Lisa Romano, MSN, RN, serves as Chief Nursing Officer for CipherHealth.
On May 3rd, Lisa will serve on the panel "What Does "Patient Experience" Mean Today? How Does it Relate to Engagement?" 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 Lisa's session, click here.
Question: What one strategic initiative will demand the most of your time and energy in 2019?
Lisa Romano: In 2019, one of my priorities is educating and empowering leading health systems to keep patients safe during transitions of care. With patients often facing underlying psychosocial challenges that may impede optimal post-discharge recovery, health systems have the opportunity to proactively engage and support patients during care transitions as they manage their medications, pain/symptoms, and overall care plan. Every patient deserves follow up. By engaging all patients as they transition from one care setting to the next, health systems can systematically ensure patient safety.
Q: What is the biggest evolution you've seen among the hospitals/health systems you work with over the past 2-3 years?
LR: In partnering closely with health systems over the past few years, I’ve seen an evolution in patient engagement maturity levels. With the shift towards value-based care, many healthcare executives are leading their organizations in developing strategies that reach and engage patients across the care continuum. By developing a data-driven patient engagement strategy that extends beyond the four walls of the hospital to meet the patient where they are in their journey, these organizations can systematically improve patient outcomes and experiences along the entire arc of care.
Q: Tell us about the last meaningful interaction you had with a patient.
LR: As part of a nurse leadership rounding initiative, I had the opportunity to round on an elderly woman who was about 24 hours post abdominal surgery. The patient was in pain, explaining that she felt anxious and fearful because her husband was admitted to the ED with chest pain during the previous night. She had no recent updates on his condition. At that point, I could see that her clinical condition was greatly impacted by the fact that her husband was ill. Allowing the patient to talk about her concerns and getting a current update on her husband was what she needed most. I stayed with her until her son arrived. He took her hand, assuring her that he was going to be there for both of them. When he explained, "Dad was getting the best care downstairs in the ED and was stable", the patient took a deep breath and was visibly less worried. I hugged them when I said goodbye and felt so happy that she had a smile on her face when I left her room.