On May 25th, Dr. Bhushan will serve on the panel “What Are Your Top Priorities In Health IT and What Will It Cost to Achieve Them?” 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 May 24-26, 2021 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Bhushan’s session, click here.
Question: What, from your perspective, is the biggest challenge about the future of work for hospitals, and what can they do about it? (i.e. automation, desire for more flexibility, clinician shortages, etc.)
Bharat Bhushan: Newer technologies, posterity shifts in the workforce, emerging talent models and enhanced consumerism are some of the challenges relating to the future of work for hospitals. Artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), cognitive computing, and virtual reality/augmented reality (AR/VR) can automate and augment work performance. Most of the nonclinical, repetitive functions are not on the front line of patient care and are therefore potentially ripe for automation.
According to a World Economic Forum 2018 report, as many as 133 million new jobs could be created
as organizations shift between human workers and machines (AI, robotics, and automation), a net gain of 58 million jobs.
As younger generations including millennials and Generation Z are entering the workforce, traditional career paths are eschewed, and more contemporary workplaces are needed. The proliferation of gig economy, short contract, freelancing, and other new talent models require new skill sets and changes where work is performed. Consumers are more demanding and expect better service, more convenience, and easier ways to navigate through the health care system. These demands and expectations create opportunities for organizations to identify new strategies.
Q: How can hospitals reconcile the need to maintain inpatient volumes with the mission to keep people healthier and out of the hospital?
BB: Generally, hospitals make money only when beds are occupied, so in many cases, discharge and transitional care planning is considered an “orphan” services with no revenue. Despite its benefits, which clearly increase the well-being of patients and caregivers, discharge/transition planning is often not given the attention it deserves.
Studies have shown that as many as 40 percent of patients over 65 had medication errors after leaving the hospital, and 18 percent of Medicare patients discharged from a hospital are readmitted within 30 days. This is neither good for the patient nor for the hospital or financing agency, whether it’s Medicare, private insurance, or your own savings. Research has shown that excellent, coordinated discharge planning and good follow-up improves patients’ health, reduce readmissions, and decrease healthcare costs.
Q: What’s one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?
BB: In the clinical setting, the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ are often used interchangeably but in the management literature many definitions and several theories have emerged to explain the differences between the two. For instance, Kotter- a ‘management guru’- considers leadership as the ability to cope with change and management the ability to cope with complexity.
I learned early in my career that though having a high IQ is advantageous but having EQ can make all the difference. According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who popularized “Emotional intelligence”, there are five key elements to it:
Self-awareness.
Self-regulation.
Motivation.
Empathy.
Social skills.
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. “
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
