Charles Watson, DO, FACOG, serves as Chief Medical Information Officer for Kettering Health Network.
On May 2nd, Charles will serve on the panel "The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Population Health, Healthcare Access and Quality" at Becker's Health IT + Clinical Leadership + Pharmacy conference. 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 2-4, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Tarrago's session, click here.
Question: What do innovators/entrepreneurs from outside healthcare need to better understand about hospital and health system leaders?
Charles Watson: The truth, like many things, probably lies somewhere in the middle. When innovating in healthcare, the stakes are often much higher. If an app crashes or data is lost, it can have serious consequences in healthcare, especially when directly tied to patient care. Thus, we need to be much more diligent about making sure things work before letting them loose. That said, the speed with which healthcare advances is too slow, and not just in innovation. We know that the time it takes for newly “accepted” research to be generally put into practice is very long (over 15 years). Some of this is due to culture, some of this is related to technology, and some is communication. If we can address these issues, then we can improve quickness of innovation.
Q: Tell us about the last meaningful interaction you had with a patient.
CW: I think it was a 30 yr old type one diabetic who was considering pregnancy. In college and graduate school disease management and blood sugar control was not her first priority. And, I explained to her that her pregnancy would be considered high risk as a type one diabetic and that she should not consider pregnancy until her A1c was significantly improved. It goes to show what the correct motivation can do as this patient got serious about her disease including diet, insulin management, appropriate health maintenance, exercise and follow up, and this resulted in a healthy, happy baby girl.
Q: Can you share some praise with us about people you work with? What does greatness look like to you when it comes to your team?
CW: I believe it is the mission, vision and framework that our division promotes that results in recruiting the right fit for our organization. And this in turn brings people who come to work because they believe in those values and see their work as meaningful. This creates an environment where it is not just going to work, but a joy in contributing to the institutions goals. When I praise or thank a team member I try to show how their contribution has improved the care we provide .