The Race to Value Podcast

On today’s episode, Ashley sits down with with Keith Somers.  CRO at HealthCorum.  Keith is an entrepreneur with a finance background who co-founded HealthCorum after a series of frustrating experiences navigating the healthcare system as a patient and caregiver. As CRO at HealthCorum, he leads the sales/marketing team on all market interactions while maintaining responsibility for company operations. HealthCorum is a company that provides data analytics and insights focused on the healthcare industry. They specialize in analyzing data on healthcare providers, such as hospitals and physicians, to assess their quality, efficiency, and overall value in comparison to other similar providers. HealthCorum’s platform and underlying data helps healthcare organizations, insurers, and employers identify high-performing providers, reduce costs, and improve the quality of care.

Today Ashley sat down and talked with Dr. Edwin Estavez.  Edwin is the founder of the Altacair Foundation.   He Previously, served as Market President of Value Based Care at Prominence Health, a leading health care company that provides high quality, cost-effective care to diverse populations. Edwin, has over 30 years of experience in health care and higher education administration, risk management, and business development, with a PhD in Administration and an MSW. He is passionate about organizational transformation. From health care delivery and outcomes through value-based care tactics, to patient engagement programs, and care coordination models.  Join as we chat about the mission of Altacair, how he ensures the foundation stays true to its mission and vision, and the collaboration between Altacair and The Leavitt School of Health on the Accelerator Conference. Altacair Foundation:  About Us – Altacair Foundation [https://altacairfoundation.org/about-us/] Accelerator 2024:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/accelerator2024-advancing-value-for-health-equity-tickets-951490021267?aff=oddtdtcreator [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/accelerator2024-advancing-value-for-health-equity-tickets-951490021267?aff=oddtdtcreator]

On today’s episode of The Race to Value, Ashley sits down with her colleague and friend, Dr. Melissa McLaren to discuss the importance of DEI in Healthcare and Education, and why building inclusivity is not just a buzzword, but something that is vital for the future. Dr. McLaren is an Associate Dean and Academic Program Director at the Leavitt School of Health at Western Governors University.  She graduated with her BSN from The Ohio State University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Minnesota. She received her master’s in management and leadership and an MBA from Western Governors University. Melissa and her family have engaged with lawmakers at the local and state level, as well as the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and the US Department of Health and Human Services in support of gender-affirming care and other LGBTQIA+ rights. They have spoken at state and national conferences to educate on the importance of family support when raising a transgender child. Dr. McLaren has partnered with organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, Welcoming Schools, PFLAG, the ACLU, TransOhio, Equality Ohio, and many others to advocate for transgender youth.  Dr. McLaren currently serves on the Human Rights Campaign Parents for Transgender Equality National Council. She is a board officer for Equality Ohio and was an inaugural board member of her local LGBTQ+ organization. She is a member of the AACN DEI Leadership Network Communications Committee. She lives in Ohio with her husband of 20 years, 19-year old twins, 2 dogs, and several entitled cats. Previous Episode: Ep 137 – Authentic Truth, Love, and Compassion: A Family’s Journey in Gender-Affirming Care, with Melissa and Conner McLaren – The Race to Value Podcast™ 0:50: Defining Diversity and Inclusion 4:52 Why is diversity and inclusion so important in today’s society? 9:34: How the impacts of disparities and health inequities affects absolutely everyone 13:30: How treatment of patients differs based on insurance status 21:00: Education related healthcare burdens, and how education has an impact. 24:00: How diversity enriches the learning experiences in educations settings 33:24 Stories about successful inclusive educational initiatives 38:00 Shifting policies and practices 39:30: Dr. McLaren’s personal story

On today’s episode of Race to Value, Ashley sits down with Mark Young, CEO of MyCHN to discuss how MyCHN launched a partnership with Wysa, an AI-driven mental health platform. We discuss how this collaboration aims to bolster the well-being and mental health of MyCHN’s Crisis and Behavioral Health patients by providing them access to Wysa’s innovative AI personal mental health companion at no cost. Mark Young has worked in health services since 1989 and in community health since 1998. He has a Master’s in Business Administration from Trident University and a Master’s in Organization Management from the University of Phoenix. Over his career of 30-plus years, Mr. Young has worked with initiatives in the Rio Grande Valley, northeast Texas, and south Texas. Projects he has developed include outreach and engagement with colonia residents, residential treatment services for pregnant women and children, a tuberculosis intervention program, multiple chemical and alcohol dependency programs, behavioral health programs, and many outreach, education, and intervention projects. Timestamps: 3:00: Discussion on how MyCHN created this partnership with WYSA and the benefits it has brought to their patients. 6:00: How this tool is used to help patients 7:30: Tools and Resources that WYSA offers 11:30: Breaking the Stigma around using AI in Healthcare 16:00: Discussion on the current state of Behavioral Health 19:00: Discussion on younger populations and if they are more likely to opt into utilizing AI for healthcare

In today’s episode we chat with Geoffrey Roche, MPA. Geoffrey is the son of a nurse, future of work and education expert, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging advocate, champion for transforming health equity, and the host of the Ed Up Health Up podcast. His professional career includes over nine years in hospital administration as a strategic advisor to the President and CEO and department director of various departments, including Business Development and Planning, Government Affairs, Community Health, and Public Relations, for Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono. At Lebanon Valley College and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology he held senior leadership roles focused on strategic partnerships, organizational strategy, and business development. As Senior Vice President, Business & Workforce Development at Dignity Health Global Education, he led a diverse team focused on developing institutional relationships with leading health systems while simultaneously championing national conversations and initiatives to develop innovative diversity, equity, and inclusion solutions for the healthcare workforce. “We expected to see a drop in enrollment before the pandemic for all healthcare programs. Why did Healthcare and Education not come together to combat this?” – Geoffrey Roche “We have made bad decisions as a society when taking care of our healthcare workforce.” – Geoffrey Roche“We have five generations of people in the workforce, and this is the first time we have had this.” – Geoffrey Roche“As Leaders we need to harness the creativity and passion for all generations in the workforce.” – Geoffrey Roche 2:25: What is happening in the nursing workforce? 4:30: The Supply and Demand Gap Challenge and addressing culture in healthcare organizations. 5:30: The Gig Economy is now in healthcare, and we have to get used to this model. 8:00: Millennials in the workforce and creating a culture that allows people to be the best they can be by creating a community and culture that allows them to thrive. This means they must be valued and heard. 14:00: What do we need to do as healthcare leaders to invest in our people? 17:30: Why you need to listen to your workforce, instead of just hiring consultants. 20:30: If we do not have a healthcare workforce, it will impact education, clinical placements and preceptorships. 22:50: Apprenticeships, why they are important and why healthcare has been slow to implement them 29:27: We need to do more work in the K-12 Landscape to promote and encourage people to go into healthcare careers. It is important to learn that there are jobs in healthcare that aren’t being a doctor or a nurse.