Julie Mirkin, DNP, MA, RN, serves as Chief Nursing Officer at Stony Brook Medicine.
On May 21st, Dr. Mirkin will serve on the panel "Personalization in Healthcare Delivery" 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. Mirkin'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?
Julie Mirkin: I am most excited about the ability to innovate, reach a broader patient population and improve access to care through leveraging technology. The future of Healthcare will look very different than it does now. Patients will be able to access care in a more timely, sophisticated way in the environment of their choice. Additionally, there is a significant opportunity to improve continuity of care and communication among various healthcare providers to ensure a seamless delivery of care through the utilization of technology.
Q: When it comes to innovation, what are some common pitfalls you see healthcare organizations making?
JM: When it comes to innovation, especially when implementing IT solutions, a common pitfall is that technology will solve the problem. This is not true. It is imperative to redesign systems and processes FIRST, and then identify how technology can support the new processes. Technology is only 20% of the equation; people and processes are 80 % of the solution. Additionally, it is critical, in my opinion, to have a patient-centered approach to innovation. We need to be mindful not to be too high tech and not enough high touch.
Q: What is the most important lesson you've learned about delivering excellent patient experience?
JM: Delivering an excellent patient experience starts with understanding how the patient defines excellence. Patients generally “expect” the Physicians and Health Care Team will address their physiological needs and illness. The difference between good patient care and excellent patient care is also providing a caring, humane approach to patient-centered care. Understanding what matters most to the patient and connecting with them on a personal level drives the difference between good and great care. It is imperative that Health Care Providers demonstrate compassion and take the time to get to know their patients on a personal level so that all of their healthcare needs can be addressed.
Q: What do you see as the most dangerous trend in healthcare right now?
JM: The most dangerous trend in healthcare today is too much of a reliance on technology. I have personally seen incidents where Physicians, Nurses and the healthcare team do not properly assess patients, identify subtle changes in condition and or do not communicate effectively secondary to a reliance on technology. I am concerned that we are losing basic skills needed in the past in the areas of medication calculations and administration, assessment and monitoring. Documentation in the EMR, in my opinion, has declined secondary to the time it takes and shortcuts utilized to complete the task. The EMRs have become very compartmentalized and difficult to navigate. Implementing technology solutions should be viewed as supportive, not the means to care for a patient.