As health systems struggle with increased demand care amid labor shortages, it's clear that a fundamental transformation must occur. To achieve this transformation, health systems must improve population health and help patients access healthcare on their terms through technology and innovation.
During a Vituity-sponsored webinar in October hosted by Becker's Hospital Review, five industry leaders discussed how healthcare must return to its roots of caring for people, with health in place as an anchoring concept of meeting patients when and where they need care. The panelists focused on patient-centric care, the need for improved efficiency, and the impact of listening and empowerment. Panelists were:
- Denise Brown, MD, chief growth officer, Vituity
- Dana Kellis, MD, chief medical officer, hospital division, BayCare Health System (Fla.)
- Margaret Pastuszko, president and chief operating officer, Mount Sinai Health System (N.Y.)
- Tony S. Reed, MD, PhD, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Temple University Health System (Pa.)
- Faraaz Yousuf, market president, Bon Secours Richmond (Va.) Health System
Four key insights:
1. Technology can transform healthcare, helping it to return to its roots. "Once upon a time, the doctor had his bag of tricks, went to your house and took care of you. It was focused on the patient and family, a sort of all-encompassing experience," Dr. Brown said. "Today, we need to engender those same sorts of feelings. We need to deliver care to people where they need it and make sure to encompass the whole person and their family. We're able to use technology in interesting ways to do that."
2. Healthcare providers must meet patients where they are living, working, and recreating. According to Dr. Reed, the Temple University Health System not only allows patients to select their preferred method of interaction — it also goes into the community. "We have those who want to come into the office for everything, those who prefer to communicate via secured messaging and those who desire telemedicine visits," he said. "At the same time, we're in community centers talking about COPD, we're treating the opioid epidemic in the streets, and we're preventing trauma through work in the schools."
3. Minimizing utilization and eliminating waste are critical to sustain the future of healthcare. Based on his experience, Dr. Reed understands the need to minimize hospital utilization. "We figured out that if patients land in the hospital, it's too late. We've just spent all the money the moment they walk in," he said. "I became the one hospital CMO in the country trying to teach people not to use hospitals." By helping patients stay healthier and intervening sooner, high-cost avenues such as ERs can be reserved for those who truly need them.
The shortage of workers is forcing health systems to refocus on efficiency. "Our system is looking for hundreds of nurses and techs," Dr. Kellis said. "Now is the time to address wasted resources in our healthcare system because we don't have the manpower to waste our efforts any longer. The only answer is to redesign the care we're delivering to improve our efficiency and value."
4. Listening to patients and empowering front-line healthcare workers will drive transformation. Mr. Yousuf advocated simply listening to patients to better understand what they need. "We need to solicit feedback in a more meaningful way and endorse technologies that will facilitate those pathways," he said. Along the same lines, Ms. Pastuszko said the combination of small steps that happen every day will fuel a larger transformation. "It's empowering our front-line employees, creating the time for them to do what they know is right."
For more insights on health in place, read this article and accompanying video. To register for upcoming webinars, click here.