HJAR Nov/Dec 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2022 13 Shackelford As I mentioned earlier, I think we learned what we were capable of. We learned how to be agile, and I think as a health system, that was really important. Something that I knew but was greatly affirmed throughout the pandemic is that of all of our precious resources, our peo- ple are the most important resource. As we went through the battle, obviously the focus had to be a dual focus of caring for those that had COVID but continuing to maintain and do the things that we could uniquely do. I think coming out of COVID, it has become very apparent that our teammem- bers are tired. They’re worn down. Burnout that you hear and read about is real — not just across our industry, but here. So, we have really focused on those things that we can do to maintain well-being. Our people can’t care for others unless we can care for them, so that has been important. The other thing that, as a CEO, I felt was important was to be very, very transpar- ent as we were trying to learn what COVID meant and how to better take care of COVID patients. By the end of the pandemic, I think we did very well, with the science of the medicine, in how we cared for patients. But I think we also learned throughout the entire COVID battle how to take care of each other, and that was the piece that was really important. Editor You speak to burnout, which we know is happening. What, specifically, are you doing to help alleviate that? Shackelford There’s probably not one answer that’s going to fix that. There were many of our team members coming out of COVID that did not get time off. They volunteered. They worked extra shifts. People were very concerned about travel and safety in travel. So, we have really tried to be intentional — from our leaders all the way down — to get people out, to let them have that time, to encourage them to take that time outside of their jobs to be able to rebuild and rekindle that flame. We’ve tried to do some things while they’re here at work to also give them respite. We have an area just off the main entrance that you can go to. It’s an environ- ment that’s quiet where you can listen to music or just get outside of that work envi- ronment at lunch or at break time. I think that’s helped. We have also done things like pet therapy, and that is just neat to be able to see how a pet can change one’s outlook. We try to really do not one single thing but multiple things to care for our own team. Editor As the focus now begins to shift away from the COVID-19 response efforts, what new challenges are you facing? Shackelford I think that Washington Regional, like all health systems, is really facing an unprecedented time in terms of stress — stress of costs that are increasing including labor, drugs, and supplies; fac- ing at times shortages where supply chains have been disrupted; and doing that in an environment where our reimbursement hasn’t changed. Most health leaders under- stand, I don’t think our patients often do, that when we have cost increases in the core things that we do like labor and supplies — the things that our everyday teammembers face — and we don’t have an ability to just change what our prices are — what we’re reimbursed and what we charge, one does not impact the other — we are definitely feel- ing that impact in trying to balance, and that balance in a state likeArkansas is very chal- lenging. It’s challenging because if you look at how our Medicare and Medicaid reim- bursement compares to other areas, not only in our country but other areas that are not far from us, our reimbursement does not compare very favorably, yet our costs are increasing much like what other mar- kets face. Editor In April, Washington Regional announced the formation of a partnership with the Alice L. Walton Foundation in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic to create a “transformative healthcare system” in Northwest Arkansas. How did that come about, what does that mean to the area, and how is a transformative healthcare system different from the current system? Shackelford I’ll take the last question first because I think it makes sense. What does transformative healthcare mean? It really goes back to those earlier points that this partnership is attempting to transform how healthcare is delivered and how healthcare is paid for. When you think of transforma- tive care, it’s about how we proactively address whole health, one’s overall health, as opposed to the reality of our health sys- tem today, which focuses on illness and present illness. So, this means really looking at the healthcare of the whole person. What is your physical, mental, emotional, social