Erik C. Summers, MD, FACP, serves as Chief Medical Officer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Erik will serve on the panel "The Future of Physician Employment: Key Updates and Concepts" along with the panel "Patient Satisfaction and Cost Reduction in Pharmaceutical Care" at Becker's Hospital Review 12th 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 in Chicago from April 25-28, 2022.
To learn more about the conference and Erik's sessions, click here.
Question: What are your top priorities for 2022?
Erik C. Summers: Improve staffing, Maximize patient flow in the Health System, Strategies for future COVID-19 outbreaks, and merging into our entire Health System.
Q: How do you plan to pivot strategies this year to better serve patients?
ES: Increasing focus on hiring and retaining staff.
Q: What will the lasting legacy of COVID-19 be on the healthcare system?
ES: The increased emphasis on staffing and Telehealth.
Q: What advice do you have for emerging healthcare leaders today?
ES: Always take the time to listen to frontline staff. You can't fix the problems in your hospital if you don't know what they are.