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Kaiser Permanente | Dr. Hector de Leon on Scaling What Works in Healthcare

Recorded live at the AHIP 2026 Conference, Eric Glazer sits down with Dr. Hector de Leon, Board Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Foundation and practicing pediatrician, for a conversation about one of healthcare's biggest challenges: Not discovering what works, but scaling what already does. For more than 80 years, Kaiser Permanente has built its care model around prevention, physician trust, integrated care, and long-term health outcomes. In this conversation, Dr. de Leon shares practical examples of how those principles come to life, and why Kaiser is increasingly partnering with organizations across the country to help scale those lessons beyond its own walls. In this episode: * A patient story that brings value-based care to life * Why physician trust, not prior authorization, can accelerate better care * How Kaiser embeds prevention into everyday clinical workflows * Making the "right thing" the easiest thing to do for patients and clinicians * Why higher screening rates lead to better outcomes and lower costs * The thinking behind Risant Health, Habitat Health, and Kaiser's growing partnerships * Why collaboration, not competition, may be the future of healthcare transformation * What health plans, providers, and innovators can learn from one of the nation's longest-running value-based care organizations If you're a healthcare executive looking for practical lessons on improving outcomes, reducing friction, and building a more sustainable healthcare system, you'll find plenty to think about in this conversation. About Dr. Hector de Leon Dr. Hector de Leon is Board Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Foundation and a practicing pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente Colorado. He has served in physician leadership roles across Kaiser Permanente while continuing to care for patients and helping advance value-based care nationally. Connect with Dr. de Leon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectordeleonmd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectordeleonmd/] About Bright Spots in Healthcare Bright Spots in Healthcare is where healthcare leaders share what's working—and how others can learn from it. Through executive interviews, peer-to-peer conversations, and industry events, we spotlight proven ideas that improve care, lower costs, and help healthcare organizations scale what works. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com [https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/]

Kaiser Permanente | Dr. Hector de Leon on Scaling What Works in Healthcare

Recorded live at the AHIP 2026 Conference, Eric Glazer sits down with Dr. Hector de Leon, Board Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Foundation and practicing pediatrician, for a conversation about one of healthcare's biggest challenges: Not discovering what works, but scaling what already does. For more than 80 years, Kaiser Permanente has built its care model around prevention, physician trust, integrated care, and long-term health outcomes. In this conversation, Dr. de Leon shares practical examples of how those principles come to life, and why Kaiser is increasingly partnering with organizations across the country to help scale those lessons beyond its own walls. In this episode: * A patient story that brings value-based care to life * Why physician trust, not prior authorization, can accelerate better care * How Kaiser embeds prevention into everyday clinical workflows * Making the "right thing" the easiest thing to do for patients and clinicians * Why higher screening rates lead to better outcomes and lower costs * The thinking behind Risant Health, Habitat Health, and Kaiser's growing partnerships * Why collaboration, not competition, may be the future of healthcare transformation * What health plans, providers, and innovators can learn from one of the nation's longest-running value-based care organizations If you're a healthcare executive looking for practical lessons on improving outcomes, reducing friction, and building a more sustainable healthcare system, you'll find plenty to think about in this conversation. About Dr. Hector de Leon Dr. Hector de Leon is Board Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Foundation and a practicing pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente Colorado. He has served in physician leadership roles across Kaiser Permanente while continuing to care for patients and helping advance value-based care nationally. Connect with Dr. de Leon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectordeleonmd/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectordeleonmd/] About Bright Spots in Healthcare Bright Spots in Healthcare is where healthcare leaders share what's working—and how others can learn from it. Through executive interviews, peer-to-peer conversations, and industry events, we spotlight proven ideas that improve care, lower costs, and help healthcare organizations scale what works. Learn more: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com [https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/]

Why Digital Health Pilots Fail: UC Davis Health's Dr. Reshma Gupta

A lot of digital health pilots do not fail because the idea is bad. They fail because the care model, workflow, staffing, and financial design were never fully built. This episode features a presentation from the ROI-Centered Care Summit, produced by Bright Spots Ventures in partnership with TytoCare and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). In this episode, Reshma Gupta, MD, Chief of Population Health and Accountable Care at UC Davis Health, shares why so many AI and digital health pilots stall, and what it takes to redesign them into models that are operationally viable, financially sustainable, and built to scale. Using UC Davis Health's hypertension remote patient monitoring program as a case study, Reshma walks through what broke in the original pilot, including slower ramp-up, unclear vendor role design, returned device logistics, and delayed billing capture. She then explains how her team rebuilt the program into a 6-month model with clearer workflows, stronger local clinical support, and a more sustainable financial structure. You'll hear how UC Davis: * Redesigned RPM with a local MA, RN, pharmacist, clinician support, and vendor MA model * Built a 6-month patient journey with education, medication review, and monthly nurse and pharmacy visits * Improved blood pressure outcomes from 146/81 pre-enrollment to 126/73 at program completion * Reframed success around workflow fit, patient engagement, billing discipline, and ROI Key topics include why pilots fail, how to match the model to the right patient population, the importance of role clarity and billing optimization, and what health systems should think through before launching the next digital health program. If you are a health system leader, population health executive, digital health leader, or care transformation strategist trying to move beyond pilots and into sustainable performance, this episode offers a practical blueprint grounded in real-world lessons. Link to Dr. Reshma Gupta's Presentation: Bio: Dr. Reshma Gupta is a transformative healthcare executive with experience leading large-scale healthcare transformation across complex health systems and national payment reform initiatives– dedicated to innovation in population health, affordable healthcare, and social justice. With expertise in clinical and operational transformation, digital strategy, and policy, she has consistently driven high impact initiatives. Through the University of California Office of the President, she co-develops system-wide population health strategy across multiple campuses, social needs integration, and high-risk patient management initiatives including tech-enabled care and keeping patients healthier at home. As Chief of Population Health and Accountable Care at University of California Davis Health, Dr. Gupta oversees the enterprise-wide population health and accountable care portfolio to operationalize and modernize care pathways across inpatient and outpatient settings, standing up quality and equity improvement systems, and launching digital health and AI platforms. Nationally, she has advised the CMS Innovation Center on primary care transformation and advanced payment models and currently serves as an advisor to state and federal agencies on affordability and health system delivery reform. Connect with Dr. Reshma Gupta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshma-gupta-md-mshpm/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshma-gupta-md-mshpm/] Thank You to Our Episode Partner, TytoCare. TytoCare enables health systems and plans to deliver high-quality remote exams anytime, anywhere. Their FDA-cleared devices and AI-powered diagnostic platform support virtual specialty care, school-based programs, and home health models, reducing unnecessary ED visits and improving patient experience. To learn more, visit tytocare.com [http://tytocare.com]. Schedule a Meeting with a Senior Leader at TytoCare: To explore how TytoCare can help your organization expand virtual specialty access and improve care coordination, reach out to jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com [jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com] to schedule a meeting. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures exists to help healthcare organizations accelerate the adoption of what's actually working. Healthcare does not suffer from a lack of innovation. It suffers from slow adoption, fragmented learning, and limited trust between stakeholders. For example, one health plan or provider may solve a major operational or clinical challenge while others spend the next 5–10 years rediscovering the same answer. We close that gap by creating trusted environments where health plans, providers, and innovators can share practical strategies, operational lessons, and scalable models that drive measurable improvement. Through the Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, leadership councils, executive roundtables, curated events, and strategic advisory work, we help organizations build credibility, strengthen strategic relationships, and accelerate the spread of proven ideas across healthcare.

Inside MultiCare's Oncology Access Playbook with CMO Dr. Yarrow McConnell

In oncology, performance is not just about getting patients in the door. It is about getting them to the right specialist, at the right time, with less friction across every handoff. This episode features a presentation from the ROI-Centered Care Summit, a half-day virtual summit produced by Bright Spots Ventures in partnership with TytoCare and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). In this episode, Yarrow McConnell, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer at MultiCare Cancer Institute, shares how MultiCare redesigned oncology pathways to improve access, strengthen coordination, and deliver measurable ROI. You'll hear how MultiCare is: * Using AI chart scrubbing to identify cancer diagnoses and concerning imaging findings earlier * Deploying nurse navigators to accelerate intake and reduce barriers to care * Building APP-staffed workup clinics to move patients more quickly from referral to consult * Creating disease teams to improve handoffs and reduce siloed care * Standardizing scheduling and authorization workflows, with virtual options built in * Improving staging and comorbidity documentation to better reflect complexity and reimbursement Key topics include referral lag, nurse navigation, specialty coordination, scheduling friction, and the connection between operational redesign and financial performance. MultiCare reported a 9% year-over-year increase in operating margin, an increase in likelihood to recommend from 97.86 to 98.41, and a 17% year-over-year increase in teamwork scores. If you are a health system leader, oncology executive, specialty operations leader, or care transformation leader working to improve specialty access and reduce friction across the patient journey, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to build specialty pathways that perform. Link to Dr. Yarrow McConnel's Presentation: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ROI-navigation-AIintake-McConnell-2026.pdf [https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ROI-navigation-AIintake-McConnell-2026.pdf] Bio: Yarrow McConnell, MD, MSc, FACS, FSSO, is a board-certified surgical oncologist, specializing in the treatment of breast cancer and benign breast disorders. Her expertise includes lumpectomy, mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and axillary dissection. She is also highly skilled in oncoplastic techniques to restore breast contour and symmetry following cancer surgery. For patients pursuing reconstruction, Dr. McConnell performs skin and nipple sparing mastectomies in close collaboration with plastic surgeons to provide both immediate and delayed reconstruction options. She also offers flat aesthetic closure for those who choose not to undergo reconstruction. In complex cases involving inflammatory, recurrent, or locally advanced breast cancer, she is experienced in performing modified radical and radical mastectomies. In addition to cancer care, Dr. McConnell treats a variety of benign breast conditions through both in-office and surgical procedures, including cyst aspiration, duct excision, abscess drainage, and steroid injections. She also provides comprehensive breast cancer risk assessments and guidance on genetic testing, enhanced screening, and prevention strategies. Dr. McConnell leads the Breast Program at MultiCare Cancer Institute, overseeing the coordination and advancement of breast care services across the system. Outside of work, Dr. McConnell enjoys gardening, baking, woodworking, and knitting. She can often be found hiking with her husband and dogs or spending time with family and friends. Thank You to Our Episode Partner, TytoCare. TytoCare enables health systems and plans to deliver high-quality remote exams anytime, anywhere. Their FDA-cleared devices and AI-powered diagnostic platform support virtual specialty care, school-based programs, and home health models, reducing unnecessary ED visits and improving patient experience. To learn more, visit tytocare.com [http://tytocare.com]. Schedule a Meeting with a Senior Leader at TytoCare: To explore how TytoCare can help your organization expand virtual specialty access and improve care coordination, reach out to jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com [jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com] to schedule a meeting. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures exists to help healthcare organizations accelerate the adoption of what's actually working. Healthcare does not suffer from a lack of innovation. It suffers from slow adoption, fragmented learning, and limited trust between stakeholders. For example, one health plan or provider may solve a major operational or clinical challenge while others spend the next 5–10 years rediscovering the same answer. We close that gap by creating trusted environments where health plans, providers, and innovators can share practical strategies, operational lessons, and scalable models that drive measurable improvement. Through the Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, leadership councils, executive roundtables, curated events, and strategic advisory work, we help organizations build credibility, strengthen strategic relationships, and accelerate the spread of proven ideas across healthcare.

Inside Ascension IL's ED Throughput Playbook: 4-Minute Door-to-Doc and Better Flow

Emergency department performance is often shaped long before a patient is admitted, or discharged. This episode features a presentation from the recently held ROI-Centered Care Summit, a half-day virtual summit produced by Bright Spots Ventures in partnership with TytoCare and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). In this episode, Robert Sumter, PhD, FACHE, EVP / Market Chief Operating Officer at Ascension Illinois, shares how his team redesigned the emergency department front door to improve patient flow, reduce waiting, and strengthen both operational and financial performance. Rather than treating ED congestion as a staffing problem alone, Ascension focused on redesigning throughput across the full process: front-end intake, middle-care treatment, and back-end disposition and transition. The goal was not simply to move faster, but to build a more coordinated operating model that improves access, creates capacity, and supports a better experience for patients and staff alike. You'll hear how Ascension Illinois: * Uses a "pull to full" model to reduce waiting room congestion by moving patients directly into treatment areas * Combines triage nurse and provider teamwork to accelerate assessment and initiate care earlier * Deploys discharge nurses to free up clinical staff, improve transitions, and arrange PCP follow-up * Uses standing order sets, bi-hourly huddles, and dedicated patient transport to reduce bottlenecks and keep patients moving * Focuses on "heads in the bed" to move admitted patients to assigned beds in under 30 minutes and preserve ED capacity Key topics covered: * Why ED throughput is about more than speed * The emergency department as the true front door of the health system * Reducing overcrowding, LWOT/AMA, and staff burnout through workflow redesign * Connecting patient flow to consumer satisfaction and financial sustainability * Building operational discipline without compromising quality of care Ascension reported an average door-to-doc time of 4 minutes and median outpatient throughput under 145 minutes, alongside a broader focus on improving patient experience, reducing overcrowding, stabilizing staffing, and increasing capacity without simply expanding footprint. If you're a hospital operations leader, ED executive, or health system decision-maker working to improve access, throughput, and sustainability, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to redesign the front door of care in a way that actually performs. Link to Rob Sumter's Presentation: https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Improving-Patient-Access.pdf [https://www.brightspotsinhealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Improving-Patient-Access.pdf] Bio: Robert Sumter, PhD has more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience driving operational excellence, strategic growth, and innovation across hospitals and health systems. He currently serves as Market COO for Ascension, where he oversees operations and strategic initiatives focused on improving patient outcomes, financial performance, and care delivery. Prior to Ascension, Robert served with UnitedHealth Group as the Interim Deputy COO and Chief Operating Officer for UnitedHealthcare Community & State. His leadership experience also includes executive roles at Hawaii Pacific Health, Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee, and Spectrum Health, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. Throughout his career, he has consistently led initiatives that improved patient satisfaction, reduced hospital length of stay, increased operational efficiency, and enhanced financial performance. Robert is widely recognized for his ability to lead large-scale operational transformations and build high-performing teams focused on delivering quality care and sustainable growth. His expertise spans hospital operations, healthcare strategy, population health, performance improvement, and executive leadership. Thank You to Our Episode Partner, TytoCare. TytoCare enables health systems and plans to deliver high-quality remote exams anytime, anywhere. Their FDA-cleared devices and AI-powered diagnostic platform support virtual specialty care, school-based programs, and home health models, reducing unnecessary ED visits and improving patient experience. To learn more, visit tytocare.com [http://tytocare.com]. Schedule a Meeting with a Senior Leader at TytoCare: To explore how TytoCare can help your organization expand virtual specialty access and improve care coordination, reach out to jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com [jtenzer@brightspotsventures.com] to schedule a meeting. About Bright Spots Ventures: Bright Spots Ventures exists to help healthcare organizations accelerate the adoption of what's actually working. Healthcare does not suffer from a lack of innovation. It suffers from slow adoption, fragmented learning, and limited trust between stakeholders. For example, one health plan or provider may solve a major operational or clinical challenge while others spend the next 5–10 years rediscovering the same answer. We close that gap by creating trusted environments where health plans, providers, and innovators can share practical strategies, operational lessons, and scalable models that drive measurable improvement. Through the Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, leadership councils, executive roundtables, curated events, and strategic advisory work, we help organizations build credibility, strengthen strategic relationships, and accelerate the spread of proven ideas across healthcare.