On November 10, Kaiser Permanente CEO Bernard Tyson passed away in his sleep at the age of 60. Saying that his death was unexpected would be an understatement; it was a shock. Just a day before his death, on November 9, Tyson was a guest speaker at an Oakland AfroTech gathering where he talked about the importance of equal healthcare. Days before that, he attended the AT&T business event, where he talked about diversity in workforce.
These were only a couple of the several causes that Bernard Tyson believed in and worked on. His death has come as a major blow, and has left a pressing question unnervingly hanging in the air: how will his death impact the healthcare industry?
Organizational Growth
Tyson joined Kaiser as CEO in 2013, though his career at the company spanned over 30 years. On his demise, the company released an official statement saying, “An outstanding leader, visionary and champion for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans, Bernard was a tireless advocate for Kaiser Permanente, our members and the communities we serve.”
During his tenure, the workforce grew from 174,000 to 218,000 people, and the revenue increased by $30 billion. Under Tyson’s leadership, Kaiser served the medical needs of nearly 12 million people. He rolled out initiatives to discuss social determinants of health in the entire country, and was even responsible for Kaiser’s commitment to go carbon neutral by 2020. His tenure was so influential that TIME listed him among the 100 most influential people on the planet in 2017. He was also on the magazine’s list of 50 people transforming healthcare. In addition, his efforts led him to being cited as a model in the Affordable Care Act that was developed under President Obama.
With Tyson’s untimely death, it has now become a question mark whether all of these initiatives will successfully continue at this time of ambitious growth. Gregory Adams, the interim chairperson, he said that the company will continue to follow the growth strategy. While their finalized plan will be released later this month, it is unclear whether the succession will indeed be able to carry the growing legacy.
Population Health Impact
Another area that now may be potentially compromised is one that Bernard Tyson along with Kaiser poured tremendous effort into – population health. He worked tirelessly to help Kaiser Permanente become a leader in transforming healthcare systems and their impact on population health. The healthcare giant took massive steps to extend their healthcare initiatives into homeless communities, with a particular focus on issues surrounding obesity. They also formed a unique leadership with the National Basketball Association, assisting children’s health issues. While these initiatives are ongoing, it remains to be seen whether Kaiser’s commitment to them will continue in the absence of the pioneer.
Equity and Affordability in Healthcare
Bernard Tyson stood out in the healthcare community for one massive initiative he took – making healthcare accessible to everyone. As one of the very few CEOs of color in the healthcare industry, Tyson was greatly dedicated to change American healthcare to make it affordable and equal for everyone. He became the voice for marginalized communities, arguing that demographic characteristics like race, ethnicity and gender should not interfere with care provision within and outside hospitals and clinics. “The fact that someone may not be getting what they should be getting because color of skin or sexual orientation is unacceptable. Period. No sentence to follow,” he said. One of the steps he took in this regard was his pledge to stick to Affordable Care Act marketplaces at a time when many plans were bailing. He argued in favor of ACA especially for the progress it made in increasing access to health insurance.
“Too many Americans who are poor and considered the ‘working poor’ are locked out of the front door to the health care system,” Tyson said. For many, the process of obtaining and maintaining coverage is still too difficult, and this lack of health care impacts their ability to contribute as much as they could to our collective community and to America.”
He further talked in support of affordable healthcare for all, saying, “Inclusiveness is very important to me and that means when I step into the room — yes, I may be different from everybody at the table — but I don’t have to ‘fit in.’ I get to come in and be who I am and I create a different organism inside of that group dynamic for us to take performance to the next level.” Just before his death, he further stressed on this at an event, “What I’m after is bringing the most diverse populations inside of my organization and tapping into the brilliant minds that come from a universe of experiences that are very different depending on how you grew up, your community, your neighborhood, how you solve problems.”
For his efforts, he was often referred to as a ‘healthcare pioneer’. With a major voice for equality in healthcare now gone, some impact on the movement might just be inevitable.
Mental Health Initiatives
Tyson’s impact in healthcare was not merely limited to physical health. He extended his focus to what he believed was one of the most important parts of the body – the mind. He began and implemented a movement called “Find Your Words”, which was aimed at battling the stigma that unfortunately still surrounds mental health in the US. He specifically stressed on how it is problematic that the mind is not treated in the same vicinities as the body; mental health issues are the responsibility of different providers and even have separate records, which Tyson believed was proof that mental health is treated differently. Due to his efforts, psychiatry and behavioral health services are being worked into Kaiser’s primary care. Just like patients are referred to physical practitioners, they will be referred to behavioral and mental health specialists for issues like anxiety or sleep problems.
“You start to treat the brain like an organ,” Bernard Tyson insisted. “It’s our hope that sooner or later we’ll start talking about mental health as easily as we talk about diabetes and cancer.”
He was also encouraging experts to adopt newer, positive terms to refer to mental health, such as ‘brain health’ or ‘mental wellness’.
Kaiser intends to continue to work on mental health based on the groundwork laid down by Tyson, as is true for other areas of healthcare where he has a considerable impact. Whether or not the absence of the healthcare pioneer will impact the progress of the industry and the newer initiatives within it remains to be seen.