Becker's Health IT + Clinical Leadership + Pharmacy: 3 Questions with Elissa Charbonneau, Chief Medical Officer at Encompass Health Corporation

Virginia Egizio -

Elissa Charbonneau, DO, MS, serves as Chief Medical Officer at Encompass Health Corporation.

On May 19th, Dr. Charbonneau will serve on the panel "Post-Acute Care - Ideas to Reduce Re-Admissions" at Becker's Hospital Review 3rd Annual 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 on May 19-21, 2020 in Chicago.

To learn more about the conference and Dr. Charbonneau's session, click here.

Question: What initiative are you most excited about today at your healthcare organization? How will it affect the future of healthcare delivery?

Elissa Charbonneau: I am most excited about our initiatives to streamline transitions of care. We know that patients are most vulnerable at times when they are transferred from one setting to the next. Through the use of advanced technology and our care transition coordinators, we consistently work to improve the patient discharge process from our inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, which will ultimately result in a reduction of readmissions to acute care hospitals.

Q: What is the most important lesson you've learned about delivering excellent patient experience?

EC: The most important lesson I’ve learned about delivering excellent patient experience is to always put patients first. We encourage our clinicians to treat patients the way they want their own family members to be treated. Innovation and technology can provide huge improvements in patient care but it must be coupled with clinicians that are willing to focus on the patient and their individualized goals. If we pair innovative practices and technology with clinicians who provide the highest quality of care, our patients’ experiences will be positive.

Q: What future health IT capability will have the most significant impact on clinical workflows or patient outcomes?

EC: The use of artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms to drive outcomes will continue but will only be successful when coupled with clinical interventions. Artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms have made great gains in the last decade in collecting data from electronic health records to identify trends, alerting healthcare workers of potential problems before they occur. Without proper interventions in place and sound judgement from clinicians, though, these algorithms can’t be successful. Artificial intelligence that is combined with expert clinical care will help providers deliver an excellent patient experience.

 

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