The Leadership Lab with Asbel Montes

Asbel Montes
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Hosted by Asbel Montes, The Leadership Lab explores bold ideas, tough conversations, and real solutions shaping the future of healthcare and public service. Join leaders from across the industry as they share insights, stories, and strategies that inspire action and elevate impact.

  1. Aug 6

    Physicians as Leaders: Grace, Policy, and Transforming Healthcare with Dr. Rebekah Gee

    "It was taken away, but we're taking it back." In this episode of The Leadership Lab podcast, Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Rebekah Gee, OBGYN, former Louisiana Secretary of Health, and Founder and CEO of Nest Health, to explore what happens when physicians stop giving their voice away and start leading the transformation of American healthcare. Dr. Gee has led at every level of the system: at the bedside, in state government, and now as a value-based care entrepreneur delivering whole-family primary care in the home. She shares why half of America's children are on Medicaid yet only 25% of Medicaid patients receive the recommended primary care, what it takes to lead with grace when politics and patient care collide, and why every physician needs to understand healthcare economics. You'll Learn: ✅ How Nest Health brings the fullness of primary care into the home for the whole family, now serving 50,000 lives across Louisiana and Arizona ✅ What value-based care really means: getting paid for outcomes, not for doing more ✅ How the Rural Health Transformation Program can marry care teams, technology, and workforce investment in communities that need care, not another app ✅ The glass ceiling is real: only 1.5% of venture funding goes to female-founded companies ✅ Why physicians must engage in policy, because wherever there is money, there is politics ✅ Where AI belongs in healthcare: let AI handle everything that doesn't require person-to-person care, and let people take care of people ✅ What keeps Dr. Gee up at night: Medicaid work requirements, the rising cost of care, and who really benefits from the AI revolution This conversation blends hard truths with hope, challenging physicians, policymakers, and healthcare executives to step beyond traditional roles, lead with grace, and keep the patient at the center of every decision. Don't miss future episodes that equip you to lead systemic change in healthcare. Subscribe to The Leadership Lab with Asbel Montes and share this episode with your team and network.   About Dr. Rebekah Gee: Dr. Rebekah Gee is a practicing OBGYN who served as Louisiana Secretary of Health from 2016 to 2020, where she led the state's Medicaid expansion and a first-in-the-nation subscription model for hepatitis C treatment. She went on to serve as CEO of LSU Health Care Services and is now the Founder and CEO of Nest Health, the first company in the U.S. to deliver the fullness of primary care to children and their families in the home, in partnership with Medicaid managed care. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634 Asbel Montes Book (In Plain Sight): https://asbelmontes.com/store/ Asbel Montes Website: https://asbelmontes.com/ Dr. Rebekah Gee LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekahgeemd/ Nest Health Website - https://www.nesthealth.com/ Solutions Group Services LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices Solutions Group Services Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/ Solutions Group Services Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices Solutions Group Services Website - https://www.solutionsgroup.com/

  2. Jul 16

    The Future of EMS at Scale with Nick Loporcaro

    What if the industry that saves your life doesn't believe in itself? That's the challenge Nick Loporcaro walked into when he joined Global Medical Response as Chairman and CEO in 2023. In this episode of The Leadership Lab, Asbel Montes sits down with the leader of the nation's largest EMS organization for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to transform an industry from the inside out. From GMR's landmark transition to the only publicly traded EMS company in the United States, to the hard truth about how Wall Street misread emergency care, Nick brings a perspective few have: an outsider who fell in love with the mission and joined the company to prove that EMS is healthcare, not transportation. In this episode: Why Wall Street discounted GMR at its IPO and what that reveals about how EMS is misunderstood The "you call, we haul, that's all" problem and why it starts from within the industry How GMR is integrating AI across 80 million patient records to free up clinicians and improve care The case for moving EMS out of the transport benefit and into a Part B construct What population health and Nurse Navigation could mean for 100 million covered lives Why Nick believes the industry must disrupt itself before someone else does This is a conversation for EMS leaders, healthcare finance professionals, policymakers, and anyone who wants to understand the real business of saving lives.

  3. Jul 9

    Scott Becker on Healthcare Costs, Transparency, and the Future of the US Healthcare System

    Is American healthcare headed toward a breaking point? Scott Becker,  founder and publisher of Becker's Healthcare and partner at McGuireWoods LLP, joins Asbel Montes for a candid conversation about why the current cost trajectory is unsustainable, who's actually responsible for the administrative crisis, and what it would take to build a healthcare system that truly centers the patient. From the staggering math behind administrative waste to AI's role in giving patients back control, this episode covers the structural forces reshaping American healthcare and what leaders, payers, providers, and patients need to understand right now. In this episode: Why healthcare costs $30,000–$35,000 per year for the average family of four, and why that number is unsustainable The real story behind prior authorization, denials, and the "greatest hypocrisy" in healthcare policy How $500 billion to $1 trillion is spent annually on administrative costs alone inside a $5 trillion system Why the era of physician-driven primary care is coming to an end How AI is shifting power back to patients, and where the human in the loop still matters most What it would take for payers and providers to move from adversarial relationships to shared accountability What gives Scott Becker hope that American healthcare can still get this right About Scott Becker: Scott Becker is the founder, publisher, and chief content officer of Becker's Healthcare, the leading news, conference, and podcast platform in the industry. He is also a longtime partner at McGuireWoods LLP, one of the nation's largest law firms, where he focuses on healthcare law, transactions, private equity, hospitals, and physician organizations. Scott is also a Certified Public Accountant. Connect with Scott Becker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbeckermw/  Connect with Becker's Healthcare on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asc-communications Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634  Solutions Group Services: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices  Website -  ​​https://www.solutionsgroup.com/

  4. Jul 9

    When Physicians Lead: Transforming Rural Care Delivery with Dr. Damon Darsey

    What does it take to fix rural healthcare in America? In this episode of The Leadership Lab, host Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Damon Darsey, a board-certified emergency medicine and EMS physician with over two decades of experience in public safety, acute care access, and emergency coordination. Dr. Darsey currently serves on the Governor of Mississippi's healthcare task force and is on the front lines of rural healthcare transformation. Together, Asbel and Dr. Darsey dig into the workforce shortages and access gaps hitting rural communities hardest, what Mississippi is doing that the rest of the country should be watching, how the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program could reshape care delivery, and why more physicians need to understand healthcare economics to lead real change. If you believe that data, doctors, and leadership are the keys to a better healthcare system, this conversation is for you. The Leadership Lab is produced by Solutions Group, a healthcare finance services firm committed to advancing care delivery through smarter strategy and stronger leadership. Learn more at solutionsgroup.com. Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634  Solutions Group Services: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices  Website -  ​​https://www.solutionsgroup.com/

  5. Jun 23

    Healthcare Beyond the Status Quo with Dan McCoy

    Healthcare costs keep rising, incentives keep pointing the wrong direction, and patients keep getting caught in the middle. So what would it actually take to build a system that works? In this episode of The Leadership Lab, Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Dan McCoy, a physician, healthcare executive, and innovator, to make the structural case for why the system must change and what that change could look like. From the volume-over-value trap to the administrative burden crushing providers and payers alike, Dr. McCoy pulls back the curtain on where the system breaks down, where transparency is failing consumers, and how AI and connected data can either solve the problem or deepen it depending on how leaders choose to act. This is a conversation for healthcare leaders, employers, payers, and providers who are done treating symptoms and ready to talk about root causes. If you work in healthcare finance, benefits, operations, or policy, this is the conversation you have been waiting for.   🔗 Learn more about Solutions Group: www.solutionsgroup.com   ABOUT DR. DAN McCOY Dr. Dan McCoy is an entrepreneur, business strategist, and the Founder and CEO of RocketTools.io and Dan McCoy Consulting. He is a bold healthcare leader who led Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to unprecedented growth in membership, underwriting margin, and revenue — the largest in the company's 90-year history. During his tenure, he spearheaded the creation of novel healthcare benefit products including the largest HMO in the state's history with over one million members, rebuilt the external media and government relations teams, and launched BCBS Texas as the "Voice of Texas Healthcare," resulting in the most successful legislative session for the industry in over two decades. Today, through RocketTools.io and Dan McCoy Consulting, Dan works with enterprises on brand strategy, AI-powered growth, and market positioning. He is also an experienced communicator and keynote speaker. ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP LAB The Leadership Lab is hosted by Asbel Montes and produced by Solutions Group, a healthcare finance services firm helping healthcare organizations maximize reimbursement and drive innovation. The podcast explores the intersection of data, physician leadership, and healthcare transformation through the eyes of the patient. #TheLeadershipLab #HealthcareLeadership #HealthcareReform #ValueBasedCare #HealthcareFinance #PriorAuthorization #HealthcareTransparency #AIinHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation #PatientCenteredCare #HealthcarePolicy #HealthcareCosts #SolutionsGroup #HealthcareExecutive #HealthcareOperations Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - / asbel-montes-31027634 Dan McCoy LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dankmccoy/ Solutions Group Services: LinkedIn - / solutionsgroupservices Instagram - / solution_sgroup Facebook - / solutionsgroupservices Website - https://www.solutionsgroup.com/

  6. Jun 19

    Physician Leadership in the Next Era of Healthcare with Dr. Hawnwan Moy

    EMS has always answered the call. But what if the system that created EMS is the very thing holding it back? In this Clarity Special Edition of The Leadership Lab, Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Hawnwan Philip Moy, Emergency Physician, EMS Medical Director, and incoming President of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), to make the case for why physicians must step into the room where healthcare policy is written. Recorded live at Solutions Group's 5th Annual Clarity User Summit in Laguna Beach, California, Dr. Moy breaks down the structural argument for moving EMS out of the Department of Transportation and into Health and Human Services, why the "you call, we haul, that's all" reimbursement model is failing patients and providers alike, and what it actually costs when the system chooses reaction over prevention. He also issues a direct call to his physician colleagues: your clinical experience is more powerful in the policy room than you think. Stop waiting to be invited in. Topics covered in this episode: The 1966 White Paper that put EMS under the DOT, and why that needs to change Why ground EMS crews that save lives but don't transport go unpaid EMTALA, the uninsured, and the real cost of reactive medicine What NAEMSP's next generation of leadership looks like How physicians can engage healthcare economics without needing an MBA If you work in EMS, emergency medicine, healthcare administration, or policy, this conversation is for you. ABOUT DR. HAWNWAN PHILIP MOY Dr. Hawnwan Philip Moy is an Emergency Physician and EMS Physician at Mercy Hospital in Saint Louis and the Medical Director for the Missouri and Carbondale base of ARCH Air Methods Helicopter EMS. He serves as Secretary Treasurer of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and is on track to become its next president. He is also the host of the But Why EMS Podcast and the Air Methods Prehospital EDucation Podcast, where he brings physician-level expertise to EMS practitioners and paramedics. Listen to the But Why EMS Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/but-why-ems-podcast/id1435436833 ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP LAB The Leadership Lab is hosted by Asbel Montes and produced by Solutions Group, a healthcare finance services firm helping healthcare organizations maximize reimbursement and drive innovation. The podcast explores the intersection of data, physician leadership, and healthcare transformation through the eyes of the patient. Learn more at www.solutionsgroup.com Discover Black Ink at www.discoverblackink.com

  7. Jun 18

    The Strategic Value of EMS Data in Modern Healthcare with Dr. Eric Beck

    EMS has been delivering value the healthcare system has never measured — until now. In this Special Edition of The Leadership Lab, Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Eric Beck, CEO of ESO, to talk about how EMS data, AI, and physician leadership are converging to reshape healthcare economics from the ground up. Recorded live at Solutions Group's 5th Annual User Summit in Laguna Beach, California, this episode covers the gap in physician education around healthcare economics, ESO's acquisition of D2i, the role of AI in healthcare interoperability, and what the EMS industry must do to seize its seat at the modernization table. If you're an EMS leader, physician, policymaker, or healthcare executive — this is the conversation you need to hear. Learn more about Solutions Group: www.solutionsgroup.com Discover Black Ink: www.discoverblackink.com ABOUT DR. ERIC BECK Dr. Eric Beck is the CEO of ESO, one of the largest EMS data and analytics platforms in the country. He began his career as a firefighter and paramedic, went on to practice as an emergency physician, and served as a health system executive before taking the helm at ESO. Dr. Beck is a leading voice on EMS data interoperability, healthcare economics, and the role of AI in transforming pre-hospital and emergency care. This is his third appearance on The Leadership Lab. ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP LAB The Leadership Lab is hosted by Asbel Montes and produced by Solutions Group Services, a healthcare finance services firm helping healthcare organizations maximize reimbursement and drive innovation. The podcast explores the intersection of data, physician leadership, and healthcare transformation — through the eyes of the patient. www.solutionsgroup.com CONNECT WITH US Asbel Montes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634 Solutions Group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices Solutions Group on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/ Solutions Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices Solutions Group Website: https://www.solutionsgroup.com

  8. Jun 17

    Part II: An Economist's Take on Surprise Billing and Healthcare Payment Reform with Dr. Lisa Grabert

    What happens when healthcare payment systems no longer reflect the services providers actually deliver? In this Clarity Special Edition, recorded live from the fifth annual Clarity Summit in Laguna Beach, California, Asbel Montes sits down with Dr. Lisa Grabert — healthcare economist, visiting research professor at Marquette University, and nationally recognized expert on Medicare reimbursement policy — for a conversation that is equal parts personal, analytical, and urgent. Dr. Grabert doesn't just study healthcare policy. She's lived its consequences. In this episode, she shares her own mother's experience as a surprise billing victim — fully insured under Medicare, yet sent to collections before the family even knew a bill existed. That story opens a deeper discussion about what's working, what isn't, and what policymakers still need to fix. This conversation covers the No Surprises Act, ambulance payment reform, healthcare transparency, the prospective payment system, and the growing role of AI in policy research and healthcare decision-making. What you'll hear in this episode: How surprise billing continues to impact Medicare beneficiaries despite recent reforms — and why Congress may need to revisit the No Surprises Act Why 20% of Medicare Advantage enrollees switch plans annually — and what that means for provider billing and patient protection Why transparency, not just legislation, may be the most powerful tool for healthcare accountability What the ground ambulance data collection results mean for the future of EMS reimbursement Why some healthcare economists favor moving beyond the fee schedule to a prospective payment system — and what a budget-neutral, phased transition could look like Why EMS providers treating patients without guaranteed reimbursement is a systemic design flaw — not a compliance issue How Dr. Grabert uses AI to replace months of data cleaning work in 24 to 48 hours — and why she tells her students that ignorance is now a choice What healthcare leaders should be thinking about as AI becomes a standard research and policy tool The bottom line: Healthcare reform is rarely simple. But transparency, thoughtful payment policy, and better use of data remain essential to building a more accountable and sustainable healthcare system. Dr. Grabert challenges leaders to think beyond short-term fixes — and toward payment models that actually reflect the value providers deliver.   If you're a healthcare executive, EMS leader, policymaker, physician, researcher, or healthcare finance professional trying to understand where payment reform is heading next, this episode is for you. Subscribe to The Leadership Lab with Asbel Montes for conversations at the intersection of healthcare leadership, finance, technology, and systems-level thinking.   Links: Asbel Montes LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/asbel-montes-31027634 Dr. Lisa Grabert LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lisa-grabert-78ab527/    Solutions Group Services: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsgroupservices  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/solution_sgroup/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solutionsgroupservices  Website -  ​​https://www.solutionsgroup.com/

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Hosted by Asbel Montes, The Leadership Lab explores bold ideas, tough conversations, and real solutions shaping the future of healthcare and public service. Join leaders from across the industry as they share insights, stories, and strategies that inspire action and elevate impact.

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