In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams interviews Lisa Stockdale, Director of Value-Based Care at Silver Cross Hospital. Having served in healthcare for two decades, Lisa focuses on transforming models of care toward improved health outcomes for our patients and leads operations for our Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Physician Hospital Organization (PHO). She and Daniel discuss healthcare management, innovative care models, the importance of teamwork and the integration of digital transformation to improve patient outcomes.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about your background and what initially drew you to a career in healthcare?
A. I grew up in a large family with three other siblings and had the blessing of amazing parents who sacrificed for us and at a very young age, showed what a life of service looked like. My parents were very active in our church, caring for our community and large family. When I left for school I was going to get into physical therapy, but I struggled with some of the course work – everything is memorization and I color outside the lines! I have my degree in exercise science and physiology. I love coaching and teaching, and thought I would be working with athletes in some capacity.
Q. You’ve had a diverse career in healthcare, from leading sales and strategy to consulting and digital transformation. What have been some of the key milestones and challenges in your journey?
A. I didn’t really understand the skill at a young age, but I can connect with people very easily, hear their struggles and quickly identify how to meet their needs. This skill helped me excel in sales – I was the top salesperson in my market. My first role in a hospital was where I met someone who changed the trajectory of my life. She “saw” me before I knew who I was. She mentored me and gave me the confidence that it was ok to be different, to trailblaze and not apologize for it. In that role, I was building business lines for the hospital, connecting and referring PCPs to proceduralists. This is where I learned what PCPs needed to support the complex needs of primary care while using my sales foundation and skills of “solving” problems for others. When I moved over to ACOs and population health, I found my heart and soul. It is very mission-driven work, against the grain, fighting the inertia of the financial drivers in the system we all live in today. It is also around the time where I personally took the challenge of reversing my own health crisis. This is what led me to the digital transformation work I am doing today. Understanding the needs of others and creating a way for care teams to provide coaching, health education around nutrition, sleep, and connection to the elderly – it brings joy to me every day.
Q. As the Director of Value Based Care at Silver Cross Hospital, can you elaborate on your responsibilities and how you’re working to transform models of care to improve health outcomes for patients?
A. Silver Cross is such a unique place. We are a 316-bed stand-alone facility built on the foundation of quality. We are an HRO (high reliability organization) as well. This allows for an environment where an obsession with quality is central to our mission of “advancing the health of the communities we serve.” My colleagues – fellow leaders and clinicians – care deeply about this place and our community. We stand together to keep Silver Cross the safe institution it is today for our patients, providers and team members. Our late president and CEO Ruth Colby led this organization into the future 10 years ago, developing a clinical affiliation with one of the top 10 ACOs in the country (then Advocate Health). Since then, we have actively participated in clinically-integrated value contracts, bundle payments, etc. for a decade. I lead network management, health informatics projects and care transformation projects targeted at the seriously ill. We have an amazing culture of engaged providers that want the best outcomes. My teams have supported our providers in earning over $35M in quality incentives over the years.
Q. Value-based care is a significant focus of your work. Can you explain what this entails and how your efforts with the ACO and PHO are impacting patient care?
A. I mentioned some of our projects above, but the one most near to my heart is the care management team and partnership with Jaan Health (Phamily). Because we participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, we have access to a 360-degree view of patients’ healthcare consumption. Data is gold – you just have to know what to look for. We are in the process of studying the impact of our program and have identified my team is generating a $1400 per beneficiary per year savings. We see trends moving away from part A spending – shifting to primary care and urgent care sites. That means patients need help and through this program, we are lowering healthcare cost to the federal government and our community.
By identifying issues sooner, they are being addressed with their PCP and the care teams are assisting our consumers with selecting the right place of service based on their need. These are issues I have been studying for the last decade. We have similarly seen significant reductions in hospitalizations by rolling out tightly aligned partnerships with two palliative care partners, and since 2020 have been building a culture of more in-home care with these partners. In the first year of our partnerships, we prevented over $3.5M hospitalizations on this cohort.
Q. You’re actively involved in supporting Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and DEI initiatives. Can you share some specific projects or initiatives you’re passionate about and their impact on health equity?
A. I have an amazing partner who leads our community strategies. She is another person I am honored to have in my life. Through our partnership, she finds organizations in the community that are aligned with our mission. These partnerships support my care teams with resources for our patients. Our program “Screen & Intervene” is an alignment with the Northern Illinois Food Bank. My care team embarked on SDOH screenings for food insecurity via our texting platform in May of 2021 and it has honestly been one of my greatest honors to enable the team in providing weekly food interventions for hundreds of our patients who have screened positive for food or financial insecurity.
We have seen amazing results tracking patients’ biometrics while participating in this program – lower blood pressures, improved depression status, higher rates of preventative screenings and grateful patients. If you give clinicians the right environment and tools, just watch what they can do! This is all a testament to the nursing leadership of this team – testing and iterating on understanding patients’ needs while having the time under CMS Chronic Care management programs to deliver on improved outcomes.
Q. How has your relationship with MGMA influenced your career and approach to leadership in healthcare?
A. Silver Cross and MGMA have had a long-standing partnership providing insights for our employed medical groups on staffing and compensation models with data to support our mission of growing primary care access in our community. I recently met with the team to better understand insights on clinical infrastructure needs for primary care groups working in value-based care. It allows us to bring new clinical team members on board to support our providers and communities with new services.
Q. With two decades of experience in various leadership roles, what are some key leadership lessons or advice you’d like to share with our listeners, especially those aspiring to lead in the healthcare sector?
A. If you plan for a life in healthcare, you must lead with empathy and lead from the middle. It is your responsibility to learn about the only thing that matters – the patient and clinician experience. That exchange is where everything happens and where you need to understand the beauty, the trust, the fractures, and the frustrations of our care teams and consumers. Solving problems around that is where success lies.
Q. What trends or innovations in healthcare are you most excited about, and how do you see them shaping the future of healthcare delivery?
A. There are so many happening that are exciting – AI, VR, digital – all with hopes of improving consumers’ experience and access to care teams, but the most exciting for me is watching what CMS is doing with payment models. When that changes, the system can organize their work around what drives value. I know we are far – if ever – from moving off FFS payments, but rewarding teams for delivering on quality is what is needed to move the needle. This is the breeding ground collaboration over competition, better for humankind!
Q. Reflecting on your career, what keeps you motivated and passionate about your work in healthcare, and what advice would you give to someone just starting in this field?
A. Aligning my work with what is good for others allows me to stay motivated, even when days are hard and we meet barriers – those are plentiful in healthcare. Take care of your peers, build each other up and support each other – understanding the mission of the work we do and remembering we are all patients. If you are just starting out, I encourage you to study the entire system. If you want change, you must know how it works! Payers, providers, government and consumers – when you understand the problems, opportunities and needs between these players, solving problems becomes a reality.
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