In this episode of How Health Systems Work, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt sit down with Pamela Jones, Vice President & General Counsel at Reed Health and former long-time GC at Franciscan Health. Pamela brings a unique blend of legal insight, rural health experience, and a deep commitment to community-driven care.
Pam shares the challenges and opportunities she’s tackled moving from a large, urban hospital system to a rural one—where recruitment, behavioral health, and reimbursement dynamics are persistent headwinds. Among other topics, she talks about:
How Reed Health is addressing “frequent flyers” in the emergency department through integrated community services, patient navigation, and value-based physician incentives
The complexities of involuntary psychiatric commitments, guardianship processes, and statute-driven decisions that can make or break patient care
Strategies for engaging state legislators and telling the hospital’s story amid financial pressures
The importance of physician governance in small systems, and how to meaningfully involve physicians in strategic decisions
Advice for young lawyers aiming for in-house roles, rooted in both law firm rigor and servant leadership
If you serve in legal, operational, or leadership roles at rural or mid-sized health systems, this conversation is full of hard-earned wisdom and real-world strategies you can use.