In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams speaks with Jon R. Ewing, Chief Operating Officer at the Women’s Clinic in Jackson, Tennessee, and MGMA’s 2025 Legislative Liaison of the Year. Jon shares how he unexpectedly entered legislative advocacy, the importance of bridging policy and practice, and what medical group leaders need to know about engaging with lawmakers.
From TennCare reimbursement challenges to looming physician shortages, Jon breaks down complex legislative issues into practical takeaways for medical practice leaders. His insights underscore why advocacy isn’t just politics — it’s problem-solving for the future of healthcare.
Key Takeaways
- [02:34] Jon describes the shock of learning he’d been named MGMA’s Legislative Liaison of the Year.
- [04:35] The role of local media in Jackson, Tennessee, and how healthcare organizations connect with their communities.
- [06:08] Jon’s Arkansas roots, trout fishing background, and early exposure to medicine through his father’s small-town practice.
- [09:08] How Jon transitioned from biology graduate to healthcare administration and eventually practice leadership.
- [11:18] The “voluntold” moment that launched his career as a legislative liaison and the importance of mentorship in advocacy.
- [13:33] Why neutrality and bipartisanship are essential when representing healthcare issues to lawmakers.
- [20:35] A real-world example: explaining TennCare’s low reimbursement rates to Tennessee legislators.
- [25:00] Strategies for engaging legislators effectively — finding common ground, leading with empathy, and making issues personal.
- [26:36] The looming physician shortage and Medicare expansion — why leaders must think several “chess moves” ahead.
- [29:07] How MGMA National supports state liaisons with updates, training, and peer collaboration.
- [31:49] Jon’s challenge to future leaders: step into advocacy roles, mentor others, and be an authentic voice for healthcare improvement.
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
- MGMA Leaders Conference (Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2025, Orlando, FL)
Register here - MGMA Government Affairs – Learn more about how MGMA advocates on behalf of medical group practices and how you can get involved:
MGMA Government Affairs - Projected Physician Shortage Data – AAMC Report on the 2030 physician shortage forecast:
AAMC Physician Workforce Projections
Additional Resources:
Email us at dwilliams@mgma.com if you would like to appear on an episode. If you have a question about your practice that you would like us to answer, send an email to advisor@mgma.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our network wherever you get your podcasts.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Daniel Williams (00:02):
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA, host ofthe MGMA Podcast Network. We're
back today spotlighting one ofour twenty twenty five MGMA
award winners. Today, we'regonna be talking with the
recipient of the legislativeliaison of the year award. And
our guest today is Jon Ewing.
(00:24):
Jon is a chief operating officerat the Women's Clinic in
Jackson, Tennessee and thecurrent Tennessee MGMA
legislative liaison. Jon's beena driving force in connecting
national and state policypriorities with the day to day
realities of medical groupadministration. Jon, we've been
(00:48):
talking offline. I just want towelcome you to the show.
Jon Ewing (00:51):
Thank you, Daniel. It's an honor to be here, and
I'm still kind of in shock thatI'm being interviewed for this
award.
Daniel Williams (00:59):
Well, that was my first question. I wanted to
ask you a little bit about that.Where were you when you found
out? What was that like? Wereyou expecting it?
Did you know you'd even beennominated?
Jon Ewing (01:12):
I had no idea I had been nominated. I got a call
from MGMA National from NFTY,and I asked her when she told me
this, I said, Is this a hoax orsomeone pranking me? She said,
No, you were selected as thenational legislative liaison.
(01:34):
And I said, Well, I didn't evenknow I had been nominated within
my state. So it was veryshocking.
And then I reached out to myboard, which has the legislative
liaison in Tennessee. I serve ona board of executives for our
Tennessee MGMA. And I said, areyou guys getting me back for the
multitude of pranks that I've Isaid, Surely there are people
(01:58):
much more qualified than me toreceive an award like this. This
is very honorable and it wasflattering and completely took
me off guard.
Daniel Williams (02:10):
Right, right. Well, we want to congratulate
you again for that honor andthat is amazing. We're going to
dig deep into that, what thelegislative role is. The last
few years I've had theopportunity to talk to past
legislative liaison awardwinners and really understanding
(02:33):
that role a lot, because I thinka lot of our MGMA members aren't
aware of that. So we're going todig deeper there, But first,
let's talk a little bit aboutyour background.
You and I were having funtalking offline about that
Jackson, Tennessee area. I wastrying to locate it on the map
in my mind because I was tellingyou an older brother of mine,
(02:55):
his first job out of college,wow, about forty years ago was
at the Jackson Sun, the localnewspaper there. He worked there
for a few years. You brought meup to speed. Tell me about the
Jackson Sun.
It's not a physical copyanymore. Is that right? What's
the deal with The Sun?
Jon Ewing (03:14):
I think they have a few prints still, Daniel, and
that's great that your brotherworked for them. The Jackson's
Sun was one of our main sourcesof advertisement. I have been
with the woman's clinic here foreighteen years. So obviously
just eighteen years ago, thatwas a key way that we
advertised, that we loved tohave articles about our clinic
(03:36):
or our physicians or healthcarein there. But the Jackson Sun's
still online and people do goand look at it and they're still
one of the great media sourceshere in Jackson.
It's an actual an old buildingten years ago, I might not have
taken someone to the downtownarea to show off Jackson, but
(03:58):
they've really, as they do withmany cities, have restored our
downtown. And we had a tornadoor a series of tornadoes come
through a few years ago, and itrequired that we had to clean up
the downtown and fix buildings.It is truly a historical area
down there. And the Jackson Sunis in one of those historical
buildings and has been foryears. But it's a beautiful
(04:22):
area.
And part of the area they donow, they do a out of the
Jackson Sun location. You can goand have events and have at
night, you can go and rent itout, rent the space because it's
so pretty, and have differentevents with your business.
Daniel Williams (04:41):
That's incredible. All right. So a
little bit more about yourbackground. Are you a native of
Jackson? Where'd you grow up?
Jon Ewing (04:48):
Yeah. I'm not an original native. I guess you
could say I am now because I'vebeen here for over twenty five
years, but I'm originally fromArkansas. I grew up in a small
town called Heber Springs,Arkansas. It's about 60 miles
north of Little Rock, and it'sjust about three hours from
(05:08):
Memphis.
So Memphis, Tennessee. So it's alittle, lake community with a
river that comes out of it. Andone of our claim to fame in in
Heber Springs, Arkansas is wehave the world record brown
trout. So there's world classtrout fishing in Arkansas there.
And I actually was a troutfishing guide through high
(05:30):
school and college.
And I would take people out onlittle trout fishing expeditions
and went to college at HardingUniversity, which is a private
school there in Arkansas. And Ihave a biology degree, a
Bachelor of Science in biology.And I went the healthcare route
through biology. So that's alittle bit of the undergraduate
(05:52):
part of my background. Then Imoved to Tennessee because I got
a job in healthcare.
Daniel Williams (05:58):
Okay. I love that. Thank you. And if I have
any need any fishing tips, Iwill call you up because as a
kid, a couple of times we wenton canoeing trips up there in
that northern sort of Arkansasarea and did some whitewater
canoeing there. And that wasjust incredible.
(06:19):
Such beautiful country up there.Really love that.
Jon Ewing (06:22):
Well, all of that northern part of Arkansas is the
is the Ozark Mountains. And soif you canoed, it would have
been on the Buffalo, the SpringRiver, Mulberry, Little Red was
the one I grew up on. And soperhaps, Daniel, sometime in our
future, I plan to go back thereone day and again take people
out on fishing trips. I still goa couple times a year and go see
(06:45):
if the trout are still biting.
Daniel Williams (06:48):
That is wonderful. I love that
background because we know thateverybody that I have on the
show is in healthcare in onecapacity or another, but you're
also a human being, Jon. So welove to hear a little bit about
what makes you tick. So let'stalk about where the focus came.
You had the biology background,then you got into the practice
(07:10):
work.
Where did you slide into thelegislative side of it? When did
that bug bite you, so to speak?
Jon Ewing (07:18):
Yeah. So I'll give you just a little bit more on
that too. I grew up at thatsmall town in Arkansas. My
father was a small town generalpractice physician. And I worked
in his clinic when I was in highschool, and that's what we did.
I mean, back then, people wouldpay the physician with barter
(07:39):
and trade sometimes because theydidn't have insurance. And it's
rural Arkansas. That's the wayit worked. And then I went to
college and got my biologydegree and I started looking at
different jobs in biology. Andwhat ended up happening and how
I got into this is I got into aconsulting role working in
healthcare administration with acompany that was actually based
(08:01):
where you are Daniel in Denver,Colorado.
And we partnered with hospitals.This company is called Medadyne
and they partner with hospitalsall across the nation. And I
actually landed this job with myBS in biology right out of
school and they hired collegegraduates to work in management.
(08:21):
And so the goal was in theservice industries of
healthcare, they would work withenvironmental services,
infection control, they wouldwork with patient satisfaction.
And so I got into healthcareadministration that way, was
Jackson, Tennessee at thehospital here and then
(08:43):
transferred because part of it'skind of like the military with
Medadyne, you transferred topromote.
So I moved to Tupelo,Mississippi with North
Mississippi Medical Center, andI was 25 years old and moved up
as the assistant director there.And then the director in Jackson
(09:05):
asked me to come back and to andso then I became a director of a
department in the hospital andreally worked my way up in
administration and then became aconsultant to where as a VP I
traveled. I had University ofKentucky Hospital in Lexington.
I had two in New Orleans,Ochsner and West Jefferson. Then
(09:25):
I had Cox Healthcare inSpringfield, Missouri.
And I went in and consulted withthese hospitals. So I did that
job for probably thirteen years.And then the physicians of the
women's clinic who I knew said,Would you like to get off the
road and be our administrator?We're looking for a new
administrator. And I kind ofwanted to get off the road.
I was flying on Fridays or onSundays and not getting in until
(09:49):
Fridays and missing seeing timewith the kids. So long story
short, I've been in clinicadministration for the past
eighteen years here as the ChiefOperating Officer. And about
three years ago, I became askind of, I call it a side
hustle, the Executive Directorof an Independent Physicians
(10:10):
Alliance, which is about 25clinics here in Jackson and
surrounding areas. So I'm alsooverseeing that. And I was going
to the local or the TennesseeMGMAs and another administrator
who happened to be on the boardsaid, We'd love for you to be
our legislative liaison.
(10:30):
So it was a voluntold situation,Daniel
Daniel Williams (10:33):
Yeah.
Jon Ewing (10:33):
Where I got into the role and then learned all about
it after.
Daniel Williams (10:40):
Okay.
Jon Ewing (10:40):
That's where the legislation began. I've always
had some interest with civics,but I really learned everything
from Misty Hickman, who was mymentor that was the legislative
liaison before me. And reallywhat's fortunate in the state
MGMAs as well as the National isthere's a great mentoring
(11:03):
program where she trained mewith what you need to do and how
you need to carry this out. Andreally you learn through doing.
And I absolutely love the role.
I've been in it for two and ahalf years now, almost three
years, and I really lovelearning about what's going on
with legislature. So I feel likeI'm just covering too much. Why
(11:24):
don't you ask me more questions?But that's kind of the
background of how I got into it.
Daniel Williams (11:29):
I love that. No, we're fellow Southerners,
we're storytellers. The road maywind this way or it may wind
that way. We get back to thetruth and the story at some
point. So
Jon Ewing (11:41):
Well, so far it's all true.
Daniel Williams (11:45):
That's good. Well, we were talking about
fishing tales. So, you know,those can
Jon Ewing (11:49):
get that the last fish didn't get a little bigger
every time I tell that story.
Daniel Williams (11:54):
That's for sure. So let's talk about that.
So you were voluntold, so tospeak, to get into this
legislative side of it. What hassurprised you about immersing
yourself on the legislative sideof things? When we talk
politics, everybody immediatelyhas an opinion.
But now somebody who is reallyinvolved in policy or at least
(12:19):
observing and hoping to shape itin one way or another, What has
surprised you about it or notsurprised you about it?
Jon Ewing (12:27):
Well, I think that's a great question. And I'll tell
you why I love that you askedthat question is because when I
got into this role, Misty toldme we really have to be neutral
and bipartisan. We're verycareful about our positions. And
of course, as a human being, Ihave positions that I feel
(12:47):
personally. However, during thisthree years, I've been
extremely, extremely careful tomake sure that the only position
that I take is one on the sideof healthcare.
And so regardless of left,right, whatever people's views
are, and that was probably themost interesting, People are
very quick to give you the waythey feel about something in
(13:10):
this role. And not that you arekind of a double minded man or
double minded woman, but it'smore of you hear what people
have to say and then you try tomake sure that how you
articulate that back to thelawmakers is you stay very
conscientious and neutral onlyto push forward with your, I
(13:33):
guess, as kind of being theprotagonist for healthcare
improvements. And so you to kindof filter that out to determine
what's best for healthcare andwhat we're trying to push. But
you really become a lobbyist.And I guess to answer your
question, what was most shockingis I didn't realize how many
people are so passionate aboutwanting to make a difference and
(13:56):
how many lawmakers, and I don'tmean this insulting at all, but
how many lawmakers don'tunderstand the healthcare side
of what we endure empatheticallybecause they're just seeing it
from the side of the lawmakerand not always when you have a
lawmaker that sometimes there isa symbiotic relationship between
(14:17):
the lawmaker and the healthcareworker because they've been in
healthcare.
When that happens, you've got atrue advocate working for you in
healthcare. And when thathappens, that's when we really
try to make a difference. Butmost of the time, the most
shocking part is that you'rehaving to enlighten or awaken
the lawmakers to what'shappening out here in healthcare
(14:39):
today.
Daniel Williams (14:40):
Yeah. I'm so glad that that's the answer you
gave because about fifteen yearsago, I was working in the
financial services industry inthe media side of it. I ran a
magazine that covered that. So Ilearned that the organization
(15:02):
had kind of mobilized and theywere going to DC and they had
set up appointments withcongresspeople from each state.
And so I embedded myself therewith that group.
And so they knocked on doors ofcongresspeople and then had a
(15:23):
little bit of time assigned, butit goes exactly to what you're
talking about. And it's quiteremarkable, actually. This isn't
to make a political statementthing, but when actually observe
it, it's remarkable thatanything ever gets done because
I'll tell you the day we had, wehad about 20 or so scheduled
(15:44):
before us was, I'm not jokingwith you, a Boy Scouts
organization. There was anotherone that was an association, I
believe it was of nuns. I'm noteven making these up.
And then we were the financialservices industry, and then
there were four more differentindustries. And so when we got
(16:05):
in the room, and I'm there withpen and paper taking notes, the
people who were pushing theiragenda, so to speak, they didn't
meet with the congressperson.They met with an intern or
someone of that level who wasabout 22 or three right out of
college. He had no idea whatthey were saying. And that may
(16:28):
be something that at least atsome point you've observed as
well, where you are reallyeducating them on the very
basics of your topic, at leasttrying to bring them up to
speed.
And then you're competing withthe Boy Scouts and the nuns and
everybody else. So I wanted toshare that story because yours
may be a little bit moreadvanced because y'all are
(16:49):
entrenched a little bit. Butwhat is it as far as if any of
that resonated or it soundedlike a tall tale, I promise it's
all true. What is yourexperience been? Have you gone
to DC or are you going toNashville?
Where are you going when youtalk to someone who's in
Congress or someone of that ilk?
Jon Ewing (17:09):
Well, I'll go directly to the in Tennessee,
our legislature is called theGeneral Assembly. And I have not
been I've been to DC, but Ididn't go to DC to lobby. But
specifically, we go and I say wemeaning as the legislative
liaison for MGMA in Tennessee, Ialso serve on the Tennessee
(17:31):
Medical Association. And sowhat's interesting about that is
typically it's a group ofdoctors that the Tennessee
Medical Association is asked towork and they serve as lobbyists
and delegates to talk toCongressmen and women in
Tennessee. And then even on thefederal level, need to, but
we'll have MGMA members that areon the administrative side.
(17:54):
So, and the doctors will use usas reference points to talk
about the business side ofthings, to talk about
reimbursement. So fortunately,one of our responsibilities and
one of mine as the legislativeliaison is to go to what's
called in the General Assemblyfor Tennessee and Nashville, Doc
on the Hill. So I don't know ifthat happens in every state or
(18:15):
something similar. I'm a littlenaive to that with what happens
in other states. But I can tellyou that that entire day, the
state senators and state housemen and women are listening to
healthcare people talk abouthealthcare matters.
So that day they're focused onwhat are the healthcare topics
(18:37):
that are current. And it doesn'tmean that the we'll actually
attend part of the assembly, sowe may go to the Senate and hear
something they're debating, andit may have nothing to do with
healthcare for the day. But whenthe congressmen and women are in
their offices, they haveinterviews scheduled with those
of us to talk about that. Andso, fortunately, I'm not in
(18:58):
there competing with the BoyScouts. Did see a group of, and
this is correlate with yourstory, did see a group of people
trying to help with improvingthe roads in Tennessee.
They were pushing that that day.But it was interesting because I
can recall one representativethat I talked to, and we were
talking in my business, which iswomen's health, we were talking
(19:21):
about the reimbursement fordelivery of a baby. And in
Tennessee, we've got TennCare,which is the Medicaid version
of, that's what we call it,TennCare. This is not meant to
be discriminatory with what payis, but it's pitiful what the
(19:45):
provider gets paid withTennCare. And I was without
having collusion, I wasexplaining to the congressmen
that what we get paid on thecommercial side versus what we
get paid with the Medicaid sidein Tennessee with many times a
higher risk for the baby, forthe mother.
(20:07):
It was terrible. And he had noidea that there was such a
disparaging difference betweenwhat the payment was. So that
was an opportunity to help acongressman to be able to hear
empathetically what's going on.And I said, and then I've got to
recruit physicians into mypractice to come deliver babies
(20:28):
that are going to happen. It'sgonna happen regardless.
And they've got to want to comedo this in the state of
Tennessee. And this is a littlebit bigger, Daniel, but what I
don't want is someone to gettheir training in Tennessee,
their medical license. Andbecause we've got this TennCare
or the reimbursement that theyto evolve and migrate to another
(20:51):
state. I want to keep theTennessee doctors here. But
because of that, maybe anobstetrician gynecologist goes
to another state cause they needto have an adequate
reimbursement with where theygo.
That's one small snippet ofthings that we do with being an
advocate out there, a lobbyistfor trying to make a difference
(21:11):
in healthcare.
Daniel Williams (21:12):
Right. And to reiterate what you just said,
you were educating thatcongressperson. They had no
idea, right? Is that theunderstanding that they didn't
know Yeah,
Jon Ewing (21:24):
we told them, we don't look at what the The
provider isn't looking at theinsurance of the patient that's
in front of them. But it's onlyright that everybody deserves to
have some good healthcare. Andif you're having a baby born,
pay the doctor for doing theirwork. So there's a huge
difference between what the bestcommercial pay may be for a
(21:46):
delivery. And the way thatworked, Daniel, is all of the
prenatal care doesn't get paiduntil the delivery happens.
So 20 visits you may have inyour doctor's office, it all
comes when the baby's born iswhen you get paid. So you've got
to wait that time to do that.And sometimes the amount that
(22:07):
you're paid barely covers thecost of the nurses that were
attending the doctors. So that'sjust a snippet of things that
we're talking about in currentlegislation to try to make a
difference.
Daniel Williams (22:20):
Yeah. And I'm so glad you were able to give
that particular example becausethere is an education that takes
place. Because let's be real,was at a conference yesterday
and there was a research studythat was done on the level of
(22:41):
trust consumers have withdifferent industries. Healthcare
actually is pretty high upthere. Congress is the lowest.
It's last. And they're an easytarget to bash in all of this.
But then when you meet withsomeone face to face and you
understand what they're youknow, taking politics out of it
(23:02):
completely, but when see whatthey're faced with in being
educated on different topics,when they're being different
lobbyists or pushing differentagendas to them, you go, wow, I
mean, I do have some sympathythere for what they have to deal
with. And then from your side ofit, as that legislative liaison,
(23:26):
you see the task in front of youin educating them as well.
Jon Ewing (23:31):
Yeah. I'm glad you said that. And one the things
that I know that you guys hadmentioned for me to bring up was
how do you educate the rest ofMGMA members or other
administrators on how to talkabout this? And what I said is
you start with a common interestwith your legislatures. And it
can start with your local, yourmayor, your people that may be
(23:55):
running for state Congress orthe US Congress or Senate, and
you start having a conversationwith those people.
And what's interesting is thatif you go in with an approach
that's angry and dogmatic, it'sregardless of your psychology
background, somebody's gonnashut you off. So that's not the
(24:17):
approach for a legislativeliaison. You go in and find
common ground. And once you getan empathy where both of you are
understanding, then push youragenda some, well, this is why
we're trying to make adifference. Because you can
imagine when you're talkingabout the Boy Scouts, when
you're talking about roadworkthat needs to happen, when
you're talking about a conventthat's trying to be improved,
(24:39):
whatever it may be.
And then let's throw inhealthcare on top of that. This
congressman or woman is gettinghit from every angle and you
know, their head nodding, butwhen you make a difference is
when you get in touch with themwith something that like this is
going to affect you and yourfamily. Your mother, your
father, your wife, your husband,your child, and we all need
(25:02):
healthcare. And so that's whywhen you can get that touch, I
was looking at some research,Daniel, that in the year 20....
let's see, by 2030, we're goingto be 40,000 physicians short in
The United States. Fortythousand.
And this is not to be asensationalist. That's the
(25:24):
reality based on actuariesextrapolating that. Our baby
boomers, which is our largestpopulation, will all of them
will be in Medicare age by 2030.Everybody. So that's going to go
from 68 million people that arein Medicare to 80 million people
(25:50):
that are in Medicare.
And part of my job is to know alittle something about the big
beautiful bill, to know a littlesomething on the national level,
to know what's happening on thestate levels and how that's
affecting that. What are wegoing to do about Medicare
finances in the future? How arewe going to handle that? What's
that going to mean for the40,000 physicians we're going to
(26:12):
be short and a greaterpopulation of people because the
older we are, the more sick weget. And we've got to take care
of these folks.
And we've got to think aboutthat. And so those are the
things that we hit to talk aboutis like, don't just look at
balancing a budget today. Thinkabout what I call it a chess
(26:32):
game. In checkers, you thinkyou're just a few moves out. In
chess, you're thinking five orsix moves out, and you're trying
to think about what they'redoing.
I need people to think aboutchess moves for 2040, 2050.
Let's make a better world.
Daniel Williams (26:49):
Yeah. In that statement, you explained to me
why I'm so bad at chess. I'mdoing the move that I'm doing.
So I'm supposed to be thinkingfive or six moves ahead. Well,
thank you, Jon, for explainingthat
Jon Ewing (27:01):
to Well, it's a lot more complex than that and
there's much more people muchsmarter than I that are really
good at chess.
Daniel Williams (27:09):
Well, in the remaining time that we have,
talk about you and the role thatyou've had as a legislative
liaison. What role are you well,let's break it down this way.
Are you interacting with otherlegislative liaisons from other
states and or our governmentaffairs team in DC? Where are
(27:31):
you getting some of theinformation that you have so you
can be better prepared to thenpresent that to your
legislators?
Jon Ewing (27:40):
Well, kudos to MGMA National. I mean, there are
video conferences that I attend.And at the end of those, we have
questions. One of the ones thatwe had recently, and this is
something that I carry back tothe other, we call them local
chapter legislative liaisons. Itypically get the best audience
(28:01):
with them on the state levelwhen we have, we typically have
two conferences a year and one'sin the spring, one's in the
fall.
And then I get to talk to thoseother legislative liaisons. But
for the national one, MGMA isreally good about telling us
what's happening out there,communicating that. For
instance, they ask over 100 ofus to say, How many of you in
(28:24):
your practices are using extraman hours for prior
authorizations? And theyimmediately popped up from just
that question with 100 peoplethat we were 90%, all of us said
that we were using extra manhours we'd never used before
with sitting on hold trying toget a prior authorization, which
(28:45):
happens to be a huge topic inTennessee government as well as
in national government. So backto your question, the video
conferences, I go to localchapters.
Many of my peers will ask me tospeak through a video conference
or to come to one of their localchapters. I made a PowerPoint,
(29:06):
which was I tried to not soundlike I was insulting anyone. I
said, we're going back to acivics lesson, and you had the
little bill cartoon guy thatgoes through. And so we watched
how the bill works. And then wetalked about how you can make a
difference with that.
So a lot of it are sideconversations at the conferences
(29:26):
where you're having dinner andyou're talking about the matters
that are affecting thesepractices and physicians. And
others are video conferences,attending in person local
chapters and doing presentationswith what's happening. When I
first started, I was a neophyteand very naive about what was
(29:47):
happening out there now, I cancommunicate about what others
tell me too that are happeningin their areas.
Daniel Williams (29:54):
Yeah. Last question. For anybody that's
listening, they might be at thatstage where you were several
years ago, like, gosh, I don'tknow about being a legislative
liaison. I don't know if that'sright for me, but you've done it
now and you've really made it onthat personal level. So if you
want to share with our listenershow it's affected you on a
(30:17):
personal level by being someonewho is enacting change, getting
in front of people, talk aboutthat.
Jon Ewing (30:24):
Yeah. Thanks, Daniel. And I definitely wanna be an
advocate of encouraging others.I had a professor tell me one
time that leaders createleaders, and that is kind of the
ethos that we try to live by. SoI feel even with this interview
today is challenging people thatdon't be afraid and don't cower
(30:45):
away from the word legislature,that even if you've not had any
government experience, thegovernment appointed people or
voted in people, they wantpeople that are real, that can
tell them true stories that arehappening out there.
So make a difference becauseyou're passionate, not because
you have a stereotypical want tobe part of politics. Go to make
(31:09):
a difference with helpinghealthcare. Play the chess game
of looking forward into thefuture, hearing from other
people and then beingessentially what we are Daniel,
is we're being advocates forother people. Within your
clinics, you're an advocate forthe patient and you're an
advocate for your providers. Inthis role, you're an advocate
(31:29):
for improvement in healthcare.
And so that's my greatestchallenge to anyone else is
don't shy away from it. Learnfrom others. Mentor someone else
if you've been a legislativeliaison. Someone has a little
dabble of interest, let them runwith it because the heart of a
volunteer, it's not like we getpaid anything for this. We do it
(31:51):
because we love to make adifference in a profession that
we're passionate about.
Daniel Williams (31:57):
All right. Well, Jon Ewing, thank you for
making a difference as alegislative liaison and MGMA's
Legislative Liaison of the Year.Thank you so much.
Jon Ewing (32:06):
No, I can't believe that. Thank you, Daniel, for
taking the time to interview,and it was nice to hear a little
of your background. What's yourbrother doing now, by the way?
Daniel Williams (32:14):
He is a lawyer. He's a corporate lawyer, so
that's where he's gravitated to.
Jon Ewing (32:21):
Well, thanks for taking the time to do this, and
I hope that through this avenuewith National MGMA that someone
else will realize that you canmake a difference out there and
try to do that.
Daniel Williams (32:32):
Absolutely. Well, Jon Ewing, thank you so
much. And for, anybodylistening, Jon will, along with
me, we'll be in Orlando for theLeaders Conference, and we hope
to see you all there. It's goingto be September 28 through
October 1 in Orlando. Go tomgma.com/leaders where you can
(32:53):
learn more and you can registertoday.
Thank you all so much.
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA, host ofthe MGMA Podcast Network. We're
back today spotlighting one ofour twenty twenty five MGMA
award winners. Today, we'regonna be talking with the
recipient of the legislativeliaison of the year award. And
our guest today is Jon Ewing.
(00:24):
Jon is a chief operating officerat the Women's Clinic in
Jackson, Tennessee and thecurrent Tennessee MGMA
legislative liaison. Jon's beena driving force in connecting
national and state policypriorities with the day to day
realities of medical groupadministration. Jon, we've been
(00:48):
talking offline. I just want towelcome you to the show.
Jon Ewing (00:51):
Thank you, Daniel. It's an honor to be here, and
I'm still kind of in shock thatI'm being interviewed for this
award.
Daniel Williams (00:59):
Well, that was my first question. I wanted to
ask you a little bit about that.Where were you when you found
out? What was that like? Wereyou expecting it?
Did you know you'd even beennominated?
Jon Ewing (01:12):
I had no idea I had been nominated. I got a call
from MGMA National from NFTY,and I asked her when she told me
this, I said, Is this a hoax orsomeone pranking me? She said,
No, you were selected as thenational legislative liaison.
(01:34):
And I said, Well, I didn't evenknow I had been nominated within
my state. So it was veryshocking.
And then I reached out to myboard, which has the legislative
liaison in Tennessee. I serve ona board of executives for our
Tennessee MGMA. And I said, areyou guys getting me back for the
multitude of pranks that I've Isaid, Surely there are people
(01:58):
much more qualified than me toreceive an award like this. This
is very honorable and it wasflattering and completely took
me off guard.
Daniel Williams (02:10):
Right, right. Well, we want to congratulate
you again for that honor andthat is amazing. We're going to
dig deep into that, what thelegislative role is. The last
few years I've had theopportunity to talk to past
legislative liaison awardwinners and really understanding
(02:33):
that role a lot, because I thinka lot of our MGMA members aren't
aware of that. So we're going todig deeper there, But first,
let's talk a little bit aboutyour background.
You and I were having funtalking offline about that
Jackson, Tennessee area. I wastrying to locate it on the map
in my mind because I was tellingyou an older brother of mine,
(02:55):
his first job out of college,wow, about forty years ago was
at the Jackson Sun, the localnewspaper there. He worked there
for a few years. You brought meup to speed. Tell me about the
Jackson Sun.
It's not a physical copyanymore. Is that right? What's
the deal with The Sun?
Jon Ewing (03:14):
I think they have a few prints still, Daniel, and
that's great that your brotherworked for them. The Jackson's
Sun was one of our main sourcesof advertisement. I have been
with the woman's clinic here foreighteen years. So obviously
just eighteen years ago, thatwas a key way that we
advertised, that we loved tohave articles about our clinic
(03:36):
or our physicians or healthcarein there. But the Jackson Sun's
still online and people do goand look at it and they're still
one of the great media sourceshere in Jackson.
It's an actual an old buildingten years ago, I might not have
taken someone to the downtownarea to show off Jackson, but
(03:58):
they've really, as they do withmany cities, have restored our
downtown. And we had a tornadoor a series of tornadoes come
through a few years ago, and itrequired that we had to clean up
the downtown and fix buildings.It is truly a historical area
down there. And the Jackson Sunis in one of those historical
buildings and has been foryears. But it's a beautiful
(04:22):
area.
And part of the area they donow, they do a out of the
Jackson Sun location. You can goand have events and have at
night, you can go and rent itout, rent the space because it's
so pretty, and have differentevents with your business.
Daniel Williams (04:41):
That's incredible. All right. So a
little bit more about yourbackground. Are you a native of
Jackson? Where'd you grow up?
Jon Ewing (04:48):
Yeah. I'm not an original native. I guess you
could say I am now because I'vebeen here for over twenty five
years, but I'm originally fromArkansas. I grew up in a small
town called Heber Springs,Arkansas. It's about 60 miles
north of Little Rock, and it'sjust about three hours from
(05:08):
Memphis.
So Memphis, Tennessee. So it's alittle, lake community with a
river that comes out of it. Andone of our claim to fame in in
Heber Springs, Arkansas is wehave the world record brown
trout. So there's world classtrout fishing in Arkansas there.
And I actually was a troutfishing guide through high
(05:30):
school and college.
And I would take people out onlittle trout fishing expeditions
and went to college at HardingUniversity, which is a private
school there in Arkansas. And Ihave a biology degree, a
Bachelor of Science in biology.And I went the healthcare route
through biology. So that's alittle bit of the undergraduate
(05:52):
part of my background. Then Imoved to Tennessee because I got
a job in healthcare.
Daniel Williams (05:58):
Okay. I love that. Thank you. And if I have
any need any fishing tips, Iwill call you up because as a
kid, a couple of times we wenton canoeing trips up there in
that northern sort of Arkansasarea and did some whitewater
canoeing there. And that wasjust incredible.
(06:19):
Such beautiful country up there.Really love that.
Jon Ewing (06:22):
Well, all of that northern part of Arkansas is the
is the Ozark Mountains. And soif you canoed, it would have
been on the Buffalo, the SpringRiver, Mulberry, Little Red was
the one I grew up on. And soperhaps, Daniel, sometime in our
future, I plan to go back thereone day and again take people
out on fishing trips. I still goa couple times a year and go see
(06:45):
if the trout are still biting.
Daniel Williams (06:48):
That is wonderful. I love that
background because we know thateverybody that I have on the
show is in healthcare in onecapacity or another, but you're
also a human being, Jon. So welove to hear a little bit about
what makes you tick. So let'stalk about where the focus came.
You had the biology background,then you got into the practice
(07:10):
work.
Where did you slide into thelegislative side of it? When did
that bug bite you, so to speak?
Jon Ewing (07:18):
Yeah. So I'll give you just a little bit more on
that too. I grew up at thatsmall town in Arkansas. My
father was a small town generalpractice physician. And I worked
in his clinic when I was in highschool, and that's what we did.
I mean, back then, people wouldpay the physician with barter
(07:39):
and trade sometimes because theydidn't have insurance. And it's
rural Arkansas. That's the wayit worked. And then I went to
college and got my biologydegree and I started looking at
different jobs in biology. Andwhat ended up happening and how
I got into this is I got into aconsulting role working in
healthcare administration with acompany that was actually based
(08:01):
where you are Daniel in Denver,Colorado.
And we partnered with hospitals.This company is called Medadyne
and they partner with hospitalsall across the nation. And I
actually landed this job with myBS in biology right out of
school and they hired collegegraduates to work in management.
(08:21):
And so the goal was in theservice industries of
healthcare, they would work withenvironmental services,
infection control, they wouldwork with patient satisfaction.
And so I got into healthcareadministration that way, was
Jackson, Tennessee at thehospital here and then
(08:43):
transferred because part of it'skind of like the military with
Medadyne, you transferred topromote.
So I moved to Tupelo,Mississippi with North
Mississippi Medical Center, andI was 25 years old and moved up
as the assistant director there.And then the director in Jackson
(09:05):
asked me to come back and to andso then I became a director of a
department in the hospital andreally worked my way up in
administration and then became aconsultant to where as a VP I
traveled. I had University ofKentucky Hospital in Lexington.
I had two in New Orleans,Ochsner and West Jefferson. Then
(09:25):
I had Cox Healthcare inSpringfield, Missouri.
And I went in and consulted withthese hospitals. So I did that
job for probably thirteen years.And then the physicians of the
women's clinic who I knew said,Would you like to get off the
road and be our administrator?We're looking for a new
administrator. And I kind ofwanted to get off the road.
I was flying on Fridays or onSundays and not getting in until
(09:49):
Fridays and missing seeing timewith the kids. So long story
short, I've been in clinicadministration for the past
eighteen years here as the ChiefOperating Officer. And about
three years ago, I became askind of, I call it a side
hustle, the Executive Directorof an Independent Physicians
(10:10):
Alliance, which is about 25clinics here in Jackson and
surrounding areas. So I'm alsooverseeing that. And I was going
to the local or the TennesseeMGMAs and another administrator
who happened to be on the boardsaid, We'd love for you to be
our legislative liaison.
(10:30):
So it was a voluntold situation,Daniel
Daniel Williams (10:33):
Yeah.
Jon Ewing (10:33):
Where I got into the role and then learned all about
it after.
Daniel Williams (10:40):
Okay.
Jon Ewing (10:40):
That's where the legislation began. I've always
had some interest with civics,but I really learned everything
from Misty Hickman, who was mymentor that was the legislative
liaison before me. And reallywhat's fortunate in the state
MGMAs as well as the National isthere's a great mentoring
(11:03):
program where she trained mewith what you need to do and how
you need to carry this out. Andreally you learn through doing.
And I absolutely love the role.
I've been in it for two and ahalf years now, almost three
years, and I really lovelearning about what's going on
with legislature. So I feel likeI'm just covering too much. Why
(11:24):
don't you ask me more questions?But that's kind of the
background of how I got into it.
Daniel Williams (11:29):
I love that. No, we're fellow Southerners,
we're storytellers. The road maywind this way or it may wind
that way. We get back to thetruth and the story at some
point. So
Jon Ewing (11:41):
Well, so far it's all true.
Daniel Williams (11:45):
That's good. Well, we were talking about
fishing tales. So, you know,those can
Jon Ewing (11:49):
get that the last fish didn't get a little bigger
every time I tell that story.
Daniel Williams (11:54):
That's for sure. So let's talk about that.
So you were voluntold, so tospeak, to get into this
legislative side of it. What hassurprised you about immersing
yourself on the legislative sideof things? When we talk
politics, everybody immediatelyhas an opinion.
But now somebody who is reallyinvolved in policy or at least
(12:19):
observing and hoping to shape itin one way or another, What has
surprised you about it or notsurprised you about it?
Jon Ewing (12:27):
Well, I think that's a great question. And I'll tell
you why I love that you askedthat question is because when I
got into this role, Misty toldme we really have to be neutral
and bipartisan. We're verycareful about our positions. And
of course, as a human being, Ihave positions that I feel
(12:47):
personally. However, during thisthree years, I've been
extremely, extremely careful tomake sure that the only position
that I take is one on the sideof healthcare.
And so regardless of left,right, whatever people's views
are, and that was probably themost interesting, People are
very quick to give you the waythey feel about something in
(13:10):
this role. And not that you arekind of a double minded man or
double minded woman, but it'smore of you hear what people
have to say and then you try tomake sure that how you
articulate that back to thelawmakers is you stay very
conscientious and neutral onlyto push forward with your, I
(13:33):
guess, as kind of being theprotagonist for healthcare
improvements. And so you to kindof filter that out to determine
what's best for healthcare andwhat we're trying to push. But
you really become a lobbyist.And I guess to answer your
question, what was most shockingis I didn't realize how many
people are so passionate aboutwanting to make a difference and
(13:56):
how many lawmakers, and I don'tmean this insulting at all, but
how many lawmakers don'tunderstand the healthcare side
of what we endure empatheticallybecause they're just seeing it
from the side of the lawmakerand not always when you have a
lawmaker that sometimes there isa symbiotic relationship between
(14:17):
the lawmaker and the healthcareworker because they've been in
healthcare.
When that happens, you've got atrue advocate working for you in
healthcare. And when thathappens, that's when we really
try to make a difference. Butmost of the time, the most
shocking part is that you'rehaving to enlighten or awaken
the lawmakers to what'shappening out here in healthcare
(14:39):
today.
Daniel Williams (14:40):
Yeah. I'm so glad that that's the answer you
gave because about fifteen yearsago, I was working in the
financial services industry inthe media side of it. I ran a
magazine that covered that. So Ilearned that the organization
(15:02):
had kind of mobilized and theywere going to DC and they had
set up appointments withcongresspeople from each state.
And so I embedded myself therewith that group.
And so they knocked on doors ofcongresspeople and then had a
(15:23):
little bit of time assigned, butit goes exactly to what you're
talking about. And it's quiteremarkable, actually. This isn't
to make a political statementthing, but when actually observe
it, it's remarkable thatanything ever gets done because
I'll tell you the day we had, wehad about 20 or so scheduled
(15:44):
before us was, I'm not jokingwith you, a Boy Scouts
organization. There was anotherone that was an association, I
believe it was of nuns. I'm noteven making these up.
And then we were the financialservices industry, and then
there were four more differentindustries. And so when we got
(16:05):
in the room, and I'm there withpen and paper taking notes, the
people who were pushing theiragenda, so to speak, they didn't
meet with the congressperson.They met with an intern or
someone of that level who wasabout 22 or three right out of
college. He had no idea whatthey were saying. And that may
(16:28):
be something that at least atsome point you've observed as
well, where you are reallyeducating them on the very
basics of your topic, at leasttrying to bring them up to
speed.
And then you're competing withthe Boy Scouts and the nuns and
everybody else. So I wanted toshare that story because yours
may be a little bit moreadvanced because y'all are
(16:49):
entrenched a little bit. Butwhat is it as far as if any of
that resonated or it soundedlike a tall tale, I promise it's
all true. What is yourexperience been? Have you gone
to DC or are you going toNashville?
Where are you going when youtalk to someone who's in
Congress or someone of that ilk?
Jon Ewing (17:09):
Well, I'll go directly to the in Tennessee,
our legislature is called theGeneral Assembly. And I have not
been I've been to DC, but Ididn't go to DC to lobby. But
specifically, we go and I say wemeaning as the legislative
liaison for MGMA in Tennessee, Ialso serve on the Tennessee
(17:31):
Medical Association. And sowhat's interesting about that is
typically it's a group ofdoctors that the Tennessee
Medical Association is asked towork and they serve as lobbyists
and delegates to talk toCongressmen and women in
Tennessee. And then even on thefederal level, need to, but
we'll have MGMA members that areon the administrative side.
(17:54):
So, and the doctors will use usas reference points to talk
about the business side ofthings, to talk about
reimbursement. So fortunately,one of our responsibilities and
one of mine as the legislativeliaison is to go to what's
called in the General Assemblyfor Tennessee and Nashville, Doc
on the Hill. So I don't know ifthat happens in every state or
(18:15):
something similar. I'm a littlenaive to that with what happens
in other states. But I can tellyou that that entire day, the
state senators and state housemen and women are listening to
healthcare people talk abouthealthcare matters.
So that day they're focused onwhat are the healthcare topics
(18:37):
that are current. And it doesn'tmean that the we'll actually
attend part of the assembly, sowe may go to the Senate and hear
something they're debating, andit may have nothing to do with
healthcare for the day. But whenthe congressmen and women are in
their offices, they haveinterviews scheduled with those
of us to talk about that. Andso, fortunately, I'm not in
(18:58):
there competing with the BoyScouts. Did see a group of, and
this is correlate with yourstory, did see a group of people
trying to help with improvingthe roads in Tennessee.
They were pushing that that day.But it was interesting because I
can recall one representativethat I talked to, and we were
talking in my business, which iswomen's health, we were talking
(19:21):
about the reimbursement fordelivery of a baby. And in
Tennessee, we've got TennCare,which is the Medicaid version
of, that's what we call it,TennCare. This is not meant to
be discriminatory with what payis, but it's pitiful what the
(19:45):
provider gets paid withTennCare. And I was without
having collusion, I wasexplaining to the congressmen
that what we get paid on thecommercial side versus what we
get paid with the Medicaid sidein Tennessee with many times a
higher risk for the baby, forthe mother.
(20:07):
It was terrible. And he had noidea that there was such a
disparaging difference betweenwhat the payment was. So that
was an opportunity to help acongressman to be able to hear
empathetically what's going on.And I said, and then I've got to
recruit physicians into mypractice to come deliver babies
(20:28):
that are going to happen. It'sgonna happen regardless.
And they've got to want to comedo this in the state of
Tennessee. And this is a littlebit bigger, Daniel, but what I
don't want is someone to gettheir training in Tennessee,
their medical license. Andbecause we've got this TennCare
or the reimbursement that theyto evolve and migrate to another
(20:51):
state. I want to keep theTennessee doctors here. But
because of that, maybe anobstetrician gynecologist goes
to another state cause they needto have an adequate
reimbursement with where theygo.
That's one small snippet ofthings that we do with being an
advocate out there, a lobbyistfor trying to make a difference
(21:11):
in healthcare.
Daniel Williams (21:12):
Right. And to reiterate what you just said,
you were educating thatcongressperson. They had no
idea, right? Is that theunderstanding that they didn't
know Yeah,
Jon Ewing (21:24):
we told them, we don't look at what the The
provider isn't looking at theinsurance of the patient that's
in front of them. But it's onlyright that everybody deserves to
have some good healthcare. Andif you're having a baby born,
pay the doctor for doing theirwork. So there's a huge
difference between what the bestcommercial pay may be for a
(21:46):
delivery. And the way thatworked, Daniel, is all of the
prenatal care doesn't get paiduntil the delivery happens.
So 20 visits you may have inyour doctor's office, it all
comes when the baby's born iswhen you get paid. So you've got
to wait that time to do that.And sometimes the amount that
(22:07):
you're paid barely covers thecost of the nurses that were
attending the doctors. So that'sjust a snippet of things that
we're talking about in currentlegislation to try to make a
difference.
Daniel Williams (22:20):
Yeah. And I'm so glad you were able to give
that particular example becausethere is an education that takes
place. Because let's be real,was at a conference yesterday
and there was a research studythat was done on the level of
(22:41):
trust consumers have withdifferent industries. Healthcare
actually is pretty high upthere. Congress is the lowest.
It's last. And they're an easytarget to bash in all of this.
But then when you meet withsomeone face to face and you
understand what they're youknow, taking politics out of it
(23:02):
completely, but when see whatthey're faced with in being
educated on different topics,when they're being different
lobbyists or pushing differentagendas to them, you go, wow, I
mean, I do have some sympathythere for what they have to deal
with. And then from your side ofit, as that legislative liaison,
(23:26):
you see the task in front of youin educating them as well.
Jon Ewing (23:31):
Yeah. I'm glad you said that. And one the things
that I know that you guys hadmentioned for me to bring up was
how do you educate the rest ofMGMA members or other
administrators on how to talkabout this? And what I said is
you start with a common interestwith your legislatures. And it
can start with your local, yourmayor, your people that may be
(23:55):
running for state Congress orthe US Congress or Senate, and
you start having a conversationwith those people.
And what's interesting is thatif you go in with an approach
that's angry and dogmatic, it'sregardless of your psychology
background, somebody's gonnashut you off. So that's not the
(24:17):
approach for a legislativeliaison. You go in and find
common ground. And once you getan empathy where both of you are
understanding, then push youragenda some, well, this is why
we're trying to make adifference. Because you can
imagine when you're talkingabout the Boy Scouts, when
you're talking about roadworkthat needs to happen, when
you're talking about a conventthat's trying to be improved,
(24:39):
whatever it may be.
And then let's throw inhealthcare on top of that. This
congressman or woman is gettinghit from every angle and you
know, their head nodding, butwhen you make a difference is
when you get in touch with themwith something that like this is
going to affect you and yourfamily. Your mother, your
father, your wife, your husband,your child, and we all need
(25:02):
healthcare. And so that's whywhen you can get that touch, I
was looking at some research,Daniel, that in the year 20....
let's see, by 2030, we're goingto be 40,000 physicians short in
The United States. Fortythousand.
And this is not to be asensationalist. That's the
(25:24):
reality based on actuariesextrapolating that. Our baby
boomers, which is our largestpopulation, will all of them
will be in Medicare age by 2030.Everybody. So that's going to go
from 68 million people that arein Medicare to 80 million people
(25:50):
that are in Medicare.
And part of my job is to know alittle something about the big
beautiful bill, to know a littlesomething on the national level,
to know what's happening on thestate levels and how that's
affecting that. What are wegoing to do about Medicare
finances in the future? How arewe going to handle that? What's
that going to mean for the40,000 physicians we're going to
(26:12):
be short and a greaterpopulation of people because the
older we are, the more sick weget. And we've got to take care
of these folks.
And we've got to think aboutthat. And so those are the
things that we hit to talk aboutis like, don't just look at
balancing a budget today. Thinkabout what I call it a chess
(26:32):
game. In checkers, you thinkyou're just a few moves out. In
chess, you're thinking five orsix moves out, and you're trying
to think about what they'redoing.
I need people to think aboutchess moves for 2040, 2050.
Let's make a better world.
Daniel Williams (26:49):
Yeah. In that statement, you explained to me
why I'm so bad at chess. I'mdoing the move that I'm doing.
So I'm supposed to be thinkingfive or six moves ahead. Well,
thank you, Jon, for explainingthat
Jon Ewing (27:01):
to Well, it's a lot more complex than that and
there's much more people muchsmarter than I that are really
good at chess.
Daniel Williams (27:09):
Well, in the remaining time that we have,
talk about you and the role thatyou've had as a legislative
liaison. What role are you well,let's break it down this way.
Are you interacting with otherlegislative liaisons from other
states and or our governmentaffairs team in DC? Where are
(27:31):
you getting some of theinformation that you have so you
can be better prepared to thenpresent that to your
legislators?
Jon Ewing (27:40):
Well, kudos to MGMA National. I mean, there are
video conferences that I attend.And at the end of those, we have
questions. One of the ones thatwe had recently, and this is
something that I carry back tothe other, we call them local
chapter legislative liaisons. Itypically get the best audience
(28:01):
with them on the state levelwhen we have, we typically have
two conferences a year and one'sin the spring, one's in the
fall.
And then I get to talk to thoseother legislative liaisons. But
for the national one, MGMA isreally good about telling us
what's happening out there,communicating that. For
instance, they ask over 100 ofus to say, How many of you in
(28:24):
your practices are using extraman hours for prior
authorizations? And theyimmediately popped up from just
that question with 100 peoplethat we were 90%, all of us said
that we were using extra manhours we'd never used before
with sitting on hold trying toget a prior authorization, which
(28:45):
happens to be a huge topic inTennessee government as well as
in national government. So backto your question, the video
conferences, I go to localchapters.
Many of my peers will ask me tospeak through a video conference
or to come to one of their localchapters. I made a PowerPoint,
(29:06):
which was I tried to not soundlike I was insulting anyone. I
said, we're going back to acivics lesson, and you had the
little bill cartoon guy thatgoes through. And so we watched
how the bill works. And then wetalked about how you can make a
difference with that.
So a lot of it are sideconversations at the conferences
(29:26):
where you're having dinner andyou're talking about the matters
that are affecting thesepractices and physicians. And
others are video conferences,attending in person local
chapters and doing presentationswith what's happening. When I
first started, I was a neophyteand very naive about what was
(29:47):
happening out there now, I cancommunicate about what others
tell me too that are happeningin their areas.
Daniel Williams (29:54):
Yeah. Last question. For anybody that's
listening, they might be at thatstage where you were several
years ago, like, gosh, I don'tknow about being a legislative
liaison. I don't know if that'sright for me, but you've done it
now and you've really made it onthat personal level. So if you
want to share with our listenershow it's affected you on a
(30:17):
personal level by being someonewho is enacting change, getting
in front of people, talk aboutthat.
Jon Ewing (30:24):
Yeah. Thanks, Daniel. And I definitely wanna be an
advocate of encouraging others.I had a professor tell me one
time that leaders createleaders, and that is kind of the
ethos that we try to live by. SoI feel even with this interview
today is challenging people thatdon't be afraid and don't cower
(30:45):
away from the word legislature,that even if you've not had any
government experience, thegovernment appointed people or
voted in people, they wantpeople that are real, that can
tell them true stories that arehappening out there.
So make a difference becauseyou're passionate, not because
you have a stereotypical want tobe part of politics. Go to make
(31:09):
a difference with helpinghealthcare. Play the chess game
of looking forward into thefuture, hearing from other
people and then beingessentially what we are Daniel,
is we're being advocates forother people. Within your
clinics, you're an advocate forthe patient and you're an
advocate for your providers. Inthis role, you're an advocate
(31:29):
for improvement in healthcare.
And so that's my greatestchallenge to anyone else is
don't shy away from it. Learnfrom others. Mentor someone else
if you've been a legislativeliaison. Someone has a little
dabble of interest, let them runwith it because the heart of a
volunteer, it's not like we getpaid anything for this. We do it
(31:51):
because we love to make adifference in a profession that
we're passionate about.
Daniel Williams (31:57):
All right. Well, Jon Ewing, thank you for
making a difference as alegislative liaison and MGMA's
Legislative Liaison of the Year.Thank you so much.
Jon Ewing (32:06):
No, I can't believe that. Thank you, Daniel, for
taking the time to interview,and it was nice to hear a little
of your background. What's yourbrother doing now, by the way?
Daniel Williams (32:14):
He is a lawyer. He's a corporate lawyer, so
that's where he's gravitated to.
Jon Ewing (32:21):
Well, thanks for taking the time to do this, and
I hope that through this avenuewith National MGMA that someone
else will realize that you canmake a difference out there and
try to do that.
Daniel Williams (32:32):
Absolutely. Well, Jon Ewing, thank you so
much. And for, anybodylistening, Jon will, along with
me, we'll be in Orlando for theLeaders Conference, and we hope
to see you all there. It's goingto be September 28 through
October 1 in Orlando. Go tomgma.com/leaders where you can
(32:53):
learn more and you can registertoday.
Thank you all so much.
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com