InFocus featuring AnnMarie Martinez (NALHE)

From the 22 News Plus Studio, this is 22 News In Focus with Patrick Barry. Hello everyone and welcome to this edition of In Focus. I'm your host Patrick Barry. Today we are having a fascinating conversation about Latinos in the healthcare profession. I'm excited today because I'm joined across the desk Anne-Marie Martinez. She's the founding president in the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives, the Massachusetts chapter, and she joins me today. Anne-Marie, thank you so very much for joining me. I really do appreciate it. I had no idea there was a chapter of Latino healthcare professionals. So thanks for coming in to talk with me about it. Let's talk a little bit, before we get into the organization, let's talk a little bit about you because I'm assuming you're in the healthcare profession. I am. So what do you do? Yeah, so I am, well, currently I'm the vice president of managed care contracting for Baystate Health. Wow. And so that falls under our finance division, but it is a big responsibility. And really what it is, is I sort of negotiate and manage all of the payer relationships between the insurers and the hospitals. And so obviously, not only is it incredibly important, but it really sort of centers around access and sort of the insurances that we accept in our respective enterprise. And so a big responsibility, one that I do not take lightly, and that is sort of what I've been doing probably for the last 18 years. I've been on both what they call the payer, which is sort of the insurer side. So if you think UnitedHealthcare and Cigna, and sort of to name a few, and then both on the provider side. And so- So let me ask you, and every person I know that works in the healthcare field gives me a different answer to this, so there's no right answer. How is it working in healthcare today versus let's say 18 years ago when you first got into it? Yeah, well, I love it, right? I mean, I think, I do, I do. You know, sort of the responsibility, but also the ability to sort of see the change that you can effectuate is tremendous, but it's complicated. It is complex and much more complicated today, you know, sort of inserting technology and functionalities like AI and sort of a lot of different things that we are contending with, absolutely much more complicated in today's landscape. And as part of that complication, do you find staffing to be one of those big complications? Yeah, you know, what's really interesting, especially about the role that I do and sort of the team that supports, it's a really niche role. You know, sort of, you know, I do a lot of work with universities and sort of, you know, young early careerists about, well, how did you get into this role? And it's not really something you sort of, you know, you have your sort of traditional college degrees, but it's something that you sort of find your way, you know, sort of, you know, from transactionally, from sort of the entry levels in healthcare all the way up. And so it's one of those niche roles that it's really difficult to sort of find the love of negotiation because there's sort of that component with also sort of the responsibility of doing the right thing and what access means. So in part of your conversations with colleges and universities, and I know that's not just our local ones because you brought talent from everywhere, how do you encourage, or when you have the opportunity to talk to students, and it can be even lower than that, it could be the high schools because we have some technical high schools and some other high schools in our area that have healthcare programs or even middle school students. How do you position healthcare as a great career? Yeah, so I think I first start affectionately with saying where there's human beings, there's healthcare, right? And sort of where there's people, there's sort of the need for healthcare. I think what's really interesting and sort of what I enjoy doing is really talking to folks about the opportunities and not just sort of clinical bedside care, which is critically important. Right, which is critically important, but also sort of the careers that make up the healthcare ecosystem, sort of the behind the scenes, the operation that is critically as important to sort of making the whole ecosystem function. And I think it's a really important message because students will often come to me and say, I don't really like blood or sort of, and I'm like, but that's okay. You can still sort of have a hand in healthcare. You can still have a hand in sort of helping this ecosystem run. And I think that's a really important message. That's a very important point because I think most people, 90 plus percent of people, when they think of working in the healthcare industry, they think of hands-on with a patient, the blood, the needle. Right. Anyway. Yeah, yeah, right. I'm getting skeeved out. Correct. But there's a whole host of other career paths, lucrative career paths within the healthcare industry. Absolutely, and even sort of in the, sort of under the umbrella of healthcare finance, right? And sort of the traditional roles that we think about when we think about finance. Who would have known that there was sort of this role that's, I call it sort of at the intersection of arguing to some extent, of being really good at math and sort of understanding analytics. And I think it's important for folks to know that there's so many things that you can do within healthcare that doesn't necessarily mean just bedside care. So part of your role with the Latino healthcare executives is encouraging, part of the role, encouraging young Latinos to get into the field. Yeah, absolutely. I am originally from New York City and so sort of started my healthcare career in New York City and then sort of came and this has become, Massachusetts has become home. And I think what's really sort of my mission point is one, to pay it forward and have had a wonderful opportunity sort of in my current career to really lead the charge and to sort of, to have a leadership role in the healthcare system. So it's a pay it forward to sort of help other Latinos, young Latinos really sort of come into healthcare and navigate that world. But it's also about representation. We have a huge, the Commonwealth has a huge and growing Latino population and it's really important that sort of the representation and the decision-making, the individuals in decision-making roles also represent the communities that we serve. And aside from those entry-level, those people you're trying to recruit, you work with Latinos in every stage of their healthcare career. Absolutely. They might be the president of a hospital or even the top echelon. Absolutely. Right down to the entry-level. Absolutely. So it's early careers, it's entry-level, but it's even senior executives. I mean, this is much of a mentorship opportunity for me and sort of a fellowship opportunity for me as it is for someone that's sort of in their early career. And so, yeah, we have a national chapter. This is a, the National Association for Latino Healthcare Executives is a national organization. They've got chapters across the United States and it's all led by seasoned professionals and folks that I have the good fortune to learn from and also am mentored by. So absolutely, it's sort of the, you know, kind of each one's each one. Very good. We are up on our first commercial break. Stay with us. We've got plenty more to talk about when we return. This is 22 News In Focus with Patrick Berry. Welcome back, everyone, to this edition of In Focus. Joining me across the desk today in the hot seat is Anne-Marie Martinez. She is the founding president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives, the Massachusetts chapter. Hi, Anne-Marie, thank you for joining me. I appreciate it. So you're the founding person, member of the Massachusetts, but the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives has been around for years. Why did it take so long to get to Massachusetts? That's a good question. No, it's been around for years. There's a number of chapters across the United States. I was an active member in New York. I'm originally from New York. And I think that that was sort of one of the most interesting sort of curiosities that I had about why not Massachusetts. I mean, Massachusetts certainly is a powerhouse when it comes to academia and healthcare and has some of the sort of- And we're on the cutting edge of a lot of that here in the state. Absolutely, absolutely. And so, you know, admittedly, when I sort of got the call and sort of the nudge, I was like, yeah, I'm not sure that I'm gonna do this. It's sort of, you know, it's ambitious and personally, stylistically, you know, I like to do things and really give it my all. But, you know, sort of, I continue to sort of see the need. And I was like, okay, well, I'm gonna answer this call. And it's interesting because you have an executive role here at Bay State in the greater Springfield area. Bay State is, hands down, the preeminent medical facility that we have access to. And it is one of the premier medical facilities in the country. They are, yeah. So when you're talking to young Latinos or even senior Latinos from around the country, you gotta say to them, man, you know, Western Mass isn't a bad place to live. Absolutely. And, you know, just, and again, sort of in the spirit of pay it forward, Bay State has been such a launching pad for me, such an incredible support. They are deeply committed to the community. They serve the community. They love the community. And so I'm like, this, you know, healthcare is a wonderful career and we need you. We need the next, you know, the best and the brightest. We need sort of the ideas and the innovation. And so that's sort of been my mission. So on a day-to-day basis, what, you know, outside of your role at Bay State, but your role with the organization, how do you, what do you do? What does the organization do? Do you have like annual conferences, quarterly meetings? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we actually are revving up for a large summit called our NALI Summit this year. It'll be in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And it is a, just sort of a three day stint of, you know, seminars and conferences and educational opportunities or CP credits available. But it really is sort of a, you know, it starts with sort of a focus group of what it, what are folks hungry to know? What are folks hungry to understand? There's a lot of discussion about the one big, beautiful bill and sort of the impacts on healthcare. And so that sort of will be a prime topic in sort of the summit. From a local chapter, you know, the presidents of the chapter, which I, I think, which I love, have sort of the autonomy and the opportunity to create missions that are sort of very near and dear. And that, and that sort of, that mission is framed in, you know, seminars and, you know, conferences. We do, you know, interview skills, soft skills. We do sort of focus groups about what, sort of what's important to you. I think, you know, I got an email about two weeks ago. It was really interesting. It was from a young woman. And she said, she said, I want to understand how you can become a VP with a nose ring. And I thought. With a nose ring. And I thought, what's the next, that's going to be our next sort of fireside chat, as we call it. It's called, you know, authenticity in the role that you want. And sort of, you know, there's this perception about what you might have to, you know, look like or sort of your packaging. And so I, I, I sort of, we get our inspiration and our ideas from a lot of different avenues, but it's really just mentorship support. And how can we help you grow? How can we help you network? What is it that you need? What does that positioning look like? And it sounds as if you're sharing best practices with each of the other state organizations around the country. And again, I'm bringing up Albuquerque because you mentioned that's where the next one is. But healthcare, healthcare is the same, but operationally, it might be different in Albuquerque, North Dakota, Springfield. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, sort of the demographics are different, you know, sort of, you know, you've got some states that are much more rural, some states that are much more city-like. And so while there's sort of this umbrella need for healthcare, but you're absolutely right. The operations are different, sort of the social determinants of health are different. What's, what's at the forefront, what's sort of the crisis, if you will, are all different. And so I think to your point, it's a, it's also for me as a, as a, as a leader and someone always looking to sort of make sort of informed decisions, it's, it's leveraging on, you know, sort of what, what, what, what has worked for you and what's, what's working well in your state. Do you locally, or do you have a, let me back up a second. So you're the president of the Massachusetts. So do you have people across the state that are part of your committee, part of your group? How frequently do you gather, number one, and then is there also an element of educating the patient, the public about the importance of a, a diverse healthcare system? Yeah, that's a great question. So right now we're very much in our infancy stages. We've actually, we officially launched at the end of March. And so what we have been sort of focusing on is board formation. So I have a- So this is really new. This is really, really new. So I have a dynamic group of women who are currently serve as our board. Ulyssa Lopez serves as our treasurer, Gabriella Oyolo serves as our secretary. Currently we're recruiting for a president elect, someone who would sort of be my successor. And then sort of the part two is that we are looking to do a sort of second launch in the Eastern part of the state, because our charter is the entire state of Massachusetts, the entire Commonwealth. That's a very big responsibility. And we want sort of all of our neighbors to know who we are, that we are here. And then, you know, sort of once that launch happens, the sort of the core focus is to also partner with the organizations and universities who really sort of want to help support and help, you know, many of the endeavors that we have. And then that's when we're sort of, we'll move into some aggressive programming. So circling back to my question as a part of that, educating the public about diversity, that has to be crucial too. Representing your community. Absolutely, absolutely. I think one of the most exciting and sort of satisfying aspects for me is when, typically when we go to universities and we're sort of, you know, educating, you know, sort of the students, because what we know is that the students are sort of going to bring that information back home to their respective families, to their, you know, you know, to their parents, like, hey, mom and dad, there is an organization that's helping to sort of effectuate and sort of help make your walk in healthcare a little bit more seamless. Fantastic. We are up on our second commercial break. So stay with us. A little bit more to talk about when we return. This is 22 News In Focus with Patrick Barry. Welcome back, everyone, to this edition of In Focus. I'm your host, Patrick Barry, sitting across the desk from me today. We're talking about Latinos in healthcare. It's Anne-Marie Martinez. She's the founding president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives, Massachusetts chapter. Anne-Marie, thank you so very much for joining me. Learned a lot about you, learned a lot about the healthcare industry. And it's funny because, and I mentioned this early on, when I think of healthcare, and I think most people think of healthcare, they think of the blood, the gurneys, the this, the that. But you're a perfect example of a high-level executive who's not a doctor, you know? Yeah, I don't, yeah, I'm like, stay healthy. I can't. But it's a perfect point, and you're the perfect person to be in this role because you can talk about everything. I think somebody who is from the medical side of it probably doesn't really understand the non-medical side of healthcare, whereas you've got that side of it. Yeah. And you can explain how many, there's probably more careers outside of the medical side of it. Absolutely, and I think sort of the good fortune of, you know, I was working at a hospital while simultaneously pursuing both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and I had the opportunity of sort of entry-level roles, but various transactional roles. And I think, I mean, that is sort of today, it allows me to understand, you know, sort of the A to Z in a much more comprehensive way. Right. And, you know, even when sort of negotiating and really understanding, you know, what is a sort of a whimsical arrangement versus a very operational arrangement, and one that, you know, sort of thinking about patients when they walk in the door, because I've had the good fortune of having those opportunities in those roles where I was sitting at the registration desk, sort of in the intake, yeah. So the Massachusetts chapter is new as of the spring of 2026. What do you hope the chapter, like, let's fast forward five years, 10 years, a year. What do you hope the organization in the Massachusetts chapter does in those periods of time to improve or increase Latino representation in healthcare? Yeah, well, I mean, I think first and foremost, I hope that it sparks sort of an interest and a desire to come into healthcare. We need sort of all the ready, willing, and able individuals who really wanna come and continue to ensure that we have access to quality care for everyone. And so I think fundamentally, sort of sparking careers in healthcare, you know, from a representation standpoint, from sort of the Latino community, that it's possible that there are roles and that there are sort of leaders that are forging the way and that there is a space for you. There is a sort of a welcomeness for you and, you know, your perspective matters, your sort of insight matters. In fact, it's critical to really developing and sort of delivering comprehensive care because we sort of need to understand perspectives from all walks of life. You know, and here where we are in the Pioneer Valley, we have a large Latino population. Does our local healthcare reflect that population currently? I don't know the population date off the top of my head, but if there's 40% Latino population in this area, do we have 40% healthcare representation? Yeah, I mean, I think it's sort of the representation differs in sort of the roles and the different roles. I think absolutely, you know, we're sort of, we're getting there. I think, you know, we're not all the way there yet, and that's, I think- I'm hoping part of what you expect- That's the mission. Right, sort of the support, the camaraderie, sort of the fellowship, you know, sort of the understanding that there are sort of individuals who have walked this path before you, and we're sort of, you know, we're sort of grabbing your hand and making the way. I have to imagine in your travels and speaking with your counterparts in other states, Massachusetts, as we mentioned earlier, is very progressive in healthcare, innovation. We probably don't face a lot of the challenges some of your counterparts face in other states. Yeah, for sure. You know, they sort of affectionately call Massachusetts the cool kids, which I'll take it. Well, wait a minute, hold on. You're a New Yorker. Yeah, right, right, right, right. I don't know, it depends. You know, all my New York friends are back home going, you traitor. No, I mean, I think, you know, certainly they have been able to glean sort of value-based care is huge, and one of the things that we really lead the charge on. And so it's really cool to have the opportunity to really sort of talk about some of the things that we're doing with value-based care that sort of other states either haven't endeavored on or really sort of struggling with how to get there. And healthcare is changing, it seems, daily. Yeah. You know, you mentioned one big, beautiful bill earlier, but even before that, healthcare is just constantly changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes not for the better. So to have people employed within healthcare that can adapt, that are innovative, I've used the word innovative a number of times, but that's so crucial in being able to provide care to the public, it's gotta be frustrating for you being inside, you know, it's inside baseball for you, but understanding the constant changes and then also doing the recruiting for incoming people, but also helping mentor and guide those people who have been in healthcare for decades. Yeah, I mean, it definitely takes a certain sort of spirit and persona. You've gotta be, you know, you've sort of gotta be adaptable, you've gotta understand that sort of the change is the constant, is gonna be the ever constant. You know, also I think with children of my own who are in college and sort of, you know, currently pursuing degrees, I think one of the things that's important for me is sort of the conversation about AI. And I think everybody's scared that AI is gonna sort of displace everyone in their roles. And I'm like, come to healthcare. There are roles that we need, you know. Human beings. Human beings, yes. And it's interesting because I've spoken with some doctors and they say, you know, AI is helping the healthcare industry, but you still need the humans. It's actually adding human jobs. Absolutely, absolutely. And sort of, you know, if you're becoming sort of the expert on AI, then you are going to be sort of the experts that we sort of quality control, right? With all the work that's AI is doing, you know, AI is doing a lot of work on the insurer side and there's still human beings that are needed to sort of fact check and verify and understand the accuracy of it. So I'm always saying, come to healthcare. There's work here. There's always jobs. There's work here, yeah. Amory, I can't thank you enough for joining me, but before we go, if any of our viewers want to learn more about the organization, whether it's the Massachusetts chapter or the national organization, is there a website? Where can they go? Yeah, absolutely. Go on to www.NAHLE. So it's N-A-H-L-E.org. And NAHLE stands for National Association of Hispanic... National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives. So N-A-L-H-E.org. And you can learn about sort of the national chapter. You can also drill down into the respective states. You can go into Massachusetts. You can meet the board. And then you can also sort of find information to become a member. And that is what will really give you access to a lot of the seminars and some of the aggressive programming that we've got planned for the year. Fantastic. Amory, thank you so very much for joining me today. Thank you. This was wonderful. Likewise. This is 22 News In Focus with Patrick Barry.