Becker's Hospital Review

Save the Date: Becker's Hospital Review CEO Strategy Roundtable - Nov. 5, 2014 - Chicago 78 S ince July 2011, Vivian S. Lee, MBA, MD, PhD, has served as senior vice president for health sciences at the University of Utah, dean of U of U's School of Medicine and CEO of University of Utah Health Care, all based in Salt Lake City. She previously served as vice dean for sci- ence, senior vice president and chief scientific officer senior of New York Uni- versity Medical Center. During here time there, the organization rose from No. 36 to No. 27 for funding from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lee is a champion for transparency and value-driven care in academic medical centers. "I'm a big believer in data and in measuring things," she has told Becker's Hospital Review. That credence helped spur the development of UHC's Value-Driven Outcomes tool, an algorithm meant to measure the true cost — not the sticker price — of a patient's episode of care. Dr. Lee, a radiologist, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in England, where she earned a doctorate in molecular engineer- ing. She earned her medical degree with honors from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and completed her MBA at New York University's Stern School of Business. Here, Dr. Lee took the time to answer Becker's Hospital Review's seven questions. What's one thing that really piqued your interest in healthcare? Several years ago, I met with a close friend of mine, Gregg Meyer, an internist who was responsible for patient quality and safety at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He and I had a conversation that really shifted my think- ing about healthcare dramatically. He was explaining to me the leading role that his hospital played to push forward the early adoption of pay-for-perfor- mance metrics through the use of their advanced electronic medical records and data analytics. That was an "aha" moment for me. I realized the role of academic health sys- tems should be to lead the transformation of medicine, and I also realized I wanted to help. The model seemed clear: We had to reinvent ourselves and then make sure our trainees shared our new values to carry these changes forward. To really reinvent our healthcare delivery systems, we need to partner and inte- grate our thought leaders directly into these systems — everyone from health economists to bioinformaticians to behavioral change psychologists. These ac- ademicians could help us approach problems with new perspectives, with more rigor in their experimental approaches, and then disseminate and share les- sons learned. As the training grounds for new healthcare professionals, if we do our jobs right, our trainees will embrace a new culture of the patient-centered, value-driven, transparent healthcare — and in their careers, they can lead other organizations in that transformation and ongoing improvement. What do you enjoy most about Salt lake City? That we are one of the best-kept secrets in the country — don't tell anybody. There's so much to enjoy here. People are incredibly nice and hospitable, re- ally great people. The city itself is just the right size — manageable and yet large enough to host a world-class symphony, an opera company, great fes- tivals like Sundance and a wide range of fine restaurants, including a large selection of ethnic foods, which I'd become accustomed to in New York. And then of course there's our amazing physical setting. Between the seven major ski resorts just 30 minutes from my family's home to the five national parks within a few hours' drive, I really enjoy the life here with my family, friends and all the guests who now come to visit! if you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry's problems overnight, which would it be? That is a tough question. I would say my biggest concern is that our industry has really been focused on sickness, not health, and that we're not equipped or designed to do the single most important thing we can — prevent disease. We know approximately 75 percent of our healthcare dollar is spent caring for pa- tients with preventable illnesses, often related to specific behaviors or lifestyles. Yet our system, our training programs and the ways in which we're funded have generally not led us to be experts in changing those behaviors by incentivizing healthy living. I am acutely aware of this having moved from New York to Utah. Utah boasts one of the healthiest lifestyles in the country, and as a result, data show we are in the enviable position of being in that sweet spot — having one of the healthiest populations and spending the least on healthcare of all the states in the country. As a nation, this is the biggest problem facing us in the coming years. We need to change our systems and our markets to make more progress toward health and wellness. What do you consider your greatest talent or skill outside of the C-suite? Certainly not my singing or skiing. I do make a mean chocolate cloud cake. How do you revitalize yourself? My family loves the outdoors. Right now, we are enjoying a terrific ski season in Utah. There is nothing like being on top of a mountain, clear blue skies, gorgeous powder and vistas of snow-dusted peaks all around you to give you clarity, energy and optimism. What's one piece of advice you remember most clearly? The University of Utah's Mario Capecchi, 2007 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Physiology, quoted an aphorism from his childhood: "The difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a little longer." And then he says, "It takes the The Corner Office: Dr. Vivian Lee of university of utah Health Care on Where She Finds Optimism By Molly Gamble © 2014 Olympus America Inc. 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