Denver Medical Study Group

Our next Denver Medical Study Group meeting offers an insightful presentation from Kim Bimestefer, Executive Director at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. Colorado is a nationally recognized leader in health care transformation, and following this last legislative session, our state is vigorously pursuing numerous paths to lower costs for health care consumers in Colorado.

Among the topics Executive Director Kim Bimestefer will address include updates on Colorado’s Medicaid program, the draft public option and drug importation. She will also discuss health care transparency in Colorado as a result of HB19-1001 and HB19-1320 along with opportunities in the delivery system and cost control priorities.

Join us for an enlightening conversation and opportunity to ask your questions!

Kim Bimestefer was appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper to serve as Executive Director for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing on Jan. 8, 2018 and was also appointed by Governor Polis to continue in this role.  As Executive Director, Ms. Bimestefer oversees the operations and strategic direction of the Department, $10B or one-third of the state budget, Colorado Medicaid, Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and other Safety Net Programs.  These programs serve about 1.3 million Coloradans or about 22% of the state’s population. Ms. Bimestefer also helps frame and implement Healthcare policy for the state.

Ms. Bimestefer has been a senior healthcare executive for more than 25 years in not-for-profit, publicly-traded and sole-proprietorship organizations. She was the local Board Chair, President & General Manager for Cigna Mountain States (CO, WY, NM, UT), responsible for strategy, customer satisfaction, care management, provider contracting, growth and earnings. Prior to that role, she founded and built a $10 billion division inside Cigna to serve more than 1.3 million members across the country.

Ms. Bimestefer has received numerous industry awards for leadership in business and industry: Forbes Women Leaders Issue, one of seven western region leaders recognized for exemplary business leadership, June 2016; Colorado’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Business, Colorado Women’s Chamber, 2016; Outstanding Women in Business/Healthcare, Denver Business Journal, 2015; Women of Distinction, Girl Scouts of America, 2015.

Ms. Bimestefer is a Board member of Connect for Health, Prime Health, and the American Heart Association, and an Advisory Board member of Regis University Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professionals and a Precious Child. In her current position, she appoints the Advisory Committee and the Administrator of the state’s All-Payer-Claim-Database. She is a popular expert keynote speaker and panelist on evolving health care topics, and an active supporter of healthcare entrepreneurs and innovators.   Ms. Bimestefer earned her bachelor’s degree cum-laude from Towson State University and her MBA cum laude from Loyola College of Maryland. She is also a graduate of the Wright Management Group and Darden School of Business, Executive Leadership Programs.

There has been significant attention drawn to the concept of burnout among health care providers, including prevalence, impact, cost, and outcomes for patients and health care providers. However, much less is published on the ways to mitigate burnout, and even more importantly, how to help individuals and systems thrive amongst the numerous challenges involved in working in health care.

Dr. Jenny Reese will present a brief background on what is known on the topic of burnout, and then draw on her experience as the Director of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Resilience Program to share what is being implemented and studied to not only mitigate burnout, but to promote individual flourishing, and provide team and system based interventions to support health care providers in their daily work challenges.

 3 Takeaways:

1. Attendees will understand the definitions and prevalence of burnout, second victim, compassion fatigue and moral distress among health care providers
2. Attendees will learn the evidence behind individual and system-based interventions that are being implemented and studied at University of Colorado School of Medicine and partnering hospitals
3. Attendees will have a chance to practice some of the skills that are taught through the CU SOM’s “CU Flourish” Well-being Curriculum

Dr. Reese is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine.  She is the Section Head and Medical Director of the Section of Pediatric Hospital Medicine.  She also serves as the leader for provider well-being at Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine.

In 2015 Dr. Reese formed the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine Resilience Program for Faculty, Residents, and Fellows; and served as the director of this program through June, 2019. Since then, Dr. Reese has been an invited speaker for over 100 presentations on the topic of Resilience and Well-being for Health Care Providers, including departmental grand rounds, invited conferences, retreats and workshops. Promoting provider well-being is a passion for Dr. Reese, and she presents with an engaging, interactive, experiential style that leaves participants with tangible takeaways to apply to their own practice.

Her clinical time is spent as a pediatric hospitalist, and her administrative duties include quality and process improvement and clinical leadership, as well as developing and promoting programs that support wellness and resilience for health care providers.

Her undergraduate and medical school were completed at University of Washington, in Seattle, WA and her pediatric internship and residency were completed at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado.  Since finishing residency, she has worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado.  Her passions include being a mother to her two sons, ages 13 and 15; and running, cycling, golfing, cooking and traveling.