UnityPoint Health Appoints CMO for Cardiovascular Services

The new role reflects the importance of aligning care delivery, performance improvement, and growth, the system CMO of UnityPoint Health says.

UnityPoint Health has appointed Peter George, MD, MBA, to serve as CMO for cardiovascular services at the West Des Moines, Iowa-based health system.

George was named as CMO for cardiovascular services at UnityPoint in December. George's prior leadership experience includes serving as vice president of acute care services at OhioHealth.

The creation of the CMO for cardiovascular services role was prompted by a leadership need, according to Gregory Johnson, MD, senior vice president and system CMO at UnityPoint.

"We selected the title of CMO for cardiovascular services because it best reflects the strategic, systemwide scope that our system has chosen to model for our clinical leaders," Johnson says. "The CMO designation underscores the importance of aligning care delivery, performance improvement, and growth across our organization, while also conveying immediate credibility with physicians and reinforcing leadership parity with our operational partners."

George says one of his top goals is furthering UnityPoint's mission to achieve the best outcome for every patient every time they seek care.

"Whether a patient receives care at one of our larger hospitals or a rural hospital, we want patients to receive the same kind of consistent care and high-quality care," George says.

To ensure that patients in rural communities receive high-quality cardiovascular care, George says UnityPoint needs to rise to two primary challenges.

"First, we face a complex model where geography, economics, and medicine come together," George says. "Workforce challenges are part of that complex model. Recruitment for physicians and specialized support staff such as cardiac nurses and technicians is a challenge—about 86% of rural U.S. counties do not have a practicing cardiologist."

"Second, there are infrastructure and technology gaps," George says. "When it comes to expensive services such as specialized surgeries and cath labs, you need to have the volume to support the expense of having those services at a hospital. It's hard to offer those kinds of services in a small community, but you want patients to have access to those services."

Health systems must be aggressive in recruiting clinical staff to work at rural hospitals, George explains.

"To recruit medical staff for rural hospitals, you can offer generous compensation packages to attract talent to smaller towns," George says. "You can look for people who want to work in rural communities. You also can shine a light on how working in a rural community has many benefits."

Telehealth is crucial to offer cardiovascular services at rural hospitals, according to George.

"Telehealth is an example of how you can bridge the gap in offering expensive services," George says. "Telehealth can be a bridge between rural communities and larger communities with medical centers that offer specialized care."

It is essential to have a broadband infrastructure in place to offer telehealth services at a rural hospital, George explains.

"If you have that infrastructure, your specialists at an urban medical center can use a telehealth platform to see patients virtually on camera," George says. "The physician who is working virtually needs to engage the local care team, so they can intubate a patient or place lines in a patient."

Peter George, MD, MBA, is CMO for cardiovascular services at UnityPoint Health. Photo courtesy of UnityPoint Health.

Building a Cardiovascular Service Line

George is going to play a central role in establishing a cardiovascular service line at UnityPoint.

"We are getting a cardiovascular service line up and running that will coordinate care across the health system," George says. "Instead of thinking about UnityPoint as a collection of individual hospitals, we want full integration of our hospitals into a model that offers consistent care."

The main goal of the cardiovascular service line will be to provide care for patients in a consistent way. According to George, the health system will be organizing the staff members that are currently in place, and then adding innovative pieces to the service line.

"The electronic medical record is one point of connectivity that we can all share," George says. "Telehealth and virtual offerings are another point of connectivity that can help us deliver the same kind of care no matter where the patient is seen."

Gregory Johnson, MD, is senior vice president and system CMO at UnityPoint Health. Photo courtesy of UnityPoint Health.

Improving Patient Experience

George plans to take a high-tech and high-touch approach to improving patient experience in cardiovascular services.

"As cardiovascular care moves to outpatient and home settings, we need to connect and communicate with patients effectively," George says.

Boosting patient experience in cardiovascular care includes recognizing that a condition such as a heart attack is not only a physical diagnosis but also a psychological diagnosis, according to George.

"Those patients can have high anxiety about their heart attack, and they worry about it happening again," George says. "You need to treat the whole person. You need to treat their physical ailment, which is the heart attack. But you also need to connect them with support systems that can reduce their anxiety."

Communication is pivotal in providing a positive patient experience, George explains.

"You need to have transparent and honest discussions with patients," George says. "These discussions need to be jargon-free. You need to talk with patients in terms they understand. You need to explain what is happening with the patient, what you are doing about it, and the care plan."

To promote a positive patient experience, communication efforts must extend beyond the inpatient setting, according to George.

"After a patient is discharged, they need to have a clear idea about the expectations for their recovery," George says. "Clinicians need to make sure that patients and their family members truly understand what is happening."