Over the past three years, Dr. Spence Taylor has heard one sentiment on a regular basis: “I’m having trouble navigating the health care system.”
Taylor is the founder and CEO of Integral Leaders in Health, a public-benefit corporation created to help bridge the medical-care gaps in South Carolina. He was also the first physician to be named president of the Greenville Health System and the principal developer and planning dean for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.
From struggling to find available doctors to problems communicating with their health care providers, people have identified various issues within the health care system at the state and federal levels. According to data from The Harris Poll, 73% of U.S. adults said the health care system fails to meet their needs in some way and are left dissatisfied.
In December 2022, Taylor decided he wanted to find the root of this problem. He enlisted the help of Dr. Jerry Youkey, Courtney Easterling and Howell Clyborne — each a veteran health care leader in the Greenville area — to research the disconnect within South Carolina’s medical environment.
After 18 months of research, the group found that while patients would report their medical treatment was good, their experience with the health care system wasn’t positive.
“We came to the conclusion that there is a crisis where the patient’s well-being has become secondary in many cases,” Taylor said.
The group categorizes the health care crisis as “A.B.C.D.E.F.”:
- Problems with doctor availability
- Doctor burnout
- Increase in corporatization of health care practices
- Depersonalization of doctors toward patients
- Exploitation of non-clinicians
- Failed communication with patients
Taylor and his colleagues created the public benefit corporation Integral Leaders in Health to help address the state’s health care crisis.
“We are fortunate to live in a state with great doctors, hospitals and universities. But the medical-care environment, in which they each play an important role, has become unbalanced,” Taylor said. “Our mission is to balance all of the components of medical care so everyone is supported and patient well-being is the priority.”
Along with forming Integral Leaders in Health, Taylor and Youkey used the group’s research to write a book called “Unbalanced: The Evolving Medical Care Crisis.” The book explains the unbalanced nature within the medical-care environment and is expected to be released in mid-September.
“We’re excited about it coming out,” Taylor said. “It’s relatively hard edged and it’s a little bit of a wake-up call.”
Bridging the gap
Integral Leaders in Health offers a range of services, including training seminars and speaking engagements, for the leadership and management teams of companies, government agencies and associations within the medical environment. The programs are aimed at helping coach and teach participants the best way to navigate the changing health care field.
“We put together what we think are the remedies, and these are the things we think will help balance the medical-care environment,” Taylor said.
Some of the remedies include addressing miscommunication, establishing autonomy within the field, and encouraging professional and personal leadership.
The company will also provide consulting services that include assessing a specific medical environment and working with leaders to help bridge the gaps between disciplines. The company plans to complete a pilot project in South Carolina.
“We’ve just launched and are looking to see if we can get in front of the right people and use our experience, our research, our knowledge and all the years of experience that my team has to help address the medical-care crisis,” Taylor said.
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Who’s who?
Howell Clyborne was the vice president of community and government affairs and chief of staff for the Greenville Health System (now part of Prisma Health), a former president of the Greenville Health Authority. He also served as a member for the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Board as well as a member of the Board of Economic Advisors for the State of South Carolina.
Dr. Spence Taylor is the founder and CEO of Integral Leaders in Health, the first physician to be named president of the Greenville Health System, and the principal developer and planning dean for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.
Courtney Easterling was the deputy chief of staff at Greenville Health System and led the development and implementation of all marketing, media relations, communications and digital strategies related to the GHS academic health center.
Dr. Jerry Youkey was the founding dean emeritus of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, the USC associate provost for health sciences – Greenville and the GHS executive vice president.
