Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of DoctorPodcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (Host): On this edition of the SHSMD podcast, we talk about acquisitions done right, the practical steps, the common challenges, and the opportunities on how to build awareness, align goals, and prepare people and reduce fear during change. So, let's talk with Cody Albert, Regional Marketing Advisor, and Christina Thompson, Communication Advisor, both from OhioHealth, as we talk about moving from acquisition to acceptance right here on the SHSMD podcast right now.

This is the SHSMD Podcast: Rapid Insights for healthcare strategy professionals and planning, business development, marketing, communications, and public relations. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. Cody and Christina, welcome.

Christina Thompson: Thank you so much.

Cody Albert: Hey, Bill. Thanks for having us.

Host: It's great to talk with you both. This is going to be a great session at SHSMD Connection. So Cody, let me start with you. Let's just jump right into this. When you say from acquisition to acceptance, what does that journey look like for a community hospital and the people it serves?

Cody Albert: Yeah, good question, Bill. The way Christina and I think about this, and the whole team at OhioHealth that supports integrations of new hospitals, when we think about acquisitions, I think we're really talking about the transaction that occurs, right? The legal, operational, structural part of the work. But the acceptance piece, that's different. And that's where MarCom, I think, can play the biggest role. That's what happens months, sometimes even years down the road when the community starts to understand what does it mean to be part of a bigger system? What does it mean to be part of the OhioHealth family of hospitals? And really, the gap between those two things, between acquisition and acceptance, is where trust is either earned or left behind.

Host: Yeah, that makes sense. And you said in time the community realizes, "Oh, wait a minute, our local hospital here is going to be sold and we have new owners coming in." So, how do you measure awareness? You talked about trust. How do you measure trust and sentiment before you begin introducing the OhioHealth story?

Cody Albert: We do. We lean heavily on our consumer insights team for this piece of the puzzle, right? So, we partner with them months in advance, really when we're going through the due diligence process of bringing a new partner on board. So, we're doing this work behind the scenes, and we are studying not only our awareness, their awareness of the new brand, preference of our brand. Will they choose us, right? Or would they prefer the former brand, the brand that we're acquiring? We look at their behaviors with our consumer insight team. Why are patients staying in the market? Maybe why are they leaving? Are they already coming to OhioHealth in the nearby community? And so, we start to piece all those pieces together by weaving that data together so that we have a really good understanding of what we're walking into, what the starting point is really for this relationship. What does the old reputation look like? What does the new reputation look like? You know, we are sometimes acquiring negative equity, and sometimes we're acquiring positive equity, right? And so, those are two very different journeys. And so, we approach those things obviously very differently, and we develop a strategy around each market that we're entering into.

And so, that data is really, really important to help us give us a firm foundation. I would add, we all have gut reactions, right? So when we go into a new community, the hospital leadership team of the hospital we're acquiring, they have a perspective on how the community views them. We have a perspective, right, at OhioHealth as a nearby community, likely, of what the community thinks of that hospital. But the data really proves to us, which of those are right and wrong. And, likely, actually, neither are right or wrong. It's probably somewhere in the middle. And so, that data really helps us, again, just build a firm foundation as we start to navigate this work.

Host: So, you really need to know what you're walking into.

Cody Albert: That's the goal, right?

Host: Either way.

Cody Albert: Either way.

Host: Either way, as you said. And I think it's fair to say we were having a little discussion before we started recording that, you know, mergers and acquisitions, not always negative. Sometimes they're viewed as positive. Is that right, Cody?

Cody Albert: That is true, yeah. And we've had that situation a number of times. Christina will talk about this a little bit more probably. But sometimes, we're going into markets where one of the systems we may be acquiring or rather a hospital we're acquiring, they may be struggling financially, or they may have some other challenges, and that's why they're reaching out to a system partner like OhioHealth is to help solve some of those things.

And those challenges, they weigh on the frontline associates every day, and I think that's where Christina's work connects in, where the system is, I think, likely bringing hope along with it. And so, that's one of the stories that Christina tells along the way, is how is the system going to help correct some of those challenges, and maybe paint a brighter picture for the future.

Christina Thompson: Thanks, Cody. I was going to say, just like Cody is looking at sentiment, we are doing the same with their current associates. So if they have engagement surveys, we are interested in are the associates at that care site already engaged? Are they engaged in the community? How involved is their leadership in the community?

Because a lot of that also influences, the external, you know, outside of the hospital, not just within the walls of the hospital, what's going on outside the hospital. There might be leaders who are on boards or just even friends and family, talking to your neighbors about what's coming up. So if a hospital system might be having some financial struggles, people might be concerned, and they might be sharing with their family about, "I don't know what the future holds here."

And hopefully, hospital systems like OhioHealth, when they come in, are bringing that hope to the community that there still will be care locally, that they still can have care close to home and a job close to home, and providing the stability in the community. And so when we look at engagement surveys, sometimes we see that there are associates who are fearful because they don't know, if they're going to have a job, or they're excited about the change, because sometimes anxiety can feel like excitement too.

So, we want to meet them where they are in the process. Sometimes there are care sites who have already gone through a lot of change. So, they may be more open to change. And there are some who don't understand where they are at in the process. The care site might not have been straightforward with or transparent with the struggles that they may be having. And so, it's good for us to know beforehand so that we can communicate them in the proper way.

Host: I love how you said you need to meet them where they are, and that really makes sense in understanding that. So, how do you bring associates along then in the process? You mentioned some might be fearful, some might be very positive. How do you bring them along in the process and help them stay grounded? And also, how do you help maintain trust on either side, whether they're excited of the merger acquisition or maybe a little tentative that OhioHealth is coming in?

Christina Thompson: Yeah. So, we really encourage that other system to be as transparent as possible so their associates understand the why. Why is this happening? A lot of times communication might talk about the what that is happening, but don't really dig into the why. So, we really encourage that early on. We really bring that through our messaging. We really like to work together with that health system to have joint messaging so that we're on the same page about how we're going to talk about this merger in the community, how we're going to talk about it within the walls of the hospital.

Once an agreement has been reached, usually, our HR then visits on site to talk about what the general timeline, when they may be going onto our benefits, when we might be making some major changes. These things don't happen overnight. And so, we've noticed different speeds of integration depending on what the contracting was. And so, we have to adapt our plans to that.

So, Cody and I, we joined OhioHealth shortly after they had acquired a couple hospitals, and we were from that community. And while we joined, while it was OhioHealth, we were really employed as the former health system. And so, we went through those changes of benefits or computer systems and these can be really big changes for people. It took years. For that acquisition, for us to be fully integrated, it probably took six years for the integrations. And then, we learned from that, you know, we're like, "Just rip the Band-Aid off after a while." You know? Like, why is this being dragged out? So, now, we do this, we understand how the associate feels through that process. So, our acquisitions, while they don't happen overnight, are a little speedier because that was a learning that we had.

We also look at different touchpoints that really create the most impact. So, you think of when someone joins a new employer, they're excited about their first badge, and they start feeling like they're part of the organization. So, that's a great touchpoint. Our first visits, even before the acquisition, if we visit with different departments, our leaders are very relationship-based.

We're human-centered leadership at OhioHealth. We really focus on our compassion and excellence and integrity. And so when we're meeting with other people, we're wanting to get to know that team too. Cody and I, when we go to a site, we can say we've been on both sides. You know? We have grown. We've had opportunities because of the size of OhioHealth. if we had stayed locally, we wouldn't not have had those opportunities. So, it's really able to say, "It might be hard, but you can do it." So, we can see both sides. Looking at change fatigue, change management, we really look at the culture and then see how we can help the different people in their reaction to change through the process.

Cody Albert: I'll just add, Bill, as you think about the session that Christina and I are presenting at SHSMD this year, I think one really important piece to point out is because of Christina's and I's experience, we're going to present this work really from both sides of the fence, right? The local hospital team that may be being acquired, they have one set of emotions, right? They're learning what it means to become part of a larger hospital system. And from the other side, right, the hospital system that's acquiring the local hospital, we're learning about the local culture, we're learning about the community. And so Christina and I, like she mentioned, we've lived both sides of that.

And so, I think about folks attending, like, they will fall into one of those two categories, right? And the dynamics of the industry right now, there's lots of people being acquired and there's lots of people acquiring. And so, I think our session will help provide the guidance that we have from doing this a handful of times on both sides of the fence.

Host: Yeah. Both of you are uniquely positioned for the roles that you are in. Having both been through it before obviously gives you special understanding of what people are going through, what they're feeling, and I would imagine it gives you a certain amount of empathy as well for these integrations. Would that be right?

Christina Thompson: Absolutely. And in fact, because of doing this type of work and really being fascinated by change management, I received my master's recently in organizational psychology, because I feel like the influence of, a lot of times, these hospitals are the largest employer in their community or one of the largest employers in the community.

Knowing that these associates are seeing people at the grocery store or at church, a lot of times we'll also bring in community leaders to talk to them. When we first joined the system, we were meeting with funeral directors and pastors because we know that they're hearing from people in sometimes their most vulnerable spots or it's part of the continuum of care that we're providing.

And so, it's super helpful to hear from all sides so that we have a clear perspective of how people feel in the community as well as how they feel within the hospital system that they're currently working for.

Host: Yeah, you mentioned meeting with community leaders. Cody had mentioned, in that community, there's a local culture, if you will. Let me ask you about that a little bit. Cody, how do you introduce the OhioHealth brand while still respecting and preserving the local identity that people care deeply about?

Cody Albert: I think the best answer to that is very carefully, Bill. We do that work very carefully. Really, as Christina and I have built this playbook, we have four guiding principles as we lead this work, right? We lead with culture first. That's both OhioHealth's culture and the hospital that's joining us, their culture. Customer first, right? What are the customers in that market feeling? And be curious about the community and the hospital. And one size doesn't fit all, right? So, we're a large system of 16 hospitals, 35,000 associates. But we may be acquiring a small community hospital that has 100 associates. Those are very different things, and so just being very mindful of those principles throughout the process.

I think one of the biggest things Christina and I have learned is you can't flip the switch overnight, right? We can't replace the local identity with the parent brand of OhioHealth, and everyone is going to feel good about that right away. It takes time, right? There's decades of trust, relationships, community pride, and that goes back to being curious about the community that we're serving really, and learning and understanding that, and how we start to weave that together.

And I would say then at the same time though, how do we start to help the community and the consumers understand the value of being part of a system like OhioHealth? What are we going to bring to their community that they may not have had before? Access to resources, clinical expertise, technology, all those things, really recruitment, that's a huge piece of this, right? We're able to recruit some additional docs to their community typically. So really, I mean, it's a balance, right? It's a very careful balance as we protect that local trust that probably exists in these markets while also introducing system value. And so, it takes years of work, honestly.

Host: Absolutely. Yeah. How do you do it? Very carefully.

Cody Albert: Very carefully.

Host: So Cody, you mentioned that obviously you and Christina, you've learned a lot. So, let me ask each of you the same question. Christina, let me start with you. So, looking back on these integrations, and you have a ton of experience here, what are the biggest lessons you've learned about building trust and acceptance in a newly acquired community, and anything else you want to add?

Christina Thompson: One of the things I know I mentioned about meeting people where they are, different people are at different spots in the process. So, there are maybe leaders who knew that this was coming. And so, they may be further along as they processed the change, and there may be people who are just learning about it.

And so, definitely, meeting people where they are, figuring out the different personas that go along with it of there may be people who are part of their team that everyone goes to because that's who usually if a new software is part of the change, is about to change, like they're the go-to in the department. They're the change leader. And so, I would say trying to tap into those people because they can help with encouragement during the process.

Another point is to remind people of their mission. A lot of these health systems have similar values and similar missions and visions to OhioHealth. And so, I think that's part of what's helpful is that we usually try to find a system who is already aligned with us, when it comes to our vision and values. And so, reminding them of their mission. Ultimately, we're all here to take care of patients. And to take care of our community. And a lot of times, it's their friends and family, their neighbors that they're taking care of in these smaller communities.

And so, again, reminding them of the passion that they have for their job, why they went into this role to begin with. We sometimes are removing roadblocks that they couldn't remove before. So, reminding them of the progress that they've made through the process. Sometimes they're like, "What's next? What's next?" And so, it's like, "Well, look at all the progress we've made. Look at this investment we've made." And so, I think helpful to like, do the look back. So, bringing them along the process, reminding of their mission, and doing the look back of the progress that they've made.

Host: I love it. So, very well said. Thank you for sharing those. Obviously, your experience in this area certainly shows through. Cody, how about you? Looking back on all the integrations you've been involved with, please share your biggest lessons that you've learned.

Cody Albert: I think Christina nailed it on the head, but I will add one where I feel like Christina and I have worked together for a decade, right? And I think that's part of our secret sauce, internal and external being aligned. She and I work really well together to make sure we are swimming in the same direction, focused on those principles, making sure that people are feeling connected to the change that's happening.

And really, when you think about it at the end of the day, right, our parent brand, the local brand, those aren't going to be the most credible messenger, right? The most credible messenger is going to be the people that Christina's influencing, the local physician, a nurse leader, a frontline associate. They're the ones taking the message out into the community and really helping us build that trust and acceptance.

And so, really it's key for those internal teams, the marketing and the internal comms team to be aligned to make sure they're really driving forward well beyond the transition, the transaction, all the way to acceptance

Host: Remembering that external and internal processes and how they work together and how they both can ultimately help you have a successful outcome seems like it's really, really important. All right. Well, Christina and Cody, thank you so much for your time. This has really been beneficial, and looking forward toyour session at SHSMD Connections. Thank you.

Cody Albert: Sounds good. Thank you.

Christina Thompson: Thanks so much, Bill.

Host: You bet. And once again, that is Cody Albert and Christina Thompson, and they will be presenting on this subject at SHSMD Connections, which is fast approaching. Remember to register at shsmd.org/education/annualconference. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and please hit the subscribe or follow button so you get every episode. And to access our full podcast library for other topics of interest to you, visit shshmd.org/podcasts. This has been a production of DoctorPodcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya!