13 - Interview with David Carmouche, Senior Vice-President and President of Ochsner Health Network

About this Episode

David Carmouche is a recognized visionary leader in the arenas of healthcare delivery, population health, and payer systems with a keen focus on both patient care and outcome metrics. Dr. Carmouche has demonstrated talent for strategic partnerships with C-suite leaders and Boards and is known for his demonstrated success in achieving operational results through cross-functional teams in complex environments. He is a trusted leader of diverse groups with competing business interests through collaborative initiatives.

Currently Dr. Carmouche serves as Senior Vice-President and President of Ochsner Health Network. In this role, he is responsible for executive oversight and management for the rapidly growing, statewide network. Dr. Carmouche is also the Executive Director of Ochsner Accountable Care Network, a regional accountable care organization (ACO), comprised of an extensive network of providers, hospitals and health centers coordinating the healthcare of approximately 35,000 of Louisiana’s Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Prior to joining Ochsner in August 2015, he served as the Executive Vice- President of External Operations and Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana in Baton Rouge where he designed and deployed a physician-friendly, comprehensive primary care population health program and several commercial ACO contracts.

In this episode Tracy Duberman, PhD and Bob Sachs sit down with David Carmouche to discuss the experience and lessons learned from leading a health system in a major hot spot through the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 Show Notes- David Carmouche

1. COVID-19 has shown a bright light on the need for health systems to take an active role in addressing population health, delivering proactive healthcare, and removing barriers to access care. As Ochsner has grown in its size and influence within the state of Louisiana, the system has intentionally shifted its mindset from being a health system in Louisiana to taking responsibility for the state’s overall health status.
2. The forced closing of brick-and-mortar clinics due to the pandemic has greatly accelerated the adoption of telehealth and telemedicine solutions. For HELM leaders this demonstrates an important lesson on how seemingly insurmountable barriers can be very quickly overcome when there is common vision, stakeholder alignment, and a willingness to act and learn.
3. A common purpose, such as the need to support community physicians through the existential threat posed by COVID-19 or the desire to drive improved population health, is a powerful unifying force when it comes to forging meaningful collaborative partnerships and driving desired outcomes.
4. The challenges facing the US health system as we transition to value-based care are rarely black and white. It is important for HELM leaders to not become too deeply entrenched in their own belief system and remain open to the benefits of the natural tensions that exist within the health system in its current state.
5. The specific leadership capabilities that the health ecosystem calls for are unique due to the multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration required to drive solutions in a complex environment. A deep community-centric culture, and a dedication to intentionally evaluating and growing leaders within the system has propelled Ochsner’s ability to respond to the unique challenges posed by today’s healthcare environment.