← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Deborah Visconi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
00:12:48
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- [00:02]
A
This is where healthcare leadership comes together. Becker's 16th annual meeting brings more than 3,500 hospital and health system executives and nearly 800 speakers to Chicago, April 13th through the 16th. This year's event includes keynote conversations with Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman and former President George W. Bush. For the agenda and event details, visit Beckershospitalreview.com and click on the Events tab in the upper right. We're looking forward to hosting you in Chicago.
- [00:32]
B
This is Laura Dardo with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Deborah Visconi, President and Chief Executive Officer at Bergen Newbridge Medical Center. Deborah, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- [00:44]
C
Thank you, Laura. It's so nice to be part of the podcast with you and I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.
- [00:49]
B
Absolutely. Well, you know, I'm excited for our conversation today because I know that you take such an innovative approach to healthcare leadership. And truly it's the time for innovation in healthcare and transformation. So I am looking forward to learning a little bit more about what you've been doing in the last year and how you're thinking about the future. But before we dig into that, can you introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit more about Bergen New Bridge Medical Center?
- [01:10]
C
Sure. So I'm Deb Visconi. I'm the president and CEO of Bergen Newbridge Medical center, which is located in Bergen county in Paramus, New Jersey. We are the largest hospital in the state of New Jersey with over 1,000 licensed beds, approximately 100,000 emergency department visits annually. But one of our distinguishing characteristics is we serve as the safety net for one of the most densely populated counties in the country. We are a true safety net provider in the region. We are a full service acute care hospital. We provide comprehensive acute care, medical, surgical care, behavioral health, addiction services. We have a long term care division. We have a very robust and growing ambulatory services division, and we care for some of New Jersey's most complex patients. Over the last eight years since I've been in the seat as president and CEO, we have truly transformed the organization to be an asset for the county and the state of New Jersey, while staying grounded in our mission of providing access in an equitable and in a high quality fashion to those that we serve. And just as a point of reference, Bergen county is the largest county in the state. It's just about a million people strong.
- [02:38]
B
That's amazing to hear. You know, really helpful context to understand everything that you are dealing with on a daily basis and the important role that you play within the community. Now, for the last year or so, what was the most important initiative that you led? What did you do and what were the results?
- [02:55]
C
What I would say one of our most important initiatives is reaching out to the community and providing access to the communities, defining what they need from us and where they need it. And not just the bricks and mortar of the hospital facility, but going out into the communities, engaging with community leaders, with faith leaders, with school systems, with law enforcement, really understanding what our communities need from us and being there for them, being that beacon of health, hope and healing, providing access in an equitable fashion for those that need us. That for us was the growth and the expansion of our ambulatory care enterprise and our community health program. Couple that with identifying some of the needs in not just New Jersey, but certainly throughout the country. The the need for expanded emergency department services. And one of the things that we're about to launch is our expanded emergency department, which will provide us with well over 50% more capacity. Right now we have about 20 bays of emergency department capacity. We're going to grow to 50 bays. We know that emergency department capacity is very vital to the healthcare industry in the region and going to become more, much more so going forward. So expansion of our emergency department has been also a very big part of our priority and looking forward into 2026. And then all of that coupled with navigating some real financial headwinds. More than 60% of our days here, inpatient days, are Medicaid patients, uninsured people, which means even modest reimbursement shifts have definitely tremendous impact on safety net hospitals like Bergen Newbridge. And our challenge is to continue to invest in what we need to invest in access, workforce development, our talent pipeline and technology, while maintaining that financial sustainability.
- [05:15]
B
Absolutely. I think all of the things you mentioned are so critical and especially looking at those emergency services, it seems like that ability to keep care close and local and be able to provide a high level of care as the need and demand grows is so critical, but not an easy thing at all. And so when you're looking at that ER expansion, what do you see as being the most important steps that you are taking in the next year? And what is it, I guess, the big decision decisions you have to make in order to make this vision a reality.
- [05:51]
C
So it's connection with the community, making sure they understand what we're here to do to support them on their healthcare journey. It's a development of our talent, of our workforce, addressing their needs, educational needs, Career needs, access for our community. Those are some of the priorities. And for us as an executive team, as a management team, really being hyper focused and disciplined around these priorities, it's very easy to get lost in the day to day operations and all the day to day things that come at you. But really being hyper focused on those priorities. Demand is continuing to rise, particularly in behavioral health, which happens to be one of our unique service lines that we have here. And we know emergency psychiatric volumes have been increasing by more than 20% over the last three years. But really looking at our capital needs, our workforce needs, our leadership bandwidth and making sure that we make these deliberate choices and investments and staying focused on what will deliver the greatest impact for our patients.
- [07:09]
B
Absolutely. That type of focus and commitment is so critical. Now, looking ahead, what are some of the big priorities as well as headwinds that you're focused on for 2026? What else do you see as being really critical in the next year?
- [07:23]
C
So I would say our biggest growth opportunities and the rigor by which we approach them would be the round access, continued access. Making sure that people get the care that they need, when and where they need it. In particular, as we see some of the shifts in the Medicaid population and with the. With the change in the ACA subsidies and more people becoming uninsured or differently insured, making sure that we stand strong for those individuals and continue to provide that access, continue to provide and focus on integration of care. Making sure that people that come to a primary care provider here will also have access to behavioral health, mental health, addiction services. Because we know full well that there is no health without mental health. So we want to make sure that integration of care is priority for us and care beyond the hospital walls. People don't always get to a hospital and for a variety of different reasons. So making sure that we're standing up strong for our communities when and where they need us. Avoidable utilization continues to remain a challenge and will continue to be a challenge. Nearly one in five of emergency department visits are for conditions that can be better managed to manage in ambulatory or community settings, which is why it's so important to make sure that we identify and expand our ambulatory footprint, strengthening those care transitions. Making sure that when people leave their emergency room or any of our locations that they have a warm handoff to the next level of care. Leveraging digital tools we're going to launch epic, our new EMR system. And while that was a courageous decision, it was a vital decision for us. So we can Utilize the EPIC platform to help improve outcomes, reduce unnecessary utilization and grow in a way that aligns with our mission.
- [09:24]
B
That's amazing to hear. And you know, big undertakings across the board, whether it's the integration of care, expanding services, bringing more of those ambulatory sites to fruition and then. And EPIC integration is no installation, integration is no small feat. And so, you know, but really all helpful in terms of being able to meet your care delivery goals and expand the brand within the community. I'm curious, where do you see as being one of the hardest things you'll have to do in the coming year?
- [09:53]
C
I think, you know, as the, you know, the financial headwinds grow stronger, I think it's going to be those decisions we will have to make as a system on what we can invest in that is going to continue to be relevant and necessary for our communities. I think that's going to be the biggest challenge we face is, you know, how do we prioritize our investments that in a meaningful manner?
- [10:19]
B
Absolutely. That's such a good point. And you know, when you're talking with your executive team, I can imagine there's a lot of opportunities and ways to spend each healthcare dollars. So how do you keep the team grounded? What kind of is elevated within that discussion that then makes it into, you know, the space where you're actually making these investments?
- [10:37]
C
You know, we are always tying everything back to the patient and the patient's family and the communities, you know, you know, and really are firmly grounded in that mission and alignment within that mission is. And how do we make sure that, you know, we're, we're innovating in the right way. I always say to my team, my mantra is we innovate around the human spirit. We innovate around the individuals and looking at ways that not just to be the health care provider of choice for our communities, but how do we help the whole person. You know, we are only as healthy as our least healthy community member and health is, is defined and is affected by so many things, including the social determinants of health. You know, many, many people in our communities face transportation issues, housing issues, food insecurity. So how do we as a health system help identify those and help address them? We remain very, very grounded in why we're here and that is to serve.
- [11:45]
B
That's such a great point and really strong reminder of the needs of the healthcare system and exactly what it's there for. Deborah, do you have any final words for our audience today of healthcare leaders and executives as approaching what is sure to be an interesting year here in 2026.
- [12:03]
C
You know, stay focused and remember to always put the patient at the center of every decision and every action that you take as leaders and take care of your of your team, of your workforce.
- [12:18]
B
Absolutely. Great, great reminders. Deborah, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. And, you know, I'm looking forward to seeing you at our annual meeting in April. I know you're speaking on a panel, and it will be a lot of fun to catch up in person and really dig more into some of these themes, you know, and see how you've been troubleshooting and navigating a lot of these growth and important expansion of care initiatives. So looking forward to it.
- [12:42]
C
Thank you, Laura. I am, too. Thank you so much. And we'll talk again soon. Thank you.