Summary5 min read

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Insights from Anthony Poole, MUSC System Executive Director of Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement

Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Chanel Bunger (Becker’s Healthcare)
Guest: Anthony Poole, System Executive Director of Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Length: ~9 minutes (content portion)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chanel Bunger interviews Anthony Poole, who leads the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program at MUSC. Poole shares his career journey, his passion for lifelong learning, key trends shaping healthcare quality, organizational goals for improving South Carolina’s health, recent accomplishments, and practical advice for emerging leaders in the healthcare field.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Anthony Poole’s Background and Multifaceted Role

[00:27-01:35]

Poole introduces himself as the System Executive Director for QAPI at MUSC, overseeing a 16-hospital system serving all 46 South Carolina counties and expanding statewide.
Maintains clinical work as a physician assistant (PA) in family medicine one day weekly to stay grounded in frontline care.
Adjunct faculty at the University of Lynchburg, teaching healthcare management and executive leadership in doctorate programs to influence the next generation of healthcare leaders.
- Quote: “I still practice clinically one day a week in primary care...as all of our listeners know that it's definitely an area, we're experiencing shortages across the country.” – Anthony Poole [00:47]

Value of Lifelong Learning

[01:35-02:46]

Poole emphasizes the necessity of ongoing education, both through formal degrees and informal avenues like conferences and seminars.
Reflects on his own journey from clinical to leadership roles, pursuing further academic qualifications such as a doctorate and being guided by influential mentors.
- Quote: “When I was in PA school...one of my mentors at the time said, you never stop learning...Regardless of what your position is...it's important to clinicians and administrators.” – Anthony Poole [01:47]

Key Healthcare Trends: Technology, AI, and Peer Learning

[02:56-03:54]

Highlights rapid evolution in healthcare, with notable excitement around artificial intelligence and new technology adoption, both from provider and quality perspectives.
Values networking and peer learning, including participation in the ACHE executive program to share and implement best practices from leaders nationwide.
- Quote: “Healthcare as we know is constantly evolving...exciting things are a lot of the changes in AI and adaption of new technology...looking at how these things are disrupting in a good way the way we provide healthcare.” – Anthony Poole [02:56]
- Quote: “There's a group of 50 leaders across the country...we’re learning from each other. A lot of peer learning, learning best practices…” – Anthony Poole [03:29]

Goals for 2025-2026: Cultivating Quality and Health Outcomes

[04:05-05:02]

MUSC’s quality team is focused on culture-building, multidisciplinary coordination, reducing mortality index and hospital-acquired infections, and improving patient safety.
Broader aim: elevate South Carolina into the top 20 healthiest states, requiring system-wide quality commitment, community partnerships, advocacy, and a population health approach.
- Quote: “How are we improving the health of South Carolinians as a whole? We have a big ambitious goal of making South Carolina one of the top 20 healthiest states...” – Anthony Poole [04:27]

Recent Achievements: Empowering Teams & Expanding Access

[05:15-06:36]

Pride in the professional growth and impact of the QAPI team—team members advancing their education and leadership capacity.
Supports PA and advanced practice provider (APP) initiatives statewide, as the healthcare workforce faces large numbers of retirements. Praises collaborative care models involving PAs, nurse practitioners, and physicians to address patient care gaps.
- Quote: “I'm really...continue to encourage them to reach their full potential, both as leaders and what impact they're having on the health system and the populations across South Carolina.” – Anthony Poole [05:35]
- Quote: “As a primary care provider, I love seeing how, you know, PAs and nurse practitioners are working collaboratively with our physician partners to expand access to care...” – Anthony Poole [06:22]

Advice for Evolving Healthcare Leaders

[06:50-08:37]

Mentorship, both internal and external, is essential—advises regular meetings and community-building for idea sharing and perspective.
Leaders should ask questions, attend conferences, and learn from top performers outside their own organizations.
Encourages following passions and recognizing that career paths are often non-linear, opening unanticipated doors over time.
- Quote: “I know that I would not be where I am were it not for other healthcare leaders that were kind of just causing me to think outside of the box and think differently.” – Anthony Poole [07:15]
- Quote: “Follow your passion. I got where I am today because I was passionate about primary care...I always tell young leaders, follow your passions. Learn from those who are doing great work...” – Anthony Poole [08:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Importance of Staying Clinical:
“I still practice clinically one day a week in primary care...it's definitely an area, we're experiencing shortages across the country.” – Anthony Poole [00:47]
On Lifelong Learning:
“You never stop learning...Regardless of what your position is and whether it's formal degree seeking work or even just going to conferences, seminars, CME exercises, it's important.” – Anthony Poole [01:47]
On Peer Learning:
“I'm blessed to be a part of the ACHE executive program for 2025...learning from each other. A lot of peer learning, learning best practices, hearing what some of those cutting edge things that are going on around the country.” – Anthony Poole [03:28]
On Setting Ambitious Goals:
“We have a big ambitious goal of making South Carolina one of the top 20 healthiest states in the country.” – Anthony Poole [04:29]
On Advice for Young Leaders:
“Don’t think there’s a straight path to the C-suite…Follow your passions. Learn from those who are doing great work around the country in the space that you’re interested in, and you will be surprised at what doors will open up…” – Anthony Poole [08:07]

Timeline of Important Segments

00:27 – Anthony Poole’s background and introduction to MUSC’s statewide footprint
01:35 – Importance of lifelong learning and educational journey
02:56 – Key technology trends in healthcare and peer-network learning
04:05 – MUSC’s improvement goals for 2025-2026 and broader health vision
05:15 – Recent accomplishments: QAPI team growth and advanced practice collaboration
06:50 – Essential advice for emerging healthcare leaders

This summary highlights Anthony Poole’s holistic perspective on leadership, innovation, and fostering quality improvement in healthcare, offering valuable takeaways for current and future leaders invested in advancing health outcomes.

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Transcript14 lines

[00:00]
A
Hello and welcome to the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. My name is Chanel Bunger, and today I'm thrilled to speak with Anthony Poole, System Executive Director for the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Program at the Medical University of South Carolina, or musc, who joins the podcast today to share insights into his background healthcare trans he's keeping an eye on and a bit more. Anthony, thank you so much for joining me. Could you get us started out by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your background and organization?
[00:27]
B
Yeah. Hi, Chanel. Thanks so much for having me on today. I'm excited to join you. I'm a big fan of the podcast and really enjoy listening in and keeping up to date with a lot of the trends there. So, as you said, I'm Anthony Pool. I'm the System Executive Director of the QAPI program, Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement for the Medical University of South Carolina. We're a 16 hospital health system based out of Charleston, but we are represented in all 46 counties in South Carolina and continuing to grow our network across the state. I'm a PA by profession, so I still practice clinically one day a week in primary care, practice family medicine, and as all of our listeners know that it's definitely an area, we're experiencing shortages across the country. Still like to keep my hands on the clinical side. Additionally, I do a little bit of teaching, so I'm adjunct faculty at the University of Lynchburg and two of their doctorate programs. So I teach healthcare management courses and their doctorate executive leadership program as well as the Doctorate of Medical Science program as a way of keeping my hands on the academic side and having an influence on future generation of healthcare leaders.
[01:35]
A
And kind of staying in that same vein. How important is lifelong learning to you? I see that you went back to school a few years ago. How important is that to you?
[01:46]
B
Oh, it's so important. When I was in PA school, I graduated from PA school in 2009, and one of my mentors at the time said, you never stop learning. So just because you graduate with a degree does not mean you're just getting started in your career. And about 10 years into my career as a PA, I had transitioned into leadership and started thinking about, do I need a business degree, an mba, an mha, a dha? And at the time, I was the quality director for an FQHC here in Charleston and had become the chief Clinical and Quality Officer. And so I knew that if I was going to stay in healthcare leadership, I needed to work on toward a doctorate degree. And so mentors pointed me in the right direction. And it's such an important part. Regardless of what your position is and whether it's formal degree seeking work or even just going to conferences, seminars, CME exercises, it's important to clinicians and administrators.
[02:47]
A
Got it, Got it. I love it. And now can you talk about what trends you're currently watching in your role today, either just in healthcare in general or on the quality side of things?
[02:56]
B
Yeah. So, you know, healthcare as we know is constantly evolving, constantly changing. Some of the exciting things are a lot of the changes in AI and adaption of new technology, both as a provider and as a quality leader. You know, constantly looking at how these things are disrupting in a good way the way we provide healthcare. And personally, as a leader, you know, I like to know what other other health systems are doing, what are the top performing health systems doing? Who can I learn from? How can I do these things and things that I can bring back to my health system to that we can continue to implement toward growth. I'm blessed to be a part of the ACHE executive program for 2025. And so there's a group of 50 leaders across the country, everywhere from Hawaii to Maine that we get together, we have monthly virtual sessions and then we're in person and we're learning from each other. A lot of peer learning, learning, best practices, hearing what some of those cutting edge things that are going on around the country. So it's really exciting.
[03:55]
A
Got it. And can you talk about kind of looking into the future? But what are you most focused on and excited about going towards the end of 2025 and going into 2026?
[04:05]
B
So here at MUSC, we're really focused on continuing to improve the culture around our quality programs. So that's what I have my hands in the most. I lead a fantastic quality and safety managers and directors. It's a really multidisciplinary team. And you know, we're focused on everything from improvements to our mortality index, reducing infections and other hospital acquired infections, and reducing patient harm. Just really improving the overall quality and safety of our organization. And from a big picture, really, how are we improving the health of South Carolinians as a whole? You know, we have a big ambitious goal of making South Carolina one of the top 20 healthiest states in the country. And to do that, you know, it's going to take more than just an isolated quality team. You know, it takes everyone both inside a health system, but also community engagement, political advocacy, and really taking a public health and population health approach to the whole patient.
[05:02]
A
Absolutely. And now that we've looked at it, into the future of it, looking back at the last six to 18 months or so, can you talk about an initiative project or just something you or your system has done that you're proud of? Yeah.
[05:16]
B
So I would say, you know, as a health system and on the quality side, really proud of the growth and impact that our QAPI team has had. You know, I consider it a blessing to come to work every day and support and invest in a team of individuals who are extremely passionate about improving the health outcomes of patient. Patients across South Carolina. You know, I encourage our team to, you know, invest in their professional growth. You know, we have people on our team who just finished their master's degree. I have one who just started a doctorate degree. And I'm really, you know, continue to encourage them to reach their full potential, both as leaders and what impact they're having on the health system and the populations across South Carolina. On the PA side of things, I do still stay very in touch with a lot of the legislative things that are going on around the country. And so I'm really proud of the work that's being done with apps across the country to help meet the gaps in care due to. We know that there's 11,000 people retiring every year across the country, and so that's a lot of healthcare that needs to be provided. So, you know, as a primary care provider, I love seeing how, you know, PAs and nurse practitioners are working collaboratively with our physician partners to expand access to care and see continued growth in the healthcare sector.
[06:37]
A
Yeah, yeah, definitely. And now in the short conversation, I can tell that you're very passionate about what you do with that. Could you please share some advice that you'd give to evolving leaders maybe looking to have the same impact and success in their careers as you have?
[06:51]
B
Definitely. So, you know, I think having mentors is super important. Having people both within your organization, but external, who you can meet with on a regular basis. I have a group of leaders in our community and then some across the country that, you know, we meet virtually or we meet in person if they're local, for. For coffee or lunch, just to bounce ideas off of. I know that I would not be where I am were it not for other healthcare leaders that were kind of just causing me to think outside of the box and think differently. You know, don't be afraid to ask questions. As I said, you know, going to conferences, different virtual sessions, meeting people outside of your organization who are doing great things, who are really setting the bar high and don't be afraid to ask, ask questions, ask them about their journey. You know, I've learned so much about leadership from other leaders who are willing to give me 15 minutes or go to lunch with me or go to coffee and really just talk to me about their journey and of how they got where they are. I get the opportunity to work with a lot of our fellows, our executive fellows fellowship program we have here at musc. And I tell them, I said, you know, don't think there's a straight path to the C suite. You know, so many young leaders think that, oh, I'm going to be the CEO or the CEO, you know, in the next couple of years. And it's great for everybody to have a career plan and a career trajectory. But I tell people, follow your passion. You know, I got where I am today because I was passionate about primary care. I was passionate about improving hypertension and diabetes outcomes in underserved communities. And it opened up doors for me. So I always tell young leaders, follow your passions. Learn from those who are doing great work around the country in the space that you're. That you're interested in, and you will be surprised at what doors will open up and the impact that you'll be able to have in your career as you follow those passions.
[08:37]
A
Perfect. Well, Anthony, I want to thank you once again for your time today and for sharing your insights on the Becker's Healthcare podcast. Thank you so much.
[08:43]
B
Thank you.