S3E12: Cody Walker Baptist Health North Little Rock, Arkansas

Cody Walker 1:01

Yeah, it's a great question for us. You know, I think in healthcare, we've really prided ourselves on being a place where patients would choose us no matter what our operations or our tools available, no matter that situation that they would come to us despite that because of the.

High end care that we provide and and really, I mean you can look over the last several years how other sectors have really transformed the consumer experience. We say consumer because that's what they are. I mean they're they're choosing to come to these places and they're not patients in our mind anymore, these people.

Are are are researching they're they're informed and and they're really driving to a place that gives them the quickest access to high quality care possible. And so for us we're transforming the way that we have have historically looked at that and and.

We're stepping into really what other sectors are doing and and putting a mobile first option there for patients for consumers and and really becoming.

You know a place where they can self-direct their care and you know long standing history of patients taking the provider's recommendation of who they should see and that those things still exist. Don't get me wrong, but patients are are.

Obviously very, very informed and we've got to give them the tools that they can begin self-directing that care. So our our goal in the next few months is really to get down to a place where we can allow patients to schedule within 60 seconds or less their primary or their specialty care appointments.

Jordan Cooper 2:33

OK.

Cody Walker 2:47

We know that there's authorizations that go into that and there's referrals that have to go into that in some instances. But where we can make those tools available for patients, for consumers, we have to start doing that. I mean, I I can order my groceries.

And not ever step in the store for my mobile device. You know, while we're having this call, they'll be delivered on my front door if I choose that by the time I get home. We have to take that same general concept and apply it to healthcare.

Jordan Cooper 3:05

Mhm.

Cody Walker 3:19

That's what disruptors are doing today and that are coming into the primary care markets. And so we have to protect that base, but also give patients and consumers what they want, which is the ability to, you know, have have care on their device if they don't want to travel.

But if they do, also selecting those appointments so they can see it same day, next day without having to darken the door of an urgent care. If if so, they choose that. So that's what we're, you know, on task to do and we're going to figure it out so.

Jordan Cooper 3:42

Mhm.

It's.

Cody Walker 3:52

It's not necessarily having patients sign into an EHR platform to make that happen. It's it's putting it on our website, it's putting it in Google search because that's where patients and consumers are. How do we, how do we get those tools to them at the front so that they don't have to be an existing patient in an EHR to.

Overcome the you know the the competency in our technology platforms. Let's let's give them those access points where they already are, which is just in Google search.

Jordan Cooper 4:22

So it sounds like convenience is king and you're looking at the total population in the geographies where Baptist Health Arkansas is located and saying these aren't just patients, but these are possible future patients. These are future healthcare consumers and we have to try to compete with other providers.

Riders in this market in order to get these consumers business and is that is that fair assessment?

Cody Walker 4:49

Yeah, it is. I think that's a a great, you know, simplification of it. And and I think that we know that, I mean this is a data podcast, we know the data suggests that that consumers are willing to move.

Between providers, if self scheduling is available, if timeliness to the next appointment is sooner than what they're currently being offered with a current provider, that that consumers are willing to switch off of those those two instances and so we have to be the best in class.

Jordan Cooper 5:06

Hmm.
OK.

Cody Walker 5:24

On self scheduling or open scheduling and the time to next appointment. And so that's what we're maniacal about right now because we have opportunity to improve in both those buckets and that's what we're going to do.

Jordan Cooper 5:31

Mhm.
So you did mention electronic health records. For our listeners, can you remind them what EHR you're working with?

Cody Walker 5:41

Yeah, we're an epic shop. Uh, across all of hospitals, yeah.

Jordan Cooper 5:44

Got it, got it. So Epic has obviously Mychart as a digital front door built into the EHR. And as you mentioned, Mychart is available for current patients, but obviously not for people who aren't in your EHR, don't have a record with your Epic instance.

How are you creating a digital front door? How are you incorporating Mychart into your digital front door experience? And what are you doing in addition to your Epic Mychart in order to reach the total population beyond your current patient population?

Cody Walker 6:20

Yeah, let me just say that like the My Chart platform is an excellent resource for people who know how to use it. It is. It is a competency barrier though, for those who don't understand that My Chart is how you should access a healthcare system.

So if you're an existing patient, you obviously get your results, you get you get reminders through MyChart once you have entered into a system. And some people have multiple MyChart accounts and we we heard from the UGM meeting this week that some of those things are going to be consolidated and Epic is doing some really disruptive stuff around.

Around around this this topic in general and AI and and open scheduling and such so but but the the cultural competency around my chart is not equivalent to Google and so how do we how do we enter?

Jordan Cooper 7:00

Mhm.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 7:15

You know the the user experience by meeting them where they are and and my chart is 1 facet of that. We have to be good at at our version of my chart but while in parallel.

Jordan Cooper 7:18

OK.

Mm-hmm.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 7:30

You know, getting in front of that cultural competency burden to access my chart to see somebody about itself, we have to meet them by bringing those tools forward in a place that is tangible to them as they become users in our system to then be, you know, users inside of my chart. So it's it's a both.

Jordan Cooper 7:41

Mhm.

Cody Walker 7:50

And approach for us and and that's that's.

Jordan Cooper 7:51

Right. So for for a listener right now who may be an executive of a large health system who's charged with doing exactly what you're doing, which is improving the consumer first approach, making sure that patients can get in sooner and it's more convenient and self-scheduling and they're already using Epic Mychart, how?

What would you advise them? What kind of topics might they need to consider? Are these Google Ads? Are you using Zocdoc? Are you incentivizing Google reviews? Is there another app? Or maybe there's patients at a competing health system and you have an interoperability platform that pulls those?

HR's into into yours. What what kind of strategies would you advise this person to consider as they're looking to expand their consumer first approach?

Cody Walker 8:42

Yeah, I think it's it is SEO optimization. It's taking some of those Google ads of you know, we know right now Google Analytics will tell you some of the most researched topics in in the current consumer market is Doctor near me or find care now or.

Primary care doctor appointment, those are those are in the Google Analytic platform. So when when patients or consumers are searching those terms, we want to be top at list and when when we're top at list, we're not, we're not sourcing my chart, we're sourcing.

Jordan Cooper 9:08

Mhm.

Mm-hmm.

Cody Walker 9:18

The easy option, the 60 seconds or less or the three clicks or less version of that that will eventually get them into my chart. But that's not the top of funnel approach. It's it's get them in to Baptist Health and then and then get them scheduled through my chart. But but really those first clicks are in front of it.

Jordan Cooper 9:22

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

So just to jump in there, Cody, if I'm a patient in Little Rock today and I type in doctor near me, find care now or primary care doctor appointment and let's say something from Baptist Health Arkansas is near the top of the list and I click on that link, where is that bringing me?

Mm-hmm.

Cody Walker 10:04

Noting whether that is preferential virtual care or an asynchronous e-visit, or hey, I really just need to see somebody in person. That's my preference. That version of the next available appointment should source to the top of the list. So if it's 11:00 AM tomorrow, you select it.

Jordan Cooper 10:15

Mhm.

Yeah.

OK.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 10:22

And that's your appointment. Now subsequent work will happen inside of my chart to get you formally registered and and getting the the the data collected. But that that's not the entry point that we want to work people through is a.

Jordan Cooper 10:35

And

Cody Walker 10:38

An EHR platform that is cumbersome to new patients. Again, existing patients, great, but you walk down the street today anywhere in this metro or in rural Arkansas and you say, hey, how do you get access to about this health?

Jordan Cooper 10:43

Got it.

Cody Walker 10:53

For a new patient, no one's going to tell you, oh, it's my chart. I mean like that's not that is not the common vernacular. No one's going to know that. So how do we, I mean they're going to say, well, I don't know, I'll Google it. I mean that's the and and when they do, they'll eventually get into my chart. But what we what we want them to do is to get the the.

Jordan Cooper 10:58

Yeah.

Yeah.

Cody Walker 11:13

Easiest couple clicks uh through the platform that everyone is Googling those. I mean is using those answers or you use the platform to get the answers and and that's Google.

Jordan Cooper 11:20

So you've.

Do they need to create a username and password in order to access scheduling and then or is there some other identity verification?

Cody Walker 11:29

Oh.

Yeah. So down the line, yes. But to get the appointment, we don't want to create any more burden to that user experience than what is absolutely necessary. So they're they're coming to us for the appointment as soon as possible, self-directed. Let's give them that.

Jordan Cooper 11:35

Mm-hmm.

Mhm.

Mm-hmm.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 11:49

And then work them through all the other necessary steps that come with our processes to verify and and to get them registered. But but we got to get them. They came to us for an appointment. They came to us, you know, in the same way that I'm going to order from my local grocery store.

Jordan Cooper 12:06

Mhm.

Cody Walker 12:07

I give you my credit card at the end but I want you know I want it at 2:00 this afternoon and I want milk, bread, meat and cheese like and and so but don't make me give me my credit card at the very beginning where I have to fumble around and find it. Let's let's get what I need when I need it and then I'll pay you for it.

Jordan Cooper 12:15

Yeah.

Got it.

Is there any concern about adverse selection of uninsured individuals who just want an appointment now and they're going to look for it, but but you don't, you haven't done insurance verification yet, so they may not be covered in their self-pay and maybe there's difficulty in collecting on that. Is that just provided as a community benefit or is there?

Concern that you're gonna increase this.

Cody Walker 12:46

Now, yeah, those are great questions and I I think for us a lot of a lot of consumers that are searching for these options we know are patients who are willing to pay cash. And so we're not this isn't going to be a super expensive service, but one that that provides that access at a at a rate.

Jordan Cooper 12:57

Hmm.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 13:04

It's worth it, but the patients and consumers are willing to pay up front for it. So maybe not, maybe not even an insurance product at all. You know, if they come to see us in person, that's a maybe a different model. But if you and I have a scratchy throat and we want to make sure that we're not coming down with something that's going to ruin a vacation, maybe I want to see.

Jordan Cooper 13:06

Mhm.

Mhm.

Cody Walker 13:23

Provider, you know, this afternoon, but I will, I'm willing to pay you, you know, a nominal fee to do that out of my pocket because I I got to get this taken care of today. That's what we're going to be putting forward.

Jordan Cooper 13:29

Mhm.

So I'd like to, I'd like to move to another topic with a few topics that we may cover today, but where we only have a few more minutes in this episode. So we might, I know you're working on leveraging predictive analytics to improve patient throughput and length of stay, which kind of falls under the umbrella of capacity.

Cody Walker 13:37

Yeah.

Jordan Cooper 13:51

Optimization increased throughput. Would you mind saying a few words on what you're working on and how you're measuring success?

Cody Walker 13:58

Yeah, you know, the recent federal legislation, one big beautiful bill is has obviously reached the top of mind of every executive across the country right now. It's been a journey that we've been on anticipating some of these changes, but also just to know that.

You know, increased access saves lives, it improves quality and and it does have a a financial value as well. But for us, you know the the demand for our services oftentimes.

Out out reaches our supply to provide them. And so we've been on a maniacal journey in the last better part of a year through a topic that we call Operation Raptor and I can get into the specifics of that, but it's it's really about.

Deleting anything that doesn't provide value within our our hospital operation sector to free up capacity for patients who need us the most when they need us. And so we've been leveraging predictive analytics in a pretty good.

Dose of generative A I to begin forecasting not only day of demand, but you know next day demand and even a week ahead so that we can plan staffing appropriately for the demand so that we can preemptively surge where we know there's going to be capacity.

Constraints and we're not doing that in a reactive fashion. We're getting in front and planning, you know, what does next Thursday look like? Are we sat from a sat in a bed capacity standpoint to meet that demand? And so we've learned a lot and we've achieved a.

Jordan Cooper 15:27

Mhm, mhm.

Cody Walker 15:40

A pretty decent amount of of capacity through that exercise. We've we've freed up more than 30,000 unnecessary wait hours in our Uh through that operation. We've we've freed up about 10,000 opportunity days and and excess length of stay.

And you know looking at our discharge lounges, we've we've free up about 10,000, 11,000 hours and and unnecessary wait time for patients who are leaving to be you know set in a discharge lounge so that we can.

Decompress the Uh. There's there's several different factors of of creating this balloon like capacity when we need it. I mean, I liken it to like the Chick-fil-A's or the In-n-out Burgers wherever you are in the country. You know they don't run three lanes of drive-thru at 10 in the morning. They run them at.

Jordan Cooper 16:23

Mhm.

Cody Walker 16:35

12:30 or in 1:00 or you know in peak hours and then they decompress back down. How do we create the equivalent 3 lane drive-thru in our hospitals by getting in front of of that and planning ahead? And that's what we're doing right now and it's made a big difference.

Jordan Cooper 16:37

Mhm.

Yeah.

Now, Cody, I think a lot of our listeners may be saying, look, this sounds awesome. Obviously it's going to require some investment to get Gen. AI predictive analytics capacities in our organization. You know, how do I justify that to the C-suite? Or in other words, have you seen an increase in revenue capture as a result of these efforts?

Cody Walker 17:10

Yeah, we've seen about a 6% increase in emissions which back into that what your payer mix is or or or what an actual admission brings to your bottom line and and that that is more than paid for itself and investment we made in predictive analytics. And so I I think for us the ROI is there staying off diversion.

Cody Walker 17:21

Than paid for itself and the investment we made in predictive analytics. And so I think for us the ROI is there staying off diversion, improving the volume of transfers coming in. We've been able to say yes to 7% more of our incoming transfers.

Because of freeing up capacity and then just, you know, there's a lot of other factors, but when it comes down to overall admissions, that math comes to light real quick.