The MaineHealth Podcast

Working Together with Kelly Elkins, Episode 36
Compensation 101

It will likely come as no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions leaders receive at MaineHealth is about compensation and the decision-making process behind it.

In this latest episode, Tammy Broadhurst, MaineHealth Senior Director of Compensation, discusses the health system’s compensation philosophy and goals, the difference between market and merit, how compensation is evaluated and determined, and who is engaged in this important process.  Consider this a don’t-miss “Compensation 101” class in the foundational elements of MaineHealth’s compensation program.

Andy's Open Door Recording
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Stephens Memorial Hospital

Andy hit the road today for a fantastic panel discussion focused on our ambulatory teams, hosted at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. Joining Andy were Western Maine Health President Jeff Noblin, Mountain Region Vice President of Physician & APP Services Ryan Knapp, MD, and Mountain Region Chief Nursing Officer Mary Beth DeFilippo – together with an enthusiastic audience of Stephens care team members filling the Harper Conference Center.

Andy, Jeff, Mary Beth and Ryan talked about their points of pride during a time of tremendous change – including successes in patient safety and quality, collaborations across the Mountain Region, physician and APP recruitment, the rural internal medicine residency program, and living the value of Respect. They also discussed challenges and opportunities and the importance of resilience in uncertain times.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 35
Consumerism: Is There a Role in Healthcare? 

When does a patient’s journey with our healthcare system begin? Is it with their first appointment with a physician or APP? And where does the patient journey end? What kind of experience do we want our patients to have?  MaineHealth is exploring these questions and building innovative solutions to answer them to enhance our patients’ journey.  In this episode, Terri Cannan, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, joins Kelly to discuss this important topic.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 34
NorDx - Lab of the Future

You may know that NorDx is the laboratory enterprise for MaineHealth, but there is so much more to learn about the importance of this organization to our health system. In this episode, Kelly speaks with NorDx President Guillermo Martinez-Torres, MD, about the history of NorDx, the depth and breadth of services it provides, and the exciting innovations and initiatives under way in the laboratory space.

Andy's Open Door Recording
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Guest: Dora Anne Mills, MD with Guest Host, Chris Thomson, MD

Chief Medical and Transformation Officer Chris Thomson, MD hosted today's AOD program, with guest, Chief Health Improvement Officer Dora Anne Mills, MD.

Their conversation focused on how much the world has changed since Dora's first appearance on AOD in 2021, including the critical role the Center for Health Improvement (CHI) played during the pandemic, and its continued vital role today.  

Dora and Chris discussed the many ways this team supports MaineHealth’s mission and vision and what makes us unique. They talked about some of the biggest public health challenges CHI is addressing, and what the future holds for CHI and for MaineHealth.

BACON - Episode 54: MHACO's Care Variation Reduction Strategies

The reduction of unwarranted care variation has the potential to improve quality while reducing cost of care, which aligns perfectly with the principles of value-based care championed by the ACO. Join us as we explore MHACO’s dedicated focus on end-of-life care and transitions of care in our conversation with Carl DeMars, MD, chair of the MHACO board and VP for physician and APP services for MaineHealth’s Coastal Region.

Previous episodes of BACON, along with transcripts and bonus content, can be found on the MaineHealth ACO’s website.

Andy's Open Door Recording
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Guest: Omar Hasan, MD, MPH

Wednesday’s Andy’s Open Door program began on a somber note, with Andy reflecting that the world – and in particular, our Maine and New Hampshire communities – has changed following last week’s tragedy in Lewiston. He expressed gratitude to our colleagues at Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s, who provided care to those who needed it, and noted how inspiring it was to see our MaineHealth care team stepping up to serve in so many different ways, and our emergency rooms prepared and ready to serve in a heroic fashion, if needed.

Andy also noted that in the wake of this horrific tragedy MaineHealth will continue to take steps to keep our care team safe, citing the prioritization of the Workplace Violence Prevention Steering Committee efforts under way.

Andy’s guest, Chief Quality Officer Omar Hasan, MD, MPH, lifted spirits as he spoke about Quality and Safety initiatives across MaineHealth, and our work to become a high-reliability organization – including the qualities that define what that means. Omar spoke of the spirit of collaboration and the improvements MaineHealth has made with input from people providing care at the front lines, and the value of incremental change over time. Omar celebrated the achievements on the system Quality Dashboard and outlined what’s next in our patient safety journey.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 33
What is Revenue Cycle Management?

You likely understand that how MaineHealth is paid and what MaineHealth is paid for delivery of health care services is extremely important to our sustainability as an organization. But how that revenue is managed may be something you are less familiar with. In this episode Kelly speaks with Paul Chausse, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), about the continuum of services the RCM program provides for MaineHealth, and the goals, benefits and challenges they address.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 32
The Silent Threat

Cyber-attacks are as prevalent as ever, shutting down or crippling organizations across the globe. The healthcare industry and others – including MaineHealth – felt the residual impact of a cyber-attack last year when Kronos, a leading payroll system, was attacked. This attack alone cost our organization significant dollars and resource time and caused care team member frustration.

How do these attacks happen and what can we do to prevent this Silent Threat from impacting us at MaineHealth?  In this episode Kelly speaks with Chief Information Security Officer Andy Seward about cybersecurity and the work happening behind the scenes at MaineHealth to protect our organization.

Andy's Open Door Recording
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Guest: Scott Ballard, CPO

COO Kelly Elkins hosted today’s Andy’s Open Door with guest Chief People Officer Scott Ballard. Kelly opened the program acknowledging the very difficult times our care team members are experiencing. She and Scott spoke about the resources available to the MaineHealth community and how to access them.

Their conversation also covered open enrollment which begins October 23, HR’s transformation to a shared services model, and the enhanced onboarding experience for care team members. Scott pointed out the extensive information and resources accessible to care team members via the Human Resources intranet site.