The MaineHealth Podcast

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 11

When some of us think about research, we may envision scientists in labs researching and solving complex clinical or scientific problems. But in reality, research is a broad and diverse function that virtually anyone can participate in.

In this episode, Kelly speaks with Liz Jacobs, MD, Vice President for Research at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, to learn more about research activities at MaineHealth and how “You, Too, Can Be a Researcher.”

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 10

You have likely heard about a “value-based care” reimbursement model, which focuses less on payment for episodes of care and more on keeping patients healthy and delivering high-quality care. While we have been hearing these statements for years, many systems and payors have not made the full transition to value-based care. At MaineHealth, we are taking a bold step in accelerating our move to value-based care by transforming how we deliver primary care.

In this episode, Kelly speaks with Dr. Brett Loffredo, Medical Director for our agilon partnership and BHiVe initiative, and how our new partnership will help us transform how we deliver care.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 9

This episode builds on the info shared in the first Keeping Score podcast (Episode 4), when Chief Planning Officer Mark Harris discussed the development and purpose of a balanced scorecard for MaineHealth.

Since that time, the MaineHealth Board has approved our strategic plan and balanced scorecard, and it is now time to put our plans and scorecard management system into action. In this episode, Kelly and Mark walk through the strategic priorities and FY23 goals.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 8

You cannot turn on the TV, read an article or even run your errands without hearing about the workforce shortages impacting our country and our communities.  And healthcare has been one of the hardest hit industries. In this episode, Kelly speaks with MaineHealth Director of Workforce Development Jen O’Leary to learn about the work under way at MaineHealth to rebuild our workforce pipeline.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 7 (originally published October, 2022)

Voters in 46 states will choose 6,279 state legislators and 36 governors on November 8, as well as decide 117 statewide ballot measures. Without a Presidential contest, the 2022 elections put states front and center, and Maine and New Hampshire are no exception in this election cycle. Exercising your right to vote is critically important in every election and finding the time and ways to place your vote can sometimes be a challenge. In today’s episode, Kelly speaks with Chief Government Affairs Officer Katie Harris on how MaineHealth is supporting our care team members’ participation in the election process this year.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 6

In this episode, Kelly is joined by Aileen Mickey, MD, President of the MaineHealth Medical Group. Together they discuss the further evolution of our operating model and the new organizational structure supporting that work to build out a MaineHealth “team of teams.” They share how regionalization builds upon our integration work to date, breaks down barriers, and optimizes the talents of our teams.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 5

In this episode, Kelly is joined by Dr. Omar Hasan, Chief Quality Officer for MaineHealth, and Dr. Mark Parker, MaineHealth Patient Safety Officer and VP Quality & Safety for MMC. Together they discuss the latest safety culture survey results and, more importantly, how we build, nurture, and measure a culture of safety within our organization.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 4

In health care we love our dashboards and scorecards. They are invaluable tools to gauge how we are performing in a variety of key indicators – and in health care there are thousands that can be tracked and measured. How does an integrated health system like MaineHealth pick the most important indicators to measure the success of our strategic initiatives and, more importantly, how are those indicators shared with all care team members? How are we “keeping score” of our performance?  In this episode, you’ll hear Mark Harris, Chief Planning Officer, discuss the work underway to develop a balanced scorecard at MaineHealth, to track not only our performance, but also the execution of our strategic plans.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 3

One of the longtime challenges our health system has faced is how to optimally leverage the tremendous data and analytics we have available to make better-informed decisions. The variety of technology and tools across MaineHealth are complex, and it can be confusing to determine where to turn for data needs and support. In this episode, Kelly and Chief Information Officer Dan Nigrin, MD discuss the work underway to solve for this opportunity, including the recent announcement of a Center of Excellence in data analytics.

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 2

In this episode, Chris Bowe, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Mid Coast-Parkview Health discusses the “cross pollination of excellence” that regionalization will provide. Chris speaks with Kelly about the advantages of being part of an integrated health system, and shares examples of how we can rely on each other to meet patient needs and enhance clinical care delivery.