:38
  - in in forging a path and staying true
• 18:40
  - to a purpose,
• 18:41
  - and a mission, and and to me that's
• 18:43
  - awe inspiring. But but I think in today's
• 18:45
  - world, if I was to answer that question
• 18:47
  - about who who in in our current
• 18:50
  - day and age is somebody that inspires me.
• 18:52
  - I I think across all the health sectors,
• 18:55
  - but I also think outside of health care
• 18:56
  - and and,
• 18:58
  - you know,
• 19:00
  - I'll I'll this may be, you know, kind
• 19:02
  - of a curve ball, but I I've truly
• 19:04
  - through some of our
• 19:06
  - reinventing of ourselves and change culture been very
• 19:10
  - inspired by
• 19:12
  - a biography I I read recently from Walter
• 19:14
  - Isaacson about Elon Musk. And,
• 19:17
  - you know, there's there's so many things that,
• 19:19
  - you can discuss there, but, really, his
• 19:23
  - the way he addresses change process,
• 19:26
  - is to me a pretty radical,
• 19:29
  - view of it. I mean, challenging
• 19:31
  - it's a five step process,
• 19:33
  - and it's challenging the norm.
• 19:35
  - It's deleting any steps that are unnecessary. It's
• 19:38
  - simplifying the process down to its bare minimum.
• 19:41
  - It's accelerating that process and then automating it,
• 19:44
  - and he's he's applied that through all of
• 19:48
  - his companies and, you know, you it's hard
• 19:50
  - to argue the outcomes of that. You know,
• 19:52
  - the style and and some of the other
• 19:55
  - things that come along with it, you know,
• 19:57
  - are could be argued as well, but I
• 19:58
  - think I've just been inspired by that.
• 20:01
  - In health care, we have so many requirements
• 20:04
  - and so many regulations, and and many are
• 20:06
  - there for the right purposes. But oftentimes, we
• 20:08
  - make it harder on ourselves to do the
• 20:10
  - things we try to do because, you know,
• 20:13
  - we we say that's just why we've always
• 20:15
  - done it. But, you know, I think
• 20:17
  - that that biography has has really flipped my
• 20:20
  - thinking on its head and helped me to
• 20:23
  - understand
• 20:24
  - that we we can,
• 20:26
  - challenge ourselves and challenge our historical processes to
• 20:29
  - make it easier on our patients and be
• 20:31
  - the best versions of ourselves while trying to
• 20:33
  - be
• 20:34
  - cost efficient and time efficient to provide value
• 20:36
  - back to all of our consumers, whether it's
• 20:38
  - physicians or staff or
• 20:40
  - or our our patients and their guests. And
• 20:42
  - and so I think that's been very inspiring
• 20:44
  - to me, and I've tried to emulate that
• 20:45
  - in in the ways I look at decisions
• 20:47
  - today. So, that's how I'd answer it, Laura.
• 20:51
  - No. I I love that. And I I
• 20:52
  - think that focus on efficiency
• 20:54
  - and serving
• 20:55
  - your, patient community and just really understanding what
• 20:58
  - it means in order to think differently
• 21:00
  - and,
• 21:01
  - improve results, makes a big difference. So I
• 21:04
  - appreciate that.
• 21:05
  - Thank you so much, Cody, for your time
• 21:07
  - today. This has been a lot of fun
• 21:08
  - and and just really catching up and learning
• 21:10
  - about how you're thinking about the future. And
• 21:12
  - I know we'll be talking more about that
• 21:14
  - at the CEO CFO roundtable in November while
• 21:16
  - you'll be speaking on a panel and really
• 21:18
  - digging further into a lot of these themes.
• 21:20
  - So I'm looking forward to that as well.
• 21:22
  - Yeah. Thanks again for having me on the
• 21:24
  - podcast today. I appreciated the conversation. I agree.
• 21:26
  - It's been a lot of fun. I look
• 21:28
  - forward to connecting with others in Chicago in
• 21:29
  - November. Thank you so much.