Nick Bardo

The backsliding that can occur could do a lot of damage to what otherwise could be a very successful relationship going forward in terms of just keeping credibility.

And so one of the first things we did was creating that integration management office

So roles were clear.

Pointing out that 95% plus of the organization needs to keep doing what they've been doing, which is delivering great care to our communities.

And at the same time, commit to keep them informed.

We're not just going to do this behind closed doors.

We're going to keep you informed on what we're doing and how we're doing it and how that's going to impact you as a caregiver as we continue to operate.

But again, the message from day one was we're doing this

as a way to get better, to get more scale.

And by doing so, we can invest more into our clinical assets and our broader peer delivery network.

And so communication, I think, is a really important part of preventing backsliding and also just setting yourself up for success.

And again, just to build on Rich's point, I think the tools that McKinsey brought to the table, not just from within healthcare, but within organizations outside of healthcare, multinationals, other entities that have gone through integrations, I think is very important.

I think we as leaders need to hold ourselves to a standard of not just being the best and healthier, right, but being the best at delivering financial solutions, supply chain solutions, et cetera.

And I think that that expertise was very helpful.

And while it's important to have the outside advice.

At the end of the day, it's our work, though.

It's our work as an organization, and it's our work to own.

At the end of the day, we're the ones that the board holds accountable for the organization.

I think being clear about that, that this is not the McKinsey work or this is not XYZ's work.

This is BJC's work that's being facilitated and helped by outside expertise, I think is a very important message to the leadership team and to the organization.