Kristi Sidel, RN, serves as Director of Telemedicine Education for Avera eCARE.
On May 3rd, Kristi will give a presentation on "Avera Health’s Strategic Approach to Zero Suicide" 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 Kristi's session, click here.
Question: What one strategic initiative will demand the most of your time and energy in 2019?
Kristi Sidel: Avera eCARE is a team of telemedicine experts, ready 24/7/365 to assist in care delivery by bringing services and providers together under one roof via advanced communication and video technologies. With tremendous growth, we are seeing the need to develop a telemedicine education program across the continuum – nursing, IT, residents, providers, etc. to provide a standard of care.
Q: Healthcare takes a lot of heat for not innovating quickly. What's your take on this?
KS: Healthcare is extremely complex with many federal regulations and guidelines that play a factor. We are taking care of humans so we can’t just add a new shiny tool into our toolbox without thinking about the patient at the center. Healthcare continues to innovate; it just may not be at the pace others think it should be but that’s ok. We have human lives at stake so we exercise caution to prevent any harm.
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?
KS: I consider the people I work with as my teammates. They are so valuable with a wide range of skill sets that provide a direct impact on my day to day work. If we didn’t work together using our unique skills, it would stifle our growth as a team. Greatness is a choice and my team is choosing to be innovative in all aspects of care. They are comfortable with being uncomfortable. Those characteristics make my team great!