Tom Robertson, Executive Director of the Vizient Research Institute, is joined by Rich Liekweg, President and Chief Executive Officer of BJC Healthcare in St. Louis. Rich describes the similarities and differences between three models of academic medical center health systems in which he has worked - Duke, UCSD, and BJC - they then turn their attention to some of the macroeconomic drivers affecting medical spending across the country. They discuss the role of the traditional payment system in creating economic pressure on providers to establish and maintain low-volume surgical programs and they share an aspiration for new approaches to tackle the medical manifestations of social determinants of health.

Guest speaker: Richard J. Liekweg, MHA, MBA President and CEO BJC HealthCare Moderator: Tom Robertson Executive Director Vizient Research Institute

Show Notes:

[00:55] Richard Liekweg discusses the similarities of the three hospitals he worked in during his career.

[04:11] Declaring a health organization a system is not enough to achieve the level of standardization and integration to bring real value to patients and healthcare.

[07:15] Sometimes variation of services is a function of innovation. Health organizations need to make sure it’s true innovation and not just preferences driving the variation.

[08:11] Recent cost pressures encourage health systems to move some inpatient care out of the larger hospitals to the smaller community hospitals.

[11:35] Healthcare’s current payment structure is problematic. It doesn’t align incentives across those who pay for care, those who provide care and those who are receiving care.

[14:55] Regional health systems have an opportunity to pursue true clinical integration by placing low-volume, high-risk surgical programs in one or two locations.

[20:36] It will take investing in social programs rather than looking to healthcare providers to fix social determinants of health.

Links | Resources:

Richard J. Liekweg's biographical information

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