Rod W. Neill, MBA, MS, CMPE, serves as Chief Operating Officer, Mercy Healthcare.
Rod will be serving on the panel "Bright Ideas for Impactful Sustainability and Green Initatives" 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 Rod's session, click here.
Question: What are your top priorities for 2022?
Rod W. Neill: Access and convenience are paramount to being successful in a more consumer centric healthcare environment. Beyond this as a top priority we have seen an increase in the cost of care based on the pandemic. Getting back to basic operations and efforts around efficiency will allow us to focus resources on growth and new services.
Q: How do you plan to pivot strategies this year to better serve patients?
RN: We are spending a great deal of time and effort this year to make access easier and more convenient. This includes things like virtual health but we are placing more effort on developing our app which allows patients to interact with us in a myriad of ways at time that works best for them. This increased functionality also takes tasks away from our staff they can focus on more valuable work. We are also continuing to grown non-hospital based services, like ASCs and imaging, in or near our practice sites to increase accessibility and lower patient costs.
Q: What technologies and innovations are you most excited about in healthcare right now?
RN: Home monitoring systems and their increased utility and lower implementation costs allow for development of new services like hospital at home. The ability to bring acute care setting type tools into the home allows less acute patients to receive care and recover in the comfort of their home at a lower cost and with less resources being utilized.
Q: What advice do you have for emerging healthcare leaders today?
RN: The ability to listen will be a fine skill that never goes out of style. It is a talent that is lost on many but one that successful leaders develop over time. Active listening is a trait is cultivated and takes practices, effort and desire to become proficient.