Life and Learnings in Laguna

If you want to feel a sense of urgency…the kind where you feel obligated on making a difference in this world, find a way to be a fly on the wall among your industry’s leaders in the right forum. Not just any venue, but one that sparks creative thinking and encourages cross segment thinking. The real kind of thinking into action and I’m not talking about the press release kind that is only half the story. This nirvana exist in healthcare and is located every spring in Laguna and blossoms ideas just like the season its in. Those who attend (and are lucky enough to be invited) embrace the right mindset un-fogged by quarterly earnings or compliance calls, all the while balanced with the urgency to make healthcare better.

For the fifth year, I’ve had the opportunity to mingle with 500+ of the nation’s most prominent healthcare leaders at this invite-only event, which included three days of discussion and debate centered on the top challenges facing healthcare today for tomorrow.

The summit was a 'daily routine' retreat in every sense of the word. In between keynotes, breakout sessions and networking, many of us also found time for sincere dialogue on shape shifting what we see as the industry norm today…this ‘transaction’ of ideas was my highlight of the trip. It happened in almost every conversation I had.

For me, attending the summit feels like an “ambassadorship invitation” of a major convening of the United Nations of Healthcare. I listened to leaders across every facet of healthcare, from payers, providers and policymakers to investors, life science leaders and healthcare innovators, sharing their stories and views on how to solve healthcare’s most pressing problems. Some ideas were academic, some moon shot crazy and some dated…but together its a cocktail of good for the betterment of healthcare. As a thoughtpartner, it’s our job at emids to harvest macro thinking and curate it internally for our team, partners and customers…ideally expressing it to spark debate and foster innovation. This year’s summit may have had fog around it from recent election outcomes but it also held hope around key themes:

1. Making healthcare more affordable and accessible. Many of the biggest names in healthcare attended the summit, and most of them came for a similar purpose: to connect, converse and exchange ideas. Leaders were engaged in candid and sincere conversations in all settings of the venue. No need to give diplomatic sound bites…its more about talking freely about where they see the industry going and how they can adapt for the future. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up in our own world and put blinders on. But events like these make you realize we’re all doing what we can to push healthcare forward—and we accomplish so more when we work together.

. Opportunities to make a difference are everywhere. Let’s face it: 2017 has not started out as the most optimistic year for healthcare. But despite the uncertainty the new presidential administration has brought to the industry, progress is not dead. With the right people involved, there are endless opportunities to be a force for good and make a difference. I heard many interesting perspectives during the summit, but one that rocked my world came from Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). During a session on the future of value-based care, Slavitt presented data you rarely read in the news. For instance, CMS records show that the highest mortality rate for dialysis patients is on Sundays. Why? Because many patients struggle to find transportation to their appointments on Fridays. Lower-income patients, in particular, may find difficulties in getting to appointments…traversing thru 2 bus stops just to make it in time, but have to repeat it home after the session.  Missing just one of these buses and missing the appointment can put their lives at risk for the next 48 hours. Imagine the pressure these folks feel on something as simple as transportation. Getting a closer look at these real-world data points and the insight they offer into an entire segment of the patient population was mind-opening and revealed the deeper stories behind the data.

3. Positive changes are just around the corner. Industry leaders are making sincere efforts to do some great things in healthcare—it’s not just about the almighty buck. Consumerism is a concern for everyone, and there is no denying that this narrative is playing out for payers, providers and vendors alike and steering their course as they plan ahead. Whether healthcare companies view consumers as patients, members or pure consumers, everyone is trying to figure out how to strengthen their relationship with them and do a better job of engaging at their level on their device, at home or with their families.

As a thought partner among thought leaders, we feel privileged to participate in events like the Health Evolution Summit. The insight we gain from being part of these discussions shapes everything we do, including how we invest in our people, culture and company. The lessons we learn in Laguna help compass our journey forward. Kudos to Julie and the entire HES team on an upping the event, the content and the industry because of it.