Healthy Days at Home: The Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership

Nick Stupakis: Hi, welcome back to Healthy Days at Home. I’m Nick Stupakis. With our next episode really excited today to have Deb Rice-Johnson here to speak with us today on our podcast. So, Deb, I know this is going to sound crazy, 10 years we first met.

Deb Rice-Johnson: That long.

Nick Stupakis: It's been 10 years. So that's whenever I was actually at AHN. So obviously you were at Highmark. What do you remember about those times? 10 years ago, we were a lot less mature in our home and community care strategy. We were obviously coming in with big ideas. What do you remember about that time?

Deb Rice-Johnson: Yeah, I think those strategies fitting with what Highmark is about right. Like how can you deliver care in a way that is most helpful and beneficial to members. And Nick, you and I both know we've had parents who have gone through a lot, right, and being able to receive care in the home closest to the family, I just remember that being so important.

And so, I was excited. I can't recall exactly initiative by initiative, but I think we got to someplace really good. And so those were exciting times and I think they continue to be exciting, right? Like we are more mature now as an enterprise. So certainly, whenever you think about Allegheny Health Network and, you know, some of the things that we've done together, you know, both payer and provider including the great work that we're doing at Helion, frankly, is quite exciting, and it continues to grow. And I think most importantly, it's meeting the needs of our customers, right. And so, I think that's probably some of my best recollection of those times.

Nick Stupakis: You mentioned the evolution that we've seen, and obviously, in your role within Highmark, over the years, you've seen a lot. Tell me a little bit, take me on that journey a little bit and tell me a little bit about what you've seen the industry evolved from to and what really excites you about that?

Deb Rice-Johnson: Yeah, you know, I've been with the company for more than 40 years. I know it's so hard to believe, right? More than 40 years. I had to get off the same more than 30.

The journey has been exciting. I started with the company was Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania. Right. So, a small blue plan delivering, you know, insurance products mainly to individuals in western Pennsylvania, right. And we've grown into something much larger now. And I've been able to be part of that journey, which is quite exciting. You know, I think back to one of the big events that I recall, as in 1996, whenever we became Highmark Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania and Blue Shield of Pennsylvania, merged. Exciting times.

I had not been through a merger at that point. It was not commonplace. And it was exciting to sort of watch, you know, how we became a whole new company. And when I would say Nick is all through my career, it feels like every five or six years or so, we transformed into something else and that's been critically important to keep me energized in the work that I was doing and excited about, you know, sort of my journey along my career path.

I've been in all kinds of roles. To date, you know, individual contributors, management levels, right all through the company. I always would joke and say the only place I haven't worked within the enterprise was finance, but I care terribly about our financial performance, as you know.

But the journey has been exciting because we've become more and more what our customers needed. And I think that the whole industry has changed so much, and I know we'll talk more about that, but the industry has changed and feeling like Highmark, myself included, got to be a part of that journey. Very critical. So, I'm excited about the path we've been on. I'm excited about where we're headed.

Nick Stupakis: I'm curious, just to play on what you just said. So, you talked about the evolution and how things have changed in the company. How have you changed as a leader? So if you think back to when you started here, and you started in leadership roles compared to today, take me a little bit, tell me a little bit about that?

Deb Rice-Johnson: I would say in the early days, you know, management roles probably were and leadership was more prescribed, right. I mean, we were your traditional insurance company for a very long time. And so, you had images of what a leader needed to be right, but it was based on the traditional sense. I think what I love about Highmark is it gives the opportunity for leaders to evolve and transform.

We, I believe, allow for people to be much more innovative and not operate so much in a box. So, I think that journey has helped me as a person. I've had opportunities to mentor people along my way, which has been a lot of fun, and I know you have as well. It's something that you know, if you can give back to the next set of leaders, that follow you, it's exciting. So that evolution has been not just inspiring in my career, but also to me personally.

Nick Stupakis: I think that's really important because if you think about all of the change that Highmark has been through if you know, you said it yourself, if you put people in a box, it's really hard for innovation to happen, right? If they don't have control over their destiny and their ideas and different things like that, and I do think that we do a good job with that. You know, you mentioned 1996 was the first acquisition you did. Obviously, we just did one a few years ago with Health Now. Which has led to the launch, I think, from a growth perspective of Alloyed Works. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that and how that evolution has formed?

Deb Rice-Johnson: Sure, Alloyed Works I think is really important for sort of our next step in our growth. And taking advantage of the opportunities right. We're a company that believes in a lot of collaboration. And frankly, what excites me is that collaboration has led to deep partnerships right, deep partnerships with other blue plans, deep partnerships with, you know, other entities, providers, that are really important to our business.

And Alloyed Works was a way kind of like a wrapper, think about all the diversification that we have in our company. We had we didn't have an easy way to talk about it right? And so, you kind of piecemeal like, ‘Oh, I'm going to go talk to you about dental today or stop loss or Helion’ or whatever, you know, enGen, you know, we have many diversified businesses, and we have lots of capabilities that we're taking into the market, right and allowing that collaboration to happen, for others and with others.

Alloyed Works gives us the opportunity to talk about a full set of capabilities and businesses that we have and to talk about them in a way that the recipient, so a blue plan wants to hear about it right? What are the solutions? What is it that you're helping me to solve for? And I do think that that new campaign is helping us. And so we're going into market, you know, I have a team of folks who are out in the market talking to their contacts, at other plans, other health plans or at the provider level and spending time talking about solutions that maybe have worked for us and thinking about how can we do this together? How can we partner together on these capabilities. And so, I'm really excited about it. I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg of how we can use sort of this new framing, of you know, the kinds of opportunities that we can perceive towards with other partners, and I think it's going to be exciting stuff. And so hopefully, you're having an opportunity in the work that you're doing to use it as well.

Nick Stupakis: I think whenever we go out and talk to these blues plans, and we start talking about, you know, care in the home and how we're transforming care in the home and what we're doing at Highmark, throughout Living Health initiatives, through Helion, I mean there's a host of different people in our organization that are driving towards that initiative. It's not just one area.

I'm curious, whenever you think about you said you know, 40 years of health care experience, I think, even whenever I started here, you were always somebody that people at Highmark would say, ‘Deb has vision.’

Deb Rice-Johnson: It’s nice to hear.

Nick Stupakis: I definitely think that's something people say about you, but where do you see, you know, care in the home? You know, where do you see that going to? I mean, we've done a lot of work. We've had some amazing, you know, initiatives that we put in the market. I think we've done a great job, but there's a lot more that we can do. Right? And you said it yourself, you know both of us have had personal experience with our parents. But not just our Medicare Advantage members, I think commercial members as well. And so where do you think that is going to go from a healthcare perspective?

Deb Rice-Johnson: I think that's where the future is, frankly, I think more traditional places of care like in the hospital are going to be, you know, really limited for the very, very sick, right? And for a period of time, I think the goal is always get them back into the home as quickly as you can. Whether it's a Medicare Advantage member or our commercial members, right. If you have a situation, getting back into the home, I think is one of the best remedies that you can offer a patient and their family members, frankly.

And so, I think it's going to continue to grow, Nick. I think the work that you and the teams have done, you know, Monique, and others really have tried to find the right balance of one that can be delivered. I think our capability in delivering and helping family member take care of their loved one at home is only going to grow. I think from my own personal experience, I remember and Nick, you and I talked about this, my mother as you know who just passed had spent a lot of time in the hospital over the last two years and whenever we would get her home she was happiest.

I remember Christmas day she was in a facility, a skilled nursing facility, and she was so miserable, wanted to be gone. And I joke, I broke her out. I broke her out and took her home and she was happy and enjoyed, you know that time together with her family in a way that she couldn't have otherwise. I think that is the hope that we're bringing right to individuals who really needed the most. And so I think that's the future.

Nick Stupakis: Yeah, I'm picturing you with like glasses on checking out where people are getting her the breakout. Clearly we've talked about this, you know, with my dad even now, you know, he just wants to be in his home he wants he's totally fine. Like if I'm like, ‘Hey, we're gonna do a video visit.’ He's like, ‘great, I don't have to leave. I can just like, you know, stay in my environment and sort of things that I need to do.’ And so when you start thinking about that and thinking about as we start aging into need those services, we're going to want all of the services in our homes and so for us to be able to continue driving that is really important.

Deb Rice-Johnson: I think it's important where, Nick and I tell you that all the time, and you come from very experienced background, you know, firsthand. And so the work that you and the teams are doing, I think is so important.

Nick Stupakis: So, I'm curious. Obviously, you've had a super long, successful career here at Highmark. Is there anything an important lesson or piece of advice that you've gotten along the way that really sticks with you that you're like, I think about this all the time?

Deb Rice-Johnson: Yeah. You know, probably more thought than anything, but it's being purpose driven. You know, David Holmberg often will say, ‘What's your why?’, right. And we've heard that, and what he's asking is, what is your purpose? What is your purpose for doing what you're doing? You know, and so I've had experiences in my life personal experiences that led to a whole different purpose for me, right. I think it's really important, if you're going to have a long career, you know, that you're loving what you're doing. And so, probably the first bit of advice I got from a mentor years ago, who always seemed to provide stories that stuck with me, but really was about finding what you love to do and do it and lean in hard and do it with purpose. And I think that's really important. I haven't always done that. You know, it's hard to always do that. But I'm happiest when I am, and I think I can drive the best results whenever I'm driving towards a purpose.

Nick Stupakis: Well, I know I can speak for everyone here. We appreciate how you've driven our organization with purpose out throughout the years. And we're super excited that you were able to join us today. Thank you very much.

Deb Rice-Johnson: Thank you for having me and giving me the opportunity just to share a little bit. It's always fun talking with you, Nick.

Nick Stupakis: Thank you, Deb.

Deb Rice-Johnson: Absolutely.