Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT / Reid Stephan, VP Chief Information Officer at St. Luke's Health System

Transcript

Reid Stephan, VP Chief Information Officer at St. Luke's Health System · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

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  - Prepare to dive into the forefront
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  through 11th at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, with thousands
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  of discussions on crucial topics from health IT
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  to executive leadership.
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  and engage in these important conversations.
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  - Welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, made
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  for the people who power US healthcare.
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  I'm Molly Gamble with Becker's,
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  and today I am sitting down with Reid Stefan, vice President
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  and Chief Information Officer with St.
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  Luke's Health System to learn more about his role
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  and his top priorities as of late.
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  Reid, welcome to the podcast. Thanks
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  so much for being my guest.
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  How are you today? And where does the podcast find you?
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  - Yeah, hi, Molly. Uh, well, it's,
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  it's a Friday afternoon, so I'm doing great.
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  I typically work from home on Fridays,
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  which I'm doing today, so I find myself in the comfort
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  of my own home office.
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  - That's terrific. Well, Reid, for for listeners
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  who might be a little less familiar with St.
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  Luke's Health System, can you share a few key facts about
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  the organization just
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  to help us better reacquaint ourselves?
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  - Sure. Uh, St.
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  Luke's Health System, we're based in Boise, Idaho.
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  Uh, we were founded in 1902.
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  We serve as Idaho's only, not-for-profit health System.
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  What that means is we're comprised
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  of eight medical centers, a children's hospital.
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  We have over 200 clinics staffed by about 14,000 employees
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  as part of our system.
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  We also have a financially
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  and clinical integrated network that we call St.
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  Luke's Health Partners. Uh,
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  we have a health insurance arm that we call St.
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  Luke's Health Plan. And as a system,
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  our focus is not just healthcare,
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  but also the overall wellbeing of, of our patients
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  and the broader population in the communities that we serve.
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  Mm-Hmm. ,
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  - Thanks.
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  Re and the only nonprofit health system in the state.
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  I mean, that's, that's a, a distinction to point out.
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  Um, you know, I, I remember at the start of 2020,
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  an interesting year, we at Becker has reported
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  that you were beginning to lead the centralization
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  of the IT team at St.
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  Luke's. You, you all were moving into one physical location
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  after your members had been spread across seven different
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  buildings for a number of years.
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  I wanted to check in, you know, about four years later
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  through the woods of the pandemic.
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  How's your team today? How many members are part
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  of the IT team today?
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  How are you working together today?
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  Can you share the latest?
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  - Yeah, you, you have a good memory.
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  Uh, four years, it's,
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  and it's been a while, four years, so you're right.
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  At the start of 2020, we were about ready
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  to move into a centralized corporate location for IT staff
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  who were spread across multiple, uh,
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  various locations across the valley
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  and the areas where we serve, and then the pandemic hit.
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  And so that really caused some disruption
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  and a reassessment of what the approach is going to be.
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  I would say, you know, as we look back through kind
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  of the forest as you described,
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  we've learned a lot on our journey.
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  Uh, I think early on we intentionally really, uh,
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  avoided extreme positions.
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  Uh, we would hear some extreme position of, Hey,
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  remote work is fake work.
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  Everyone needs to be in the office. The other extreme would
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  be, Hey, let's cancel all of our leases, sell our buildings.
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  Everyone can work remotely. Uh, we just felt both
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  of those were, were problematic, kind of too wild of a,
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  of a swing either direction.
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  And so we were, we were patient, we listened,
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  we tried small tests of change.
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  I think where we've landed, we have about 550
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  folks across our department.
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  10% of those are dedicated remote.
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  That means that their primary work location is their home.
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  They can still come in the office,
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  but if they do, they sit in a hoteling spot.
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  And they're predominantly, these folks, uh,
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  work from home and stay at home.
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  We have about 10% of our staff
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  who are required to be on site.
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  It's just the nature of their work.
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  They, they can't do remotely.
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  They have equipment
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  or services they provide that require them
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  to be there, uh, present.
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  And then about 80% of our department are hybrid.
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  And so as a guide, we ask our leaders of people
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  to be in the office three days a week,
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  and then we ask all other staff
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  to be in the office at least one day a week.
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  And outside of that, we don't monitor
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  or prescribe how our teams operate.
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  We fully embrace the benefits of flexibility,
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  but I would also say that
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  because we operate within a defined geographic area, uh,
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  it's beneficial to have in-person interaction.
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  And so we try and maintain a culture
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  and events that pull people into the office
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  so we can maintain that in-person connection.
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  That's really key to creating a culture
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  that I think is our secret sauce. Mm-Hmm.
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  - , it sounds like you not only avoided those
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  extreme positions, like you said, of either, you know,
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  like you said, cancel all the leases,
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  we're selling the buildings or everyone in every,
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  you know, five days a week.
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  But you've also embraced the, the hybrid situation
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  and then even customized even more by having those bookends
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  with the 10% fully remote, 10% in person.
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  Um, and then from there, 80% in the middle somewhere.
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  Um, how, how has that been at for you as a leader?
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  You know, that's, that's a lot
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  of different employees making sure you're being thoughtful
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  in your communication, reaching people where they are.
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  A any adjustments you need to made as a top of this team?
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  - Well, I think you have to be more intentional about
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  ensuring equity of, of connection and access.
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  And so I'm mindful of wanting to avoid,
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  um, presence bias.
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  So just because I happen to,
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  I'm in the office usually four days a week,
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  and for those colleagues that are
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  in the office at a high percentage as well,
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  and I have maybe more face time with I, I wanna make sure
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  that myself and other leaders avoid any
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  unintentional waiting a a preference of assignment
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  or opportunity just based on that, uh, higher frequency
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  of in-person interaction.
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  And so I'll do, you know, every other week I host, uh,
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  what I call a CIO small group meeting where it's virtual
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  and just try and bring together a small number
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  of folks on the team, usually 15 to 20, just to check in
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  and have those connections.
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  Uh, like I mentioned, we try
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  and do things, whether it's a, an office event
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  or, uh, just doubling up on a work item
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  that might have brought people in anyway to the office,
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  but to make sure when we have those moments
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  that we really intentionally, uh, try and round
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  and make sure that we create those connections
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  as effectively as possible.
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  Mm-Hmm, , but it is something that you have to,
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  you have to be intentional about that kind of, um,
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  mindful connection won't just happen organically.
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  There has to be some thought
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  and some level of, of structure around it.
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  - Mm-Hmm. and those meetings
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  of CIO small groups means like, it's about 10%
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  of your team, 15 to 20 people.
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  Are those a week are weekly, like you said?
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  - I do about two a month,
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  and I find when I do it that way, I can work
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  through the department in about a year.
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  Oh, wow. And that, that's a pretty good pace.
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  We started it four years ago,
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  and it was initially really a reaction
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  and a response to Covid when the majority
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  of our staff were full-time remote, as we kind of learned
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  how to navigate that, that event or that experience.
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  But we found that beyond the, you know, uh,
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  immediate need of doing that to stay connected during covid,
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  there was a lot of utility
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  and benefit to maintain that long term.
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  And the feedback from the staff has been positive as well.
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  It gives them a, a smaller intimate kind of gathering to,
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  to ask questions that maybe they would be hesitant
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  to ask in an all hands meeting.
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  Uh, it lets them connect
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  and get to know other, uh, members of the department
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  that maybe they don't work with on a regular basis basis.
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  So there's been some unintended benefit from that, uh,
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  that format that,
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  that really has been powerful, I think. Mm-Hmm, .
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  - Well, thanks so much Ree for the,
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  the check-in on your team.
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  Now. I, I would love to know a little bit more about
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  your work as of late.
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  Any initiatives
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  or areas of your work that are commanding the most
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  of your attention or energy lately?
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  - Yeah, I would say, you know, we're, we're fully embracing,
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  of course, the opportunities
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  that generative AI are presenting.
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  I think we've found our path by aligning with our partners
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  and leveraging their roadmaps.
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  So for example, we're piloting Epics AI in baskets.
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  We're using Microsoft Co-pilot,
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  we're deploying an ambient
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  listening solution for clinicians.
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  A lot of things that are, I think,
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  talked about at a pretty high level of, of frequency
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  and recurrence in the community.
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  And, but I would say though that for me, uh,
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  a more seemingly mundane area has really captured my
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  attention over the last several months.
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  And I found myself increasingly trying to advocate for
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  how do we highlight and celebrate those
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  who are just being brilliant in the basics.
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  I I certainly understand the appeal
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  of showcasing the innovative approaches people are taking
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  and the new and emerging areas,
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  but I always, in the back of my mind, I have this
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  nagging worry that it creates a mindset
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  where the basics can then be overlooked or even devalued.
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  Mm-Hmm. . Uh, so I've, I,
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  I fully embrace this mantra
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  that excellence in the essentials is the unsung hero
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  of healthcare transformation.
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  So right now, my team, we're on a journey
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  of assessing the basics to really understand
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  where are we brilliant or where do we think we're brilliant,
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  but maybe we're not, and where are we just okay,
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  or maybe where are we not?
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  Okay? And so on the surface, that kind of work,
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  it's doesn't seem very exciting.
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  It's certainly not going to, you know, be a headline
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  of a LinkedIn post or a podcast episode that grips people,
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  but I'm convinced that it's, it's critical.
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  And in our quest for transformation
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  or innovation, the strongest launchpad is going to be
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  that solid foundation.
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  And my, my premise is that if we lose sight of that,
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  we end up building on a, a sandy foundation
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  that just can't withstand the natural tides
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  of our dynamic world.
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  So we're, we're just really focused on doubling down on,
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  again, how do we assess
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  and make sure that we're really brilliant
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  and efficient at the basics.
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  - Mm-Hmm. . Well, Reid,
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  I think you might have gotten the wrong podcast host
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  because I, I love that topic, .
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  Um, I would like to do podcasts and LinkedIn posts on it.
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  Uh, are you a basketball fan by chance?
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  - I am. - Okay.
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  Uh, the last dance,
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  that Bowles documentary that came out Yeah.
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  In the high, I remember watching that
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  and it kind of, the way the team was about the
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  fundamentals of the game.
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  Um, yeah. I, I found it so inspiring and interesting,
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  and it reminds me a lot of what you're saying, where
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  you can have the shiny ball syndrome,
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  but if you let the fundamentals lag or you lose steam there
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  and focus, it's tough to do much of anything really,
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  really well if you know even much less exceptionally well.
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  So I, I completely understand why you find this
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  so compelling and interesting.
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  - Yeah. Are you a football fan?
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  If we stick with a sports analogy?
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  - I, I, I'm, I like football.
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  Not as much as basketball though,
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  but yes, please, please continue.
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  - Well, I just think of, um, uh, Vince Lombardi,
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  the legendary Packers coach.
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  Mm-Hmm. . And they were so successful,
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  and every season, even after they won the championship
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  or their first of their, their Super bowls early on
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  at the start of the year, he would gather the team
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  and say, gentlemen, this is a football,
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  and you'd hold for football, gentlemen,
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  this is the end zone, gentlemen.
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  This is the field go post.
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  Like, just breaking it down to the basics.
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  And that was the key to their success, is they never got
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  so carried away with, well, we've got that figured out.
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  Let's work on something really advanced
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  and like cutting edge.
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  And I, I think that same mindset
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  maps beautifully to what we do.
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  And I, I'm not, I'm not dismissing
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  or saying we shouldn't be looking at what's new and emerging
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  and how can we leverage it,
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  but all within the context of it only works if, again,
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  we are brilliant to the basics
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  and we really understand what we're building on. Mm-Hmm.
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  - . Mm-Hmm. . Well, Reid,
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  I wanna wish you continued success in that effort.
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  I think it's, it's really important and I,
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  I find it quite interesting to discuss.
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  So, um, keep us posted at Becker's with how that's going.
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  I also think there's a lot of different leadership
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  techniques that are really imperative to that kind of work.
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  'cause like you said, it can, it can seem mundane,
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  but if you lead it the right way, uh, it,
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  it can be really effective.
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  - Well, I just love what you do then,
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  and I love that as kindred spirits that does grip you,
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  because I think, and I have colleagues
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  who are brilliant at the basics, and as we highlight
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  and showcase that it creates a rising tide, right?
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  Where people then don't feel,
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  and not that they do, these are my words,
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  but no one should ever feel ashamed
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  or like, well, I'm just doing that.
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  Right. I'm not doing some new cutting edge robotic surgery
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  and there's a place for all of it
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  and we can celebrate it all.
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  - Mm-Hmm. . Mm-Hmm. .
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  That's a great spirit. Reid.
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  Stefan, vice president and CIO of St. Luke's Health System.
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  Any closing thoughts for our listeners
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  or a message you'd like to end on Reid?
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  - Yeah, I would, you know, if you, let me kind
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  of wax philosophical for a moment.
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  I would say as a healthcare CIO community,
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  we best serve our organizations and our,
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  and our sector by focusing on the primary questions
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  and not the secondary questions.
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  Mm-Hmm. . And what I mean by that, so for me,
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  a secondary question is something like,
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  what should my title be?
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  Should it be Chief Information Officer?
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  Should it be Chief Digital and Information Officer?
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  Uh, who should I report to? Should it be the CEO?
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  Um, do I need to be a member of President's cabinet?
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  Those are all secondary questions.
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  Primary questions are things like, do I really know what all
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  of my mission critical applications are?
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  And do I really understand their interdependencies?
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  Or do I really know who all of the third parties are
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  who have access to our assistance and data
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  and what their relative level of risk is?
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  And so the further I get in my career, the more I kind
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  of double down on this position that
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  if you focus on answering their primary questions,
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  the secondary questions take care of themselves.
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  Mm-Hmm. usually in the form of realizing
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  that they don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
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  - I love that. That's to keep those priorities in check.
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  And it's not to say,
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  and I'm, I'm gleaning this from your remarks re,
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  but it's not to say that people are gonna be hell, Ben,
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  on secondary versus primary,
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  but I think sometimes whether it's just you having one
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  of those weeks or you're kind of looking more toward,
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  like you said, the structure, the councils, the titles,
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  it can happen and it takes strong leadership
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  to help make sure that people are really keeping their eye
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  on the ball and focusing on those
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  primary questions, like you said.
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  - Yeah, exactly. - Yeah.
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  Reed, it has been a pleasure catching up with you.
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  Thank you so much for your time, for wrapping up your week
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  with me and visiting.
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  I hope we can do so again soon.
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  - Thanks, Molly.