Becker's Hospital Review

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 29 Erzurum mentioned patients and mentorship opportunities. Dr. Singh said her most rewarding moments are being able to save a life or console a patient in a moment of grief. "Having said that, one interesting moment — which was not directly related to patient care — comes to mind. When I was appointed the chief of my department, a couple of my case managers and social workers approached me — all ladies — and they said, 'We never thought we'd see this day when we'd have a woman chief,'" she said. "And that made me feel so good. Nothing special that I had done. Nothing special, really. But it just made me feel good that my female colleagues were happy to see a female in this position, and they were excited about it. It just made me feel very supported, as if my team was cheering me on." Dr. Erzurum said her greatest moments are when she mentors others. "So many people have helped me in my career. I used to wonder, why is this person spending time? Why are they helping me?" she said. "And I just had a meeting with a mentee — a young woman — and she told me, 'You help me so much. I'm taking up your time. You're so busy.' "And I stopped her, and I said, 'When I was young, sitting with my mentor, I felt the same way.' But I told her, 'e greatest joy I get in my life is when you succeed.' e fact that you support this person, guide them, help them think through the problem — and when they are successful, in … getting a paper, a grant, getting into medical school or graduate school, or graduating — those moments are the best." 'Treat yourself … with compassion' Drs. Singh and Erzurum also shared their advice for young women considering a career in medicine today. Dr. Singh's advice: "Go for it — as long as you're going for it for the right reason, which is patient care — that has to be paramount above everything else. "As women, you will have some doubts at times — the way I do, or the way most of us will — about balancing career and family life, and making sure that your kids are not getting neglected. But always remember and do what you would want your kids to do. Always treat yourself in the same way — with the same compassion, with the same leeway — as you would if this were your child." Dr. Erzurum recommended that young women "know what gives you joy on a daily basis." "And if you can find the work that gives you joy, then you're doing the right thing," she said. "And it has to be personally satisfying. at's the kind of joy I'm talking about. "Being a physician — a caregiver, really any caregiver in the health profession — gives you tremendous satisfaction when you can help someone." She added that family is also important. "Something one of my mentors told me when I was training and working so hard was: 'Always remember — family comes first. Take time for your family.' "And I listened to that good advice." n Why Yale New Haven is having 'frank conversations' about MA By Madeline Ashley Y ale New Haven (Conn.) Health is taking a proactive approach in navigating the complexities of Medicare Advantage, while strengthening provider partnerships and fostering leadership within the system. Yale New Haven Health Executive Vice President and CFO Gail Kosyla told Becker's in June 2024 that the biggest challenge the health system was seeing was the administrative burdens of MA contracts. Now, the system is having "frank conversations" with payers to reduce those burdens and make sure "there are limits in terms of what they can and can't do" within the contracts. "We're also developing tools where we can monitor across the board the performance in each of the contracts to ensure that there's no variations in the way that managed care companies are treating us with their [Medicare] Advantage products," Ms. Kosyla told a Jan. 30 Becker's podcast. "Ultimately we want to develop stronger relationships and ties to help the program work most effectively for our patients." Yale New Haven developed a clinically integrated network to strengthen collaboration between physicians and care providers, and enhance population health initiatives. The system also leverages its Yale School of Medicine partnership to translate innovative research into patient improved outcomes. "We're looking at our care settings and making sure that we are at the right cost structure for our patients, and then [we] are meeting them where they live in terms of providing care that is needed at that particular location," Ms. Kosyla. As a female leader in healthcare finance, Ms. Kosyla also highlighted the importance of leaning on professional networking and mentorship, building strong relationships with both male and female mentors to strengthen careers. Yale New Haven also has a Lean In program that Ms. Kosyla helps lead for men and women to help build relationships and connectivity. "Some of our workforce is remote, so it's great to be able to have a connection point and a structured way to develop relationships," she said. n

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