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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Trust, Workforce, and the Future of Care with Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson
00:13:21
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- [00:00]
A
Hi, everyone. This is Elizabeth Caslo with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Margaret Mary Wilson, Chief Medical Officer and Executive vice president at UnitedHealth Group. Dr. Wilson, thank you so much for joining us today.
- [00:15]
B
Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to the conversation.
- [00:18]
A
Yeah, me too. So, before we jump in, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself, your healthcare career background, and your current role at UnitedHealth Group?
- [00:27]
B
Absolutely. So, by way of background, I'm a physician. I'm an internist and a geriatrician, and also completed a clinical cardiology fellowship in the United Kingdom. I would say that I've had the opportunity to practice all over the world. Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States. Currently, I serve as Chief medical officer for UnitedHealth Group, working with other leaders across the enterprise to oversee our clinical programs to advance our clinical and quality, clinical quality and patient safety efforts for the people that we serve. Also leaning into helping develop and build out our clinical workforce and a clinical modernization and transformation in general. Just simply stated, working with others to build a health system that's focused on better outcomes, better access, and lower cost.
- [01:23]
A
I'm excited to get into some of those topics today. So, to start off, a 2025 KFF poll determined that social media is now a major source for health information. In recent months, you've been active on Instagram sharing health insights. So why is it important for clinical leaders to engage directly with the public, especially young people, through social media? And how effective has this been for you?
- [01:47]
B
So there is no doubt that an increasing number of adults are turning to social media for health information. And the study you cited, the KFF study, I think, says over about 55% of adults are doing this, and disproportionately, it's even higher in younger adults. The interesting thing, though, is that there's also significant skepticism about the health information that adults get. And that same study actually showed that less than 10% of adults who look to social media for health information would actually characterize most of the information as trustworthy. So, you know, in my mind, it's fairly logical the conversations about healthcare are happening in the social media space. And I think not only did I want to be part of those conversations, but it was important for me to be part of the conversations. I think that it's a great venue to share some of the insights that I have from working in different health systems across the world, because pulling those learnings through one of the things that I've been fortunate to experience is that no health care system is perfect. There's always opportunity, best practice, and most importantly, there's learning. So I think there's an opportunity for me to add my voice to some of that conversation in a way that engenders trust though, and that is authentic and just making health information out there more accessible, easier to understand and more relatable to people. And I just think conversations like that, human conversations, are just, they spark meaningful engagement when you have them in a social media space, which is not the typical space where healthcare conversations would occur.
- [03:42]
A
Yeah. And leaning into that point a little bit more, as we know, social media can be part of the problem with health misinformation, like some of that skepticism may be valid. How do you help your audience distinguish between fact and fiction? And how do you recommend other clinical leaders approach their social media and similar public facing strategies?
- [04:05]
B
I will say, you know, I wish I had all the answers right. What I will start off by saying is it's not an easy task and I want to acknowledge that. And I do also want to acknowledge your comments around misinformation because there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some intentional, but a lot of it unintentional. And I think that there is a risk of increasing misinformation when you don't have credible voices with experience in that space and to provide consistent and clear input, clear information. I do think though that the reality is that health care is becoming increasingly complex and increasingly confusing. That's one. And the reality is that people are not just having conversations for the sake of conversations, they are actually genuinely looking for answers. And so I would advise the advice I give myself, which is what I would say to other clinical leaders, this is a great forum to share evidence based information, but to share it in plain language. One, two, to acknowledge that there is a lot of uncertainty out there and there are limits, you know, to everyone's knowledge. And so I think it's also incumbent upon us to be respectfully curious of our audience. Really thoughtful questions have been posed to me and I encourage those. And I also acknowledge uncertainty when and where it exists. I think it's about, you know, just being one more credible voice out there, recognizing that it's a journey one starts small and advances. And most importantly is that any successful engagement in that space has to be built on trust that is earned.
- [05:50]
A
That makes a lot of sense. And moving into something a little different. Previously on the Becker's Payer Issues podcast, I spoke with the chief data and analytics officer for Unitedhealthcare's commercial business. He talked about how chronic conditions and health risks are becoming more prevalent at younger ages. So from your clinical perspective, what do you think is driving that? And how could leaders think outside the box as they address this reality?
- [06:15]
B
So that is certainly true. It was an interesting finding, almost counterintuitive, that we also referenced in our America's Health Rankings report. One would not expect that in younger adults. However, if one steps back and thinks about it, we think of the multiple lifestyle issues, social drivers of health, stress, nutrition, and just prioritizing the time and the opportunity to prioritize preventive care. I think one can see how all this begins to impact younger adults who may not have the time or the space in their really busy lives to focus on preventive care or even engaging a doctor outside an acute illness or an emergency. So I think when I think about that from a clinical perspective, you know, here's how I think we should actually think about it. The onus is on the health care system to really think through how we build an advocate for care models that are outside episodic and reactive care, and how we begin to invest in care models that really support intervention in the regular course of life in a way that is holistic and takes all these factors into consideration. Because if you think about what a 65 year old or an 85 year old needs in the preventive care space, it's completely different from what a 30 year old or a 40 year old person might need. So I think the key here is how we all collectively, when I say we, I mean all healthcare stakeholders. How we work together collectively to challenge our existent traditional and sometimes rigid care models. How we collaborate across sectors, settings of care to address root causes, not just symptoms and acute illnesses.
- [08:15]
A
You mentioned earlier how you're thinking about the workforce. So as we think about the next generation of healthcare leaders, what's top of mind for you when it comes to effective recruiting and meeting young people where they're at?
- [08:27]
B
I think what comes to mind when I think of the next generation of healthcare leaders is really, first of all, the workforce shortage. If you think about it, by 2036 we're going to have about an 86,000 physician shortage. And for nurses, it's almost a quarter of, it's over a quarter of a million. And so when I think about that shortfall, it immediately causes. I think we should all be collectively thinking about how we build and sustain a pipeline that doesn't leak. And I think the first way to do that is really challenging. A significant barrier Amongst clinical, the clinical workforce today, which is really the question of frustration with the system burnout and the sometimes overwhelming administrative burden that comes with what they do. So we need to resolve. If we're going to attract the workforce to health care, then it's incumbent upon us to immediately resolve those issues and really build out systems leveraging technology, digitalization to help clinicians do what it is they do best, which is care for patients. And then secondly, we really need to make a concerted effort to show the next generation of health care workers that this is a sustainable and it's a fulfilling career with multiple workforce options that are expanding beyond the traditional physician and nurse, you know, move out into medical assistance, community health workers, information technology experts, digital experts. It's going to take all of us. And when we think about these different components, it actually ties back to our conversation, like you said on social media, the ability to be able to speak directly to the potential health care leaders and share some of this with them. So that's the way I think about it. But having said all that, what's also important is it's one thing to talk about it, but then it's another thing to support the workforce. And we are not dismissive of the cost that it takes to train in these spaces. And so this is one of the reasons why it's about 2022. Our UnitedHealth foundation made a 10 year commitment of $100 million that provides scholarships and supports current and future healthcare professionals. And the thinking is that we will be able to support 10,000 additional clinicians by 2033. So those are some of the ways
- [10:56]
A
we're thinking about this as we wrap up. What advice would you give to other organizations considering a more visible clinical presence online or experimenting with different direct engagement strategies to reach the public?
- [11:10]
B
I think the simple advice that I've given to myself, which I would give to others, is find the conversation and engage where it's happening. Don't expect the conversation to come to you. One, two. I think it's also about understanding and this has been a really great learning for me. People aren't really expecting perfection because I think most people understand that perfection is aspirational. What they are expecting though, is transparency, humility, authenticity and a learning mindset. And I think when all that comes together, particularly as it relates to social media engagement, that's when we begin to engender and strengthen trust and also humanize health care. So basically there are lots of voices out there. I think it's a question of each leader figuring out what they have to contribute to the conversation, identifying their lane and letting their passion come through.
- [12:11]
A
Is there anything else on your mind for industry leaders as we finish up
- [12:16]
B
our conversation, I would say that healthcare is evolving rapidly. It's evolving quickly. And if we are going to make progress, progress, it's critical that there's collaboration amongst stakeholders and again, that we're willing to be flexible, nimble, listen and adapt. I think that digitalization and technology is certainly going to fuel that, but I also believe that the most sustainable innovation is grounded in trust and demonstrating that we are all genuinely committed to better health outcomes. It's going to take all of this, all of us across the industry, regardless of discipline, to work together to make things better. And I think we owe that to the next generation of health care leaders coming behind.
- [13:03]
A
Well, Dr. Wilson, thank you so much for joining us today.
- [13:07]
B
Thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure. And thanks again for the opportunity, of course.
- [13:11]
A
And to our listeners. If you'd like to listen to more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare, you can visit Beckershospitalreview.com thank you.