by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | June 28, 2019
From the June 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
JW: The aging of America, with people living longer, means an increase in the likelihood that people will encounter illness. We’re seeing an increase in chronic diseases and certainly in diseases of the elderly. But overall, and as a cardiologist, I’m attuned to the fact that cardiovascular disease is an epidemic both here and around the world. Obesity, associated high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease are really coming to the forefront. We’re alert to that and to the fact that we’re going to need to invest more in prevention in order to slow the growth of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Zale Lipshy Hospital is one of the world’s premier
neurological diagnostic and treatment centers
HCB News: Does your medical background give you a different perspective or approach to how you’re running things as the EVP?
JW: It does. You have committed leaders in healthcare from all walks of life, but I think that being a physician and continuing to see patients every week gives me another lens which is very helpful in terms of running our business. I feel connected to the work because I’m delivering care, I get direct feedback from patients who tell me how we’re doing, I also think I understand the work a little better in terms of what goes on and how our physicians and other staff are interacting with our electronic medical records, the challenges they’re facing. So beyond the personal satisfaction I receive in terms of practicing, I feel it connects me with the business of medicine, the delivery of healthcare and the science. It forces me to keep up, which is very valuable. I think that’s also the reason you’re seeing more physician leaders in healthcare as organizations recognize these benefits.
HCB News: Healthcare is facing the two-pronged pain of rising costs and decreasing reimbursement. Five years down the line, where do you see the industry? Where do you think it should be, and how do we get there?
JW: First of all, it’s probably the most exciting time for medicine, certainly since I’ve been alive. We’re making more improvements in healthcare than I think we’ve ever seen. That goes to the science side, where we’re treating and curing diseases that many once thought were incurable. You’re seeing that in heart and brain disease where we’re having a huge impact. So with that same impact and high-impact treatments, I think we’re also at a moment of self-awareness where we’re understanding that there are limited resources and we have to apply the best care and the best science in a way that’s cost-conscious. Don’t order tests you don’t need, make sure you’re getting as much care to people as you can.
