Becker’s Healthcare Podcast with Dr. David Lubarsky

Guest: Dr. David Lubarsky, President and CEO of Westchester Medical Center Health Network
Host: Laura Deardle, Becker's Healthcare
Date: August 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Dr. David Lubarsky, an experienced healthcare executive and the newly appointed President and CEO of Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). Dr. Lubarsky shares insights from his career, discusses current challenges faced by safety-net hospitals, particularly in light of Medicaid policy changes, and explores the role of technology—especially AI and remote patient monitoring—in shaping the future of healthcare delivery. The conversation delves into leadership, advocacy, and adaptation as essential traits for healthcare executives navigating ongoing transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Lubarsky’s Background and Role at WMCHealth

• [00:44] Dr. Lubarsky introduces himself as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist with extensive leadership experience, most recently as CEO at UC Davis. He expresses excitement about returning home to lead WMCHealth.
• He emphasizes the importance of understanding "the big picture" in the current healthcare climate, shaped by policy and politics.
  • Quote: “Impacts and politics on health care have never been bigger. So kind of understanding that big picture is, I think, going to be important for all CEOs around the US right now.” (B, 01:16)

WMCHealth’s Scope and Challenges as a Safety-Net Institution

• [02:10] WMCHealth serves a wide region (6,200 square miles) with nine facilities, providing essential services as the only level 1 trauma center, burn center, transplant center, and major residency provider north of NYC.
• The system’s structure as a public benefit corporation under New York State means it operates on extremely narrow (or non-existent) margins.
• Medicaid cuts loom as a significant threat, not just for WMCHealth but for all New York hospitals.
  • Quote: “We don’t exactly have huge margins. Matter of fact, we don’t have any margins. And so these cuts are, of course, of great consequence, not only to us, but to every hospital in New York State.” (B, 03:32)

Navigating Medicaid Cuts & Policy Turbulence

• [04:38] Dr. Lubarsky identifies a short “runway” (12–18 months) before changes take effect—time to advocate and plan.
• Advocates a proactive approach he calls “civil obedience”—leveraging every legal avenue to enroll and keep eligible patients in Medicaid.
  • Quote: “I have been advocating aggressively civil obedience...I do, however, believe in taking full advantage of the law.” (B, 05:11)
• Suggests mobilizing public health and hospital resources to guide patients through complex administrative hurdles, akin to COVID outreach efforts.
  • Quote: “There is no reason...that all of the public health organizations, all of the social service organizations cannot get together to make sure that every single person who deserves to have Medicaid continues to have Medicaid.” (B, 05:35)

Mobilizing Community and Workforce for Access

• [07:00] Drawing from success at UC Davis (notably a 70 net promoter score—twice typical healthcare benchmarks), Dr. Lubarsky proposes mass outreach and support to retain Medicaid coverage for eligible individuals.
  • Recommends resources, fairs, and direct contact using existing databases, reminiscent of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
  • Quote: “We know how to organize, we know how to mobilize, and we have incredibly credible databases...We can reach out to every Medicaid patient in our database and say if you're having trouble filling out the paperwork, we have a resource to help you.” (B, 07:27)
• Argues there’s “probably nothing more we could do to aid the public health than to ensure that people can get the care that they qualify for.” (B, 08:04)

Growth Opportunities: Technology and AI

• [08:34] Sees potential in AI and remote patient monitoring to create efficiency, reduce unnecessary in-person visits, and reallocate resources.
  • Focus on discharging stable patients earlier and monitoring them remotely, reserving in-person care for those who truly need it.
  • Quote: “We could really be working on reducing length of stay in conjunction with some earlier discharges and appropriate remote patient monitoring.” (B, 09:00)
• Highlights healthcare’s lagging productivity compared to other sectors and frames AI as an opportunity to free up staff for higher-value tasks—stressing no loss of jobs, but a shift in purpose.
  • Quote: “There’s a lot of low value work that can be replaced and we can then employ people in high value work. I don’t see anybody losing their job in healthcare. I see us better employing people in healthcare to have a greater impact on our patients lives.” (B, 10:08)

Responsible Integration of AI in Healthcare

• [10:43] Recognizes the risks of AI if left to make autonomous decisions, emphasizing the technology should augment—not replace—human expertise.
  • Quote: “If you let the AI make all the decisions, they may make wrong decisions without humanity interjected. But as an aid to a human being making a decision...everybody wins in that case.” (B, 10:47)

Essential Leadership Traits for the Next Five Years

• [11:59] Dr. Lubarsky outlines two imperatives for healthcare leaders:
  1. Be relentless patient advocates—articulate the real-world patient impact of policy changes.
  2. Act as change agents—lead the workforce through technological transitions with training, transparency, and continuous workforce reassessment.
  • Quote: “It is incumbent upon every single leader to be a tireless advocate for the patients that they’re serving. It has never been more important than to be clear, concise and specific about the impact on patients.” (B, 12:02)
  • Quote: “You have to train people. You have to assure people that it’s safe...It requires a lot of work and communication and structure.” (B, 12:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Civil Obedience as a Leadership Approach
  • “I've always been like that goody two shoes, straight A student type person. I don’t believe in disobedience. I do, however, believe in taking full advantage of the law.” (B, 05:16)
• On the Real Value of AI:
  • “Get humans over computers, but computers helping humans, absolutely.” (B, 11:26)
• On Learning from Peers:
  • “I learned so much because I get to see my colleagues who are real experts talking about what they know about, and it's really great.” (B, 13:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:44 | Dr. Lubarsky’s background and vision
• 02:10 | WMCHealth’s scale and safety-net challenges
• 04:38 | Federal policy risks and timelines
• 05:11 | The “civil obedience” strategy
• 07:00 | Mobilizing workforce and community; lessons from UC Davis
• 08:34 | AI and remote monitoring as growth engines
• 10:43 | Risks and responsible use of AI
• 11:59 | Leadership imperatives for the next five years
• 13:54 | Reflections and peer learning

Conclusion

Dr. Lubarsky’s conversation offers a candid, pragmatic, and optimistic perspective on the twin challenges of policy-driven financial pressures and technology-driven system transformation in healthcare. He underscores the critical necessity of advocacy, strategic adaptation, and the creative, ethical use of resources and technology to support patient care and sustain healthcare institutions in turbulent times.