Andrea Darr, PharmD, BCPS, serves as Pharmacy Officer at Avera eCare.
On April 9th, Andrea will serve on the Pharmacy Leadership Forum panel "The Role of New Technology in Pharmacy + Its Impact on the Future" at Becker's Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place on April 6-9, 2020 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Andrea's session, click here.
Question: What's one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?
Andrea Darr: One lesson that has helped me time and time again is not to fear failure. Despite the most elaborate plans, there are always unforeseen factors that could derail your plans or stop your progress. Be flexible, admit mistakes, adjust plans as needed, but keep moving ahead.
Q: Where do you go for inspiration and fresh ideas?
AD: Inspiration comes in many forms, both within and outside of health care. Spend time listening to those who cause you to think. This can be a TED Talk, a podcast, a musician, a speaker at a conference, a coworker, or a mentor. Then, importantly, take time to think. Ponder your own ideas, attitudes, and plans for action. This important step of internal action can look like low productivity, but is it? This time may be just what you need to launch your next big idea.
Q: What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now?
AD: I believe the adaptation and incorporation of telemedicine and telehealth as the most exciting opportunity in health care. The impact on patients and rural communities is tremendous in terms of having greater access to a broader scope of health care in a timely and efficient manner. Telehealth services are a means to reducing disparities in health care access in rural areas.
Where do you go for inspiration and fresh ideas? Beckers, of course! In all seriousness, the conference speakers are the best in the industry and the sessions are relevant to leaders in hospitals both large and small. And I don't have to look any further than my inbox daily for the most recent healthcare news and best practices.
What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now? The most exciting opportunity in healthcare today is the move to value-driven care with the patient at the center focusing on wellness and prevention instead of treating signs and symptoms with volume-driven sick visits and hospitalizations. Accountable care, the merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) and value-based payment programs are driving providers from volume to value-based care with incentives to reward both the physician and the patient!
Healthcare has had calls for disruption, innovation and transformation for years now. Do you feel we are seeing that change? Why or why not? Yes, hospitals that are driving change and transformation are receiving high marks in quality and patient-satisfaction. They are investing in technology to coordinate care and making access easier for their patients. At the same time, they are educating and preparing their workforce to be responsive to innovative change. The age of volume-driven fee-for-service medicine is gradually giving way to value-based care. Hospitals must transform to become organizations that reward value instead of volume and develop delivery methods that use evidence-based practices, procedures and technologies to attain optimal outcomes and achieve greater efficiencies. Many primary care providers have heard the call for value and are joining ACO's and working to meet this demand. Sadly hospitals that haven’t transformed to ensure the highest quality patient-centered care and the most competitive prices are being bypassed by the primary care physicians, the patients and the payers. "