On May 21st, Ken will give a presentation on “Use of Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners to Augment Behavioral Health Access” 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 Ken’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?
Ken Dunham: I am excited that Centene is co-creating a physician-led Medicaid insurance product. Carolina Complete Health, the insurance product, will allow physicians to provide and sculpt whole-person care that makes sense for beneficiaries in North Carolina. Physicians will be able to not only oversee medical policies but govern the health plan while receiving guidance from the nation’s strongest provider of Medicaid managed care. We a unique opportunity to create an innovative partnership that can serve as a model for the nation.
Q: When it comes to innovation, what are some common pitfalls you see healthcare organizations making?
KD: Innovation requires failure. Because we never want to harm patients, healthcare is a risk-averse field in which the culture of “failure is not an option” prevails. This creates a conservative atmosphere where custom, convention, and continuity prevail. Basically, it’s the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t mindset. However, Innovation requires breaking convention and is rife with failures. These are painful but are required to bring about a revolution in care. I believe there must be a balance that protects patients, has minimal impact on healthcare culture and fosters innovations that will change the future of healthcare. This balance is hard and requires continuous energy to maintain. This is a challenge for our healthcare systems.
Q: What future health IT capability will have the most significant impact on clinical workflows or patient outcomes?
KD: Augmented intelligence and the shift of healthcare from highly trained experts to highly trained AI models will change how healthcare is sought and utilized. AI will allow the complexities of healthcare expertise to be more easily accessible to non-traditional organizations. This will allow more non-healthcare companies to enter the healthcare market. Healthcare systems will need to figure out how to partner with these new opportunities.
Aney Abraham, Associate Vice President of Medical, Oncology & Cardiology Nursing for Rush University Medical Center and Faculty Assistant Professor for Rush University College of Nursing
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
