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| Lokvani Talks To Sachin Jain |
Anil Saigal and Ranjani Saigal
10/09/2013
My family has a multi-generational non-profit commitment to serve patients from our ancestral communities in Rajasthan. Some of my earliest memories from childhood are of family conversations about our family's health and education work. The key points of inspiration were my aunts Kanti and Shanti, a scientist and a physician, respectively, who dedicated most of their careers to serving the underserved. My father, Subhash Jain, a physician in New York, was committed to transferring knowledge and ideas from the United States to improve medical practice in India. In some ways, it felt natural to follow in their footsteps. In our culture, we call it "sanskar."
You have had an amazing and varied career. You started with a degree in government and then moved into medicine and did an MBA while getting your MD. Why did you chose such complex career path?
I have always been interested in solving big picture problems in health care because of the opportunity to have large scale impact on society. Solving these types of problems requires knowledge of clinical medicine and business, health care policy, and management science. I was fortunate to have teachers, mentors, and family who encouraged me to pursue a diverse experiences to acquire this knowledge.
You have done significant work with the issues facing the homeless. What are the major challenges that you were addressing in this space?
When I was a student in college, a friend told me about a homeless shelter that was entirely student-operated. I was intrigued and I began volunteering on Saturday nights, cleaning up after dinner and chatting with the shelter's residents. Over time it became clear that many of these individuals mistrusted health care that was provided in hospitals and clinics. They felt judged by clinicians and this was a deterrent to them accessing care. For that reason, I worked to start a clinic within the shelter to provide care to patients where they were living.
You helped launch the center for Medicare and Medicaid innovation. Are there particular innovations that you think will revolutionize Medicare and Medicaid?
Health care innovation will be driven by new payment models that encourage hospitals and doctors and nurses to more closely manage and coordinate the cafe of patients. Anyone who has received care within our health care system knows how disjointed and dysfunctional it can be. New payment models such as bundled payments and ACOs will hopefully lay a financial framework that can support a more seamless experience for patients.
Access to care is one of our society's most important, misunderstood problem. The ACA begins to solve it. Like any new law, there will be implementation challenges, but if we can learn from these challenges and improve implementation--then we will get where we need to go: universal coverage for all people living in the United States.
What motivated you to write a book - Soul of a Doctor and why did the Chinese like it?
My inspiration for the book was a desire to explore some of the humanistic elements of providing care; these are universal themes that are relevant across cultures.
What are your major opportunities and accomplishments in your current role at Mereck?
At Merck, I am focused on helping identify ways in which technology and data can improve the delivery of care and our research. We have developed novel collaborations with some of the world's leading institutions including the Regenstrief Institute, PatientsLikeMe, Maccabi, and Northwestern University. We are close to announcing several more. With the explosion of electronic health data, there are many outstanding opportunities for us to better understand the natural history of disease and treatment and improve care.
It was interesting to note that Nitin Nohria, the dean of the Harvard Business School has done a case study on you! What motivated this and what where the findings? Can another Sachin Jain be created?
The case focuses on my life and career and some of the challenges I have faced along the way. It was written as part of a series on authentic leadership development--and emphasizes the notion that individuals should lead from their core values and be themselves .
What advice do you have for young South Asian men and women who may want to follow in your footsteps?
Work hard. Find and cultivate mentors who care about you. Believe in yourself. Think unconventionally and be ambitious about the change you hope to see in the world.
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