April 26, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, Dr. Joel Nelson and Beth Wild join Alan Condon to discuss UPMC’s growing international footprint, including the opening of a new Hillman Cancer Center in Croatia. They share the strategy behind global expansion, key challenges in integrating into local healthcare systems, and insights for health systems eyeing international growth.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is Alan Condon with the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast. And today, I'm thrilled to be joined
by Doctor. Joel Nelson, Executive Vice President and
Chief Clinical Officer of UPMC,
also President of UPMC International,
and Beth Wild, president of UPMC
Hillman
Cancer Center.
(00:20):
Joel and Beth, a real pleasure to have
you both on the podcast with us today.
Thank you so much for taking the time
to be with us.
Thank you.
So, Beth,
I'd love to kick things off for you.
I think the what we're gonna be discussing
is really excited to dive into the growth
of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and and UPMC
(00:41):
International more broadly. But, Beth, last month, some
really exciting news. UPMC
Hillman Cancer Centre opened its first facility
in Croatia, and I believe it's a sixth
facility in Europe.
Can you open up by talking about a
little bit about the key factors that made
Croatia the next strategic location for UPMC Hillman's
(01:04):
expansion?
Sure. I'm happy to do that, and you're
correct. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Zabok General
Hospital in Croatia
is our sixth UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
located in Europe. And that joins nearly 80
centers
across our UPMC Hillman network,
in the Northeast U. S, Italy, Ireland, and
(01:25):
Croatia. So it was a great event, and
we felt very, very welcomed by the Croatian
community.
And that really gets into some of these
key factors that we look at. When we
look at new markets for cancer care, we
tend to look at the entire local healthcare
ecosystem.
Cancer patients in particular require really complex care
from a team of professionals.
That includes local hospitals, physician specialists,
(01:48):
many folks outside of the traditional cancer center.
So when we go into a market, we
want to make sure that we can partner,
with those organizations
and that we can ensure that we can
deliver a high quality of care in partnership
with those.
We also want to make sure that there's
professional talent to staff the center.
All of our sites overseas,
whether they are cancer centers or hospitals,
(02:11):
are generally staffed with local talent, and we
think that's a really great way, to integrate
into the local economy, contribute back to it,
but also makes the economic model sustainable.
And then we look for
health care insurance models that we can work
with. In Europe, that's typically the ministries of
health, and we need to know that they
have the ability to work with a nongovernment
(02:32):
provider like UPMC, and we found all of
those in Croatia.
Fantastic. And as I understand this, Beth, UPMC
is generally
owner operators
of the healthcare facilities and programmes that it
establishes abroad. So to your point, it can
really set and also maintain those high high
quality standards of care.
(02:53):
Curious if you could talk a little bit
about
the unique challenges that you have to overcome
when, for example,
UPMC Hillman integrates with the broader Croatian health
care system,
in this partnership?
Sure. So you're correct that we do own
and operate these locations.
The staff are employed by UPMC, and in
(03:14):
general, the physicians are in Croatia, they are.
And so we're really setting up what is
a traditional UPMC Hillman Cancer Center but in
a different country and there are some challenges.
We need to figure out how we integrate.
So that's a mix of figuring out the
best way for us to roll out standardized
human care,
with our clinical pathways
(03:36):
to ensure that we receive the patients are
receiving,
the highest
quality care but also in a way that
makes sense for that market.
And so before we go into a market,
we really try to learn. We try to
listen to our partners. We always find local
partners or local institutions that are going to
work with us.
(03:56):
We
bring our pathways but we also try to
understand, are the drugs available on the market?
Is the expertise available in the market so
that we can deliver that quality of care?
And so
we will work, we train folks,
and then
we,
will adapt,
our practices,
not sacrificing quality, but to make sure that
(04:18):
our care is accessible and approachable in those
local markets.
Mhmm. And UPMC is a fantastic
academic system, both in The US, but really
a growing international presence.
Presence.
Beth, I wonder if you, doctor Nelson, could
chime in.
So curious to hear, how does UPMC
identify some of these scalable opportunities
(04:40):
in international markets that really make sense for
the health system,
both from an operational standpoint, but as well
as a financial standpoint as well?
Sure. Well, several years ago,
UPMC,
pivoted its international strategy. We used to be
in
over 10 countries, and it was a mix
of bricks and mortar operations as well as
(05:01):
a number of advisory agreements.
And what you find when you're in all
of those countries is there's not necessarily that
scale.
There's certainly scale in rolling out our expertise,
scale in using strictly in oncology, our hub
and satellite model, but every time you go
into a new market, you need to learn
about regulations, you need to learn about different
cultures, you need to figure out how to
navigate, different
(05:24):
different languages. And so one of the ways
that we found that we can really scale
is by looking to grow,
in countries of focus.
For the last several years, those countries of
focus have been in Italy and Ireland, and
we're excited,
that Croatia is really the next frontier as
we look at opportunities,
to scale. But I'm happy to turn it
(05:45):
over to Joel as well to see if
he has any additional comments.
Yeah, alan. I would add that the opportunity
we're talking about in Korussia, which now has
been realized
Result, you know began really back in 2017.
Now you could say we were slow to
to you know, get to this point but
During that period you have to develop relationships.
(06:07):
You don't learn what you need to learn
about a local
Health care environment culture,
structure,
you know in a one or two week
trip you you it requires an ongoing relationship
And because of the complexity
specifically around cancer care
You you know, it's not a simple, thing
as like opening a coffee shop or something
(06:29):
like that It's you know, it really requires
a deep understanding and a lot of relationships
and so for for the listeners
understanding how you get into this means you
have to be here for the long term
and I think if there is a
If there's a theme that has been built
in the, upmc international ethos, it's that we
are long term
(06:50):
We we come in.
I wouldn't say necessarily cautiously, but we come
in
After doing appropriate due diligence
and then once we're in a in a
market and we're developing our plan is to
grow within that market so You know, I
share beth's excitement about being now in Croatia
And we're gonna get this center up and
(07:11):
going and as we learn more about other
opportunities, by virtue of these relationships, you know,
we'll look for other chances to contribute, to
health care in Croatia Thanks Yeah, a quick
follow-up if you don't mind joe. I think
there's so many different
health care systems, different complexities that you have
to navigate. Certainly,
(07:32):
there's no one size fits all solution for
establishing a facility, a presence, a program in
a new country.
But
is there some sort of a
starting strategy or road map that UPMC
can use,
when entering a new country,
when establishing in the first facility, such as
this one in Croatia? Or is it really
(07:52):
about doing a lot of due diligence ahead
of time with different complexities and different health
care systems? Kinda curious any any insight you
could share there
Yeah, so,
there's sort of five general requirements.
The first has got to be that there
has to be a clinical need
we we're here, you know, our mission is
to improve the health of the populations we
(08:13):
serve
And so we're not looking to
go into a market where the need is
being met. So that's always a top priority
In general the project does require that we
develop a personal
connection with an influential local champion
and this is somebody who shares our
mission vision and values,
(08:34):
understands why we're doing what we're doing and
wants to partner in a
in a deep way and this is
These require a level of communication that goes
well beyond just a business relationship. So these
actually become relationships that are that you know
underpin these efforts
there obviously has to be a solid financial
plan or business case, you know, we're
(08:56):
We in order for us to survive. We
have to have the the mission or the
margin that generates the mission so We're not
an entirely charitable organization in the sense that
you know, we're just giving things away. So
there has to be a business plan behind
it we also
Have to have some sense of subject,
expertise
and in cancer that's a we're really playing
(09:18):
to our strengths here You know, it's not
an accident that that beth oversees 80 different
independent sites,
domestically and six now in Europe
Because we build from the strength of having
a lot of expertise in the delivery
Comprehensive delivery of cancer care. So that makes
us very comfortable when we talk about it
now We're not a company that does dentistry
(09:41):
for example, so we wouldn't be leading with
a dental.
As an example, we wouldn't be leading with
a dental effort in a country because that's
not an area we have expertise
and then
Whichever
place we go. It has to be safe
has to be safe for us. It has
to be safe for our patients
it helps to have a politically stable and
(10:01):
predictable
government,
and you know, we are very sensitive to
things related to fcpa the
So we have to be really, you know
careful that we're
Working with individuals who are going to have
the same,
ethical standards that we enjoy in The United
States and ways of doing business Those are
sort of general project requirements
(10:22):
Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. Certainly makes sense. And Beth,
over to you to Joel's point, you know,
a fantastic leader as president of UPMCA Hillman
Cancer Center now oversee
80 independent sites now six in Europe, certainly
no easy feat, but a big feather in
your
cap. Can you share an example of maybe
a successful cultural or operational adaptation that UPMC
(10:46):
has made in one of its international markets
and maybe how you're thinking about applying that
at treating Croatia.
Sure. So one of the things that we
come across
pretty frequently is as we go into different
countries
with different
categories of staff, sometimes there's different scopes of
practice or different levels of education that we
might find,
(11:06):
between nurses. In radiation, we have radiation therapists
or radiation technologists as they're known in certain
countries. And so some of the adaptations that
we need to make are based on, you
know, what are different staff permitted to do,
and how can we make sure that kind
of our U. S. Standards are either not
getting in the way of growth if those
(11:26):
certain staff members can do more than what
they can do in The US, or on
the contrary, what can we do to provide
some additional training,
to provide a pathway and career ladders for
folks to continue in their careers? And so
that's that's one area where we we don't
try to do a one size fits all
approach
in terms of what everybody's responsibilities
(11:47):
are. We look at,
what do we want the final outcome to
be, which is being able to deliver a
very, very high level of care in these
markets.
And then we work within those markets and
work within folks' scope of practice to figure
out how we do that. And our Hillman
team were very fortunate to have this large
network. It really was The US network because
(12:08):
it's not all close to Pittsburgh.
It was really a great training ground,
for us to be able to be equipped,
to add international locations,
to our UPMC HOMAN network. And so our
staff here in Pittsburgh are very used to
working with folks remotely.
They're very used to going on-site and doing
training and being creative because, quite frankly, even
(12:30):
here in The US, we don't necessarily have
a one size fits all approach for what
we might do in an urban setting versus
a rural one.
Mhmm. Yeah. Really fascinating to to hear both
of your perspectives or insights as leaders of
these international programs and a ton of growth,
obviously, a top strategic priority for the health
system overall as well.
(12:51):
Beth, UPMC,
some of the countries have recently expanded to
UPMC International. You've mentioned Italy, Croatia,
Ireland as well,
where I believe you recently acquired a fourth
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center or maybe UPMC International
more broadly? Are there
(13:12):
further plans to grow in Europe or perhaps
elsewhere? Is there anything else currently in the
works or in the back of your minds
that that makes sense for the health system?
Sure. Well, we're always looking at opportunities.
And, you know, based on the criteria that
Joel laid out, we we do wanna make
sure that as we look to evaluate them,
they're minimally hitting those requirements.
(13:34):
What I would say is to my point
earlier, we do look at opportunities
that allow us to scale. And so,
we first look at opportunities in those those
countries that that we're in, which are Italy,
Ireland, and and now Croatia.
It's not to say that we don't consider
and evaluate opportunities in other countries because we
(13:55):
do feel like we have very unique expertise
here at UPMC
in terms of how do you navigate that,
how do you actually put boots in the
ground and bricks and mortar in those countries.
But, you know, we're quite frankly excited about
the opportunities that exist in our now three,
countries of focus.
Joe, I don't know if you want to
add anything in particular about some of those,
(14:15):
areas of growth that we're currently pursuing.
No, I think you've summarized it really well,
Beth. I would just add that, you know,
it's part of our mandate to continue to
expand and
that's part of the reason why beth and
I You know are involved is that that's
what we want to do. So we're very
interested in growth and
(14:36):
there's lots of opportunities that present themselves to
us or that we go out and seek
Again, we generally try to play to our
strengths So cancer is always has one or
two projects that are in various levels of
maturity without getting into the actual details or
locations
because it's a playbook that has repeatedly shown
itself to be successful
(14:56):
We're similarly doing some things in orthopedic care,
which is another strength area for upmc,
both domestically and internationally
So, yeah, the the the short answer is
yes, we're regularly looking at opportunities and looking
for opportunities to grow
Right, right. I mean, if and excellent, I'd
really appreciate the time to kind of dig
(15:16):
deeper in here about all the the fascinating
the fantastic work that that you that your
teams are doing both in The Us and
abroad
I guess before we wrap I'd love to
just get one
one final insight from each of you on
for other health systems
who may be considering,
expanding abroad. No doubt there were competitors, collaborators,
(15:37):
and whatnot. But if you would to give
one piece of advice to another house system
leader who is thinking about expanding into one
of these territories abroad, is there kind of
something that you'd offer them as a as
a key takeaway or insight, something that you've
learned along the way?
I don't know if I can just tilt
down to one thing, but but what I
would say is I think patience is is
(15:58):
a big piece to this. So if you're
really serious about going in into an international
market,
as Joel mentioned earlier, relationships are so important.
Understanding
the market is so important and understanding that
you just can't lift up exactly what you're
doing in The US and putting it there.
And that requires,
you know, time, patience and some perseverance,
(16:18):
to really vet opportunities
and really do them the right way. I
think if you try to go into it
too quickly
and just try to kind of franchise your
model,
that's where you might not get as good
of results.
But, we've
had the ability to really vet these opportunities
and as Joel said, really cultivate relationships in
(16:40):
those markets so we can be successful.
I would say, Alan, that my advice to
anybody who isn't in an international
setting is, don't try to cut the ice
yourself.
There are other organizations
and
I'm going to put us near the top
of that list that have been out in
these waters and have cut some ice And
(17:00):
we can really give advice on what what
might work away what might not work and
so, you know We're happy to help individuals
and occasionally other organizations come forward and have
opportunities They would like advice on and so,
I I would say, you know, it takes
a it takes a village to get this,
done and
and you know, we're certainly available to help
(17:23):
So I think some great words of wisdom
and advice to round out our discussion there.
Joel, Beth, really, really so greatly appreciate, so
greatly respect the work that that each of
you, your teams at UPMC
does. I really, really appreciate you both taking
the time out of your busy schedule to
speak with us
today. Thank you so much. Yeah. Thanks.
This is Alan Condon with the Becker's Healthcare
Podcast. And today, I'm thrilled to be joined
by Doctor. Joel Nelson, Executive Vice President and
Chief Clinical Officer of UPMC,
also President of UPMC International,
and Beth Wild, president of UPMC
Hillman
Cancer Center.
(00:20):
Joel and Beth, a real pleasure to have
you both on the podcast with us today.
Thank you so much for taking the time
to be with us.
Thank you.
So, Beth,
I'd love to kick things off for you.
I think the what we're gonna be discussing
is really excited to dive into the growth
of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and and UPMC
(00:41):
International more broadly. But, Beth, last month, some
really exciting news. UPMC
Hillman Cancer Centre opened its first facility
in Croatia, and I believe it's a sixth
facility in Europe.
Can you open up by talking about a
little bit about the key factors that made
Croatia the next strategic location for UPMC Hillman's
(01:04):
expansion?
Sure. I'm happy to do that, and you're
correct. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Zabok General
Hospital in Croatia
is our sixth UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
located in Europe. And that joins nearly 80
centers
across our UPMC Hillman network,
in the Northeast U. S, Italy, Ireland, and
(01:25):
Croatia. So it was a great event, and
we felt very, very welcomed by the Croatian
community.
And that really gets into some of these
key factors that we look at. When we
look at new markets for cancer care, we
tend to look at the entire local healthcare
ecosystem.
Cancer patients in particular require really complex care
from a team of professionals.
That includes local hospitals, physician specialists,
(01:48):
many folks outside of the traditional cancer center.
So when we go into a market, we
want to make sure that we can partner,
with those organizations
and that we can ensure that we can
deliver a high quality of care in partnership
with those.
We also want to make sure that there's
professional talent to staff the center.
All of our sites overseas,
whether they are cancer centers or hospitals,
(02:11):
are generally staffed with local talent, and we
think that's a really great way, to integrate
into the local economy, contribute back to it,
but also makes the economic model sustainable.
And then we look for
health care insurance models that we can work
with. In Europe, that's typically the ministries of
health, and we need to know that they
have the ability to work with a nongovernment
(02:32):
provider like UPMC, and we found all of
those in Croatia.
Fantastic. And as I understand this, Beth, UPMC
is generally
owner operators
of the healthcare facilities and programmes that it
establishes abroad. So to your point, it can
really set and also maintain those high high
quality standards of care.
(02:53):
Curious if you could talk a little bit
about
the unique challenges that you have to overcome
when, for example,
UPMC Hillman integrates with the broader Croatian health
care system,
in this partnership?
Sure. So you're correct that we do own
and operate these locations.
The staff are employed by UPMC, and in
(03:14):
general, the physicians are in Croatia, they are.
And so we're really setting up what is
a traditional UPMC Hillman Cancer Center but in
a different country and there are some challenges.
We need to figure out how we integrate.
So that's a mix of figuring out the
best way for us to roll out standardized
human care,
with our clinical pathways
(03:36):
to ensure that we receive the patients are
receiving,
the highest
quality care but also in a way that
makes sense for that market.
And so before we go into a market,
we really try to learn. We try to
listen to our partners. We always find local
partners or local institutions that are going to
work with us.
(03:56):
We
bring our pathways but we also try to
understand, are the drugs available on the market?
Is the expertise available in the market so
that we can deliver that quality of care?
And so
we will work, we train folks,
and then
we,
will adapt,
our practices,
not sacrificing quality, but to make sure that
(04:18):
our care is accessible and approachable in those
local markets.
Mhmm. And UPMC is a fantastic
academic system, both in The US, but really
a growing international presence.
Presence.
Beth, I wonder if you, doctor Nelson, could
chime in.
So curious to hear, how does UPMC
identify some of these scalable opportunities
(04:40):
in international markets that really make sense for
the health system,
both from an operational standpoint, but as well
as a financial standpoint as well?
Sure. Well, several years ago,
UPMC,
pivoted its international strategy. We used to be
in
over 10 countries, and it was a mix
of bricks and mortar operations as well as
(05:01):
a number of advisory agreements.
And what you find when you're in all
of those countries is there's not necessarily that
scale.
There's certainly scale in rolling out our expertise,
scale in using strictly in oncology, our hub
and satellite model, but every time you go
into a new market, you need to learn
about regulations, you need to learn about different
cultures, you need to figure out how to
navigate, different
(05:24):
different languages. And so one of the ways
that we found that we can really scale
is by looking to grow,
in countries of focus.
For the last several years, those countries of
focus have been in Italy and Ireland, and
we're excited,
that Croatia is really the next frontier as
we look at opportunities,
to scale. But I'm happy to turn it
(05:45):
over to Joel as well to see if
he has any additional comments.
Yeah, alan. I would add that the opportunity
we're talking about in Korussia, which now has
been realized
Result, you know began really back in 2017.
Now you could say we were slow to
to you know, get to this point but
During that period you have to develop relationships.
(06:07):
You don't learn what you need to learn
about a local
Health care environment culture,
structure,
you know in a one or two week
trip you you it requires an ongoing relationship
And because of the complexity
specifically around cancer care
You you know, it's not a simple, thing
as like opening a coffee shop or something
(06:29):
like that It's you know, it really requires
a deep understanding and a lot of relationships
and so for for the listeners
understanding how you get into this means you
have to be here for the long term
and I think if there is a
If there's a theme that has been built
in the, upmc international ethos, it's that we
are long term
(06:50):
We we come in.
I wouldn't say necessarily cautiously, but we come
in
After doing appropriate due diligence
and then once we're in a in a
market and we're developing our plan is to
grow within that market so You know, I
share beth's excitement about being now in Croatia
And we're gonna get this center up and
(07:11):
going and as we learn more about other
opportunities, by virtue of these relationships, you know,
we'll look for other chances to contribute, to
health care in Croatia Thanks Yeah, a quick
follow-up if you don't mind joe. I think
there's so many different
health care systems, different complexities that you have
to navigate. Certainly,
(07:32):
there's no one size fits all solution for
establishing a facility, a presence, a program in
a new country.
But
is there some sort of a
starting strategy or road map that UPMC
can use,
when entering a new country,
when establishing in the first facility, such as
this one in Croatia? Or is it really
(07:52):
about doing a lot of due diligence ahead
of time with different complexities and different health
care systems? Kinda curious any any insight you
could share there
Yeah, so,
there's sort of five general requirements.
The first has got to be that there
has to be a clinical need
we we're here, you know, our mission is
to improve the health of the populations we
(08:13):
serve
And so we're not looking to
go into a market where the need is
being met. So that's always a top priority
In general the project does require that we
develop a personal
connection with an influential local champion
and this is somebody who shares our
mission vision and values,
(08:34):
understands why we're doing what we're doing and
wants to partner in a
in a deep way and this is
These require a level of communication that goes
well beyond just a business relationship. So these
actually become relationships that are that you know
underpin these efforts
there obviously has to be a solid financial
plan or business case, you know, we're
(08:56):
We in order for us to survive. We
have to have the the mission or the
margin that generates the mission so We're not
an entirely charitable organization in the sense that
you know, we're just giving things away. So
there has to be a business plan behind
it we also
Have to have some sense of subject,
expertise
and in cancer that's a we're really playing
(09:18):
to our strengths here You know, it's not
an accident that that beth oversees 80 different
independent sites,
domestically and six now in Europe
Because we build from the strength of having
a lot of expertise in the delivery
Comprehensive delivery of cancer care. So that makes
us very comfortable when we talk about it
now We're not a company that does dentistry
(09:41):
for example, so we wouldn't be leading with
a dental.
As an example, we wouldn't be leading with
a dental effort in a country because that's
not an area we have expertise
and then
Whichever
place we go. It has to be safe
has to be safe for us. It has
to be safe for our patients
it helps to have a politically stable and
(10:01):
predictable
government,
and you know, we are very sensitive to
things related to fcpa the
So we have to be really, you know
careful that we're
Working with individuals who are going to have
the same,
ethical standards that we enjoy in The United
States and ways of doing business Those are
sort of general project requirements
(10:22):
Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. Certainly makes sense. And Beth,
over to you to Joel's point, you know,
a fantastic leader as president of UPMCA Hillman
Cancer Center now oversee
80 independent sites now six in Europe, certainly
no easy feat, but a big feather in
your
cap. Can you share an example of maybe
a successful cultural or operational adaptation that UPMC
(10:46):
has made in one of its international markets
and maybe how you're thinking about applying that
at treating Croatia.
Sure. So one of the things that we
come across
pretty frequently is as we go into different
countries
with different
categories of staff, sometimes there's different scopes of
practice or different levels of education that we
might find,
(11:06):
between nurses. In radiation, we have radiation therapists
or radiation technologists as they're known in certain
countries. And so some of the adaptations that
we need to make are based on, you
know, what are different staff permitted to do,
and how can we make sure that kind
of our U. S. Standards are either not
getting in the way of growth if those
(11:26):
certain staff members can do more than what
they can do in The US, or on
the contrary, what can we do to provide
some additional training,
to provide a pathway and career ladders for
folks to continue in their careers? And so
that's that's one area where we we don't
try to do a one size fits all
approach
in terms of what everybody's responsibilities
(11:47):
are. We look at,
what do we want the final outcome to
be, which is being able to deliver a
very, very high level of care in these
markets.
And then we work within those markets and
work within folks' scope of practice to figure
out how we do that. And our Hillman
team were very fortunate to have this large
network. It really was The US network because
(12:08):
it's not all close to Pittsburgh.
It was really a great training ground,
for us to be able to be equipped,
to add international locations,
to our UPMC HOMAN network. And so our
staff here in Pittsburgh are very used to
working with folks remotely.
They're very used to going on-site and doing
training and being creative because, quite frankly, even
(12:30):
here in The US, we don't necessarily have
a one size fits all approach for what
we might do in an urban setting versus
a rural one.
Mhmm. Yeah. Really fascinating to to hear both
of your perspectives or insights as leaders of
these international programs and a ton of growth,
obviously, a top strategic priority for the health
system overall as well.
(12:51):
Beth, UPMC,
some of the countries have recently expanded to
UPMC International. You've mentioned Italy, Croatia,
Ireland as well,
where I believe you recently acquired a fourth
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center or maybe UPMC International
more broadly? Are there
(13:12):
further plans to grow in Europe or perhaps
elsewhere? Is there anything else currently in the
works or in the back of your minds
that that makes sense for the health system?
Sure. Well, we're always looking at opportunities.
And, you know, based on the criteria that
Joel laid out, we we do wanna make
sure that as we look to evaluate them,
they're minimally hitting those requirements.
(13:34):
What I would say is to my point
earlier, we do look at opportunities
that allow us to scale. And so,
we first look at opportunities in those those
countries that that we're in, which are Italy,
Ireland, and and now Croatia.
It's not to say that we don't consider
and evaluate opportunities in other countries because we
(13:55):
do feel like we have very unique expertise
here at UPMC
in terms of how do you navigate that,
how do you actually put boots in the
ground and bricks and mortar in those countries.
But, you know, we're quite frankly excited about
the opportunities that exist in our now three,
countries of focus.
Joe, I don't know if you want to
add anything in particular about some of those,
(14:15):
areas of growth that we're currently pursuing.
No, I think you've summarized it really well,
Beth. I would just add that, you know,
it's part of our mandate to continue to
expand and
that's part of the reason why beth and
I You know are involved is that that's
what we want to do. So we're very
interested in growth and
(14:36):
there's lots of opportunities that present themselves to
us or that we go out and seek
Again, we generally try to play to our
strengths So cancer is always has one or
two projects that are in various levels of
maturity without getting into the actual details or
locations
because it's a playbook that has repeatedly shown
itself to be successful
(14:56):
We're similarly doing some things in orthopedic care,
which is another strength area for upmc,
both domestically and internationally
So, yeah, the the the short answer is
yes, we're regularly looking at opportunities and looking
for opportunities to grow
Right, right. I mean, if and excellent, I'd
really appreciate the time to kind of dig
(15:16):
deeper in here about all the the fascinating
the fantastic work that that you that your
teams are doing both in The Us and
abroad
I guess before we wrap I'd love to
just get one
one final insight from each of you on
for other health systems
who may be considering,
expanding abroad. No doubt there were competitors, collaborators,
(15:37):
and whatnot. But if you would to give
one piece of advice to another house system
leader who is thinking about expanding into one
of these territories abroad, is there kind of
something that you'd offer them as a as
a key takeaway or insight, something that you've
learned along the way?
I don't know if I can just tilt
down to one thing, but but what I
would say is I think patience is is
(15:58):
a big piece to this. So if you're
really serious about going in into an international
market,
as Joel mentioned earlier, relationships are so important.
Understanding
the market is so important and understanding that
you just can't lift up exactly what you're
doing in The US and putting it there.
And that requires,
you know, time, patience and some perseverance,
(16:18):
to really vet opportunities
and really do them the right way. I
think if you try to go into it
too quickly
and just try to kind of franchise your
model,
that's where you might not get as good
of results.
But, we've
had the ability to really vet these opportunities
and as Joel said, really cultivate relationships in
(16:40):
those markets so we can be successful.
I would say, Alan, that my advice to
anybody who isn't in an international
setting is, don't try to cut the ice
yourself.
There are other organizations
and
I'm going to put us near the top
of that list that have been out in
these waters and have cut some ice And
(17:00):
we can really give advice on what what
might work away what might not work and
so, you know We're happy to help individuals
and occasionally other organizations come forward and have
opportunities They would like advice on and so,
I I would say, you know, it takes
a it takes a village to get this,
done and
and you know, we're certainly available to help
(17:23):
So I think some great words of wisdom
and advice to round out our discussion there.
Joel, Beth, really, really so greatly appreciate, so
greatly respect the work that that each of
you, your teams at UPMC
does. I really, really appreciate you both taking
the time out of your busy schedule to
speak with us
today. Thank you so much. Yeah. Thanks.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.