Thursday , March 28 2024

Roberto Martinez, Chief Administrative Officer, Reliance Medical Centers discusses what healthcare should be

what healthcare should be
Article and Photograph
by John Robins
Roberto Martinez has been in the healthcare industry for more than 16 years, together with more than 15 years in other sectors. As the CAO of Reliance Medical Centers, he brings extensive knowledge and experience, particularly when it comes to knowing how to deliver a personalized, effective, quality, and customer-driven healthcare experience to seniors; what Reliance calls ‘What healthcare should be’.
Q: “When did you identify that there was a better way to deliver healthcare for seniors?”
A: “First, I probably need to provide some contextual background. Prior to entering healthcare, I worked in several industries; technology, logistics, and retail, among others. Typically, that experience centered around launching or fixing companies. That background has proven highly useful while rethinking healthcare delivery.
From the start of my healthcare career, back in 2003, I was surprised by the lack of customer service frame of mind when compared to other service industries. A question I asked myself, “Why should I wait to see my doctor when a restaurant can sit me within 5 minutes of my reservation?” It is all logistics; dining table vs. exam room, length of consultation vs. duration of meal; each varies just the same also, technology, limited use of technology and data. Only now, healthcare is catching up to the rest of the world. It is a shift in frame of mind.
As I moved along in healthcare, I became even more aware of opportunities for improvement. I have been fortunate enough to have gained a look at most angles of healthcare, thus providing me an inside look at how the links within and between the participants work or don’t work. In Senior roles, I have worked for hospital systems, insurance companies, medical schools, and primary care clinics.
So, to answer your question, on my first day of working in healthcare.”
Q: “How did you become involved with Reliance Medical Centers?”
A: “A great story about destiny and Universe working to align the right people: my partner in Reliance, Dr. Romero and I have known each other since we were five years old. But we lost touch for about 30 years. At our 25-year high school reunion, we connected again, and it was a perfect match. I had been looking for a great Doctor to partner with, and he had been looking for a business expert to partner with. After speaking back and forth for three years, we knew we both had the same vision and values of what we wanted to create. In 2017, we partnered and created Reliance Medical Centers.”
Q: “How has the introduction of the Care Focus Team, the Personal Medical Concierge, and the Wellness Club initiatives started to impact on Reliance Medical Centers patients?”
A: “Even in their early stages of the roll-out, they are demonstrating excellent results in improving patient’s health outcomes, satisfaction, peace of mind, and stabilization of chronic conditions. Half the battle is coordination; coordination and guidance of the patient, with other providers and with the health plan. The platform we put together works very hard at doing just that. On top of that is the holistic and non-traditional wellness components that enhance results, and takes into consideration a 360-degree view of the patient.”
Q: “What future initiatives are you working on, and how will they benefit patients?”
A: “Our philosophy is about continuous improvement, rethinking how to best deliver on our promise. One initiative that is rolling out is home visits by support staff and healthcare professionals. We will send out a person to the home of patients discharged from hospital. Also, in this program are patients that require support at home, and to best evaluate and put a plan of action is for a home visit.
Another initiative is our collaboration with the local health system, Lakeland Regional Health (LRH). This is very exciting and unheard of.
A large health system, working with a small value based primary care provider, to develop best-in-class coordination of care methodologies, protocols, and interaction. We are well beyond talking about it; we are collaborating at the highest levels with LRH and truly reinventing how hospitals and health systems work together with PCPs.
These are just a couple of initiatives we are introducing, we have quite a few more ideas in the pipeline, which you will see roll-out from time to time as we move forward.”
It became clear to me during my interview with Roberto that there would be no end to the introduction of new initiatives and practices at Reliance Medical Centers all driven by the desire to create the best health outcomes for patients and to remain a pioneer in delivering what healthcare should be.
Lakeland
3655 Innovation Dr.
Monday – Friday: 8am – 5pm
Saturday: 9am – 1pm
Lab: 7am – 4pm
Winter Haven
111 Avenue A SE
Monday – Friday: 8am – 5pm
Lab: 7am – 4pm
RelianceMedicalCenters.com

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