On October 10th, Andrew will serve on the panel “The Social and Financial Impacts Opioid Epidemic – Thoughts on Red Reliance on Opioids” at Becker’s Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Andrew’s session, click here.
Question: What does healthcare need more of? Less of?
Andrew Digate: Healthcare providers need more of demonstrating their value to consumers and less conveying very generic and bland value propositions. Rightly so, our patients want to know their final price, especially younger people who have grown up with the ability to get any information immediately. If we as healthcare entities do not convey a solid, meaningful, and defined value proposition, we could end up as a mere commodity driven by the lowest price. Our industry continues to transform with such incredible technology as 3 D printing, wearable devices, precision medicine, and nanotechnology. We are at a defining moment with so many possibilities – This is a great chance for everyone to convey something meaningful.
Q: What is one topic or issue you’ve been investing time in to better understand as of late?
AD: As background, Northern Illinois University (NIU), like most Universities in this country, requires proof of group health insurance coverage for its students. Most of our students have coverage as a dependent on their parent’s coverage. Our campus, like many, has a separate student health insurance plan available to its students. My team and I have oversight and responsibility for the Student Health Insurance plan.
I have been looking extensively at alternative insurance models which will maximize coverage/minimalize expense for our students while minimizing the risk to the University. Currently, we have a fairly standard PPO model. Our proactive approach to student health insurance has been generating favorable results. However, we are really wanting to dig deeper toward potential solutions which could be even more meaningful for our students, their families, and the University.
Q: What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
AD: The best way to understand the other silo is to live it, to one extent or the other. What are their barriers and why? Even though I have spent almost my entire career working with and for extremely bright and talented clinicians, I am not a trained clinician. In order to better understand the life of a clinician, I talk to them regularly to better understand their world. I read many medical journals and try to attend various medical lectures. Even though some of this may go right over my head, I feel that I am making efforts to continue to understand their world.
What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
