Takeaways from the ACAP CEO Retreat

What a Safety Net Health Plan CEO Retreat Reinforced for Me

My perspective on healthcare is a privileged perspective. When I need it, I can get it, and get it quickly. I’m well-insured, and I can afford good healthcare.

This week, my colleague Erin and I led a Safety Net Health Plan CEO development retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They run health plans for people who are not privileged.

Time away with other CEOs creates a rare kind of honesty. No posturing. No slides meant to impress. Just leaders speaking plainly about pressure, doubt, and responsibility. Conversations stayed practical and human. The first take-away: “We’re not alone. And we’re not crazy,” one California CEO exclaimed with relief.

So what are Safety Net Health Plan CEOs working through?

Unstable budgets. The confusion about the policy decisions at the federal, state, county and local government programs is enough to make anyone’s head hurt. There were CEOs who left the room mid-retreat to monitor and edit language that was being offered up to state legislators who were debating policy real-time.

My takeaway: The for-profit, non-healthcare CEOs I know would marvel at their ability to handle ambiguity with grit and grace.

Remote work impact on culture. So many people are drawn to safety net health care work because of the altruistic mission. Most people think of their jobs as safe and secure. But today’s topsy-turvy environment is anything but safe and secure. COVID sent many workers home to work – and work from home is still a very sore topic. Many shared tales of people hunkering down, hoarding individual responsibilities as an attempt to make themselves irreplaceable. It was “personal ownership” gone amuck, accountability that felt unhealthy, and we are still battling those challenges and mindsets today.

My takeaway: These CEOs are rooting out the unhealthy “irreplaceable” personal ownership mindset,, because they cannot afford a single point of failure. They are embracing “pluralism” – where no one can be the only one who knows how to do something – and virtual workforce at the same time. It’s tricky.

AI – an asset or a threat?

When presented with the question, “How can we use AI to improve our culture, not just find efficiencies?” vigorous conversation ensured. Sharing ideas, dreaming about what could be, and finding a way to be comfortable in the unknown.

My takeaway: There are no easy answers…but endless possibilities!

How should I spend my time?

Each CEO left with a development plan that was guided by a discussion about The 12 Critical Roles of the CEO. Each CEO was given a stack of 12 cards – each with a Critical Role outlined on it. They were asked to separate their 12 Critical Roles cards, individually, into three piles – four in highest priority, four in middle priority, and four in lowest priority. “The role sort exercise was the most powerful part of the retreat for me,” one CEO shared. “I realize now how I gravitate toward things that are comfortable for me…but not what the business needs from me now.”

He shared more with me during a break: “We are fighting for our very existence. We could go away with one stroke of a pen. The best way to ensure our longevity is to partner with others, where we make one another more stable. I’m the one who has to make that happen.”

One CEO sorted the roles into these priorities:

HIGHEST – I need to elevate myself to focus on these four: