Ode to Andy Slavitt: We Got Covered

In December 2016, I had the privilege of interviewing one of my personal healthcare heroes for the American Journal of Managed Care podcast series: Andy Slavitt, CMS Administrator. Social media aficionado. Self-deprecating stand-up comedian of the healthcare conference set, who never failed to deliver a laugh with his wonky content.

My appreciation for Andy's brand of leadership was cemented in his keynote at 2015's Health Datapalooza, before his official confirmation as CMS Administrator. He freely admitted that the Electronic Health Records incentive program implementation had been more than problematic, and shared both funny and tragic anecdotes from his evaluation tour of physicians and practices across the country. His candor in acknowledging unintended consequences, and recognition of the fallibility of complex government processes, was refreshing - especially considering that, at that time, I was hairline-deep in trying to overcome the decades of process and technical debt that plagued Meaningful Use's meaningfulness.

But, although we attended the same events and traveled in the same circles, Andy is one of a handful of people I hadn't worked up the courage to approach directly. (For all the other healthcare heroes I've accosted with selfie requests over the years, this doesn't in any way diminish my starstruck attitude in your presence; I can't explain why Andy and Vinod Khosla intimidate me so!) I don't know that he knew who I was until the summer of 2016, when our community came together in shock and outrage at the tragic death of Jess Jacobs.

Andy and I began exchanging emails about what could be DONE, not just discussed, to address and resolve the issues Jess faced in her healthcare experiences. Those exchanges launched XPrize-esque challenge frameworks for a number of use cases that have support and co-sponsorship from senior leadership of Health and Human Services as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. (These challenge plans are actively seeking commercial sponsorship and funding - if any readers would like to participate, contact me.)

When I gave my first keynote presentation, sharing Jess' story as backdrop to a call-to-action for health information exchange and system transformation, Andy watched, and gave me specific and honest feedback about the content - and what could realistically be done to influence (or redirect) the suggested changes. That someone in his position would be listening, responding, and assimilating input from someone like me still strikes me as incredible - and in absolute alignment with his approach to his role as a public servant for 140 million Americans, not a pursuit of political power.

Soon, we say goodbye to the Andy era at CMS. I know I'm not alone in my appreciation for his style of leadership, and my personal story of his kindness and intervention in real issues isn't the only one of its kind. I can only hope that his brand of transparency and candid engagement continues with the next administration.

Thank you for your service to the American people. You helped get 20 million of us covered, bringing the uninsured rate to an all-time low of 8.6%. People are alive because of what you've done.