How to Fight Back Against a Broken Healthcare System | Dr. Elisabeth Potter & Trina Spear

Speaking out against the healthcare system can cost you your job, your reputation, or even your business. So why do it?

This week, Halle sits down with FIGS co-founder and CEO Trina Spear and Dr. Elisabeth Potter, the plastic surgeon who went viral after an insurance rep interrupted her during a breast cancer surgery to question the patient's hospital stay. They discuss the risks healthcare professionals face when speaking out, why a publicly traded scrubs company is investing in political advocacy, and whether businesses can help fill the advocacy gaps left by traditional medical organizations.

We cover:

• The extraordinary fallout after Dr. Potter publicly called out UnitedHealthcare
• Why FIGS is spending company resources lobbying Congress, and how its board and shareholders have responded
• The proposed Speak Free Act and why healthcare workers need stronger protections to speak out about patient safety
• FIGS' push for a $6,000 annual tax credit for healthcare professionals
• Why traditional medical associations aren't always representing the interests of frontline clinicians
• What YOU can do to build advocacy into your company and your work

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About our guests:

Trina Spear is the CEO and Co-Founder of FIGS, Inc. (NYSE: FIGS), the global leading healthcare apparel company. FIGS creates technically advanced products to help healthcare professionals look good, feel good and perform at their best.

FIGS revolutionized the healthcare apparel industry by branding a previously unbranded industry, de-commoditizing a previously commoditized product, and building a community around a profession. Trina is also a member of the board of directors of Amer Sports, Inc. (NYSE: AS), a global group of sports and outdoor brands, including Arcteryx, Salomon and Wilson.

Trina’s accolades include being named in Fortune 40 Under 40, Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, and E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Her article, “Transforming the Healthcare Experience: Doctors, Nurses, Patients, and Beyond,” was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Prior to launching FIGS, Trina worked in Blackstone’s hedge fund group and in Citigroup’s investment banking and private equity divisions. Trina is a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Trina received her BA in Economics from Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude, and she completed her MBA at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Elisabeth Potter is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in microsurgical reconstruction for breast cancer patients. After a coding change by federal regulators threatened access to advanced reconstructive microsurgeries, Dr. Potter formed a coalition of stakeholders that engaged relevant congressional committees and federal regulators, leading to a successful reversal of the decision. Through advancements in surgical technique and perioperative care, Dr. Potter is advancing flap reconstruction in ambulatory settings. She is the owner and founder of Redbud Surgery Center-- purposefully built, equipped and staffed to offer advanced surgeries in an ambulatory setting. Dr. Potter is passionate about the importance of independent physicians as voices in improving healthcare, and Redbud exemplifies the contributions independent doctors offer to address our cost and access challenges. When an interaction with a major health insurer around a surgical patient’s authorization process gained national attention, Dr. Potter focused the conversation on the impact of administrative and insurance processes on the care experienced by patients. She is the founder of the Bluebird Center for Health Education and Access, a nonprofit organization dedicated to highlighting the importance of independent voices in healthcare and fostering access to advanced treatments in communities. Dr. Potter received her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, and her medical degree from Emory University Medical School. She completed an integrated plastic surgery residence from UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a microsurgical fellowship from MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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