← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
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- [00:02]
A
This is Laura Dirdo with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Mimi Kumler, Chief Executive Officer at Tucson Medical center and chief Hospital Executive of TMC Health. Mimi, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- [00:14]
B
Thanks so much, Laura. It's great to be here with you.
- [00:17]
A
Absolutely. Now I'm excited for our conversation because I know Tucson Medical center is really just a great example of a hospital that's been able to do a lot over the last couple of years and put yourself in a great position right now. So I'm looking forward to talking through that a bit more, some of your recent successes and then how you're thinking about the future. But before we dive in, I wanted to ask if you tell us a little bit more about yourself and Tucson Medical Center.
- [00:42]
B
Sure. I am a registered nurse by background and have been here at TMC for almost nine years and so have seen a lot of changes and growth over the past decade and am so thrilled to be part of an organization that that is not for profit and locally governed. We're about a billion dollars in size and we have four hospitals, two critical access hospitals, the flagship here at TMC and a 55 bed hospital about 20 minutes to the southeast of the Tucson Medical Center. And we continue to grow and expand our services really centered around our mission of serving Southern Arizona.
- [01:29]
A
That's fantastic to hear and you know, I am really impressed by just as you mentioned, the growth that you've had there. So can you tell us a little bit more about some of the big success stories or wins from the last year or so?
- [01:42]
B
Yeah, a couple really stand out for me and it's centered around executing growth strategies that, that are focused on serving Southern Arizona. One is delivering the rincon Hospital, that 55 bed hospital that opened to serve our growing southeast side. So Tucson metro area is growing, but really in the suburbs and you know, we need to be where our people are. And so that $100 million project opened on time and on budget and set the stage for maternity program in basically what was a maternity health desert out in the southeast. So really exciting progress there. And we have just services continue to grow quarter over quarter out at that Rincon Hospital. And then this year we launched the TMC Health Cancer Center. We have been planning a cancer center strategy launch for a number of years and that came together in a way that was integrated better than we had initially anticipated. So it was a collaboration with a formerly private practice of oncology physicians and it really adds significant depth and breadth to our health system. It helped us to expand geographically and create greater clinical integration. Cancer patients, of course, have a complex set of needs and need a care team surrounding them as they go through that journey. That integrated health system approach to exceptional care, with access to all of the important research that drives clinical outcomes in that space, have been the hallmarks of the launch of the TMC Health Cancer Center.
- [03:44]
A
That's amazing to hear and certainly such an important service. Thinking about cancer care and oncology, I know that's growing across the country and really a huge need and being able to provide those services close to home makes a big difference for patients as well, it seems.
- [03:59]
B
Absolutely. I think that so often care can be so fractured. Your physicians are in one practice, the hospital portion is in another practice, the infusion clinic is in yet another domain, and then any of the other specialists are sort of on the periphery and building those services that reach out geographically. Having oncology clinics and oncology services close to home where driving and family members can help with support, is just a very important, important part of building services that provide access to care that patients need and deserve.
- [04:39]
A
Absolutely. That is such a great point. And, you know, in looking at where you're at today, I wanted to ask, what's the top two to three issues that you're focused on right now? What's top of mind as you're making decisions and planning for the future?
- [04:52]
B
Well, Laura, we're really focused, I and we, on making our health system more durable. And I think three key ways we're approaching that are improving access to care. Some of that I talked about with the cancer care, addressing issues of affordability and improving the reliability of the health system. There are three things that I hear from the community we serve, and I think they're likely true across the country. I hear from people that healthcare is too expensive, that patients don't have access or easy access to the care they need when they need it, and that health care isn't safe enough. And I think a durability strategy comes from focusing in those areas. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the OB3, for. I refuse to call it beautiful, the OB3, for us in Arizona and at TMC Health, is a threat to that work. Now, the upside or potential silver lining is that the pressure of the OB3 and some of the impending cuts to our funding sources that are coming will perhaps drive acceleration or accelerate change in some of these areas. And really starting with access, looking at the digital front door, when patients more and More patients go to their phone and social media and online to seek out healthcare resources. And so we've invested significantly in, in that digital front door, ensuring that when patients land on our website, that they can easily navigate and find the services that they need, that they can schedule right from that online platform, that they can find the physician services that they're looking for and understand our health system easily. Just one example is that when patients call and are scheduling an appointment, team really works to find, to understand their issue. And we launched TMC today where we offer patients the opportunity to be seen by a TMC health provider that day and then that via telehealth. And then of course, that provider collaborates with their primary care physician so there's no disruption in their collaborative care team.
- [07:27]
A
That's fantastic to hear and it seems like a really smart way to reach all those goals you were talking about in terms of access to care. And then I know looking at affordability and reliability too are critical to ensuring the health and wellness of the community. And I'm curious, you know, when you think about the future and look at those goals and initiatives, where are some of the big opportunities for you to continue to grow and expand that access to care, as well as making sure that the population you serve is cared for?
- [07:59]
B
Yeah, I think affordability, as I said, is an important part of that. We really are thinking about where AI and technology plays a role. This agentic AI or using agents as a part of your health network is growing. Certainly many other industries are out ahead of healthcare. Here at TMC Health, last month we launched our first agent called Humi. He's actually an HR AI agent. And since we launched him, we've had 1300 employees ask humie questions. And Humie understands all of our HR programs and our policies and procedures and really has about a 98% success rate in answering questions of employees. Now, my personal favorite was that one of our employees asked Humi, will I ever find love again? And Humie's response to that question was appropriate. He said, love and companionship is an important part of happiness. We have EAP resources that can help you if you need assistance in gaining companionship. And so, you know, really cute, but, but also always working to connect our employees to the resources that we have available, available to them. And in the past we would have hired people to respond. You know, we have a growing workforce and so we would have hired additional human resources personnel to support the team and answer those questions. And now we have Humi helping us out. Just one small example of How AI and AI agents can help address the issue of affordability. I think we as leaders are all in that space of intense curiosity about where AI can plug in and help us avoid expensive investments and at the same time do a great job helping us achieve our goals of expanding access to care.
- [10:15]
A
Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. And what a great and illustrative example of how AI agents can make a difference. You know, it really boosts the, the overall health system in whatever you're asking them to do. And having an AR HR agent really serving for some of those questions and those things that can be answered by the agent, it makes a lot of sense. So I love that example. And then the challenge to keep, keep having that curiosity and plug in and make sure that you're doing what you need to do with AI and understanding it so you can have that type of AI powered organization that's more efficient and effective going forward. And to that point, when you think about leadership in the future, what will it take in order to lead a thriving organization over the next five years?
- [11:04]
B
Well, I really define that right now as two words, disciplined humanity. We need discipline, as I said around curiosity that asking the questions of, you know, could we use AI to reduce no shows? Could we use AI to make automated referrals for our patients, things that make life easier for patients, for, for physicians, for clinicians that work here. We need access to great data and fiscal stewardship. And it has to be paired with that humanity side. Ensuring that we're connected to the workforce well being, to health equity, to ensuring our physicians are aligned. Those are the kind of things that I believe really help us sustain trust. And that's how a community hospital thrives during a disruptive decade.
- [12:02]
A
Absolutely. That's such an inspiring way to conclude this conversation. Mimi, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I've had a lot of fun talking with you and learning more about TMC Health and Tucson Medical Center. And you know, I'll be really excited to see you in person at our CEO CFO Roundtable as well in November. I think it'll be an awesome opportunity to continue to talk through some of these big issues and really connect with so many executives from across the the country about how they're thinking through, you know, the very real challenges as well as opportunities.
- [12:32]
B
Thanks Laura. I enjoyed our time together today and I too look forward to seeing you in November. Thanks for all the great work you do at Beckers.