MultiCare Health System, Inc.

Oh, wow.

So yeah, it's the, the, you know, MultiCare people are-

Mm.

It's quite a story for them, so-

United has now canceled my plan for next year.

They say I can have MultiCare PPOs.

I have had MultiCare before, and I do not like them.

Deviant has been sending me ads, but a U2 agent said to watch out for new kids on the block.

I was thinking of doing original Medicare, but I don't think I have the assets or the money enough to be able to do that, uh, because I even saw that my, um, dental standalone prescription would be $150, and my dental would be probably in the $80, and vision would be something else.

She says it will prepare students for a workforce that needs them.

I was just yesterday on Providence's employment site and on MultiCare's.

Providence lists, you know, upwards of 150, 159 positions.

Now, that's across their two, um, hospital systems and their clinics.

Um, MultiCare lists at least 50, uh, just in their hospital system.

And that doesn't include our long-term care or other facilities like CHAS.

Edwards says the program is now accepting applications.

Tell me about the inspiration for that.

Where did it come from? And how does it kind of gel with your own IT leadership role that you currently play at MultiCare, but you also play on a larger, more global stage?

It actually comes from a conversation I had with my late mom.

And I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but I was complaining about something.

Absolutely.

And, you know, I don't know if you're aware of this or not, or even if I'm supposed to announce it, but, um, the MultiCare affiliation was approved for November 1st.

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah.

What do I mean by that? Terrorize it.

In most situations, if you're MultiCare or Franciscan or whatever system, they probably have a CRM site.

They call it MyChart or whatever web portal they have.

Use the web portal.

Um, and their, their expertise in health tech is, is proving that out.

MultiCare is a health system in Oregon, and they bucked the trend of health systems spinning or winding down their MA plans.

They're actually starting an MA plan this year.

Kevin, you, the... you called your shot on this one, and you said this is like the, the, the Warren Buffett, um, w- you, you used a Buffettism

People being like, "What's the data? What's the strategy?" Like, "How do you know that, you know, this is gonna work out?" And I don't know that it's going to work out.

It could be a terrible idea.

MultiCare could lose a lot of money on this plan.

Certainly, when you look back historically and provider-sponsored health plans do not have a track record of success that, like, would point to me being right in this in any way.

And if we can get to tie an innovation center of some sort in Albany, sponsored by the colleges, that'd be a great thing because it's right off I-5.

And so MultiCare is coming.

MultiCare, OHA approved the merger or the affiliation.

Well, MultiCare has pledged to spend $700 million over the next 10 years in Samaritan Health System.

So at the meeting with the CEO, the elected officials meeting, I said Albany needs a new hospital.

I was quite blunt about it, very matter-of-fact about it.