Terri Couts, RN, MHA, serves as the Vice President of Clinical Systems and Epic Applications Program for the Guthrie Clinic.
On May 11th, Terri Couts will present at Becker's Health IT + Clinical Leadership 2018. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place May 10-11th 2018 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Ms. Cout's session, click here.
Question: What disruptors have your attention?
Terri Couts: This is a loaded question because I believe healthcare is full of constant disruptors. We are continuously dodging the next bullet, especially in the daily operations arena. However, there are three in my mind that stick out and probably do not get the attention they deserve due to our heads being buried in keeping the lights on.
Patients, retail and technology are disruptors that need more attention. Healthcare historically was not something you shopped for, and, in most cases, you did not have a choice in whom provided it. As a patient you would go to the community provider and could only be influenced by family, friends and your health coverage. Community means something different today. We are a very mobile community. Patients have demands for care, especially around access and convenience, that were not experienced before. Because of these demands and expectations, technology and retail companies are identifying a service need and they are attempting to satisfy that. These companies are growing exponentially and have made a large financial investment to getting it right. Healthcare organizations need to understand their patients' needs and learn to be agile enough to change at the rate that is needed to survive, or large retail companies like Amazon will swallow us up.
Q: What unfolded the last time your organization responded to concerns or needs expressed by physicians?
TC: One of the items Guthrie is most proud of is that we allow our providers autonomy within their practice and how they care for patients. We have always been a provider-centric organization. With that said, we still experience physician burnout and struggle with retention and recruitment. In the last six months we have been focusing on the root causes of our issue with provider burnout and recruitment. We all hear how the EMR has been linked to providers spending more time with the computer and less time with patients and at home. We have instituted a provider efficiency program to help address these needs. We are looking at where providers spend the most time in the chart, providing additional training and even redesigning to fit the tool to their workflow. IT has essentially partnered with the providers. At first there was a lot of resistance. The providers did not want to spend the time with an analyst or trainer. But with patience and persistence, we are seeing a slight movement in overall happiness with the EMR and efficiency within it. Will this address physician burn out? Only time will tell.
Q: As a leader, what is the best investment you made in your own professional development in the past five years?
TC: Leaders, no matter the industry, are often overloaded with work. Some spend a lot of time and money to learn how to be an effective leader through additional degrees or other formal education, mentorships or even taking on more work to prove they can do it. All of this can be valuable, and, in most cases, cannot be replaced. However, my best investment I have made in myself has been taking the time to form and cultivate relationships. Relationships with my senior leaders, my customers, my peers, but most importantly my staff. Stepping outside of the desk and really getting to know them and even working right beside them. Relationships are the foundation of my leadership growth. I have been able to do so much more in my role because I have had those relationships that were willing to go through it right beside me.