Podcasts about secretary shulkin

Our guests:David Shulkin, FMR Secretary at U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsPaul N. Long, Chief Experience Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of MAMarten den Haring, CEO at LirioDan DOrazio, CEO at Sage Growth Partners (Guest Host)In this episode, we discussed:The staggering growth in healthcare spending, from $1.4 trillion in 2000 to $4.5 trillion in 2024.Secretary Shulkin highlights the need for aligning healthcare delivery with patient experience and outcomes.Paul Long emphasizes personalized, patient-centered care through better organizational structures and social determinants of health.Marten Den Haring introduces "precision nudging," using AI to enhance patient engagement and improve health outcomes.The panel debates the complementary roles of humans and AI in addressing healthcare's economic and operational challenges.Our sponsors for this episode are:Sage Growth Partners https://sage-growth.com/Quantum Health https://quantum-health.com/

Just taking a moment here to thank our Relentless Tribe for really getting yourselves involved in the work that I had originally kicked off to improve the outcomes for CKD (chronic kidney disease) patients in this country. With the momentum that we have so far, this Relentless Tribe of ours, we are really (for reals) going to produce measurable improvements for patients with CKD—so many of you, not just talking but actually out there, actively doing what you need to do so that patients do better, and it's making a difference. I have talked to doctors, other clinicians, administrators, IPAs, other provider organizations big and small, payers, societies, a great data company, a number of you who are consultants. It's crazy what we have been able to build so far, and we've been doing this for less than a year. The Relentless Tribe … let me tell you, we move mountains. We get patients properly diagnosed. We get them into appropriate treatment plans. What restores my faith in these rough times, we have encountered one PCP, one clinician after another; and the second that we show them the “as per the guidelines” way to accurately diagnose and stage chronic kidney disease (which is not just using eGFR for those clinicians who might be listening), yeah, that's it! These are great doctors, and they switch it up. They switch up what they are doing, and that makes my heart warm. These are doctors across the board, from ones in independent practices to ones maybe employed by academic medical centers. And once they have the right information, they use it. And it's a wonderful thing, and I cannot thank everybody who has contributed enough. We are making real differences in patients' lives. If what I am doing speaks to you in any way, please hit me up, because we're cooking with gas and I could not be prouder of this community of change agents that we have built here. You're amazing. You know what needs to be done, and you're not afraid to do it. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. In this healthcare podcast, I am talking with Secretary David Shulkin, MD, and Erin Mistry. Here's the first reason why I was interested in taking this interview after their public relations firm contacted me. We were at the thINc360 conference in DC earlier this summer, and I heard them talking about a new innovation to help patients on dialysis not die from infections, which … didn't realize how common that was and it seemed like a nice adjacency to our ongoing CKD work. I also thought this might be an opportunity to learn a little bit more about what's going on with hospital-acquired infections and infection control. Superbugs are hella scary, but one thing I'm just gonna point out—and, small sidebar here, but listen to the show with Bruce Rector, MD (EP300) for more on this—in recent times, I don't think there has been a pharma company who has managed to launch an antibiotic and achieve commercial success. So, what can easily wind up happening under the current payment model is that instead of just using the new antibiotic to treat resistant cases, there's this perverse incentive to push for the drug's use more broadly because more prescriptions, more money. But when the new antibiotic is used more broadly, that actually reduces its effectiveness against those resistant infections that it is here to treat. Okay … back to bloodstream infections now, which is the topic of the conversation today. If a patient has a central line infection and then gets sepsis, their chances of readmission within 30 days is almost 99%. This is not a little cohort. It's not small potatoes we're talking about here either. As Secretary Shulkin says during this interview that follows, if you're gonna make a preventative care economic case study, do it on hospital-acquired infections and, most particularly, those with central lines that lead to sepsis. Even with very short time horizons, you can make that case. So, that was two reasons for this interview. The third: I've been extremely intrigued by how and why decisions get made in hospitals for whether or not to buy and use potentially expensive new innovative things—specifically, innovative new things which are used during inpatient goings-on paid for with a DRG. DRG stands for Diagnostic Resource Group. Medicare (and others a lot of times) pays hospitals a flat sum to care for a patient coming in with heart failure or sepsis or needing dialysis, regardless of what services are actually delivered. There are something like 13,000 diagnoses and 5000 procedures that Medicare pays for with a DRG lump sum payment. It's up to the hospitals to make sure they buy low and sell high. So, you can see where this is going. A hospital can't go tell Medicare, “Hey, we just got some fancy new equipment or a better IV drug, so now we're gonna charge more.” The DRG is what the DRG is, and if the hospital chooses to spend more on the cost of goods, then the hospital makes less money. This is kind of along the same lines as Marty Makary, MD, MPH, talks about in his book Unaccountable. The purchasing department or some administrator somewhere is making decisions about what monitors to put in the ORs, and they pick the cheap ones that don't have the color contrast that the surgeons need to do a good job. But the monitors are cheaper, and the hospital can't pass on the costs. So, from a strictly purchasing perspective, it seems like fiscally solid purchasing, even if doctors are not on board with the decisions and patients have worse outcomes. Seems like somebody over at CMS figured this out, and to solve for the “purchasers or administrators or whomever who are not willing to lose money by using new stuff,” Medicare introduced this extra payment opportunity, which we'll get into in the interview today. But the short version is this: Biotech companies, device companies, others who are innovators can apply to get Medicare to pay a so-called NTAP to healthcare delivery organizations who use the new product. NTAP stands for new technology add-on payment. Again, these are additional Medicare payments in the inpatient setting that may be available to those who use certain qualifying new technologies as part of services rendered that are normally part of a DRG. Here's my assessment of the tension between hospitals and plan sponsors because, yeah, when hospitals get paid more for something, that is coming out of somebody's wallet. If we assume that we're talking about an innovation that actually produces better patient outcomes, I don't know how anyone can say there's a right answer here. If the innovation is expensive, you're gonna have payers worried about the money, and fair enough. I can easily hear them saying something like, “We're already paying however much to the hospital, and now there's an additional charge that's allowed on top of the DRG?” On the other hand, if I'm a patient, yeah, it would kinda suck to not get the innovation that's gonna save my life or whatever because the payers insist on paying no more than the DRG and the hospital won't pay out of their own pocket. Really enjoyed my conversation today with Secretary David Schulkin. Secretary Shulkin spent his career running healthcare systems, mostly in the Northeast. A number of years ago, he entered the Obama administration to run the VA (Veterans Affairs) healthcare system. In the Trump administration, Dr. Shulkin was in the Cabinet as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Secretary Shulkin now has a consulting firm and is working with CorMedix. Erin Mistry, my second guest today, spent her career in health systems and then in biopharma. She now works for CorMedix. My sincere thanks for helping validate a couple of facts in this intro to Scott Haas, Autumn Yongchu, and Erik Davis from USI. For more on the topic of hospitals getting paid to administer drugs through a patient's medical benefit, listen to the show with Autumn Yongchu and Erik Davis (EP370). They cover the ways hospitals sometimes can figure out how to charge plan sponsors and patients 6x the cost of the drug. Acronym alert! CVC, which comes up a couple of times in the interview that follows, stands for central venous catheter, which is something that many dialysis patients have. Second Acronym Alert! QIDP stands for Qualified Infectious Disease Product. A QIDP qualifies for a special NTAP incentive specifically for infectious disease products. So again, just recapping what an NTAP is. It's a new technology add-on payment, and it's paid for by CMS, who has studied the new technology thing and determined that they actually want hospitals to be using it. So, they're willing to pay more than the DRG if a hospital uses this thing, because they recognize if they don't pay more, then the hospital won't eat the cost. And just because of all the focus on infectious disease right now, these qualified infectious disease products have some prioritized status over at CMS relative to getting the NTAP designation.   You can learn more by connecting with Secretary Shulkin, Erin, and CorMedix on LinkedIn.     Honorable David J. Shulkin, MD, was the ninth Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), having been appointed by President Trump. Secretary Shulkin previously served as Under Secretary for Health, having been appointed by President Obama and confirmed twice unanimously by the US Senate. As Secretary, Dr. Shulkin represented the 21 million American veterans and was responsible for the nation's largest integrated healthcare system, with over 1200 sites of care serving over 9 million veterans. Prior to coming to VA, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive, having served as chief executive of leading hospitals and health systems, including Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center in northern New Jersey. As an entrepreneur, Secretary Shulkin founded and served as the chairman and CEO of DoctorQuality and has served on boards of managed care companies, technology companies, and healthcare organizations. Since leaving government, Secretary Shulkin has been the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute Distinguished Health Policy Fellow and Professor at the Jefferson University College of Population Health. He is a board-certified internist and received advanced training in outcomes research and economics as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Over his career, Secretary Shulkin has been named one of the “100 Most Influential People in American Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare.   Erin Mistry is executive vice president and chief commercial officer of CorMedix, appointed in January 2023. She served as senior vice president of payer strategy, government affairs, and trade from 2020 to 2022. She leads the company's commercial strategy and execution. Erin brings over 15 years of industry experience at the executive level, from consulting to in-house executive management. Prior to joining CorMedix, Erin was vice president of market access at Intarcia Therapeutics, responsible for pricing, coverage, access, real-world evidence (RWE), and channel strategy for a competitive product in type 2 diabetes. Erin was also senior managing director at Syneos Health, where she was responsible for the global P&L of the Value Access Practice. In this capacity, Erin consulted on commercial strategy and market access with emerging, mid, and large biopharma across a broad range of therapeutic categories. Erin holds an undergraduate and master degree in biomechanical engineering from North Carolina State University.   10:17 What is happening with antimicrobial stewardship and combatting antibiotic resistance? 11:22 How is CorMedix working to prevent infections caused by catheters, and who is paying for the innovation to prevent this type of infection? 12:38 Why should hospitals pay for new innovations like the one created by CorMedix? 14:32 What do hospitals need to do in order to realize the benefit of this new innovation? 16:14 What does antimicrobial stewardship mean to Secretary Shulkin? 17:06 “If we continue to ignore this and not use antibiotics appropriately, it's simply a matter of time before the superbugs figure out how to take over.” —Secretary Shulkin 18:32 “Anytime you have a preventative medicine, you have to have an economic story.” —Erin 20:55 Who is using this product, and who is paying for it? 21:38 What needs to be considered if rolling out an innovation like this broadly? 24:47 How does an innovative product qualify for an NTAP? 26:37 “It's not just financial economics; it's mortality data.” —Erin 28:08 What does Secretary Shulkin see as “shifting the paradigm”?   You can learn more by connecting with Secretary Shulkin, Erin, and CorMedix on LinkedIn.   @DavidShulkin and Erin Mistry of @CorMedix_News discuss payment for #innovation in #hospital procedures and #DRG on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #digitalhealth #hcmkg #healthcarepricing #pricetransparency #healthcarefinance   Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Keith Passwater and JR Clark (Summer Shorts 7), Lauren Vela (Summer Shorts 6), Dr Jacob Asher (Summer Shorts 5), Eric Gallagher (Summer Shorts 4), Dan Serrano, Larry Bauer, Dr Vivek Garg (Summer Shorts 3), Dr Scott Conard (Summer Shorts 2), Brennan Bilberry (Summer Shorts 1), Stacey Richter (INBW38)

Rob Thomas, who is the former Assistant Secretary for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer (SES) for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, talks with Secretary Shulkin and Lou about his time at VA, how the Cerner implementation decision was made, and what VA needs to do in the future to compete.

Today, Secretary Shulkin and Lou Celli discuss what is coming up for Policy Vets as they work to keep policy issues on track, post-pandemic.  

Secretary Shulkin and Lou Celli discuss Veterans Day and reflect on the podcast's many guests, as well as the reaction they've received.

Professor Renata Gomes joins Secretary Shulkin and Lou to discuss Bravo Victor, a UK-based group dedicated towards focusing the world's best research scientists to improve the lives of the visually impaired and veterans.  Professor Gomes is the Chief Scientific Officer at BRAVO VICTOR, Blind Veterans UK Group (https://www.bravovictor.org/)

Chris Madaio and Will Hubbard join Secretary Shulkin and Lou to discuss the successes of the GI bill. They also discuss those educational institutions, who for profit motive, have acted as predators towards service members and veterans.  Chris and Will both hold Vice President positions at Veterans Education Success (https://vetsedsuccess.org), a non-profit of bipartisan policy experts, academic researchers, lawyers and advocates dedicated to bridging the military-civilian divide to ensure career and education success for military families.

Dr. Phillip Roe, the former Chairman of the House Veteran Affairs Committee, speaks with Secretary Shulkin and Lou about what he's doing now, what should be a priority for congress with regards to veterans, and what he wishes he could have done while in office.

Dr. Ben Suitt joins Secretary Shulkin and Lou to talk about his recent study regarding the shockingly high numbers of veteran suicides. He explains that the recent drop in suicides reported by the VA, might just be a numbers game that doesn't reflect reality.

Today, Secretary Shulkin and Lou speak with AnnMarie Halterman, who is the Executive Director of Uniting Us (https://unitingus.org/), which uses art therapy to support the veteran community as they deal with trauma, physical disability, or life in general. 

In today's special episode, Secretary Shulkin and Lou are joined by General David Petraeus. General Petraeus served Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and before retiring from a 37 year Army career, served as the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan. He speaks to the tragedy that is occurring in Afghanistan, and provides words of encouragement to veterans who are struggling with the U.S. Withdrawal.

Lou Celli and guest host Charlie Malone, stepping in for Secretary Shulkin this week, are joined by Dr. Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School Professor and the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Public Finance.  This week they talk about the true financial costs of war, which according to her research are woefully understated, and neglect to account for taking care of veterans future needs.

Sherman Gillums joins Secretary Shulkin and Lou Celli to talk about Veteran Service Organizations (VSO's) and what they need to do in order to ensure veterans continue to have a voice.  Sherman has served as a veteran, VSO Executive, and now as an advocate.

A national leader in the field of healthcare management, Dr. David Shulkin served as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and has held leadership positions at five major hospitals and hospital systems. Secretary Shulkin joins Adam to share his journey and best lessons learned along the way. Secretary Shulkin and Adam discuss how to lead and drive change at large bureaucratic organizations; lessons from working for dramatically different presidents; the intersection of ethics, leadership and service; and much more.

Welcome to a special Memorial Day Tribute of Difficult Conversations - Lessons I Learned as an ICU Physician. This week,  we will pause and take a moment to honor the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and to also remember our commitment to all of those who have served. This week I chose to replay a previous interview with the  Honorable Dr. David Shulkin, who was the 9th Secretary of the US Dept of Veteran Affairs. He was nominated by President Trump to serve his cabinet. Prior to serving as Secretary of the VA, he served as Under Secretary for Health under President Obama.  Dr. Shulkin represented 21 million American veterans and was responsible for the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system with over 1,200 sites of care, serving over 9 million Veterans.  Prior to coming to the VA, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive having served as Chief Executive of leading hospitals and health systems such as Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.  His book, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans. is one of the best books about our VA System ever written. Dr. Orsini mentions his first encounter with Dr. Shulkin, and remembered how genuine, down to earth, extremely friendly, and very engaging he was. We find out what made Dr. Shulkin take the medicine path and what led him into the leadership role. Dr. Shulkin tells us the single most difficult conversation that he had, and he gives us advice on his approach to communicating bad news. There are so many problems with medical education training right now with communication, and Dr. Shulkin shares with us how we can fix this. Dr. Shulkin’s dedication in his book impressed Dr. Orsini, and he talks about his dad, who was a psychiatrist on an Army base, and if he influenced him in any way. We learn about when he takes on his new position as Under Secretary at the VA in 2015, and what he realized he had in front of him with the wait time issues that were going on. Also, we find how he fixed the issue so quickly. Since he served with both Trump and Obama, we find out the game plan he had to navigate through the two different environments and succeed at it.  Dr. Shulkin has been called the “Champion of Patient Experience ” and he shares with us how he was able to start the Patient Experience Program at the VA. Telemedicine is discussed and whether or not it’s here to stay or if we keep doing more and more Telemedicine, if we’re going to miss that patient relationship. Host: Dr. Anthony OrsiniGuest: Dr. David ShulkinFor More Information:The Orsini WayThe Orsini Way-FacebookThe Orsini Way-LinkedinThe Orsini Way-InstagramThe Orsini Way-TwitterIt’s All In The Delivery: Improving Healthcare Starting With A Single Conversation by Dr. Anthony OrsiniResources Mentioned:David J. Shulkin, MD TwitterShulkin SolutionsIt Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Country:  Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans by David Shulkin

#MillenniumLive CEO Series: Former Secretary for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin, joins the podcast with our Co-Founder Alex Sobol to discuss his career path. Secretary Shulkin shares his success stories while working in government, and priorities in healthcare leadership.

Secretary Shulkin, the 9th Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shares bright spots within the Veterans Administration that may be applicable at private hospitals, health systems and health insurers. The discussion touches on topics including consumer centricity, whole-person care, digital health, mental health and innovation. This episode is sponsored by Insignia Health Insignia Health empowers healthcare organizations and health professionals around the world to assess patient activation and develop strategies for the efficient application of healthcare resources. As activation increases and individuals become better managers of their health, utilization costs decline and patient satisfaction improves. The Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®) and over 15 years of health activation research form the cornerstone of a complementary suite of solutions that help clinicians, coaches and population health providers improve health outcomes and lower costs. Today, Insignia Health supports the health activation efforts of more than 250 organizations touching the lives of millions of patients in dozens of countries.

Secretary David Shulkin, the ninth Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, shares insights about his service to two very different Presidents and the current state of public service as he discusses his best selling book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard To Serve Your Country.American veterans face a number of challenges in the country today - from chronic homelessness to mental health issues and PTSD to a chaotic and understaffed VA. While technology has evolved to keep up with the needs of the United States military, the same change and care for veterans are often regarded as lagging behind. Dr. David Shulkin, who served as the United States Secretary for Veteran's Affairs in the Trump Administration from February 2017 until March 2018, and before that as Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health in the Obama Administration, joined us for a candid discussion about the policy and politics of veterans' affairs. As Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin represented the 21 million American veterans and was responsible for the nation's largest integrated health care system with over 1,200 sites of care, serving over 9 million Veterans. Prior to coming to VA, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive having served as chief executive of leading hospitals and health systems including Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center. As an entrepreneur, Secretary Shulkin founded and served as the Chairman and CEO of DoctorQuality and has served on boards of managed care companies, technology companies, and health care organizations. Secretary Shulkin is the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute Distinguished Health Policy Fellow and Professor at the Jefferson University College of Population Health. He is a board-certified internist and received advanced training in outcomes research and economics as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Over his career Secretary Shulkin has been named, “One Hundred Most Influential People in American Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare.

Caring for Our Veterans with the Honorable Dr. David ShulkinWelcome to the Difficult Conversations with Dr. Anthony Orsini. This week my extra special guest is the Honorable Dr. David Shulkin, who is currently CEO of Shulkin Solutions. He was the Ninth Secretary of the US Dept of Veteran Affairs, nominated by President Trump to serve his cabinet. Prior to serving as Secretary of the VA, he served as Under Secretary for Health under President Obama, and unanimously confirmed twice by the US Senate. Dr. Shulkin represented 21 million American veterans and was responsible for the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system with over 1,200 sites of care, serving over 9 million Veterans. Prior to coming to the VA, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive having served as Chief Executive of leading hospitals and health systems such as Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, which is where Dr. Orsini first met him. He has also previously been named 100 most influential people in American Healthcare by Modern Healthcare. Dr. Shulkin’s recently published book is called, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans. Dr. Orsini mentions his first encounter with Dr. Shulkin, and remembered how genuine, , and very engaging he was. We find out what made Dr. Shulkin take the medicine path and what led him into the leadership role. Dr. Shulkin tells us the single most difficult conversation that he had, and he gives us advice on his approach to communicating bad news. There are so many problems with medical education training right now with communication, and Dr. Shulkin shares with us how we can fix this. Dr. Shulkin’s dedication in his book impressed Dr. Orsini, and he talks about his dad, who was a psychiatrist on an Army base, and if he influenced him in any way. We learn about when he takes on his new position as Under Secretary at the VA in 2015, and what he realized he had in front of him with the wait time issues that were going on. Also, we find how he fixed the issue so quickly. Since he served with both Trump and Obama, we find out the game plan he had to navigate through the two different environments and succeed at it. Dr. Shulkin shares with us how he was able to start the Patient Experience Program at the VA. Telemedicine is discussed and whether or not it’s here to stay or if we keep doing more. Find out what Dr. Shulkin is most proud of career wise. If you enjoyed this podcast, please hit the subscribe button to find out more about what we do and how we teach communication. Go ahead and download this episode now!Host: Dr. Anthony OrsiniGuest: Dr. David ShulkinFor More Information:The Orsini WayThe Orsini Way-FacebookThe Orsini Way-LinkedinThe Orsini Way-InstagramThe Orsini Way-TwitterIt’s All In The Delivery: Improving Healthcare Starting With A Single Conversation by Dr. Anthony OrsiniResources Mentioned:David J. Shulkin, MD TwitterShulkin SolutionsIt Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Serve Your Cou

Dear Friends & Colleagues,On Friday March 27th 2020, I launched a limited podcast series addressing how the COVID-19 pandemic is reframing American healthcare.  You can find the introduction episode here.  In this series, I’ll be interviewing future-facing, courageous healthcare leaders and entrepreneurs - asking two questions: (1) How is the COVID-19 pandemic immediately changing the way you’re delivering healthcare?   (2) How will COVID-19 reframe American healthcare for years to come? In this episode, we’ll be speaking with Dr. David Shulkin.  Dr. Shulkin served as the 9th Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, as a member of President Trumps’ cabinet.  Previous to that he served as Under-Secretary for Health, having been appointed by President Obama. Prior to entering the government, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive.  He has been named as one of the Top 100 Physician Leaders by Becker’s Hospital Review and one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives in the Country” by Modern Healthcare and Modern Physician.   Dr. Shulkin is an amazing leader and it’s always a privilege and pleasure to speak with him as he describes the principled-based, data-driven leadership we’ll need in the COVID-19 and post COVID-19 era.  In this dialogue he speaks to a number of issues, including:The renewed recognition of the critical role of government in preparing and maintaining a public health systemThe need for a more integrated national public healthcare system - that recognizes & addresses the disparities and inequities in healthcareThe impact and fall-out of this pandemic on the social determinants of health, which Dr. Shulkin believes could be its most devastating consequenceThe changes in our daily lives - including some positive ones - such as a sense of kindness and generosity, as well as shared responsibility, adaptiveness and resilienceThe social awareness and consciousness being raised, especially amongst the younger generations, who may, for years go come, be motivated to enter into public health serviceThese are unprecedented times, so I hope you find valuable information, guidance, and inspiration in listening to these experts and entrepreneurs share how they are adapting to this pandemic (in real time); and how they’re thinking about and planning for the future.Until next time, be safe and be well,Zeev Neuwirth MD

Dear Friends & Colleagues,A common characteristic of the guests I invite on this podcast is their courage in and commitment to creating unprecedented positive change in healthcare. They don’t just do things right, they do the right things. And, while the content in these interviews centers on transforming healthcare, there are also lessons on humanistic leadership woven throughout. That’s not a coincidence because the act of reframing - of creative disruption - requires that type of leadership. Our guest this week, Secretary David Shulkin, exemplifies courageous, transformational, principled-based leadership. Dr. Shulkin served as a member of President Trumps’ cabinet, as the 9th Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Previous to that he served under President Obama as Under-Secretary for Health. In both positions, he was confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote - an unusual testament to his competence and integrity. Prior to entering the government, Secretary Shulkin had a long distinguished career in the private sector. He served as CEO at Beth Israel Hospital in NYC and Morristown Medical Center in Northern NJ; and also held senior leadership positions at distinguished institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He has been named as one of the Top 100 Physician Leaders by Becker’s Hospital Review and one of the “50 Most Influential Physician Executives in the Country” by Modern Healthcare and Modern Physician. He has also been named by Modern Healthcare as one of the “One Hundred Most Influential People in American Healthcare”. Secretary Shulkin recently published a book entitled, ‘It Shouldn’t Be This Hard To Serve Your Country’, a memoir of his experience serving under two US Presidents. In this interview, you’ll hear:The important and unique role the VA system serves for military veterans, as well as its contributions to our larger healthcare system.The bold leadership maneuvers that Dr. Shulkin deployed to solve for immediate national VA healthcare crises and to navigate the entrenched culture of a slow moving and highly political bureaucracy.The lessons that Dr. Shulkin believes the US healthcare system can adapt from the VA.How Dr. Shulkin initiated the modernization of the VA system through the single largest electronic medical record (EMR) deployment in history.One of the major reframes that Dr. Shulkin introduced into the VA system, which was a shift from being a “pure provider of care” to becoming the “network coordinator of care”.The remarkable characteristics of Dr. Shulkin’s leadership approach are apparent in this episode. First - he focused on solving specific, patient-facing healthcare problems such as improving access to care and eliminating hepatitis C. Second - he fearlessly made decisions based on principles and evidence, followed with swift action. I say “fearless”because he was acting in a pathologically political environment, and many of the decisions he made were followed by highly publicized personal attacks on his character and integrity. Third - he focused on delivering measurable and meaningful outcomes, with a relentless push to transparency.  For me, the main story here is about a high-integrity, humanistic leadership approach coupled with a results-oriented, outcomes-based management style - singularly focused on creating unprecedented and differentiating value for patients and healthcare consumers. It seems ironic that we find one of the most brilliant examples of ‘consumer-obsessed’ leadership in the government-run VA system. Yet, there it is. I’d like to conclude these notes with a very personal message of gratitude.  I would like to sincerely and publicly thank our Veterans for their service and their sacrifice. I had the opportunity to spend the first seven years of my medical career providing care to Veterans at the Bronx VA Hospital in NYC. It was an experience that shaped my perspective and professional trajectory, leaving me with an indelible sense of humanistic mission and purpose.Until Next Time, Be Well.Zeev Neuwirth MD 

On today's show Secretary Shulkin joins us for an encore appearance. David Jonathon Shulkin is an American physician and former government official. In 2017, Shulkin became the 9th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and served under President Donald Trump. Before assuming the top spot at the VA, he served as the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 until 2017, appointed by President Barack Obama. On March 28, 2018, President Trump in his usual style dismissed Shulkin from his position by tweet. Since leaving office, and retuning to his life in the private sector, Secretary Shulkin has authored a book chronicling his time at the VA, titled: "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans".    

Trying to improve mission delivery in a political mud bath just doesn't work. That's according to former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin. As his new book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country," details, public service can be a challenge. Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked to him about a range of matters, including the decision to scrap the decades-old VistA electronic records system; and how, after a career in medicine and hospital administration, he joined the department as undersecretary for health during the Obama administration. As VA secretary, Shulkin ran into a storm of negative publicity when his wife accompanied him on a European trip. And even though the inspector general mostly exonerated him, the damage was done. In his book, Shulkin discusses this incident only months after a flattering New York Times story about his early days in the job.

Dr. David Shulkin, the former VA secretary, describes his fight to save veteran health care from partisan politics and how his efforts were ultimately derailed by a small group of unelected officials appointed by the Trump White House. In "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country", Shulkin opens up about why the government has long struggled to provide good medical care to military veterans and the plan he had to solve these problems. This is a book about the commitment we make to the men and women who risk their lives fighting for our country, how the VA was finally beginning to live up to it, and why the new administration may now be taking us in the wrong direction. Secretary Shulkin talks about VA health care and VA disability benefits reform with host Jim Fausone.  

Is there a plot to privatize the VA? Why won't they speed up resaearch on medical marijuana?  Why was he ousted from his job?  These are just a few things we asked former Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, as he discussed his new book, "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country."  

Is there a plot to privatize the VA? Why won't they speed up resaearch on medical marijuana?  Why was he ousted from his job?  These are just a few things we asked former Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, as he discussed his new book, "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country."  

On PopHealth Week our very special guest is former Secretary David Shulkin. David Jonathon Shulkin is an American physician and former government official. In 2017, Shulkin became the 9th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and served under President Donald Trump. Before assuming the top spot at the VA, he served as the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 until 2017, appointed by President Barack Obama. On March 28, 2018, President Trump dismissed Shulkin from his position by tweet. Since leaving office, and retuning to his life in the private sector, Secretary Shulkin has authored a book chronicling his time at the VA, and JUST TODAY his publisher has released the previously embargoed title: "It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans". Join Fred Goldstein as we explore what the Secretary chronicled in this just released book. ==##==  

03-06-2018 - Secretary Shulkin on Veterans Health Care - audio - English

Suicide prevention and Veteran suicide is an important topic for us all. Secretary Shulkin and VA continue to make it a priority. Personally, I've been talking to people about this topic for several years, to include sharing my own suicide attempt. Whenever I get the opportunity to talk to a Veteran about mental and emotional health, I do not take the occasion for granted. I was wandering a social event at the Military Influencers Conference when I met John Preston. John is a Marine Corps Veteran that is pursuing a career in music. He has struggled with PTSD, alcohol dependency, and suicidal behavior. His music is inspired by his emotional struggles, the passing of his father, his brother's suicide, and other events in his life. John was nice enough to join me for an interview and shared his life from joining the military to where his career is now. This is a powerful episode and one you'll definitely want to listen to.

Francis Jackson is an attorney who specializes in disability law for those seeking veterans disability benefits and social security disability benefits.  A founding partner of Jackson & MacNichol, he has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX network affiliates around the country.  He most recently appeared as a guest of Ben Glass on the “Consumer Advocate” show discussing benefits for veterans and social security disability benefits and how his practice allows him to make a difference in the lives of people facing disabilities.  He has also been quoted in USA Today and is listed in Cambridge Who's Who.  Mr. Jackson was  honored by the National Academy of Best Selling Authors with a "Quilly" award in September, 2012, for his contribution as a joint author to the Amazon best selling book, "Protect and Defend" where he wrote about protecting one's rights to veterans disability compensation. What is being done for homeless veterans? What is being done about potentially suicidal veterans?  What has happened with the idea of VA employees being held more accountable? What are Secretary Shulkin's priorities for the VA? What do these priorities mean for veterans seeking compensation for their disabilities? https://www.disabilitybenefitslaw.com New Interviews, and Inspirational videos will be posted every week on my Youtube Channel! Just go here: https://goo.gl/EA9x6D Connect with Bert Martinez on Facebook. Connect with Bert Martinez on Twitter.

A few weeks ago we released episode 1103 of The American Veteran, a compilation of videos and stories from around our community. Included in that episode was an interview we recently conducted with Secretary Shulkin about improvements around VA, modernizing the processes, and announcements being made. I wanted to make sure you all heard this interview, so I decided to make it this week's feature interview. My colleague, Melissa Heintz, sat down with Secretary Shulkin to discuss where VA is 8 months into his watch.

When I first started podcasting in the Veteran space, often spoke with creatives: authors, artists, musicians, etc. I learned there are a lot of Veterans in the hip hop community. It makes sense. Hip hop is about expression and a lot of emcees use the medium to share personal experiences. Doc Todd is not exception. He's been praised by many national outlets for his music that addresses the difficulties of coming back from conflict and transitioning from the military. About Doc Todd: Doc was born George Michael Todd Jr. on February 16, 1985, and raised in the city of Memphis. While study wasn’t his strong suit, he fell in love with writing in high school – that is, writing lyrics for his band, not writing homework assignments. After completing high school in 2003, Doc worked a number of different jobs in the restaurant industry, which was a natural fit given his passion for customer service and uncanny sales ability. However, after several successful years in the business he wanted more from life. Doc set his focus on self-improvement and meaningful growth, and in the fall of 2007 he enlisted in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. After his military service (which did not include civilian transition training), Doc moved to Atlanta and worked at restaurants and a premier hospital, while he pursed his college education on the G.I. Bill. Doc graduated from Georgia State University magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in studying Economics & Public Policy in 2014. He then joined Northwestern Mutual where he began to build a financial management practice, before pursuing this veteran project. Covered in Episode 46: VA's response to Hurricane Harvey and information Veterans need regarding benefits More of Secretary Shulkin's remarks at the American Legion Convention in Reno Interview with Navy Veteran Doc Todd   Why he decided to join the Navy Deploying and being medevac'd His difficult coping with being forced away from his unit. Pursuing music How his music helps him and his fellow Veterans cope Veteran's Crisis Line #VeteranOfTheDay Army Corps Veteran Alice Evamae Ewing Phillips

I first met Rory Cooper at the VA Medical Center in Pittsburgh. He was showcasing a number of products he helped research and develop. I called upon him to join me on the podcast when I saw he was a top 12 finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America People's Choice Award. He's also nominated in the science and environment category. Rory is going to talk to us about his service in the Army, his spinal cord injury, accommodations for people using wheelchairs, and his research that is benefiting those with similar disabilities. About Rory: Rory Cooper, PhD, founder and senior researcher at the University of Pittsburgh Human Engineering Research Labs (HERL), is a world-renowned expert in wheeled mobility and the pioneer in wheelchair selection and configuration. Dr. Cooper is developing technology to increase the independence of people with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) and equipping them with the skills necessary to operate new technology. Dr. Cooper founded HERL at the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. Today, HERL conducts more than 74 clinical studies in eight customized labs with 50 staff members, who include engineers, physicians, therapists, research specialists and rehab medical interns. HERL’s mission is to continuously improve the mobility and function of disabled patients through advanced engineering in clinical research and medical rehabilitation. Covered in Episode 43: Secretary Shulkin's remarks at the American Legion Convention in Reno Interview with Army Veteran Rory Cooper   Rory's decision to join the Army His experience in the military His spinal cord injury. Life as a handicapped person The world's accommodations (and lack of) for persons in wheelchairs His award nominated research Explore VA #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran James Buckland

In the Veteran community, there are people you hear of and hear about over and over but never meet or engage with. Mark Rockefeller was on my radar for years. I heard about Street Shares, the company he co-founded, when they first started. I never had the opportunity to interview him for my former programs, so he made the short list when we launched This Week at VA. Just a couple weeks ago, I finally got the opportunity to talk with him. I visited Street Share's cozy space in Reston, VA and talked with him about serving in the Air Force, being an entrepreneur, Veteran owned businesses, and much more. About Mark: Mark began his career as a military officer, and later as an attorney. Following service in Iraq, Mark worked briefly on a pro bono micro-finance project in Africa before joining the prominent global financial services law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP. His law practice focused on securities, financial restructuring, and international investment disputes. Inspired by his experience in Africa and a desire to reinvigorate small businesses in the United States (particularly veteran-owned small businesses), Mark left the law firm in 2013 to co-found StreetShares. He holds a B.S. in Finance, and advanced degrees in Finance and Law. Mark provides strategic leadership and vision to StreetShares and ensures our talented team has what it needs to serve our customers. Mark's favorite American Main Street is Main Street, Breckenridge, CO. Covered in Episode 43: Secretary Shulkin's remarks on the signing of Choice and Quality Employment Act Interview with Air Force Veteran Mark Rockefeller   Why he decided to join the Air Force His experience in the military Handling legal cases in a conflict zone Founding Street Shares Entrepreneurship among Veterans Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization #VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Robert Estrada

This week's featured interview is with retired Army General Gary Profit. Gary is the Senior Director of Military Programs at Walmart. Walmart is a leading employer for Veterans and their spouses. Gary connected with us to talk about Walmart's initiatives to improve the experience of their Veteran employees, the importance of employing Veterans, his service in the Army, and more. About Gary: After more than 31 years of U.S. Army service, Brigadier General Gary M Profit retired on February 28, 2006, and, until October 2008, he was Director of Human Capital Management Solutions; International Programs; and Department of Defense Business Transformation Agency Programs, Civilian and Homeland Security Solutions, General Dynamics Information Technology, in which capacities he led a premier provider of lifecycle human capital management technology/service solutions and international technology transfer/export control service solutions for federal agencies and strategic communications service solutions at DOD BTA, respectively.   He is currently Senior Director of Military Programs, Walmart, where he directs a synchronized enterprise strategy and complementary implementing programs to attract, recruit, and hire; grow and develop; and retain talent from military community constituencies and leads a collaborative team of military employment brand, reputational interests, and consumer brand professionals focused on veterans and military families for the leading global retailer. Covered in Episode 43: Secretary Shulkin's remarks at AMVETS National Convention Interview with Army Veteran Gary Profit   Why he decided to join the Army His experience in the military Retiring from the Army and transitioning out. Walmart's Military Program Differential pay for service members His work as their Senior Director Presidential Memorial Certificates #VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Phil Ayers

VA works with many Veteran Service Organization to serve our Veterans. One of those longstanding partnerships has been Disabled American Veterans, an organization that has been around since World War I. DAV helps Veterans navigate the VA system, primarily by assisting with claims. They also provide a network and community for Veterans to thrive in. This week's featured guest is with DAV's National Adjutant, Marc Burgess. About Marc: J. Marc Burgess, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, was appointed National Adjutant of the1.3 million-member DAV, on June 1, 2013. As DAV’s senior staff official, National Adjutant Burgess serves as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and leads the 650-member DAV staff, managing all operations of the organization of wartime injured and ill veterans, one of America’s largest charitable institutions.   Mr. Burgess served in the U.S. Navy from October 1987 through October 1992, when he was medically discharged. His service included crew member and plank-owner aboard the USS Normandy. He joined DAV before his discharge from the Navy and is a life member of Chapter 19 in Cold Spring,Ky.   Covered in Episode 40: Secretary Shulkin featured on The Takeaway on WNYC Interview with Navy Veteran Marc Burgess   Why he decided to join the Navy Service and transition Joining DAV DAV's mission and his responsibilities Getting help from a VSO to submit a claim #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Jennifer McNeill

This week's podcast features Army Veteran Jeremy Paris. Jeremy served in the '90s in personnel. He is currently with Veteran Artist Program and hosts the Veteran Resource Podcast. He helped coordinate the 2017 Women Veteran Art Exhibit in collaboration with VA's Center for Women Veterans. About Jeremy: Jeremy Paris was born in Buffalo, NY and joined the US Army immediately after graduating from high school.  After ten years as a Personnel Administration Sergeant he left the military to become a government contractor performing computer support to the Department of Defense.  Although the initial plan was to be a contractor for two years and then split, he spent the next 16 years supporting the same customer within different rolls.   Jeremy has been on the staff of Veteran Artist Program (VAP), a non-profit Veteran Service Organization since 2010.  While at an event in Washington DC with VAP Jeremy shook hands with people representing so many veteran-focused organizations that he was blown away.  It was the realization that most veterans had no idea that these organizations existed that prompted Jeremy to start this podcast.  The new mission of the Veteran Resource Podcast is that every single one of the 20,000 veterans transitioning out of the military each month will have the opportunity to learn about the veteran organizations that are available to them. Covered in Episode 35: Secretary Shulkin interview Interview with Army Veteran Jeremy Paris   Why he decided to join the Army Finding a renewed purpose His work with Veteran Artist Program Growing his Veteran Resource Podcast Center for Women Veterans #VeteranOfTheDay Air Force Veteran Andres F. Rodriguez

This week's podcast focuses on the announcement made by Secretary Shulkin on Monday. The Department of Veterans Affairs will be adopting the same electronic health record system used by the Department of Defense. The podcast features audio from SECVA at the White House press briefing. He provides remarks on the announcement originally made at VA's central office earlier that day, followed by questions from the media. Covered in Episode 33: The American Veteran Episode 1102 SECVA White House Press Briefing Remarks on EHR announcement Questions from media Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Marine Corps Veteran Matthew Norris

When Got Your 6 first got on my radar, I wasn't sure what they did. Years later, I still wasn't convinced I understood their mission. Then, a few weeks ago, their Executive Director Bill Rausch interviewed Secretary Shulkin for our YouTube Live event. After the event, I invited him to join me on the podcast and he enthusiastically agreed. We had a very informative and fun conversation regarding his service, Got Your 6, the Veteran space, collaboration among organizations, a conflict of guilt some veterans have, and even beards. About Bill: Bill Rausch is the Executive Director at Got Your 6. He is a former Army Major with over ten years of service including 17 months in Iraq serving under Generals Casey and Petraeus while assigned to the Information Operations Task Force. Prior to joining GY6, Bill was Political Director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America where he oversaw policy and advocacy campaigns. Bill is also an active community leader and volunteer serving as Chapter Captain for Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) in his local community in Alexandria, VA. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Volunteer Alexandria, an organization promoting volunteerism across all charity sectors. Covered in Episode 24: Veteran of the Day FAQ Interview with Army Veteran Bill Rausch   Why he joined the Army His experience in the military Getting out and getting back in again Top beards in the Veteran space The mission and direction of Got Your 6 Four Veterans that he admires that have him excited Get involved with VA Volunteer Services #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Onnie Roberts Stanley

I hope everyone had a pleasant President's Day weekend. This week's podcast is an exciting one as it features our new Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin. This is the first interview Secretary Shulkin conducted after swearing in as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Honorable David J. Shulkin was nominated by President Trump to serve as the ninth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 13, 2017. Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Dr. Shulkin served as VA’s Under Secretary for Health for 18 months, leading the Nation’s largest integrated health care system, with over 1,700 sites of care serving nearly nine million Veterans. Covered in Episode 19: YouTube Live town hall with SECVA Interview with Secretary David Shulkin Taking job as SECVA The importance of the Veteran community Serving Veterans Continuing to improve VA Treating patients Follow Secretary Shulkin on Twitter @SecShulkin #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Sharon Vargas