Welcome to another episode of Impact Unfiltered! In today’s show, Philippe sits down with Morgan Honea, a seasoned healthcare leader based in Denver, Colorado. Morgan brings over 25 years of experience spanning nonprofit public health, rural healthcare, data and technology, and health systems innovation. Together, they dive into why our current fee-for-service healthcare system just isn’t working, especially for underserved and rural communities, and explore new models centered around direct pay and patient-first care.
Morgan shares stories from his early days on a rural mission trip, experiences running health centers and health information exchanges, and what drives him and his team to rethink what healthcare could look like—where the community’s needs set the priorities, and cost and transparency aren’t barriers to care.
Whether you’re a disruptor, a provider, or just someone who’s tired of the status quo, you’ll find inspiration and practical tips here about impacting your community, navigating the industry, and never being afraid to break the mold. Strap in for an honest, hopeful conversation about changing healthcare from the ground up!
1. Podcast Introduction and Guest Welcome
- Brief preamble highlighting the show’s theme: real conversations with leaders driving change in healthcare, business, and community
2. Morgan Honea Professional Journey in Healthcare
- Early exposure to healthcare through a mission trip as a teenager
- High school dissertation on healthcare policy (Balanced Budget Act of 1997)
- 25 years in the healthcare industry, primarily in the nonprofit sector
- Experience in public health, federally qualified health centers, and healthcare technology
- Leadership roles, including running a health information exchange in Colorado
- Unique perspective from multiple roles: employer, provider, payer, and patient
3. Defining Impact in Healthcare & Medical Suite’s Mission
- The team’s focus on the impact for individuals and communities
- Special emphasis on rural and underserved communities
- Challenges in healthcare delivery outside major metropolitan areas
- Importance of localizing healthcare and using team expertise to show communities alternate models
4. Community Engagement and Needs Alignment
- Commitment to listening first: every community has unique priorities
- Collaboration with stakeholders like school districts, municipal governments, and local employers
- Avoiding assumptions; starting with community-led goals
- Ensuring solutions are genuinely driven by local needs
5. Innovation and Service Delivery Outside the Fee-for-Service Model
- Skepticism about the word "innovation" within fee-for-service
- Advocating for direct pay models to remove constraints on providers
- Advantages of direct pay: longer provider-patient interactions, appropriate use of data, tailored care
- Emphasizing primary care as critical to 80% of healthcare outcomes
- Addressing social determinants of health and the importance of zip code in outcomes
6. Practical Examples and Partnerships
- Use of data-driven approaches for aligning services to patient/community needs
- Partnerships and tools for direct pay care, including virtual and telehealth services
- Mention of various companies and initiatives (e.g., Nexus Health Connect, Actuate Care, Smith Medical ambulatory surgery center)
- Highlight: transparent pricing on procedures, e.g., appendectomy at Smith Medical
7. Advice for Emerging Leaders in Healthcare
- Morgan’s reflections for his younger self and future leaders
- Importance of being ambitious and mission-driven
- The value of questioning traditional paths and methods in healthcare
- Encouragement to take risks and innovate outside the system when necessary
8. How to Get Involved & Access Resources
- Information on organizations and websites for further learning (Nexus Health Connect, Actuate Care, Smith Medical)
- Solutions for direct primary care, virtual care, and direct-pay procedures
- Plans for a new general agency to educate brokers and empower more individuals and employers
9. Closing Remarks and Appreciation
- Encouragement and optimism for the future of healthcare reform
