Ever dressed up as Santa Claus and felt like a rockstar? Aaron shares his hilarious experience of riding on a fire truck spreading holiday cheer, while Jason Crosby, confesses a secret love for the festive frenzy at local malls and markets. Join us as we reminisce about our favorite Christmas tunes, movies, and dishes that add a special sprinkle of magic to the holiday season. From the joyous melodies filling the air to the warm aroma of holiday treats, we recount light-hearted tales that capture the essence of this wonderful time of year.
This episode is a heartwarming celebration of community events, local artisans, and the joy of supporting small businesses. Listen in for a cheerful conversation that might inspire you to craft some new traditions of your own this holiday season as we wrap up Season 4.5 with a bow.
Guest: Jason Crosby, VP Network Integration & Strategic Planning
Jason currently serves as the Vice President of Strategic Planning & Network Integration for Strategic Healthcare Partners (SHP) of Savannah, GA, with whom he has been employed for 13 years. With SHP, he oversees the Clinically Integrated Network activity, as well as the Business Development and Strategic Planning function.
Prior to joining SHP, Jason served as Finance Director for Georgia Emergency Associates, Decision Support Manager at Memorial Health, and as a Finance Lead with Gulfstream Aerospace.
Guest: Aaron Higgins, Data Manager & IT Strategist
Aaron Higgins has worked with SHP since 2019 as the Data Manager and all around Quality Payment Program expert. In 2021, his role expanded to include IT Strategy to help SHP navigate the changing IT landscape in a post-COVID workplace.
Prior to working at SHP, Aaron worked in various private practices starting in 2008, where he typically held dual roles as both the Health IT Administrator and Meaningful Use/PQRS Manager, and in 2015 he moved to the Savannah area to oversee the Quality Payment Program for a private practice.
Every year, since coming to SHP, Aaron has provided a webinar series updating QPP eligible practices on the proposed & final rule changes coming to QPP (recordings of which can be found on the SHP website).
Transcript
Speaker 1:
Hello everybody, this is Jason Crosby with SHP. We have a special Christmas edition of the podcast today where we will talk about some of our favorite songs, favorite movies, dishes, etc. And just have a little fun during this episode. How are you doing today, Aaron?
Speaker 2:
I’m pretty good. I just came back from the North Pole. I figured I’d help out the man himself for a few minutes. It’s what I can do to give back to the community, you know.
Speaker 1:
That’s right. You know I was going to say you have a really nice beard, for those that can’t tell. But it’s not quite grown out. But you know it’s getting there. It’s very impressionable. I like it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, well, you know, give it a few years and all this gray will be more than just in the chin area. That’s right, you know. For our listeners who may know, I am also heavily involved in my community here and one of the great things that they do every year is Santa Claus rides around on the back of a fire truck in the neighborhoods to wave at the kids during December, and every year they get volunteers to do it and I am unsurprising to Jason. I’m one of those Santa Clauses and let me tell you I now know how Elvis felt when he entered the building. The way that the kids just freak out. It’s something special. So reach out. If your city does this, they’re probably looking for volunteers. So reach out to them. Maybe, maybe you can volunteer to be Santa on the back of a fire truck.
Speaker 1:
It’s something pretty fun. That’s right. You know, I gotta say this this time of year when it starts to get a little bit more cool. I actually don’t know about you, but I like getting out a little bit into the hustle and bustle right, getting near the malls, the outlet stores, kind of getting into it. Normally I don’t 99 of the time of the year, but then you start getting a little festive. You know it’s a little cold. You see people out you see the decorations. You really start getting into it. How about you? Yeah?
Speaker 2:
So there’s been several little like tree lighting events and holiday fairs and things like that.
Speaker 2:
You know we’re in the Savannah area, so we went downtown to the riverfront and walked around out. There it’s all decorated up. They have these little booths of local sales, you know, selling selling things that are way overpriced for what they are. But you know it’s local artisans, small shops, that sort of thing selling their wares. So it’s always nice to help support small business. So, yeah, we left there and I don’t think we really bought anything other than a couple of drinks, but we were sure more merrier for it.
Speaker 1:
That’s right. You had to walk around. Some of the places locally have some gingerbread house type competitions. That’s another thing we like to go see or drive around. Look at the Christmas lights. You know there’s lots of that. That’s a good tradition of ours. I’ll start off by saying we do have one family tradition. When I say family tradition, my kids and wife and I, our homegrown sort of tradition is it’s Christmas Eve gingerbread house competition. We’ve been generally doing boys versus girls. I think the boys are 0 and 22 now that my daughter’s 22. So we’re not doing too well, but that’s probably our favorite sort of family tradition. What about you? What are some of the traditions you and your family have?
Speaker 2:
Oh well, definitely go to church. What about you? What are some of the traditions you and your family have? Oh well, definitely go to church. Typically, if we can swing it, we go to either a midnight mass, even though we’re not Catholic. Going to the local Catholic church has always been a fun thing to try to do, but the candlelight service at our church has always been beautiful.
Speaker 2:
It’s a little bit of a challenge. My wife is born on Christmas Eve, um, so I have to be sure to keep the two things very separate, uh, from each other, but finding a restaurant that’s open on Christmas Eve in the evening is an extreme challenge, so usually it’s been focused very much on, uh, her for her birthday and then, uh, of course, celebrating Christmas morning, opening gifts and this is our first year to actually have a kid to be celebrating with, although he’s very little, so I think he’ll really only be drooling on the gifts rather than opening them up. That’s right, yeah, but it’s always been about connecting with people, whether it be family or friends or spending time with loved ones. That’s kind of been our holiday tradition is just hanging out and spending time, uh, which is harder and harder to come by these days.
Speaker 1:
It really is really is, and this year, with it being in the middle of the week, makes it a little, a little tougher. But I’ll tell you this to me there’s nothing better than christmas eve, the build up, everybody’s in good spirits. We meet, we get kind of our big, we do a big family lunch on christmas eve. That’s the big multi-family get together is actually on christmas eve, so that you can do, uh, christmas eve mass, or sometimes we’ll go christmas morning service. I actually like that, probably even more so than christmas eve myself you, you and the 10 other people that show up right, that’s that’s right and, of course, those 10 other people are your family right
Speaker 1:
and and the pastor and his family right, yeah, you know, I get a good front row seat. Then, yeah, and I would say, of course, and probably to our next tone, favorite movies. I mean, there’s not a better time of year for movies, in my opinion, movies you’ve seen hundreds of times, but still just kind of giggle right. So I’m going to charge the audience, but first I’m going to put Aaron on the spot and and say give me your top five. Maybe you don’t even have to do an order if that’s too much pressure yeah, that’s a lot of pressure ones that I absolutely must watch before I go.
Speaker 2:
Okay, it’s not christmas unless I have seen I will certainly say it’s not christmas unless I have seen hans gruber fall off nakatomi plaza.
Speaker 2:
That is an absolute must watch. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. I will die on that hill. So Die Hard kind of modern era. We got Elf, which is actually now like a 20 year old film, so maybe not so modern era. That was a modern classic. You know, I enjoy passively the Snoopy, the Peanuts Christmas. I say passively because it kind of drags in the middle so I kind of fast forward to the good stuff. But the Home Alone one and two I refuse to recognize any others and probably Tim Allen’s Santa Claus one, uh, that’s, that’s a super enjoyable, that’s a good, that’s a good one, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:
um, you know, I, I can watch the sequels. The sequels are okay, but like if, if the sequels should go away one day and we were only to be left with the original, I wouldn’t be too sad. That’s true, yeah, yeah, okay. How about you? What are some of the must-watch? Independent physician associations play a crucial role in delivering quality healthcare while allowing physicians to maintain their autonomy. At Strategic Healthcare Partners, we manage the full spectrum of IPA services, including managed care, contracting, practice enhancements and member education. Our goal is to empower physicians to secure their current and future patients through an organization governed by physicians. For physicians, whether you’re part of a statewide IPA, a regional IPA or a single specialty group, shp provides the strategic advisory and management oversight you need. Discover how we can help you thrive at shplccom.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I got, I got to agree with a couple of yours. I mean Elf. Elf is definitely top five. One I’ve actually watched probably three times already and we got a couple of weeks to Christmas is National Lampoon, christmas lampoon, christmas. To me, those are, those are two of the givens right. Um um oh lee. I probably will go more towards um rudolph versus the snoopy.
Speaker 2:
Okay christmas I can see it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I’m gonna go. I’m gonna to go with Rudolph. I got to say maybe it’s a Wonderful Life. Got to toss that in there.
Speaker 2:
You know, the Lucas plays it’s a Wonderful Life. The Lucas Theater in Savannah, Georgia plays it’s a Wonderful Life every year for free. You only have to pay by donating canned or dried goods.
Speaker 1:
So check it out.
Speaker 2:
Check it out. It’s a fun old theater that was restored you know what, a decade plus ago by SCAD, and you can see the original. It’s a Wonderful Life on the big screen, like it was intended to be seen.
Speaker 1:
Wow.
Speaker 1:
Look at there I just learned something new. Hmm, yeah, and you, my wife’s favorite. She’s gotten me to watch more and more. It’s, it’s a good movie and this is going to parlay into the next question I’ve got for you. But I gotta give her props. Love actually isn’t too bad. I know I’m gonna, I’m going to lose a man card for that one, but I’m okay with that. Um, it’s, it’s got a little comedy to it as well. So it’s, yeah, it’s, it’s in that genre a little different. But yeah, I, I put that in there. But I’m also. I love the cartoon based sort of movies this time of year. I, I love those, the old ones, new ones. It doesn’t matter if it’s the disney, pixar time, I’m all about the short, short films, right. So all right, we’ve done movies, we’re going. I know we’re wrapping up against time. A couple of your favorite songs.
Speaker 2:
A must listen to is anything that is from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Like that gets me excited about Christmas.
Speaker 1:
Okay, I can’t disagree with you there.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, Honestly pick one.
Speaker 1:
Any of them are good Well to me it’s. Christmas, when I hear Mariah Carey, I say I know, I know, I know okay, man card yes but when I hear that, come on, you know it’s pretty, pretty dumb when I hear her or I hear bean crosby, like yeah yeah, okay, white christmas yeah, I mean that’s another, that that’s another kind of must watch christmas film.
Speaker 2:
That’s actually good.
Speaker 1:
Again same sort of thing there’s.
Speaker 2:
There’s some parts in the middle. I fast forward, yeah.
Speaker 1:
It’s a little much Some of those dance numbers, so I’m going to be Crosby nationally, a Putin favorite movie. That’s my two song and I can’t disagree with those. Those are good picks. And then, of course, it’s followed up by a college, college football, playoffs and bowl season but that’s a whole nother conversation.
Speaker 1:
Anyways, listen, folks, we um, as we wrap up here, we are around Christmas and of course, we you know, aaron, I talk about how, how blessed we are to be able to interact with you. Folks, um, we, we wish you a very blessed Christmas and end of the year. Uh, just as we are blessed to have you listen to us, we do appreciate your time and doing so, and have a great rest of the year. New year, aaron. Best of Christmas to you and your family. Many blessings, of course, to you with your first, with your child. Nothing better than that. Very thankful that you’ve got that opportunity, and happy for you and your family. But Merry Christmas, happy New Year to you.
Speaker 2:
Merry Christmas, jason. Happy New Year and to all of our listeners, we will be back in January, so stay tuned for that. We’ll be communicating, if you’re on our newsletter, some more information about what’s coming here soon. So thanks for sticking with us through. Season 4.5, quick conversations. Alrighty folks, that’s a wrap on this episode of Beyond the Stethoscope Vital Conversations with SHP. I’m Aaron Higgins and I’m Jason.
Speaker 1:
Crosby. This show is brought to you by Strategic Healthcare Partners. Our executive producers are Mike Scribner and John Crew, who probably by now deserve medals and our editor is Nyla Weed, who polishes our ramblings into something listenable and shout out to Jeremy Miller, our social media manager, with Boost by Design, keeping us trendy and meme-worthy.
Speaker 2:
And let us not forget our toiling robot transcriber, who catches about 90% of what we say and that other 10% is tweaked by Jason, a real-life human, allegedly.
Speaker 1:
Wait, here’s proof, right in this episode. You can dig through our podcast archive at shplccom slash podcast Pretty clever Check out all the episodes and even learn about what SHP can do for you.
Speaker 2:
And while you’re at it, find us on Facebook and LinkedIn, Drop us a comment, ask a question or just let us know if you made it to the end of this episode without zoning out.
Speaker 1:
At this point. Thanks for hanging out with us. We’ll see you next week, Same time, same place. Bye for now. Later Gator.