On May 24th, Dr. Oliver will serve on the panel “Three Strategies for Hospitals and Health Systems to Counter Physician Burnout” 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. Oliver’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.)
Pam Oliver: The quadruple aim in healthcare is critical to me because it takes the well-known triple aim and incorporates a key missing healthcare component – improving the work life of our physicians. Burnout has always been an issue for physicians, and with all the changes in the healthcare landscape, it’s rapidly increasing. As we advance in value-based care models, we’re continuing our physician resiliency program that consists of a multiday wellness retreat, one-on-one coaching and a mentoring program that allows them to explore who they are and where they want to go in their life. We know that in order for physicians to be effective at work, they need to be happy with who they are and what they do. At Novant Health, physicians are also part of our leadership model. We know we work best when our administrative leaders are partnering with physician leaders.
Q: Where do you go for inspiration and fresh ideas?
PO: I go to our teams for inspiration and new ideas. We are stronger when we collaborate, and I always look forward to hearing ideas about innovation and revolutionizing the way we provide care when I’m rounding in clinics or meeting with team members across our system. One exciting initiative we’ve launched is the “Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff” (GROSS) project. We hear from our physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) about things in their clinics, from issues with the electronic medical record to having trouble with workflows. A health system in Hawaii did a similar exercise, and that inspired my teams to start asking our physicians and APPs to submit their ideas on how we can fix problems and implement new processes to help bring back the joy in work. The project has allowed us to make changes and provide education. I’ve also started meeting with our physicians and APPs quarterly, through both Zoom and in-person town halls. In both formats, they are able to ask me questions on any topic they choose. It’s so important to provide team members with opportunities to not only hear from me, but also hear from each other.
Q: What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now?
PO: Digital innovations are both providing enhanced access to care (location, timing, convenience) and increased quality of care (cancer diagnosis years in advance of visible tumors, identification of operable occlusions well in advance of the standard process).
At Novant Health, innovation and technology are a big part of our mission to meet consumers’ needs by shaping new services and experiences that resonate the most with them. In 2019, we launched the Novant Health Institute of Innovation & Artificial Intelligence (AI), which uses AI to enhance personalized patient care. The institute focuses on the advanced technologies required to provide highly personalized care and accelerated solutions with actionable data and insights for preventive prediction, diagnosis and treatment to Novant Health’s patients. The institute is not a building, rather a set of processes and constructs that allow team members from all parts of Novant Health to explore and experiment with emerging AI-based capabilities, acting as a distributed team, for the benefit of our patients and communities.
We’re also pursuing opportunities to offer nontraditional care that is affordable, efficient, competitive and convenient. Hospitals and health systems should look for disruptors to partner with, including disrupting their own business model. For example, Novant Health is partnering with TytoCare, a company providing an advanced virtual physical exam tool sold on our website and at Best Buy, to provide 24/7 quality care remotely using advanced sensors and a direct link to our electronic health record. When our patients use our video visits or a TytoCare digital visit, our patients receive advanced care, similar to an in-person appointment, when and where they need it. We are meeting our patients and communities where they are.
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.
