Rod Hochman, MD, advocated for more in-person collaboration in a recent interview snippet published to LinkedIn.
Dr. Hochman, president and CEO of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, announced that 2023 would be the "year of human connection," the system's COO Erik Wexler said. Sharing physical space is essential to bringing joy back to the practice of medicine, Dr. Hochman affirmed.
"The last three years, they've been pretty miserable," Dr. Hochman said. "In the beginning, being able to stay home more and get in front of a screen … but that got old pretty quickly. And I think what we're trying to do is find the balance between the virtual world and the in-person world."
Providence, which rolled out virtual nursing to eight hospitals in June, is working to strike the right hybrid middle ground, according to Dr. Hochman. He recognizes in-person collaboration is not necessary every day, but holds that there is no substitute for the productivity and collaboration of a group of people sharing the same space.
"I'm encouraging all of our people out there, particularly our leaders, to get out from behind the screen," Dr. Hochman said. "Get out, see the people, see what we're doing, and that's where I've learned the most."