David M. Zechman, FACHE, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for McLaren Northern Michigan.
On April 11th, David M. Zechman will speak on a panel at Becker's Hospital Review 9th 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 April 11-14, 2018 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and David's session, click here.
Question: All healthcare is local. How does your market influence your organization's business or operations?
David M. Zechman: McLaren Northern Michigan is a regional referral center for 22 counties in northern Michigan. That amounts to 25 percent of the state in terms of land area. However, these counties are predominantly rural, and access to healthcare can be challenging for many of our patients. It can sometimes mean a four-hour trip to see a specialist. To alleviate this burden, our providers go into these various counties on a rotating basis to see patients locally in their own communities. So instead of 30 patients commuting to see a specialist on a given day, we send the provider, mobile equipment and a few clinical support staff to see them. This approach keeps the patients close to home and promotes consistent and continuous care. There are circumstances where patients simply have to make the trip, however. In the case of radiation oncology and infusion therapy, where consistent and timely treatment is imperative, we have engaged our hospital foundation and community agencies to collaborate on providing a van service from several surrounding counties. These are strategies, and yes, expenses, that our more urban colleagues may not have to consider, but for us, it's the right thing to do for our patients.
Q: How do you define patient engagement?
DZ: Today's literature abounds with definitions for patient engagement and metrics for measuring it. That's all very necessary, but quite simply, patient engagement is a relationship. And any good relationship is based on trust. As healthcare providers, we're challenged to earn the trust of our patients every day and at every touch-point. If we can do that, and do it well and with consistency, then we can begin to grow the relationship we have with our patients such that they develop an increasing level of interest in their own healthcare, in us as providers and in how we can work together to enhance their quality of life. The key is to always provide compassion and kindness for patients, family members and fellow colleagues.