The MaineHealth Podcast

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, Episode 87 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores what it will take to lower the total cost of care across our system—while strengthening access, quality, and long‑term sustainability. Joined by Rich Bayman, Chief Financial Officer for MaineHealth, the conversation moves beyond cost reduction as a financial exercise and in...

Andy's Open Door Live Broadcast on 06-17-26 AOD was on the road today, traveling to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital's Parkview campus in Brunswick, ME. CEO Andy Mueller was joined by Mid Coast President Christopher Bowe, MD and MH Chief of Oncology Services Matthew Kulke, MD. Andy and the panel discussed major campus upgrades at the Parkview campus, including the new Cancer Care Center. They touche...

Curbside Consult - Episode 14 Recent improvements in the self-reported wellbeing of MaineHealth physicians and APPs is welcome news. In this episode, Dr. Ranjiv Advani joins Dr. Heather Ward to discuss what’s going right with physician and APP wellness and what more can be done to foster human connection, improve organizational culture and spark positive systemic change. Dr. Advani is an emergency...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Well‑Being Rounds where we focus on provider and APP wellness! Our hosts are MaineHealth provider leaders: Christine Hein, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, Ranjiv Advani, MD Coastal and Mountain Provider Wellbeing Medical Director, Elizabeth Eisenhardt, MD Southern Region Provider Wellbeing Co-Medical Director, and Stephanie Gray, PA Southern Region Provider Well...

Communication Strategies for Vaccine-Hesitant Communities Today we welcome Dr. David A. Higgins as he outlines why vaccine-preventable diseases like measles are resurging, and how recent federal policy shifts and a low-trust environment have increased confusion. Despite the confusion, most people remain open to vaccination. He offers practical, evidence-based communication strategies for clinician...

Preparing for the Next Pandemic - What We Must Do Today we welcome Dr. Michael Osterholm as he explains why COVID-19 wasn’t "the big one," outlines failures in pandemic communication and preparedness, and offers practical steps to strengthen vaccines, respiratory protection, surveillance, and public trust. He discusses his latest book, The Big One - We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics, co-...

Vitals & Voices, Episode 4 We're talking about Mental Health Awareness Month, exploring provider mental health, empathy fatigue, and strategies for resilience. In this episode, Jordan and Chris sit down with Mary Weatherbee, Program Manager, Provider Well-Being and Peer Support, to discuss the vital role of mental health awareness within care teams. We’re shining a light on the unique pressure...

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, episode 86 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores what it truly takes to achieve—and sustain—CMS 5‑Star performance by making quality and patient experience everyone’s work across the system. Joined by Dr. Omar Hasan, Chief Quality Officer for MaineHealth, and Helen Troy, Vice President of Quality & Safety, the convers...

Andy's Open Door Live Broadcast on 04-29-26 This episode of Andy's Open Door features a discussion with Vice President of Quality and Safety Mark Parker, MD, Lead Sonographer in the Southern Region Miranda Anderson and Quality leader from NorDx Julie Carrell, to discuss the role of Safety Stories in our culture of safety at MaineHealth and the new safety story library where the stories can be subm...

Today we welcome Joy Rhoden, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Health Outcomes and Care Transformation at the American Hospital Association (AHA). Joy explains how hospitals can use standardized data, care-delivery transformation, community partnerships, and workforce activation to reduce health disparities. She highlights maternal and child health, rural innovations, telehealth, dou...

Working Together with Kelly Elkins, Episode 85 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores how the organization is rethinking revenue cycle and payer strategy to better support access, affordability, and long‑term sustainability. As denial rates rise, payment models shift, and administrative complexity increases, the conversation focuses on why revenue cycle can no l...

Welcome to episode 3 of Vitals and Voices, a MaineHealth nursing podcast, sharing the stories, perspectives, and expertise of nurses across our system with hosts Chris & Jordan. In this episode, long-tenured MHMMC Portland nurses Jackie and Sara reflect on 40 years of nursing—sharing early memories, patient stories, the shift from paper charts to electronic systems, and how they avoid burnout....

Working Together with Kelly Elkins, Episode 84 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores how Technology‑Enabled Care Innovation and Transformation (TECIT) is helping the system move innovation from concept to measurable impact—improving access, reducing variation, and ensuring long‑term sustainability. As MaineHealth continues to evolve, this conversation focuses o...

Curbside Consult, Episode 12 Together, Leah and Kristen lead the MaineHealth Medical Group’s Addiction Specialty Council. They join us to discuss the role primary care can play in treating substance use disorder (SUD) and to introduce the Stop SUD Stigma campaign, an effort to reduce the stigma that patients with substance use disorder can feel in healthcare settings.   Curbside Consult is a podca...

Working Together with Kelly Elkins, Episode 83 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores how the Mountain Region’s updated leadership structure is designed to strengthen collaboration, streamline decision-making, and better support care team members across the region. As our system continues to grow and integrate, this episode looks at why clearer roles, aligned ov...

Andy's Open Door on 03-25-26 This episode of AOD featured Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins and Chief People Officer Scott Ballard, who along with Caroline, discussed MaineHealth's operational transformation, covering regionalization, efficiency improvements, automation and AI, workforce tools, and how changes affect care teams and patient safety. They discussed where we are in the operational...

Working Together with COO Kelly Elkins, episode 82 In this episode, MaineHealth Chief Operating Officer Kelly Elkins explores why care navigation has become a critical need for our employer community and care team members—and how MaineHealth is responding through MaineHealth Care Solutions. As rising costs, access challenges, and complexity continue to affect care team members, patients and famili...

Welcome to episode 2 of Vitals and Voices, a MaineHealth nursing podcast, sharing the stories, perspectives, and expertise of nurses across our system.  In this episode, Chris and Jordan talk with Clinical Nurse Educator Angela Cyr as she explains what nursing certifications are, why they matter, how they support career advancement and patient care, and which resources MaineHealth offers to help n...

Episode 81: Thriving Together: MaineHealth’s Wellness Journey  At MaineHealth, wellness isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a commitment woven into the fabric of our culture. We are creating a holistic approach to health that empowers every team member to live well—at work and beyond. In this episode, Christine Hein, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, and Tom Kivler, Director of Care Team Wellness discuss the pro...

MaineHealth Behavioral Health child psychiatrist Dr. Melissa Bowker-Kinley joins Heather and Mike with tips on supporting pediatric patients with common conditions including anxiety and ADHD. They also discuss current therapeutic approaches, navigating behavioral health referrals and the importance of family involvement in treatment.  Curbside Consult is a podcast from the MaineHealth ACO that bri...

Welcome to the premiere episode of Vitals & Voices: A MaineHealth Nursing Podcast! In this episode, hosts Chris and Jordan sit down with Vicky English (Nursing Professional Development Specialist) and Monique Gilbert (Clinical Nurse Educator) to talk about some of the differences between an NPDS and a CNE, and the ways nursing education can help you build your career beyond year one. And Febru...

This episode of Andy's Open Door features an innovative discussion with Aji Djamali, MD, the Chair of the Department of Medicine at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland. Andy and Aji talk about Precision Medicine at MaineHealth, how it will revolutionize the way we deliver individualized care and the plan for implementation across our system. Andy opens the program with an update on the statu...

As we look ahead in 2026, MaineHealth remains focused on advancing policies that support access, affordability, and healthier communities across the state. More than ever, our advocacy priorities are critical to delivering on our vision and responding to a rapidly changing policy landscape.  In this episode of the Working Together podcast, Katie Harris, Chief Government Affairs Officer for MaineHe...

At MaineHealth, we’re diving into one of the most transformative efforts in modern medicine: Genomics and Precision Medicine.  In this episode of Working Together, Adrian Moran, MD Chief Medical and Transformation Officer for MaineHealth and Aji Djamali, MD Vice President & Chair of the Department of Medicine for MaineHealth Maine Medical Center explore the “why” behind this new initiative at...

This episode of Andy's Open Door featured an insightful discussion with Erin Brown, Chief Development Officer. Andy and Erin talked about changes in Philanthropy and Development at MaineHealth, recent and upcoming major projects and the importance of donor support to MaineHealth now and in the future. They also answered a variety of care team questions submitted to the AOD mailbox. Andy started th...