Jhaymee Heinlein, MS, MBA serves as Director of Strategy Management and Growth for the Strategic Services Group at Atrium Health.
On April 11th, Jhaymee will give a presentation 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 Jhaymee's session, click here.
Question: What did you notice about your healthcare experience the last time you were at the receiving end as a patient?
Jhaymee Heinlein: I must admit that I am a true Xennial in every sense of the word. I remember using a dial-up modem to do schoolwork and I received my first cell phone in my early 20s —Nokia or Palm Pilot anyone? I have appreciated growing up in the pre-social media age but have quickly adapted to today's digital culture. It has certainly influenced my experience with healthcare, and I find myself increasingly having expectations of more digital interactions with my providers and care givers.
The last time I was a patient was this past fall. I admittedly waited to the last possible moment to get my flu shot and visited a CVS Minute Clinic as a last-ditch effort to get inoculated before the holidays. What I noticed about my experience is that almost every aspect of the interaction was digital. I entered my basic information via kiosk in less than two minutes. A physician interviewed me and asked a few additional questions about potential allergies and other medications I was taking, and entered all this information via computer. The receipt for the visit was sent directly to my personal email. I believe my entire experience lasted about eight minutes total.
Organizations that embrace digital healthcare will better engage with consumers who demand high quality, speed and efficiency from their healthcare interactions. It will be a lasting, sticky relationship with a generation of consumers who grew up with technology and expect technology to enable healthcare management going forward.
Q: How do you define patient engagement?
JH: Simply put, patient engagement is about patient empowerment. What happens when patients feel empowered? They feel equipped to make the best decisions. They participate in their health. Organizations from Apple to Amazon are supporting the empowered healthcare consumer more than ever before, by focusing on the technology that can enable better participation from the patient in managing their care. At Atrium Health, we tackle patient engagement with a health equity lens. We train our providers and teammates on cultural competency and unconscious biases so that we develop better relationships with our patients and empower them to be active in their health management. In 2016, our CEO signed the American Hospital Association Equity of Care Pledge for this very reason — to demonstrate our commitment to providing excellent care to our most vulnerable populations. When patients see that level of commitment from their healthcare provider, they truly view that relationship as a partnership built on trust. We will support and empower them through their healthcare journey.
Q: As a leader, what is the best investment you made in your own professional development in the past five years?
JH: The most impactful investment I have made in my own professional development in the past five years was applying to the American College of Healthcare Executives Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program. In 2017, I was selected as one of six scholars across the country to participate in this yearlong leadership development program that prepares diverse mid- and senior-level careerists to ascend to C-suite roles in health systems, hospitals and other healthcare organizations. As a healthcare leader, I have seen firsthand how important diversity and inclusion is to provide the best possible care in the communities we serve. I have also learned that it is so crucial to hit the pause button, take time away from work and invest in your professional development and growth. Learn about your leadership style and how you can develop emotional intelligence. Seek to understand the diverse needs of your team and how you can develop the soft skills that are [crucial] to developing high performing teams.
Additionally, I invest heavily in networking, which is essential for career advancement. I am very active in my local ACHE chapter here in Charlotte, [N.C.], which gives me an opportunity to network and share my professional experiences with other healthcare executives. I also serve as the President for the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives. NAHSE is very much aligned with my personal brand and mission to promote the advancement and development of African-American healthcare leaders and elevate the quality of healthcare services rendered to minority and underserved communities.