Unveiling EWC 2024: A Look Back and to the Future
As we’re approaching the 29th Executive War College, I quietly did the math and realize this one starting on April 30th will be at least number 25 for me. So, I can say with some authority that from humble beginnings it has turned into the largest, most relevant conference in our industry. Last year alone a record 954 attendees came to New Orleans for EWC 2023 and gave the event a 94% approval rating. Building a great networking opportunity to get with C-Level healthcare industry professionals is quite an achievement.
Since joining U.S. HealthTek last January as an Advisory Board member, I’ve been able to view the conference from yet another perspective. This team has really stepped up its participation and visibility at EWC, and this next show is no exception. My colleague here, Robert Negosian, President and CTO, is presenting a panel discussion I’m especially excited about, titled “Is AI going to take my job? The Real-World Impact of AI, Machine Learning, and Automation in Healthcare” featuring Drs. Andy Moye and Greg Sorensen. Andy and Greg are rock stars in this industry and their success in AI is making this session a must-attend event. (And more on this later!)
Executive War College and Our Industry’s Growth
I remember those early days when it was a small group meeting and a handful of folks attending the Editor’s Dinner, which became the catalyst for what the show would become. There we shared industry challenges and opportunities. It benefited from being an intimate, especially knowledgeable group, and that tradition has managed to continue into today’s multiple days of meetings and events with hundreds of attendees.
At the time I was Executive Vice President of American Medical Laboratories. This was sold to Quest Diagnostics in 2002, and there I served as Vice President Hospital Sales & Marketing. Typical of many of us, partly due to searching for new challenges and partly due to the mergers and acquisitions that have been a constant in this business, I’ve experienced EWC through many lenses due to new challenges and the constant mergers and acquisitions in our business. That path took me from American Medical Labs to Quest Diagnostics, then later to my own consulting company, Specialty Laboratories. Spectrum Laboratory Network followed, then Pathology Inc., XiFiN (for which I’m still an advisor), and finally U.S. HealthTek. Through it all, I can attest that EWC has always attracted the top executives in the industry – a constant that has never wavered. The opportunities to connect, learn, and share – even with “competitors” – has been incredibly valuable to me personally and to the industry. Looking back at all the experiences helps me to see that we are truly greater than the sum of our parts.
EWC Cincinnati 2001: Yes, that’s Vicki DiFrancesco front and center with Robert Michel to her left.
Enduring Topics in the Healthcare Industry
As dynamic as this industry is, with constant change seemingly the only dependable aspect, it is interesting to me that several of the top hot topics we’ll all be talking about at this session were also the ones on the tips of our tongues nearly 30 years ago.
Reimbursement. This has been the common thread year to year. Its challenges ebb and flow, but the topic of reimbursements always remains. This will be an especially hot topic at this year’s show as it’s being complicated by AI costs, which most payers aren’t interested in covering. (This is one of the many important AI matters being discussed at our AI panel discussion.)
Mergers and Acquisitions. I have personally experienced working for a company when it’s bought by a bigger fish and know all the benefits and trials of that. This, too, has been a constant in the nearly three decades of EWC meetings; in fact, there is a workshop on the topic scheduled right after our AI session, headed by Richard Cooper of GIG Consulting and featuring Anil Asnani, Senior VP of Labcorp. I will add that it is an interesting “cycle of life” because I’ve seen individuals open a lab, sell it, and then down the road, open another one and do it all over again. Whether a buyer or seller, U.S. HealthTek has helped several companies through this process as well.
Compliance. The ever-changing legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements are ones that our industry and every company in it needs to stay on top of. This year’s gathering has both a panel discussion and a break-out session on the topic, and I strongly recommend attending at least one of them.
What’s Different at EWC 2024
The pandemic begat scores of more labs of smaller sizes, and so EWC is casting a wider net in terms of numbers and types of lab professionals making the journey to New Orleans. Those pop-ups during COVID are now looking to pivot in an already competitive marketplace to expand services for long-term success. Related, there are many more molecular labs now, and the oncology and liquid/fluid biopsies being done have gone beyond just clinical and anatomical pathology.
Then, of course, there is artificial intelligence, or AI. There are ten sessions, discussions, and workshops on this topic as everyone is scrambling to understand it and implement it to greater efficiencies and profits. The U.S. HealthTek team is on the forefront of this, and our session will offer an overview on AI and machine-learning technologies, the decision-making process in how and when to use these tools, and their impacts on organizations. Robert Negosian has been on the forefront of machine-learning technology since the founding of the company; with him will be Dr. Andy Moye of Paige and Dr. Greg Sorensen, CEO and Co-Founder of DeepHealth. If you attend one AI session, you’ll want to attend this one, as there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about what AI is and isn’t. With this session you’ll come away with a real-world practical understanding of how to safely and profitably harness this powerful tool in your organization. It’s held the first full day of the conference, Tuesday, April 30th, at 8:30 am in the Imperial 5D at the Hyatt.
5 Tips for Attendees of EWC 2024
Plan Ahead. Deciding which sessions to go to is tricky. Spend some time on the EWC website’s agenda page and map out a strategy of which ones you want to attend. When you do that, you’ll likely find wanting to go to three that are all scheduled at the same time! But I recommend planning and not ‘winging’ it on site; if you do that, you’ll surely have ‘session hangover’ afterwards and may realize you missed especially important ones.
Divide and Conquer. Related, if you’re fortunate enough to take several members of your team to the conference, make up a list and divide up who does what/goes to what to ensure you cover as much as possible. After, plan a post-EWC meeting to share fresh thoughts and give reports on what you learned.
Network, Network, Network. I have great news for any newcomers – this is a friendly tribe. Everyone is welcome, and everyone appreciates the camaraderie, so don’t be shy about going up and introducing yourself to someone. The quality of the crowd is top-notch, yet I’ve always experienced a willingness for those of us who have been to this rodeo to always be welcoming.
Have fun but not “too” much fun … Okay, you are in New Orleans. So don’t make me spell it out for you! I have known of rookies wandering Bourbon Street early in the morning with one of those big “hand grenade” cocktails, and I think they will regret that in the morning when they try to get to that mission-critical 7:30 am Master Class a few hours later.
Comfortable Shoes. You’ll be on your feet a lot, and doing a bit of walking, so plan for that. It’s a business-casual dress situation, so pack for a professional but comfortable look.
See You There
All in all, I’ve never been disappointed in what I’ve gained from any EWC event, and I have my usual high expectations for this one. If you were with me at one of those early gatherings, I look forward to seeing you again; if this is your first EWC, I look forward to meeting you. If you see me at any events, please say hello – but for a sure-fire way of catching me, I’ll be at our panel discussion Tuesday morning in Imperial 5D. I hope to see you there!