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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
William Davis, MBA, CLSS, President of the Illinois Region at Deaconess Illinois
00:22:15
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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.
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B
This is Laura Dearda with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by William Davis, president of the Illinois region of Deaconess Illinois. William, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- [00:43]
C
Hey, good afternoon. It's a pleasure. Pleasure to be with you. And hello, everyone.
- [00:49]
B
Excellent. Well, I'm looking forward to our conversation because I know healthcare is just changing so quickly today, and there's a lot of cool things that you're doing at Deaconess Illinois that we can share with our broader audience as well as get your perspective on the future. But before we do that, I'm curious, can you introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit more about Deaconess Illinois?
- [01:06]
C
Sure. No, absolutely. And again, thank you for having having me this afternoon. And happy New Year, everyone. It's going to be a great year in health care and across the country. So I'm Will Davis. I serve as president of Deaconess Illinois. So when we think of Deaconess Illinois, think we've got four hospitals that we own here in the southern Illinois area in the communities. My role is to make sure that people in rural America, in the regional communities that we are serving, have access to high quality, compassionate healthcare that's close to home. And it's more than just kind of a tagline. It means kind of balancing the realities of rural health care with our commitment to growth, with our commitment to quality and commitment to access, so that at the end of the day, patients don't have to leave their communities and they can get care they need right here, close to home, right here in Southern Illinois.
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B
I love that, you know, and what an important message and mission to have. You know, it's serving those populations that really makes a big difference in making sure you have access to care in communities across the board. So from your perspective, when you look back at the last year, what was the most important initiative that you led? What did you do and what were the results?
- [02:23]
C
Man, that's a big question. It's a great question. A couple of things I will point out, and this won't hit Everything. So I apologize to my team if I do leave some of the things off. But I'll tell you, some of the big things that we are very proud of really centered around on expanding access to care here in Southern Illinois. And I'll say the results were very real and they were very local. So one of the major milestones that we launched was our neuroscience services, which we did not have here in Marion. And so really we started seeing patients in that program mid last year, and already nearly 700 patients been able to stay local for the care that really previously they would have traveled outside of our region for. So that's 700 people who were able to receive advanced care closer to home, closer to their support systems, less disruption to their lives. And so we're proud of that. Another thing we did here in the region was expanded our imaging services. And so we took on and did a pretty big project around the amyloid PET and, you know, plaque, that plaque detection. And so we invested and strengthened our diagnostic capabilities here to ensure that patients one, they had access to advanced imaging locally.
- [03:53]
B
Right.
- [03:54]
C
Rather than traveling those long distances for those services. And so that was a significant achievement we were able to launch there. And then the other one is, I don't wanna eat up all of the time, but we launched cancer care in Mount Vernon. And I'll tell you for just 30 seconds on this story, our very first patient, he was traveling 160 miles round trip for treatment. And so we brought that into Mount Vernon, brought in a great team, a lot of training, and so he was able to complete his cancer treatments at that location, which was less than 20 miles, 20 miles from his home. And so that's really what, when we talk about expanding access, that's what it looks like. It's not just services on the paper, but it's time. It's that energy, it's the stress that's saved on the patients and their families. So we've made significant milestones bringing this and all of that is expanding access. And it's beautiful. And so we have made meaningful progress as well on quality. We were just announced a leapfrog B. And now the significance for, you know, our hospital, one of our hospitals that received that letter grading, they were previously a D and you know, we intentionally said that is unacceptable and our communities deserve more. And, you know, we're very, very, very proud of that progress. That B now represents also to us, you know, the top rated system in our area. But that is not a stopping point for us. We're going to continue to drive improvement across the Illinois region and the broader system. And so while that's fun and exciting to celebrate, we know we still have work to do and we're going to get it done.
- [06:06]
B
Absolutely. That's great to hear and just a really impressive improvement across the board. And from your perspective, what made the difference? What did you focus in, on and really I guess level up in order to go from a leapfrog B to.
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C
D. Oh, from it went from, went from a D to a B and.
- [06:24]
B
Sorry, sorry, I'll cut that. What did you really do?
- [06:27]
C
I will say we'd be having a different discussion if it went the other way. But you know, it's, it's, you know, leadership, our frontline teams, our physicians all rowing in the same direction. It says, said okay, you know, we're, we're taking this serious and we want to be the top quality healthcare system in the, in the area. And so you know, one it was understanding what is it going to take to get that done, what are we getting graded on, where are we, where are we not performing to the best of our abilities and where do we need to make these improvements and committing to do that. Not just you know, senior level management saying we're going to do it and thou shalt but everybody truly saying no, this is, this is, we're getting on board and we're going to, we're going to all hands on deck to get this done. And so you saw the levels of commitment throughout the organization to make, make the, make the improvements that were necessary and a lot of it focused on our patient experience. And that's something that you know, I carried with me from my first CEO opportunity in Mount Vernon throughout the region and we took that facility to a five star facility as well up there. And so just a lot of hard work but we, we had nowhere to go but up. And so you know, from that perspective it made things very clear that we, what we needed to get done.
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B
That's great, you know, and really helpful to understand. Thank you for going a little bit deeper there. Now looking ahead, what are some your big priorities and headwinds for 2026. Wow.
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C
So as we look forward to 26, of course a major focus is preparing for, you know, the, the financial and operational impact of Obama. One big beautiful bill act and what that broader picture and what those Medicaid shifts are, what that does to us. And so that is, I'm sure I'm one of many administrators, health care guys that are looking at that and these changes, they require us to be very Disciplined and to also be very proactive, we have to be both. A key priority for us is going to be strengthening our revenue cycle, making sure that we are effectively collecting on the work that we're already doing. We're already doing the work. Now we got to collect on those dollars, making sure we're getting cleaner and more efficient at those processes, because it's going to be essential for us sustaining access to services in an already challenging reimbursement environment. So that's definitely a priority. At the same time, as a system, we're focused on AI and AI and technology, and not just as a buzzword, but we're talking about what tools do we need to help us do our work better, to help us do our work smarter and more efficiently. And so we're asking where these tools can be truly used to enhance our care delivery and our operations, especially as we navigate these financial pressures. So those are some of the things I'm definitely looking forward, you know, in, in 2026 and that we're going to be focused on with these potential headwinds.
- [10:07]
B
That makes a lot of sense. And I, I know, especially looking at some of that access to care, thinking about revenue cycle, thinking about technology, you know, where do you see the technology investments making the most sense? What are you focused in on some of those things? Because I know every healthcare dollar is precious, but, you know, there's a lot out there too, and can really be a challenge to kind of throw sift through and weed through all the different potential solutions in getting to the place that really adds the most value to the overall organization. So how do you think about that with your C suite team and keep everybody focused on the right things?
- [10:41]
C
Yeah, I tell you, there's nothing really off the table on that discussion. And, you know, I'll say, you know, we've had ongoing conversations that, you know, involve every area of the hospital saying, where can we deploy technologies to help us be more efficient? Where can we deploy technology to help our workforce and offset some of the shortage areas? And truly, how do we enhance our workforce and our teams using additional technology? I think we're not using a narrow lens whatsoever right now, just truly trying to explore what is out there that we can deploy. Can we deploy it very quickly, what's the ROI on it and identifying those, testing them out, and then quickly getting them out to the teams. And so I would say that's kind of where we're at as a system.
- [11:50]
B
And a starting point, helpful to understand. And I love that kind of just continuing to focus in on whatever space makes the most sense at that time. It seems like a really smart strategy. I think we've alluded to it a little bit, but just with some of the financial challenges and shortages in the healthcare industry, what do you think the hardest thing will be that you'll have to do in the next year or so?
- [12:15]
C
Oh, man, these are. These are some great questions, and I'm going to probably take a little bit of different approach on this. So one of the hardest, and I'll say one of the most important things we can do, I can do as a leader, because this I cannot delegate. A lot of things, A lot of leaders, we like to get in this mode of delegation, but I think one of the key things is truly providing hope. I remember a study, Kauffman hall did a survey on healthcare, on the healthcare workforce. And what was identified that people needed most from leadership. The number one answer was hope. And that really resonated with me as a leader. We have responsibility that comes with these roles. And to be honest, like the challenges and, you know, we have to keep all those things in perspective. They're. They're very real, you know, so people want truth, they want to hear that, they want to understand the realities that we're facing, but they also want reassurance, like other difficult periods in healthcare in time, such as Covid, we all remember Covid, that we are going to weather the storm. And so the way we frame the future matters. I hope everybody listening understands my point. The way we frame the future in healthcare, it matters whether we look at it as the glass is half full or half empty. Our teams are listening. And so our job is to lead with transparency, steadiness and confidence that we can come out on the other side of this thing stronger.
- [14:05]
B
I love that answer. And I think it definitely dovetails into so much of what we try to do here at Becker's. And so for that, you know, messaging with the team, understanding, hope they really being met with kind of this duel of like, hey, here's the reality of our situation, but we also can get through this. We can also do this. Are you doing anything differently this year to really bring that back front and center, especially with your C Suite team and managers? Or is it something that you found out in the past that you're going to continue to focus on? That works well to have that message and to keep people really, you know, spreading that to their teams as well.
- [14:44]
C
Yeah. So in our, in our region, you know, we've now got a regional structure and I could spend A whole probably podcast segment on restructuring a region and building and culture change. And that's something that I've focused on over the last two years in this, in this role. And, you know, now, you know, bringing these teams together, there's another level of transparency and, you know, bringing these teams together to jail and to, you know, share. Hey guys, here's, here's where the bar is at today and, you know, coming together to form solutions and say, all right, what do we need to do to overcome. And you know, we're seeing a lot of growth, a lot of rapid growth in our, in our region. And that, you know, is to be celebrated and it comes with its challenges. You know, you gotta bring the staffing components with that, you gotta bring the equipment and technology up to date with that. And it's not a one man band over here. It's truly operating and functioning as a team and as a system and truly utilizing the resources to the best of our ability. And so we're doing a lot of that. I won't say we're adding more meetings, but I'm actually trying to give the gift of time back to our teams. And because we've got a lot of initiatives, we got a lot of objectives, and I've found that when we tie everybody up in a meeting, in meetings all day, it's a little difficult to get all that work done. And so it's truly trying to figure out how do I give that gift of time back to our teams to carry out these objectives and get our mission accomplished.
- [16:42]
B
Absolutely. That is helpful to understand and thank you for digging a little bit deeper than now. Before we wrap up, I wanted to think about growth as well. Where do you see some of the best opportunities for organizational growth over the next one or two years or so?
- [16:57]
C
Yeah. So you know the secret in rural health care, Growth opportunities in rural healthcare, they remain consistent, but crucial is recruitment, both for specialists for primary care continues to be a top priority for us so we can maintain and expand access for these communities. We also see an opportunity in the continued adoption for telehealth and for AI and for these technologies I talked about earlier, particularly in ways that we support rural healthcare delivery and how we can improve efficiency without losing that human connection that you have to have in healthcare. One area that's especially important and somewhat unique in our area we've been challenged with is OB and women's health services. We're in an OB desert here in Southern Illinois, and addressing that gap is going to be essential for long term health of our Communities and ensuring that, you know, access to women's health care and services are close to home. They truly remain a key opportunity and responsibility for our healthcare system moving forward. So those are some of the things that we will be focused on here in Deaconess, Illinois.
- [18:31]
B
I love that. And, you know, expanding that access to care, bringing in more specialists will be a truly helpful in transforming the health care system. And when you're thinking about just connecting, building out, especially in the OB space, women's healthcare and really anywhere else that you are looking for specialists and those kinds of things, do you see being able to, I guess. How are you continuing to bring in those folks and attract them? Anything that is on the cusp for this coming year?
- [19:02]
C
Yeah, I think we as a system really have kind of taken a step back at our approach when we talk about, you know, recruitment and also in addition to recruitment directly, but partnerships, you know, with FQHCs and RHCs and things like that in the area. And so I think, you know, having, you know, again, a very narrow lens that, you know, I'm only going to recruit this one way, which is, has, you know, been an approach, but that is not, you know, moving forward, that's not the best way. And so, you know, we are expanding our recruitment team and we're going to be growing that, you know, when we're also looking at the way our site visits are structured, what is the follow up with, you know, the physicians after a site visit? What does that look like? What is the prep work prior to? Additionally, of course, leveraging our physicians that work for us that have ties with, you know, the schools and universities and these other programs and saying how can we, you know, utilize, you know, this army of physicians that we have to help us continue to leverage and build those pipelines and partnerships. And so, you know, there's no one singular approach when it comes to, you know, the recruitment strategy and finding the, you know, physicians apps, the caregivers that really love and want to be a part of rural healthcare because it's a special place. And I'm not just saying that because I live here, but truly, you know, practicing in rural areas, you see some things you thought you've never seen. And it's exciting to many, many caregivers, physicians and apps. And so we want to make sure that it's a good fit for them and their families as well. And making sure we show those, those great things about our areas and these communities we serve.
- [21:11]
B
William, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been a really inspiring conversation. I've learned a lot. Absolutely. I'm looking forward to seeing you as well at our annual meeting. I know you'll be speaking on a panel, and we'll keep this discussion going well.
- [21:28]
C
One, I want to say before I leave, I love, you know, the platform that Beckers is providing, you know, not just me, but healthcare in general and continuing to, you know, bring such important topics to the forefront and everyone's attention bringing light to those things. And so I think what you and your team is doing is beautiful. I'm looking forward to the conference coming up and the connections and hearing from my colleagues on so many topics that we're all challenged with. But what are we all doing to overcome those things? And so I'm excited to be a part of that speaking panel. So thank you all again for the invites.