This week's edition of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge program featured a four-member webinar panel that focused on strategies to improve physician engagement and clinical efficiency.
Physician engagement is essential to drive positive clinical outcomes for patients as well as to achieve physician satisfaction. Clinical efficiency is crucial for healthcare organizations to establish an effective workplace environment and to control costs.
Click on the video below to view the webinar session. Click here to read a HealthLeaders story that highlights some of the key takeaways from the webinar.
This webinar was sponsored by QGenda.
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.
Please join the HealthLeaders Exchange community at our LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
Sharing strategies for boosting clinical efficiency was a central theme for this week's edition of The Winning Edge, which is a healthcare provider-focused HealthLeaders program.
Clinical efficiency is crucial for healthcare organizations to establish an effective workplace environment and to control costs.
This week's webinar for HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series was centered on the topics of improving physician engagement and clinical efficiency. The webinar featured a four-member panel of experts: Ruric "Andy" Anderson, MD, MBA, chief medical and quality officer at RWJBarnabas Health; Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health; Patrick Hunt, MD, CMO at QGenda and CMO of acute care at Prisma Health; and Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, corporate executive vice president and chief medical and operations officer for acute care at Scripps Health.
View the infographic below to get four tips on how to improve clinical efficiency. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story on key takeaways from the webinar.
The webinar was sponsored by QGenda.
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.
Please join the HealthLeaders Exchange community at ourLinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us atexchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
A four-member panel of experts shares how to successfully engage physicians and boost clinical efficiency.
Physician engagement is essential to drive positive clinical outcomes for patients as well as to achieve physician satisfaction. Clinical efficiency is crucial for healthcare organizations to establish an effective workplace environment and to control costs.
The latest webinar for HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series was held yesterday on the topic of improving physician engagement and clinical efficiency. The webinar featured a four-member panel of experts: Ruric "Andy" Anderson, MD, MBA, chief medical and quality officer at RWJBarnabas Health; Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health; Patrick Hunt, MD, CMO at QGenda and CMO of acute care at Prisma Health; and Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, corporate executive vice president and chief medical and operations officer for acute care at Scripps Health.
Enlisting medical staff to drive efficiency and cost savings
The panelists said CMOs and other clinical leaders need to engage medical staff to boost efficiency and achieve cost savings.
Physicians and the choices they make have a pivotal impact on efficiency and costs, according to one of the panelists. CMOs and other clinical leaders need to tap into physician expertise and experience to launch successful efficiency initiatives and control costs, the panelist said.
Health systems, hospitals, and medical groups should establish care pathways and standardized order sets to give physicians insights into cost-effective treatments, such as low-cost medications that are as effective as high-cost medications, as well as gaining insight into clinical efficiency, one of the panelists explained.
To improve physician efficiency, health systems, hospitals, and medical groups should optimize physician scheduling, according to one of the panelists.
To improve clinical efficiency, CMOs and other clinical leaders should encourage a medical staff to focus on access to care. An important part of this strategy is to help physicians use their time efficiently to boost access, the panelists said.
Another strategy to boost clinical efficiency is to improve patient throughput in the hospital setting by making sure physicians are working effectively with other clinical care team members such as nurses and technicians, according to the panelists.
To help control costs, CMOs and other clinical leaders should enlist service line clinicians to work with medical device vendors to secure the best deals for a health system or hospital, one of the panelists explained.
Care team communication strategies
CMOs and other clinical leaders can employ multiple strategies to communicate with physicians, nurses, and other care team members to help drive patient safety and care quality improvements, the panelists said.
One communication strategy is for clinical leaders to emphasize with physicians and nurses the importance of accurate and complete clinical documentation. Ensuring that clinical documentation is accurate and complete avoids reimbursement penalties.
CMOs and other clinical leaders should focus on communicating clinical data with clinicians, one of the panelists explained. This data should be actionable, transparent, and meaningful. Sharing data on clinical outcomes that shows how clinicians are performing can spur the competitive spirit among clinicians to perform at the highest level.
Additionally, CMOs and other clinical leaders should set goals for their communication with care team members and target particular patient outcomes. By setting goals and targets, communication can be meaningful for clinicians and help drive improvements in patient outcomes, the panelists said.
Engaging physicians in strategy decisions and technology adoption
CMOs and other clinical leaders should be intentional in engaging physicians about strategy decisions and technology adoption, the panelists said. Physicians should be queried about their pain points and should be consulted when potential solutions are identified.
When CMOs and other clinical leaders are considering the adoption of new technology, they should include physicians in the planning stage and have physicians play a role in pilots that test the technology.
Lastly, when there is a change in strategy or adoption of new technology, CMOs and other clinical leaders must provide physicians with a concise and compelling explanation for why change is necessary, according to the panelists. For example, a change in strategy or adoption of new technology may result in better patient outcomes or improved physician experience.
This webinar was sponsored by QGenda.
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.
Please join the HealthLeaders Exchange community at our LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
In the latest webinar of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series, a four-member panel will explore ways to boost physician engagement and clinical efficiency.
For CMOs and other clinical leaders, managing physician engagement and improving clinical efficiency are top priorities.
To learn about strategies to improve physician engagement and clinical efficiency, tune in on Aug. 5 from 1 to 2 p.m. EST for the latest webinar of HealthLeaders' The Winning Edge series. You can register to attend the webinar at this link.
The webinar features a four-member panel of experts:
Ruric "Andy" Anderson, MD, MBA, chief medical and quality officer at RWJBarnabas Health;
Thomas Balcezak, MD, MPH, chief clinical officer for Yale New Haven Health;
Patrick Hunt, MD, MBA, chief medical officer of QGenda and chief medical officer of the acute care division at Prisma Health;
Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, corporate executive vice president and chief medical and operations officer of acute care at Scripps Health
This one-hour webinar will focus on eight discussion topics:
What are the primary strategies for effectively communicating with medical staff in clinical care scenarios such as in time-critical situations?
What part does your medical staff play in driving efficiency and cost savings?
What are the primary care team communication strategies to help drive quality and patient safety improvements?
How do you engage physicians in strategy and technology decisions?
What are some high-impact strategies for investing in medical staff through operational innovation such as effective clinical communications through modernizing scheduling and on-call management?
What are the primary strategies for optimizing physician scheduling?
How can healthcare leaders align technology, culture, and clinical operations to create a more sustainable and efficient care environment?
How can you reduce electronic medical record alerts and make alerts more actionable?
This webinar is an opportunity to learn from the best in the business and take away strategies you can implement at your healthcare organization. Join us as we explore physician engagement and clinical efficiency in depth.
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.
Please join the community at our LinkedIn page. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event and becoming a member, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has established standards of care for diabetes patients in the hospital setting.
Three dozen hospitals across the country have been recognized for providing care to diabetes patients based on the ADA guidelines.
For diabetes patients in the hospital setting, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glucose variability have been linked to adverse outcomes, including morbidity and mortality, according to a study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The ADA says hospitals that follow their guidelines can improve outcomes, shorten hospital stays, and reduce hospital readmissions and emergency department visits.
In this episode of HL Shorts, Harpreet Pall, MD, MBA, CMO of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, which is part of Hackensack Meridian Health, shares why CMOs should be focused on the care of hospitalized patients who have diabetes. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
Telehealth services deliver value for health systems and patients in several ways, according to the new chief physician officer of MulitCare Health System.
Todd Czartoski, MD, was named chief physician officer of MultiCare in June. Prior to being named chief physician officer, he served as president and CMO of the health system's Neuroscience Institute and virtual health service. Before joining MultiCare, he served as chief executive of telehealth and chief medical technology officer at Providence.
View the infographic below to learn about the three primary ways that Czartoski says telehealth generates value for healthcare providers and patients. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
CMOs and other leaders can play a pivotal role for healthcare organizations by identifying and addressing inefficiencies and friction points.
While identifying inefficiencies, healthcare leaders should rely on frontline caregivers, according to Todd Czartoski, MD, chief physician officer of MultiCare Health System.
"I'm a big fan of listening to people who are in the trenches doing the work," Czartoski says. "There is no substitute for talking with as many people as possible about the experience of providing care and any inefficiencies that may be present."
View the video below to get Czartoski's tips on identifying inefficiencies and friction points at healthcare organizations. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
A primary goal of the dual CMO and COO role is integrating clinical care with operational leadership.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Holy Cross Health, which features a 557-bed hospital and is a member of Trinity Health, has created a dual CMO and COO role.
A dual CMO and CCO role is uncommon at health systems and hospitals. Scripps Health is one of the only health systems in the country with established dual CMO and COO roles, with Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, serving as chief medical and operations officer of acute care and Anil Keswani, MD, serving as chief medical and operations officer of ambulatory care.
Jose Lopez, MD, MBA, has been serving as CMO of Holy Cross Health since 2021. He took on the additional role of COO effective July 6. According to Holy Cross Health, one of the goals of creating the dual role is to integrate clinical care with operational leadership.
One of the advantages of forming the dual CMO and COO role will be facilitating connections between clinical leaders and operational leaders, according to Lopez.
"When we had a separate COO, the awareness of clinical and operational opportunities was not always there," Lopez says. "In the dual role, I will have line of sight to both sides, which will make it easier to make connections."
Infection prevention is an example of when the dual CMO and COO role can make a significant difference, Lopez explains.
"Temperature control and humidity control are usually issues that are under the privy of the COO, but they can affect infection rates significantly in a hospital," Lopez says.
Serving in the dual role will allow Lopez to influence care environments from a design standpoint and comfort-of-care standpoint for patients and staff members, including issues such as cleanliness.
"These factors are critical for running a hospital," Lopez says. "In this expanded role, I will be able to have line of sight to these factors and be able to efficiently affect change. "
Jose Lopez, MD, MBA, is CMO and COO of Holy Cross Health. Photo courtesy of Holy Cross Health.
Having the dual role will help identify and address opportunities for improvement, according to Lopez.
"Some improvement opportunities will be from the quality standpoint and how the environment of care affects quality metrics," Lopez says. "Other opportunities for improvement may be in operations such as the functioning of our call center and how that facilitates our patients arriving at our physicians' primary care offices in a timely fashion."
Common operational functions such as the call center have an impact on clinical care, and the dual CMO and COO role will help align operational and clinical staff, Lopez explains.
"In my dual role, I will be able to highlight for both the clinical and operational teams how what they do affects the other side," Lopez says. "Healthcare is a team sport, and we need to support each other."
One of the objectives of the dual CMO and COO role is helping Holy Cross Health achieve financial performance goals.
"My approach to healthcare is if you do a good job from a clinical standpoint and have solid operations, financial performance will follow," Lopez says. "Your reimbursement should improve, and your market share should improve."
In addition to continuing to focus on clinical performance in his CMO role, Lopez plans to be more involved in cost control in his dual role.
"If you control costs by making sure you are providing the appropriate care in the appropriate setting for the appropriate length of time, financial performance should follow," Lopez says.
Physician development should be among the priorities for CMOs and health systems, according the new CMO of two Oklahoma-based SSM Health hospitals.
Mike Angelidis, MD, was recently named CMO of SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest and SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Shawnee. As a physician leader, he has had extensive experience in physician development.
"When we talk about physician development, the first thing to note is that healthcare organizations and leaders need to be invested in education," Angelidis says. "Organizations and leaders need to invest in medical schools, residencies, and fellowships."
At SSM Health for example, the health system supports physicians who want to enroll in continuing medical education and degree programs. "If you are a physician and you want to get an MBA, SSM will help support pursuing that degree with funding," Angelidis says.
View the video below to get Angelidis' tips on physician development. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.
Part of promoting physician collaboration is boosting a shared purpose such as providing patient-centered care, this new CMO says.
A CMO should be engaged in promoting physician collaboration, according to the new CMO of AdventHealth Apopka hospital.
Max Baumgardner, DO, became the new CMO of AdventHealth Apopka on June 2. Prior to assuming his current position, he served in several leadership roles at AdventHealth, including working as facility medical director at AdventHealth Altamonte, AdventHealth Lake Mary, and AdventHealth Oviedo. Baumgardner has a clinical background as an emergency medicine physician and has served in leadership roles overseeing multiple emergency departments at AdventHealth.
A primary element of promoting physician collaboration is having a shared purpose such as aligning physicians to the mission of providing patient-centered care, according to Baumgardner.
"It involves building relationships between physicians and leadership, which involves building trust and inclusion with our physician leaders," Baumgardner says. "It also involves being able to share actionable data with our clinicians regarding important topics that improve patient care and experience."
Building trust and inclusion among physicians requires listening to them and involving them in decision-making, Baumgardner explains.
"When we have a problem, the people who are most likely to have good ideas on fixing the problem are the people who are closest to the issue," Baumgardner says. "The more that we engage with our frontline physicians and leaders to seek their feedback for solutions, the more likely we are to have support for solutions and be more successful as a team."
In leveraging data to promote physician collaboration, CMOs and other healthcare leaders need to share performance on key metrics to ensure that physicians are meeting or exceeding national standards for evidence-based practice, according to Baumgardner.
"We share this data with our physicians so that they do not have blind spots or miss opportunities to improve the care they deliver to patients," Baumgardner says.
Another element of promoting physician collaboration is having aligned incentives such as using scorecards and metrics to bolster patient-centered care and the best quality outcomes, Baumgardner explains.
"This allows us to have collaboration on our shared goals," Baumgardner says.
Max Baumgardner, DO, is the new CMO of AdventHealth Apopka hospital. Photo courtesy of AdventHealth.
Improving patient experience
In the hospital setting, joint rounding by physicians and nurses is a primary strategy for improving patient experience, according to Baumgardner.
"When physicians do MD-RN rounding, it is extremely valuable for them and their patients," Baumgardner says. "They garner information. They have improved care plans. There are also less errors and follow-up calls to adjust for issues that were not brought up in the absence of team-based rounding."
MD-RN rounding not only improves patient experience but also improves clinician and nurse experience because they can work together as a team as opposed to a fragmented care model, according to Baumgardner.
The best practices for MD-RN rounding include asking patients about how they are doing and prompting patients to ask questions about their care, Baumgardner explains.
"Physicians and nurses should ask questions about discharge or follow-up care issues," Baumgardner says. "They should review all pertinent tests or diagnostics. For patients and their families, they feel that they are included in decision-making, which generally results in productive conversations at the bedside."
CMOs and hospital financial performance
CMOs can play an important role in boosting the financial performance of their hospitals.
One way hospital CMOs can boost financial performance is by optimizing patient throughput, according to Baumgardner.
"CMOs need to understand how they can take care of patients in a timely manner and provide them with great quality care whether that is in the emergency room or in the hospital wards," Baumgardner says. "A key factor is reducing length of stay."
CMOs should be aware of costs and look at high-value care items or alternatives to high-cost treatments that are just as effective, Baumgardner explains. CMOs can also look for quality savings opportunities such as avoiding penalties for hospital readmissions.
"We can provide quality care in the hospital, but we want to make sure that discharged patients continue to receive quality care as an outpatient to stay healthy outside of the hospital," Baumgardner says.
Lastly, CMOs can also help promote strategic growth through partnership with the rest of the C-suite, which gives a hospital an opportunity for financial growth, Baumgardner explains.
"A CMO needs to understand what is needed in a hospital's market compared to what is offered at competing hospitals," Baumgardner says. "In addition, a CMO must understand the capabilities of their medical staff and hospital to support strategic growth initiatives."
Jose Lopez, MD, MBA, is CMO and COO of Holy Cross Health. Photo courtesy of Holy Cross Health.
Max Baumgardner, DO, is the new CMO of AdventHealth Apopka hospital. Photo courtesy of AdventHealth.