064_Leveraging Business and Nursing for Healthcare Excellence with Scott Jacobson

Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Scott Jacobson, Healthcare Strategist

Professional Journey

• Scott candidly discusses his unconventional path into healthcare, initially deterred by chemistry but later driven by personal family experience (his father’s illness).
• Transitioned from a business background and restaurant management into nursing, then successfully bridged business and clinical roles throughout his career.

Key Roles & Ventures

• Highlights include:
  • Inpatient rehab nurse aide
  • ICU, post-acute care, and risk management within IPA organizations
  • Roles in physician practice management and leadership at HealthSpring, followed by Cigna
  • Recent focus on entrepreneurship and advising healthcare startups

Major Healthcare Trends & Challenges

• Scott identifies AI as a transformative trend, yet notes that healthcare remains highly fragmented and slow to adopt innovations.
• Discusses the challenges presented by the unique structure of healthcare funding, regulation, and the tension between profitability and genuine system improvement.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• The importance of small business, startups, and local entrepreneurship in driving solutions to healthcare’s complex challenges.
• Examples of innovative companies:
  • AI-supported laboratory result aggregation for physicians
  • Emerging diagnostics (e.g., nasal swab for lung cancer detection)
  • Therapeutics for patients with chronic respiratory conditions

Leadership Lessons & Influences

• Early sports background instilled resilience, teamwork, and trust in the process.
• Importance of mentorship and being open to difficult conversations.
• Scott emphasizes resilience and continuous learning as keystones in his leadership journey.

Advice for Healthcare Leaders

• The biggest challenge: fragmentation and inconsistency within healthcare.
• The key opportunity: collaboration, reducing silos, and leveraging community assets.
• Encourages leaders to own their health and empower others to innovate.

Rapid Fire (“Two-Minute Drill”)

• Career advice: Write down your goals, build supporting systems, and always keep learning.
• No major regrets in his career; all experiences, good and tough, were vital for growth.
• Recommends leadership assessments (like CliftonStrengths) and group development exercises over any single book or podcast.

Looking Ahead

• Excited about supporting new healthcare startups and helping others succeed.
• Measures success by the positive impact left on healthcare organizations and future leaders.

Connect with Scott Jacobson

• LinkedIn: Scott Jacobson
• Email: scott@jacobsventure.com

Takeaways:
This episode highlights the intersection of clinical insight, business acumen, and a commitment to innovation. Scott Jacobson shares hard-won lessons on leadership resilience and the immense potential for entrepreneurship to address healthcare’s toughest problems. Listeners are encouraged to take ownership of their journey—both as patients an

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