Kent Bottles, MD is President of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. He was previously the Vice President/Chief Medical Officer for The Iowa Health System, a $1.8 billion dollar system with 11 hospitals in Iowa and Illinois. He is the former President and CEO of Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center for Health Professions.  Trained as a pathologist, Dr. Bottles has been a medical school professor, a health plan medical director, a president of a genomics repository, a chief knowledge officer of a biotechnology company, and the president and CEO of an educational and research consortium.  A prolific author and healthcare futurist, Dr. Bottles has written more than 100 articles for publications like Cancer, Annals of Internal Medicine, The New York Times op-ed page, and The Physician Executive.  

   Dr. Bottles is frequently called upon to deliver keynotes about the future of medicine, disruptive technologies, the doctor/patient relationship, leadership in rapidly changing environments, transparency, how chaos theory can inform managers and community-based medicine. He combines entertaining and funny presentation style with cutting-edge knowledge learned in the trenches, not just books. One attendee said he combined a physician-executive background with the speaking style of Robin Williams. In 2006, Dr. Bottles has presented to the state hospital associations of Minnesota, Utah, Colorado, Mississippi, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, and Arizona.

Topics:

1) Strategies for Employers to Control Healthcare Costs and Survive in a Rapidly Changing Global Economy (New): Working on Four Levels

2) How the Value Proposition in Healthcare is Changing (New)

3) How Health Care Organizations Can Respond to Rapid Change/Transformational Leadership Tactics for Times of Rapid Change

   After briefing reviewing the causes of rapid change and uncertainty in the current American health care environment, Dr. Bottles outlines how some organizations are able to respond and innovate in such challenging circumstances.  Drawing on his experience as Chief Medical Officer for a $1.8 billion hospital and home health care system, Dr. Bottles provides concrete examples of strategies that work to combat change and uncertainty: the wisdom of crowds, the use of cognitive conflict to generate innovation, understanding how hospital administrators and doctors view the world through different lenses, new understanding about feedback, and how to be a network savvy leader.  These strategies do not involve predicting the future because Dr. Bottles understands that the track record of expert futurists is not very accurate.  Rather, Dr. Bottles teaches how an organization can thrive in such a challenging environment by being flexible and resilient.

   Two things separate Dr. Bottles from many keynote speakers: a) he is a funny and entertaining interpreter of cutting edge business knowledge, and b) his approach works in the real world because he is not only a speaker, he is an active health care executive who runs a large, complex, successful organization.  By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:

1.  Discuss the causes of rapid change and uncertainty in the 21st century  American health care markets.

2.  Understand the characteristics of successful health care organizations

3.  Utilize specific strategies to ensure organizational success:  wisdom of crowds, feedback, cognitive conflict

4.  Become a leader who can leverage the laws of networks to make his organization more resilient

4) The New Health Care Reality for Patients, Providers, and Employers  

   Dr. Kent Bottles talks about the many changes that are turning the health care world upside down for all involved. First he identifies several trends that are affecting everyone involved in health care:  the transparency movement, the quality agenda, the pay for performance programs, the globalization of health care, and the rise of evidence-based medicine.  How do these trends affect patients, providers, and employers?  What should all of us be doing to improve health care in the United States?  Because he combines the vision of the futurist with the day-to-day responsibilities of being the top physician in an organization that employs 20,000 Americans and a former biotech executive, Dr. Bottles presents a unique blend of the visionary and the practical.  Dr. Bottles is well known as the expert speaker who can discuss these complex topics in a way that is both understandable and humorous.  He also presents some down to earth strategies for leaders who want to make concrete improvements in the delivery of American health care.

5) How Can Healthcare Leaders Plan When We are All So Confused?

   There is no doubt that the healthcare environment is rapidly changing, confusing and uncertain. There is also no doubt, that we have to lead and plan and respond to crises. The program covers strategies leaders can use for dealing with uncertain times.

6) Leaders Who Listen to Ants and Chaos

   Complexity theory has revealed profound truths about how leaderless systems in nature achieve orderly results and growth. Can you apply some of these same natural secrets to your organization?

7) The Emerging Doctor/Patient Relationship for the 21^st Century

   The development of empowered patients downloading information from the Internet and chatting in disease specific chat rooms has transformed the doctor/patient relationship. Some say this is the best thing to ever happen. Others bemoan the lack of trust and closeness. Can both views be right?

Others:
1) The Increasing Gap Between the Public and Healthcare Providers

2) Disruptive Technologies, Evidence Based Medicine and the Glut of New Scientific Knowledge: Why the Right Answer for the Patient Changes and What Health Systems Can Do About It

3) If You Cannot Predict the Future, How Can You Lead? Strategies from Network and Complexity Science

4) Engaging Employees in Patient Safety and Quality Programs

5) Transparency and the Future of Healthcare: Implications for Hospitals, Patients and Physicians

6) Health Care Administrators and Doctors: Strangers Who Come From Different Worlds and Different Cultures


Testimonials:

“Kent Bottles inspires audiences to embrace the inevitable trend of consumer centered health and healthcare. His knowledge of the principles of the new economy and it’s application to healthcare generally and patient-care specifically is a message that healthcare providers should hear.”

Anne Beighey, The Gingrich Group

“Kent Bottles is an outstanding communicator, who delivers well-researched, cutting edge, provocative and relevant sessions. He is funny and will get his audiences involved and engaged from the first few minutes. We call him a meeting planner’s dream.”