Dogs have the potential to detect cancer at an early stage, which is crucial for generating positive clinical outcomes.
In this HL Shorts video, Shlomi Madar, PhD, CEO of SpotitEarly, shares how his organization trains beagles to sniff the volatile organic compounds that are secreted by cancer tumors.
Hackensack Meridian Health has entered a partnership with SpotitEarly to study the early detection of breast cancer with cancer sniffing dogs combined with artificial intelligence technology.
Early detection of cancer is critical for achieving positive clinical outcomes. With early detection, cancer can not only be treated effectively but also be cured in many cases, according to Elias Obeid, MD, MPH, medical director of the Hackensack Meridian Health Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine. In addition, when cancer is detected at an early stage, less aggressive therapy is effective, Obeid says.
Click on the video graphic below to get Madar's explanation of how to train dogs to sniff out cancer. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
The top topics discussed at the HealthLeaders CMO Exchange included adoption of artificial intelligence tools in clinical care, policy management and CMS reporting, and physician wellness.
HealthLeaders convened more than two dozen CMOs and chief clinical officers last week for the annual CMO Exchange.
Key takeaways from the CMO Exchange include adoption trends for artificial intelligence tools in clinical care, advice for policy management and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reporting, and successful strategies for reducing physician burnout.
Adoption of AI tools in clinical care
Adoption of AI-powered ambient listening tools to record interactions between clinicians and patients then generating a clinical documentation note is the most common AI tool in clinical care, according to CMO Exchange participants. AI-powered ambient listening tools are becoming an essential capability, with many physicians making the use of these tools a requirement to join a health system's or hospital's staff.
While AI-powered ambient listening tools are the most common form of AI tools in clinical settings, health systems and hospitals are branching out to adopt new AI tools in other clinical areas, CMO Exchange participants said.
One health system has deployed an AI tool to boost patient throughput in the inpatient setting. The AI tool looks at factors that influence a patient's schedule for discharge, then estimates discharge date and time.
Another example of a relatively new application for AI in the clinical setting is an AI tool that helps a health system detect medication diversion. The AI tool monitors how nurses are using the health system's Pyxis automated medication dispensing devices and gives supervisors an idea of where there might be a problem with medication diversion.
Policy management and CMS reporting
CMOs and other top clinical leaders should work to have a common understanding with their physicians on policy issues to dispel policy misinformation that spreads on the Internet, the CMO Exchange participants explained. Clinical leaders should also seek to reach a common understanding about policy changes established by the Trump administration.
Avoiding mass communication about policy changes with patients is an effective strategy, according to the participants. Health systems and hospitals should seize opportunities to have one-on-one discussions with patients about policy changes.
Health systems and hospitals should have clear policies for advanced practice provider (APP) credentialing. Clinical leaders should consider having an APP credentialing subcommittee, the participants said.
Health systems and hospitals should consider hiring a chief quality officer or vice president of quality who can focus on CMS reporting requirements. Many clinical leaders take a reactive approach to CMS reporting.
Addressing physician burnout
One of the features of this year's CMO Exchange was a presentation on addressing physician wellness by Jane Fogg, MD, MPH, director of organizational transformation, and professional satisfaction at the American Medical Association.
Although physician burnout peaked at 62.8% in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic, it has been decreasing in recent years, according to Fogg. Factors that may be driving the reduction in physician burnout include increasing awareness of the impact of physician burnout out on health outcomes, publications on physician wellness rising dramatically, health systems investing significantly in physician retention strategies to combat workforce shortages, and increased sharing among health systems on best practices, Fogg said.
To address wellness at physician-practice level, CMOs should focus on continuous improvement embedded throughout a practice, attention to leadership and culture, and working in partnership with physicians, Fogg explained.
There are five primary ways CMOs can support physician well-being, according to Fogg.
Empowering local work units to implement solutions for workplace inefficiency
Engaging physicians such as involving them in improving operations at a physician practice with bidirectional communication and involving them in improving the practice
Leading as dyads or triads to foster partnerships across clinicians and administrators to leverage their expertise and shared ownership
Embracing systemic solutions such as improving management of in-basket messages to physicians in the electronic medical record, reducing barriers such as prior authorizations, or implementing documentation support
Practicing "wellness centered leadership" that treats all staff members with respect, transparently shares what leaders know about wellness and burnout, solicits input, nurtures and supports professional development, and expresses appreciation and gratitude.
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program’s webpage or the program’sLinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us atexchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
Dogs have the potential to detect cancer at an early stage, which is crucial for generating positive clinical outcomes.
Hackensack Meridian Health has entered a partnership with SpotitEarly to study the early detection of breast cancer with cancer sniffing dogs combined with artificial intelligence technology.
Early detection of cancer is critical for achieving positive clinical outcomes. With early detection, cancer can not only be treated effectively but also be cured in many cases, according to Elias Obeid, MD, MPH, medical director of the Hackensack Meridian Health Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine. In addition, when cancer is detected at an early stage, less aggressive therapy is effective, Obeid says.
SpotitEarly uses beagles that are trained to detect cancer in combination with artificial intelligence technology.
"Training dogs to detect cancer is similar to training them to detect any other scent," says Shlomi Madar, PhD, CEO of SpotitEarly. "There are many smell applications for dogs, including police, military, and airport applications. They detect drugs and explosives. Dogs can sniff a piece of cloth, then detect a missing person from miles away."
SpotitEarly’s model for cancer detection with dogs features patients breathing into a mask, where volatile organic compounds secreted by tumors are collected.
"The patient breathes into the mask, the mask is put into a capsule, then the capsule is shipped back to our lab," Madar says. "Once we receive the mask in the lab, we produce gas from the mask in a quantifiable way, then introduce the gas to the dogs."
SpotitEarly then uses artificial intelligence technology to monitor the dogs' response to sniffing the gas such as movements and heart rate.
"The information collected from the dogs is fed into a machine learning algorithm," Madar says. "The machine learning looks for any deviation from baseline—it knows the typical behavior of the dog and looks for deviations, which call tell you with a level of confidence about detecting cancer from a particular sniff."
Dogs are a promising method for early detection of cancer, according to Obeid.
"We all know that dogs have an incredible and extraordinarily sensitive sense of smell," Obeid says. "Dogs can smell and detect volatile organic compounds that are associated with cancer. Early stages of cancer tumors secrete volatile organic compounds that can be detected in human breath. Dogs can sniff these compounds."
Research published last year by the journal Nature found that dogs trained to sniff cancer combined with artificial intelligence technology can be effective in the early detection of cancer.
Elias Obeid, MD, MPH, is medical director of the Hackensack Meridian Health Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine. Photo courtesy of Hackensack Meridian Health.
Why the new partnership is targeting breast cancer
There are several reasons why Hackensack Meridian and SpotitEarly are starting their cancer-sniffing dogs research with breast cancer.
Part of the decision to start with breast cancer is because it is widespread, according to Madar.
"We want to start with a cancer that has multiple positive samples, so we can test the platform with the dogs and the technology," Madar says. "We want to make sure our platform is working before we can branch out to other cancers that are harder to screen and therefore have fewer positive samples."
Breast cancer also has a particularly high survival rate when it is detected early, Madar says.
"If you detect breast cancer at Stage 1, there is a 99% chance of survival for the patient," Madar says. "So, by being able to detect breast cancer at Stage 1, we hope to reduce the mortality rate and improve quality of life for patients."
Starting cancer sniffing dog research with breast cancer should be a springboard for more research on using the method for other cancers, according to Obeid.
"Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and in the United States," Obeid says. "If we can demonstrate a technology that can be helpful in addressing this most common cancer in women, then it can be tested for other cancers."
Shlomi Madar, PhD, is CEO of SpotitEarly. Photo courtesy of SpotitEarly.
Well-suited partners
Hackensack Meridian and SpotitEarly are ideal research partners, according to Madar and Obeid.
"The health system's Hennessy Institute for Cancer Prevention and Applied Molecular Medicine focuses on innovation," Madar says. "So, we are aligned on what we are trying to achieve, which is a simple test that is very accurate."
Hackensack Meridian has one of the largest and most diverse patient populations in New Jersey, which is well-suited to this kind of research, according to Obeid.
"The health system is ideal for generating robust data as well as generalizable data," Obeid says. "We also have a strong infrastructure for clinical trials."
The CMO Exchange includes exploring how health systems and hospitals are using AI in clinical care as well as pain points for AI tool adoption.
Although the health systems and hospitals represented at this week's HealthLeaders CMO Exchange are at different stages in their clinical artificial intelligence journeys, clinical AI tool adoption is becoming imperative.
Based on roundtable discussions at the CMO Exchange, AI-powered ambient listening tools that record the encounter between a clinician and a patient then generate a clinical documentation note have become ubiquitous. Some CMO Exchange participants have said that deploying ambient listening tools is becoming an essential capability at health systems and hospitals that clinicians expect and even demand as a condition for employment.
Radiology AI tools are equally widespread, CMO Exchange participants said. But health systems and hospitals are branching out to embrace AI tools in new clinical areas.
For example, one health system has deployed an AI tool to boost patient throughput in the inpatient setting. The AI tool looks at factors that influence a patient's schedule for discharge, then estimates discharge date and time.
The health system prepared for rolling out the AI tool for a year. Part of that effort was the formation of a throughput change committee that included key stakeholders such as nursing staff and laboratory staff. To help ensure the AI tool was a success, the health system integrated the tool into existing workflows to make sure it did not disrupt the everyday functions of clinical care teams.
Another example of a relatively new application for AI in the clinical setting is an AI tool that is helping a health system detect medication diversion. The AI tool monitors how nurses are using the health system's Pyxis automated medication dispensing devices and gives supervisors an idea of where there might be a problem with medication diversion.
Clinical AI tool pain points
While they are embracing AI tools in the clinical setting, CMO Exchange participants said there are several obstacles that need to be overcome when a health system or hospital adopts an AI tool.
Health systems and hospitals should put processes in place to validate the information that is generated from AI tools, according to CMO Exchange participants. For example, an AI tool may generate billing and coding information for a patient's episode of care, but a clinician should review that information before signing off on the patient's chart.
Clinical leaders should monitor AI diagnostic tools to make sure they are not increasing unnecessary lab testing by focusing on the possibility of low-risk conditions among patients, CMO Exchange participants explained. Clinicians should be involved in confirming that a diagnostic test is necessary, they said.
When a new AI tool is adopted, CMOs and other clinical leaders should be prepared to devote significant resources to educating clinical care teams about how the AI tool works and how it fits into workflows, according to CMO Exchange participants. This kind of education takes time—one CMO Exchange participant said it is impossible to educate an entire medical staff about a new AI tool in a week or two.
As AI tools are adopted, health systems and hospitals should inform patients about their use and how the AI tools use their data, CMO Exchange participants said. They said some patients are fearful of AI technology in the clinical setting and addressing those fears should be a priority for clinical leaders.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the CMO Exchange on promoting quality care as well as boosting provider and patient safety.
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program’s webpage or the program’s LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
In the HL Shorts video below, find out about Virtua Health's approach to addressing physician burnout and wellness.
Physician burnout is a top concern for CMOs and other clinical leaders across the country. Physician burnout has been linked to quality care problems such as medical errors and is a driver of physician turnover.
Virtua Health was recently named a 2025 Joy in Medicine organization by the American Medical Association. The AMA's Joy in Medicine program recognizes healthcare organizations that promote physician well-being and reduce physician burnout.
In this HL Shorts video, Christopher Pomrink, DO, MBA, vice president of medical affairs at Virtua Health, shares the health system's philosophy about addressing physician burnout and wellness. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
Virtua Health's vice president of medical affairs shares the health system's keys to success in reducing physician burnout and promoting physician well-being.
Virtua Health has been making strides in the health system's efforts to address physician burnout and wellness.
Physician burnout is a top concern for CMOs and other clinical leaders across the country. Physician burnout has been linked to quality care problems such as medical errors and is a driver of physician turnover.
Virtua Health was recently named a 2025 Joy in Medicine organization by the American Medical Association. The AMA's Joy in Medicine program recognizes healthcare organizations that promote physician well-being and reduce physician burnout.
Virtua Health has been below the national rate for physician burnout in recent years, according to Christopher Pomrink, DO, MBA, vice president of medical affairs at the health system.
"At Virtua Health, our physician burnout rate has been hovering around 30%," Pomrink says. "The national physician burnout rate peaked at about 63% in 2023. We peaked at about 37% in 2023, and in 2024, it came down to 30%. Now, the national burnout rate has fallen to about 45%."
In addition to measuring physician burnout, Virtua Health monitors physician fulfillment, and the health system is posting impressive results in that area as well.
"In 2023, about 38% of physicians reported being fulfilled in their roles, and that rate has increased to 45% across the medical staff and medical group," Pomrink says. "We are on the right track."
Christopher Pomrink, DO, MBA, is vice president of medical affairs at Virtua Health. Photo courtesy of Virtua Health.
Virtua Health's approach to physician wellness and burnout
Virtua Health takes a multifactorial approach to physician wellness and burnout that begins with engaging the board of directors for awareness and support, Pomrink explains.
"We have focused our effort upstream—finding ways to prevent burnout before it develops," Pomrink says. "We focus on early recognition of burnout and interventions for clinicians who are facing burnout. Then we wrap supportive programs around these efforts."
Virtua Health focuses on both system-level interventions for physician burnout and individual-level interventions, according to Pomrink.
At the system level, efforts to address physician burnout at Virtua Health include removing administrative burdens from physicians and optimizing the electronic health record.
"We have been removing clicks or buttons in the EHR that don't need to be there," Pomrink says. "We also have been using ambient listening technology to record encounters between clinicians and patients, then generate a clinical note to reduce documentation time in the EHR."
Another system-level effort has been an organizational commitment to reduce stigma associated with physician burnout.
"We have engrained addressing physician burnout into our meetings, culture, dialogue with physicians, and values," Pomrink says. "At Virtua Health, we have a culture of working together to support our patients, and our culture recognizes that when one of us struggles, we all struggle."
At the individual level, Virtua Health's efforts to address physician burnout include promoting resilience.
"One of our resilience-building initiatives is a program called Practicing Excellence, which features online learning opportunities that help physicians and all staff members reconnect with their purpose and why they got into the medical field," Pomrink says. "This program also helps physicians and other staff members connect with each other."
A particularly successful individual-level intervention has been a peer support program.
"The peer support program is run by physicians, who have a sympathetic ear," Pomrink says. "Physicians can have confidential conversations with peers, who can provide support, coping strategies, and guide struggling physicians to resources."
An essential element of Virtua Health's success in promoting physician well-being is measuring burnout, Pomrink explains.
"Unless we measure burnout, we can't know how we are doing in addressing it," Pomrink says. "You cannot fix what you do not measure."
To measure physician burnout and wellness, Virtua Health uses the Stanford Medicine survey, which is validated and used by many healthcare organizations across the country. The survey gives the health system a compilation of data on wellness and burnout as well as key drivers of burnout.
Measuring physician wellness and burnout has given Virtua Health guidance on which interventions to implement, according to Pomrink.
"We can get physician feedback about their main concerns," Pomrink says. "We get recommendations for interventions from physicians. Then we can move into initiatives such as our physician committees, including our Physician Wellness Committee."
Roundtable sessions at this week's CMO Exchange include discussions on use of artificial intelligence tools, integrating advanced practice providers into clinical care teams, medical director accountability, and addressing workplace violence.
More than two dozen CMOs and chief clinical officers are attending this week’s HealthLeaders CMO Exchange in Utah.
The CMO Exchange features a series of roundtable discussions on issues that are top of mind for clinical leaders. Roundtable topics at this week's CMO Exchange include use of artificial intelligence tools, integrating advanced practice providers (APPs) into clinical care teams, medical director accountability, and addressing workplace violence.
CMO Exchange participant Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health, provided a preview of these topics in a recent interview with HealthLeaders.
Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, is executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health. Photo courtesy of Yale New Haven Health.
Use of AI tools
In healthcare, it is important to view AI tools broadly, according to Balcezak.
"As a physician administrator, I like to look holistically at how the organization operates," Balcezak says. "I don't make a distinction between the sharp end of clinical care with the physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, and the support end of clinical care with the back-office work such as preauthorization. I think broadly about AI applications in terms of how to make the whole care experience better."
Yale New Haven Health has deployed several AI tools that have a direct impact on clinical care. For example, one of those tools conducts ambient listening and transcription for patient encounters with clinicians.
"We have an AI tool to assess deterioration of patients in the inpatient setting, which lets clinicians know patients may be deteriorating before they are in crisis." Balcezak says. "We have an AI tool that performs pre-evaluation of radiologic exams to help radiologists to quickly and completely evaluate radiograms."
An example where Yale New Haven Health uses AI tools to improve back-office work that impacts the care experience is specialty pharmacy prescription preauthorization.
"We use an AI tool to summarize the patient's clinical information in order to provide that information to the payer," Balcezak says.
There is not widespread concern among clinicians and other clinical care team members that AI will replace clinical staff, according to Balcezak. Instead, the technology will be assistive.
"It's similar to automotive technology such as power steering and lane change warnings," Balcezak says. "People have not thought that these technologies would eliminate the need to drive. It helps people drive more safely and helps people drive with a better degree of precision. In the world of clinical care, this is what AI is helping us do as well."
For example, AI tools can help clinicians manage the barrage of data that is being generated in healthcare such as data points that need to be evaluated and new clinical knowledge that needs to be integrated into patient care processes, Balcezak explains.
"AI is going to make clinicians more effective and hopefully reduce some of our burdens," Balcezak says.
Deploying APPs
APPs have become essential members of care teams at health systems, hospitals, and medical groups, according to Balcezak.
"Almost every day, we are adding more and different kinds of advanced practice providers to our care teams," Balcezak says. "As care becomes more complicated and as the physician shortage continues to grow, we are increasingly looking to advanced practice providers to help extend physicians and help physicians to take care of patients better and more efficiently."
At Yale New Haven Health, APPs have been deployed in every care setting.
"APPs help in the operating rooms. They help on the inpatient floors. They help in our outpatient clinics," Balcezak says. "I can't think of any clinical care space where we haven't seen APPs make inroads in helping physicians take better care of patients."
Specific examples of APPs working in care settings at the health system include advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants in ICUs helping critical care physicians take care of patients and APPs helping cardiothoracic surgeons to do procedures such as vein harvesting and closing the chest after surgery.
"APPs are playing critical roles in helping physicians," Balcezak says.
Medical director accountability
Medical director accountability is a top priority at Yale New Haven Health, according to Balcezak.
"We are conducting a large review of all our medical directors at health system sites to ensure that their jobs are appropriately structured," Balcezak says. "We are making sure that medical director job descriptions are appropriately scoped so that the lines of accountability are made clear."
Ensuring medical director accountability mirrors efforts to promote quality care, Balcezak explains.
"You need to ensure that the right structures are in place," Balcezak says. "You need to make sure that the right processes are in place to drive the outcomes that you want to achieve."
Depending on what medical director you are talking about, desirable outcomes can be more efficient flow of patients at an inpatient or ambulatory location, better quality outcomes, or better patient experience, according to Balcezak.
"It comes down to structures and processes to drive the outcomes you are seeking," Balcezak says. "If you can't define what outcomes you are looking for, then it can be hard to determine what structures and processes to put in place."
Addressing workplace violence
Limiting workplace violence is a focal point at Yale New Haven Health, with Bridgeport Hospital President Anne Diamond, JD, leading the effort across the health system, according to Balcezak.
Efforts to address workplace violence at Yale New Haven Health include installing weapons detection technology at the health system's facilities and crafting patient codes of conduct, Balcezak explains.
When patients commit acts of workplace violence, healthcare facility leaders must act immediately, according to Balcezak.
"You need to address an episode of workplace violence in the moment," Balcezak says. "You need to make sure that the patient and the staff are made safe."
Steps also must be taken to address the aftermath of a workplace violence incident, Balcezak explains.
"You need to support all of the staff members who were involved in an event," Balcezak says. "You need to support staff physically and emotionally."
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program’s webpage or the program’s LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
In the latest installment of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series, a three-member panel of experts explore successful strategies for handling the advanced practice provider boom.
With a growing shortage of physicians in many specialties, advanced practice providers (APPs) such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants have become essential members of clinical care teams. APPs are being deployed in every care setting, including inpatient units, outpatient clinics, specialty practices, and urgent care centers.
The video below features a three-member panel of experts discussing successful strategies for managing and deploying APPs. The panelists are Teresa Caulin-Glaser, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at OhioHealth; Debra Fournier, DNP, APRN, chief advanced practice provider officer at Dartmouth Health; and Read Pierce, MD, CMO at Denver Health.
The panelists cover a wide range of topics, including the importance of APP onboarding programs, leadership roles for APPs, deploying APPs in primary care, and offering professional development opportunities for APPs.
The Winning Edge series is an extension of theHealthLeaders Exchange program. The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program’s webpage or the program’s LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
For health systems and hospitals, one of the most effective strategies for retention of advanced practice providers is to offer professional development opportunities.
This week, HealthLeaders held the latest webinar in The Winning Edge series. The webinar was titled "The Winning Edge for Handling the APP Boom."
A three-member panel of experts discussed a range of topics, including the importance of APP onboarding programs, leadership roles for APPs, and deploying APPs in primary care. The panelists were Teresa Caulin-Glaser, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at OhioHealth; Debra Fournier, DNP, APRN, chief advanced practice provider officer at Dartmouth Health; and Read Pierce, MD, CMO at Denver Health.
The infographic below features the panelists' four tips for offering professional development opportunities for APPs.
The Winning Edge series is an extension of theHealthLeaders Exchange program. The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program’s webpage or the program’s LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
Discussion points in this week's Winning Edge webinar included the importance of APP onboarding programs, leadership roles for APPs, and deploying APPs in primary care.
The latest webinar as part of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series held yesterday focused on effective strategies for managing and deploying advanced practice providers (APPs).
With growing shortages of physicians in many specialties, APPs have become essential members of care teams in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Yesterday's webinar focused on a range of APP issues, including the importance of APP onboarding programs, leadership roles for APPs at health systems and hospitals, and deploying APPs in primary care.
All three of the webinar's panelists stressed the importance of robust onboarding programs to position APPs for success.
Fournier said onboarding for APPs at Dartmouth Health includes three elements: setting expectations for APPs as an organization, filling education gaps, and establishing mentorship relationships so there is a point person to work with each APP.
Pierce said onboarding for APPs at Denver Health includes establishing specific milestones for APPs in the onboarding process.
A related consideration for APPs at Denver Health is providing orientation for physician assistants and nurse practitioners who move laterally between specialties, Pierce said. In those instances, the health system makes sure it provides physician assistants and nurse practitioners with foundational and core knowledge in their new specialty.
At OhioHealth, the health system provides a unified approach to onboarding for physicians and APPs in the first week of employment, Caulin-Glaser said. This approach includes a focus on OhioHealth's values and mission as well as training on the health system’s approach to team-based care.
Leadership roles for APPs
APPs play leadership roles at OhioHealth, Dartmouth Health, and Denver Health.
At OhioHealth, APPs play a leadership role in care coordination, including areas such as nursing and pharmacy, Caulin-Glaser said.
At Dartmouth Health, APPs often serve in consulting roles, and some APPs are involved in training clinicians at the health system's academic medical center, Fournier said.
At Denver Health, APPs are active in clinical staff governance such as serving as members of the medical executive committee and APP Council, Pierce said.
There are several kinds of qualities that APPs should possess when they serve in leadership roles, according to the webinar's panelists.
An APP who serves in a leadership role should have an excellent performance record in their area of clinical practice as well as the ability to communicate well and bring staff members together, the panelists said.
At OhioHealth, APPs who function in leadership roles are consistent high performers, demonstrate versatility, and have a desire to lead care teams, Caulin-Glaser said.
At Dartmouth Health, APPs who work in leadership roles show an aptitude for collaboration and demonstrate curiosity, Fournier said, adding that mentorship of APPs is crucial in their development as leaders.
APPs in primary care
Part of the original concept of APPs decades ago was for them to work in the primary care setting, Pierce said, adding that Denver Health has expanded the APPs role in primary care clinics to serve as specialists such as providing behavioral health services.
APPs can manage their own patient panels in primary care clinics, the panelists said.
At OhioHealth, APPs in primary care clinics are often leading efforts in care coordination and continuity of care, Caulin-Glaser said, adding APPs have been involved in ambulatory quality care initiatives.
At Dartmouth Health, the health system has taken steps to support APPs who function as independent providers in primary care clinics, including pairing new APPs with more experienced APPs or physicians as well as recognizing and filling knowledge gaps, Fournier said.
The Winning Edge series is an extension of theHealthLeaders Exchange program. The HealthLeaders Exchange is an exclusive, executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights.
To find out more about the HealthLeaders Exchange program, visit the program's webpage or the program’s LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
Christopher Pomrink, DO, MBA, is vice president of medical affairs at Virtua Health. Photo courtesy of Virtua Health.
Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, is executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health. Photo courtesy of Yale New Haven Health.
