Focusing On Unified Care at Beth Israel Lahey Health

Dr. Kevin Tabb fell into medicine through his training as a medic
in the Israel Defense Forces, and after medical school and a five
year residency, he soon entered the world of healthcare IT. As
president & CEO of the newly-formed Beth Israel Lahey Health
system, this diverse background gives him a unique perspective to
navigate the constantly-changing healthcare landscape where
technology continues to play an increasing role.


Dr. Tabb now has a prominent position in the greater Boston
area’s storied history of driving healthcare innovation. He’s
leading the region’s second-largest health system – including
4,000 physicians and 35,000 employees across academic medical
centers, community, and specialty hospitals – formed by the March
2019 merger of the Beth Israel Deaconess and Lahey Health
systems, along with Anna Jaques, Mount Auburn and New England
Baptist Hospitals.


Creating a single and cohesive point of care will be one of the
most important attributes of a successful health system in the
future, according to Dr. Tabb. The dynamics of delivering on this
promise are especially acute as health systems across the country
merge, and it’s a key focus at Beth Israel Lahey Health.


During this episode of Healthcare Is Hard, recorded live on stage
at the Digital Health Innovation Summit, Dr. Tabb talks to Keith
Figlioli about a number of issues critical to delivering on his
vision for a successful, modern health system, including:



The Build vs. Buy Debate. When it comes to partnerships
with new entrants in the healthcare market, new technologies,
or other aspects of running a next gen health system, working
with third-parties and bringing everything together makes it
more difficult to create a cohesive organization. That’s why
Dr. Tabb’s preference is to explore internal development first,
a luxury large and growing health systems are more likely to
have the resources to accomplish. But he recognizes the
reality, knowing when and how to investigate if a third party
brings something unique that would be too complex to develop
in-house.



Solutions Looking for Problems. With a background in
health IT, Dr. Tabb is approached almost daily by various
companies and investors and says the majority of what he sees
comes from people offering niche solutions to small problems.
Unless a solution is focused on the larger challenges
associated with helping the different aspects of a health
system come together and operate more cohesively, he’s much
less likely to be interested.



Evolving Access Points for Care. The way people access
care is rapidly changing. Dr. Tabb compares this shift to the
emergence of digital photos and Kodak’s failure to adapt
because revenues from film and chemicals weren’t impacted at
first. Kodak failed to realize soon enough that pictures can be
made in many different ways. And to avoid a similar fate,
traditional health systems need to quickly recognize the many
different ways and different places care can and should be
delivered. They need to adapt and deliver the seamless and
unified experience that patients are starting to demand.



Differences Between the U.S. and Europe. As someone who
grew up in California, but served in the military, went to
medical school, and did his residency in Israel, Dr. Tabb is
frequently asked for his opinion on the biggest differences
between U.S. and European healthcare. He points to the lack of
a single system of care, and talks about how critical it is to
figure out a new approach so people don’t fall through the
cracks – especially when they’re sick and most vulnerable.



To hear Dr. Tabb talk about these topics and more, listen to this
episode of Healthcare is Hard: A Podcast for Insiders.