I would like to thank you once again for participating at our 2018 AMS Phoenix Conference. Your keynote was thought provoking and engaging, and your participation in the closing panel of the event was very positively received by the conference participants, and there was extremely positive feedback on social media.
Stephen Klasko M.D.
President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO, Jefferson Health
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Stephen Klasko M.D.
Biography
Dr. Stephen Klasko’s professional history has been about not just disrupting healthcare, but demolishing its sacred cows and rebuilding from scratch.
He is a pre-eminent innovator and advocate, pursuing his passion to bridge traditional academic medicine with the emerging world of generative AI, digital medicine and entrepreneurship. His focus on building radical collaboration has led to numerous new partnerships. In 2018, he was recognized by Modern Healthcare, tying for #2 in its list of the most influential individuals in healthcare. In 2024, he was named one of healthcare’s “Great Leaders” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
His career has been driven by his vision for a revolution in healthcare and higher education, as dean of two medical colleges, as a health system CEO, and as a university president. As an author, he has used creativity through music, science fiction, and storytelling to develop what he sees as “heretical optimism” in creating institutions that are friendly, equitable, and develop healthcare and education at any address.
He has developed alternative programs for medical school admissions and mentorship, for lifelong education, for virtual health and for creativity. As chair of Apple’s iTunes Advisory Board for Health, he led the early wave of online university content.
Current activities:
Dr. Klasko is an Executive in Residence at General Catalyst, the world’s largest venture capital investor in generative AI and its impact on healthcare workforce transformation and clinical trial expansion. He is Chair of the Board of DocGo, a leading provider of technology-enabled mobile health services. As the chair of Teleflex, Dr. Klasko is involved in expanding its global footprint. He serves as ambassador and chief global innovation officer for Sheba Medical Center. He has been chosen as the chair of the CEO council for the American Cancer Society and chosen by the AAAS to help lead a diverse council of leaders on the opportunities and unintended consequences of AI and mental health. Under President Biden, he served on the National Board of Education Sciences. He was appointed co-chair for Health Evolution’s “obstacles to healthcare digital transformation.” He is also the past board chair of Opera Philadelphia and a trustee of Rosalind Franklin University and Chicago Medical School.
On May 15, 2024, he was given an honorary doctorate from Fairleigh-Dickinson University based on his successes in reducing healthcare and educational disparities.
Career summary:
Dr. Klasko began his career as a busy women’s health physician, leading innovation in such areas as finding alternatives to hysterectomy. Since then, his clinical, healthcare leadership, executive, entrepreneurial and academic career have been spent searching for, and trying to create, best practices globally in the economic, equity, social and clinical arenas. By 2019, he was a Distinguished Fellow of the World Economic Forum, leading projects on “healthcare at any address,” and the ethics of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
As President of Thomas Jefferson University, he directed a merger between a two-century old health science university and a nationally ranked university for design and architecture. That merger was heralded by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the “few successful mergers between academic entities.” As CEO of Jefferson Health, he presided over the growth of the system from $1.5 billion to $9 billion including the acquisition of Health Partners Plan, making Jefferson the first integrated delivery and financial system in Philadelphia history and the largest health system in Philadelphia. This included a first-of-its-kind digital “health at any address” partnership between Jefferson and leading health venture capital firms such as General Catalyst, and 16z and Oak HC. Through his development of a unique partnership with Gemelli Health System and Cattolica University in Italy, Jefferson became one of the few American universities able to participate in Horizon 2020 research and innovation funding.
His most recent book, Feelin’ Alright: How the Message in the Music Can Make Healthcare Healthier uses music and creativity to tackle the biggest issues in healthcare. His fifth book (with Hemant Taneja of General Catalyst) in 2021, UnHealthcare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance has become the manual for both founders and health system CEOs for merging the venture capital world with the traditional healthcare ecosystem.
In 2024, Becker’s Hospital Review named him one of the “Great Leaders in Healthcare.” He has been awarded by Fast Company as one of the “top 25 most creative people in business,” by Modern Healthcare as the “#2 most influential person in healthcare” and by Ernst and Young as the “entrepreneur of the year.”
He lives in Miami and New York with his wife Colleen Wyse, a commercial model and former fashion executive with senior positions in Vogue, W and Glamour
Stephen Klasko M.D.
Featured Keynote Programs
We CAN Fix Healthcare - The Future is NOW
Dr. Stephen K. Klasko proposes an extraordinary, even science fiction, event where a no-blaming conversation leads to an optimistic new future. Democrats and Republicans find they can collaborate on Dr. Klasko’s 12 disruptive transformations. Built on a variety of interviews from every part of the system, looking at service, education, economics, and the sociology of healthcare, Dr. Klasko argues that if we stop blaming each other, trends we now see as disruptive will actually lead to solutions. With an entertaining blend of humor, wit, and practical assessments about the current state of healthcare, Dr. Klasko shows where healthcare is heading in the future.
Putting Patients First
An obstetrician who also has an MBA from Wharton, Stephen Klasko has no trouble thinking about healthcare through a business lens. “With AI on the horizon, training humans to be better robots doesn’t make sense,” says Stephen Klasko, CEO of Philadelphia’s Jefferson Health. “The doctor of the future needs to be self-aware and empathetic.” By merging Thomas Jefferson University, a med school plus health and nursing colleges with design-focused Philadelphia University, Klasko has created the first medical school in the U.S. to offer a design certificate within its MD program. This now encourages future doctors to discover novel methods for putting patients first. Klasko has become one of the most innovative people in healthcare, developing new initiatives such as “hotspotting,” where med students are paired with patients who tend to overuse the ER, coaching them on self-care skills. The program has helped reduce unnecessary ER visits by 60%. “Virtual rounds” allow families to sit in, via videoconferencing software, when the doctor visits a recovering patient. Eighty percent of Jefferson’s doctors are trained in the network’s telehealth platform that offers 24/7 patient assistance.
Pandemic of 2030
From Covid to Consumerism
Dr. Stephen Klasko tells a “history of the future” as governments in 2030 face a new pandemic. The talk will discuss how the pandemic of 2020 made clear the need for transformation in American health care delivery, including the fight to end health disparities, the growth of consumerism, and the shift from sick care to health assurance.
5 Lessons We Must Take from the Coronavirus Crisis
Health systems have accelerated their digital health, telehealth and virtual care capabilities in the past 30 days forcing them to disrupt themselves. Care delivery will never be the same again. Dr. Klasko shares five key insights about the future of healthcare delivery after the pandemic.
Stephen Klasko M.D.
Featured Books
Patient No Longer: How YOU Can Lead the Consumer Revolution in Healthcare, Second Edition
by Stephen Klasko M.D.
The future of healthcare is here—are you ready to lead the change?
In this groundbreaking follow-up to the first edition, Patient No Longer: How YOU Can Lead the Consumer Revolution in Healthcare delves into the next phase of healthcare's evolution: consumer-centric care.
Authors Ryan Donohue and Dr. Stephen K. Klasko challenge the status quo and explore how we can build a truly consumer-driven healthcare system—one that is data informed, compassionate, and ultimately meaningful for patients—by answering a critical question: What can we do right now to transform our healthcare model into one that puts consumers at the center of the experience?
Drawing on new research and real-world case studies, the book analyzes the long-term effects of COVID-19 on healthcare, revealing how the pandemic accelerated the shift toward patient-centered care. It revisits the pioneering vision of Harvey Picker, who cofounded an institute to promote patient-centered healthcare in 1986. The book offers a fresh look at the progress—and the work yet to be done—in achieving a system in which providers partner with patients to create healthier communities.
Patient No Longer is not just a reflection on past efforts but also a roadmap for healthcare leaders looking to thrive in a new, business-to-consumer landscape. With actionable insights, real-life examples, and a forward-thinking framework, the book equips organizations to deliver the compassionate, human-centered care patients deserve.
This extensively revised edition features new content throughout, including:
- A preface that provides a look at post-COVID-19 progress—and potential areas for growth
- An introduction outlining eight opportunities healthcare leaders can leverage for transformational change
- Data on why consumers defer care, including access issues and economic barriers
- Stories from leading healthcare providers and systems
- Information regarding the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to transform healthcare
- Ideas for improving the patient experience to remove barriers to care
With Patient No Longer, take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to change healthcare from a business-to-business model to a business-to-consumer model.
Bless This Mess
by Stephen Klasko M.D.
UnHealthcare
by Stephen Klasko M.D.
Feelin' Alright: How the Message in the Music Can Make Healthcare Healthier
by Stephen Klasko M.D.
Feelin' Alright leverages the emotional power of song lyrics to inspire healthcare executives to envision and build a more accessible, high-quality, and equitable healthcare system. Using music as a metaphor, author Stephen Klasko encourages readers to examine what is problematic in the existing healthcare model and to take tangible steps toward a more consumer-centered healthcare experience.
Dr. Klasko shares his experiences as a physician, a health system CEO, a university president, and dean, and now bridging the gap between academic health systems and digital health innovators and entrepreneurs.
Each chapter features his multifaceted perspective and is anchored with a song that reflects the chapter' s central themes. Topics explored include:
- Why consumers are starting to rebel against traditional healthcare
- How technology can be used to transform healthcare through consumer empowerment
- How medical education must evolve to prepare physicians for paradigm shifts
- What radical changes are needed to decrease health inequity
Infused with the passion inherent in music, Feelin' Alright will motivate healthcare executives to take the lead in building a better healthcare system.
Patient No Longer: Why Healthcare Must Deliver the Care Experience That Consumers Want and Expect (Ache Management)
by Stephen Klasko M.D.
“The coronavirus pandemic has validated the principles of this book—that we need healthcare with no address, helping people where they are and when they need it,” writes Dr. Stephen K. Klasko in Patient No Longer: Why Healthcare Must Deliver the Care Experience That Consumers Want and Expect. “Telehealth worked. Providing guidance to families worked. Listening worked. Even under our greatest threat since World War II, the principles of using digital medicine to get care out to people turned out to be critical.” Dr. Klasko and Ryan Donohue explore this evolving delivery model in a fascinating look at the history of patient-centric care and the rise of the healthcare consumer as a powerful new voice. In addition to the compelling reasons why consumer-centric care is so crucial, the authors share how leaders can work to build health systems focused on it. As healthcare consumers continue to demand the same types of interactions they enjoy in other industries, healthcare organizations must work hard to build frictionless customer experiences that create lasting connections and build genuine loyalty. This book describes a once-in-an-era transformation in healthcare. Is your organization ready?
Stephen Klasko M.D.
Featured Reviews
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