1 00:00:00,155 --> 00:00:00,915 - Hello everyone. 2 00:00:00,945 --> 00:00:02,395 This is Erica Spicer Mason 3 00:00:02,425 --> 00:00:03,875 with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 4 00:00:04,365 --> 00:00:07,115 Thank you so much for tuning into this episode on improving 5 00:00:07,435 --> 00:00:09,235 provider experience and patient outcomes 6 00:00:09,385 --> 00:00:10,475 through digital health. 7 00:00:11,005 --> 00:00:13,835 We're thrilled to be joined today by VM Upia, 8 00:00:14,135 --> 00:00:16,715 the executive director of digital at M-D-V-I-P. 9 00:00:17,375 --> 00:00:19,945 Without further ado, vm, welcome to the podcast. 10 00:00:20,115 --> 00:00:21,345 Thank you so much for joining us. 11 00:00:22,525 --> 00:00:24,475 - Thank you. I'd like to thank Becker's Healthcare 12 00:00:24,495 --> 00:00:26,315 for the opportunity, and, uh, also those 13 00:00:26,315 --> 00:00:27,755 who are listening in for their time today. 14 00:00:28,755 --> 00:00:30,615 - Oh, wonderful. Well, we're excited 15 00:00:30,715 --> 00:00:32,815 to hear your insights on digital health. 16 00:00:33,435 --> 00:00:34,895 Um, so I wanted to kind 17 00:00:34,895 --> 00:00:36,855 of start our discussion a bit high level here 18 00:00:37,475 --> 00:00:40,055 and ask you what you see as the role 19 00:00:40,075 --> 00:00:41,895 of digital health in driving patient 20 00:00:41,895 --> 00:00:43,055 experience and outcomes. 21 00:00:44,505 --> 00:00:47,275 - Yeah, absolutely. So I think one way we look at this is 22 00:00:47,335 --> 00:00:48,515 how consumer behavior 23 00:00:48,935 --> 00:00:51,555 and expectations have evolved since the pandemic. 24 00:00:52,015 --> 00:00:55,075 If you go back to prior to the pandemic, many providers were 25 00:00:55,105 --> 00:00:58,555 what we would consider to be low touch, low tech. 26 00:00:59,095 --> 00:01:01,715 So the investments in digital health were more a function 27 00:01:01,735 --> 00:01:05,035 of provider sentiment than patient expectations. 28 00:01:05,835 --> 00:01:08,165 What happened is this accelerated through the pandemic 29 00:01:08,265 --> 00:01:10,445 and has fundamentally shifted the mindset 30 00:01:10,625 --> 00:01:13,085 of the healthcare consumer towards preferring 31 00:01:13,275 --> 00:01:15,445 what we call more of a high touch, 32 00:01:15,715 --> 00:01:17,685 high tech type of engagement. 33 00:01:17,985 --> 00:01:20,365 And whether you look at patient monitoring, telehealth, 34 00:01:20,785 --> 00:01:23,245 you know, artificial intelligence driven diagnostics, 35 00:01:23,535 --> 00:01:24,885 medication management, right? 36 00:01:25,105 --> 00:01:27,805 All of those use cases point to a consumer 37 00:01:27,915 --> 00:01:30,725 that is definitely preferring more of a high touch, 38 00:01:30,955 --> 00:01:32,925 high tech type of engagement. 39 00:01:34,115 --> 00:01:37,655 In one study that, um, I often refer to when asked 40 00:01:37,845 --> 00:01:41,255 what could cause someone to leave their provider, the lack 41 00:01:41,255 --> 00:01:43,615 of online digital experiences, you know, 42 00:01:43,615 --> 00:01:46,655 even basic ones like scheduling were a key driver. 43 00:01:47,675 --> 00:01:49,815 And more pointedly, if you were, look, if you were 44 00:01:49,815 --> 00:01:52,415 to look at millennials, millennials were three times more 45 00:01:52,415 --> 00:01:55,735 likely than baby boomers to switch their providers 46 00:01:56,285 --> 00:01:59,815 just over the lack of meeting digital health expectations. 47 00:02:00,515 --> 00:02:03,615 Our own data at M-D-V-I-P suggests that utilization 48 00:02:03,615 --> 00:02:05,415 of digital health has doubled 49 00:02:05,435 --> 00:02:07,575 for some use cases versus before the pandemic. 50 00:02:07,875 --> 00:02:09,695 And ulti ultimately has fundamentally shifted 51 00:02:09,915 --> 00:02:11,375 the consumer behavior sense. 52 00:02:13,015 --> 00:02:15,835 Now, what this means is that a world of healthcare consumers 53 00:02:15,835 --> 00:02:18,515 that is increasingly biased towards high touch, 54 00:02:18,865 --> 00:02:19,915 high tech healthcare, 55 00:02:20,655 --> 00:02:22,435 and by the way, are willing to pay for it, 56 00:02:22,895 --> 00:02:23,955 it creates just a, 57 00:02:24,115 --> 00:02:27,395 a strikingly different competitive landscape in which health 58 00:02:27,395 --> 00:02:30,915 systems and other providers must now operate and thrive 59 00:02:31,575 --> 00:02:33,915 or risk losing their patients to a competitor. 60 00:02:35,615 --> 00:02:38,035 So at M-D-V-I-P, we, we utilize like what I, 61 00:02:38,035 --> 00:02:39,275 what I would call our few first 62 00:02:39,275 --> 00:02:40,675 principles for digital health. 63 00:02:40,855 --> 00:02:42,875 And, you know, I really hope that they're of value 64 00:02:42,895 --> 00:02:44,795 to the audience, uh, that's listening today. 65 00:02:45,925 --> 00:02:47,905 So, number one, we think 66 00:02:47,905 --> 00:02:51,105 that digital health experiences need to be of high quality 67 00:02:51,965 --> 00:02:54,505 and not necessarily of high quantity. 68 00:02:55,445 --> 00:02:57,945 So while an average M-D-V-I-P member, 69 00:02:58,045 --> 00:03:02,245 as an example has over 30 engagements a year with M-D-V-I-P, 70 00:03:02,305 --> 00:03:04,365 uh, and about 80% of those are digital, 71 00:03:05,285 --> 00:03:06,665 we really focus on the ones 72 00:03:06,665 --> 00:03:09,665 that can help drive positive change and therefore outcomes. 73 00:03:10,665 --> 00:03:12,545 I think a second, first principle is 74 00:03:12,545 --> 00:03:14,665 that digital health experiences need to be 75 00:03:15,875 --> 00:03:16,905 multimodal, right? 76 00:03:17,045 --> 00:03:20,065 So, you know, M-D-V-I-P members can use their apps, 77 00:03:20,195 --> 00:03:21,785 their web-based portals. 78 00:03:21,785 --> 00:03:23,505 They can securely message the practice, 79 00:03:23,725 --> 00:03:25,065 but they can also call their doctor. 80 00:03:25,215 --> 00:03:28,225 They can schedule an appointment, they can attend an event, 81 00:03:28,645 --> 00:03:30,225 uh, which could be online 82 00:03:30,445 --> 00:03:32,185 or offline that their doctor's hosting, 83 00:03:32,595 --> 00:03:34,305 which is focused on wellness and prevention. 84 00:03:34,305 --> 00:03:36,465 So I think the, the key takeaway here is that 85 00:03:37,485 --> 00:03:39,245 whatever we think about digital health experiences, 86 00:03:39,435 --> 00:03:42,245 multimodality plays a key role so that you can reach 87 00:03:42,345 --> 00:03:44,085 and broaden the reach of, uh, 88 00:03:44,445 --> 00:03:45,765 audiences that you're trying to engage. 89 00:03:46,885 --> 00:03:49,265 And then the third takeaway that, that we've had 90 00:03:49,265 --> 00:03:52,465 with our experience is that digital health experiences need 91 00:03:52,465 --> 00:03:57,345 to be highly personalized to the patient and to the doctor. 92 00:03:58,245 --> 00:04:01,505 So our members have a sort of a curated journey 93 00:04:01,535 --> 00:04:02,665 with digital engagements, 94 00:04:03,285 --> 00:04:06,025 but within that curated journey, we treat each practice, 95 00:04:06,135 --> 00:04:09,385 each doctor and each member with their unique needs in mind. 96 00:04:09,805 --> 00:04:12,905 In fact, we've done significant work with machine learning 97 00:04:13,445 --> 00:04:15,545 and, uh, various algorithms in this space 98 00:04:15,545 --> 00:04:18,105 that helps us understand practice level 99 00:04:18,365 --> 00:04:21,425 and patient level nuances that can help determine 100 00:04:22,015 --> 00:04:24,145 what digital health engagements can drive, 101 00:04:24,615 --> 00:04:25,865 what effective outcomes. 102 00:04:27,235 --> 00:04:28,415 So what does this all lead to, right? 103 00:04:28,415 --> 00:04:31,975 Like these three first principles, we try to live by 104 00:04:32,035 --> 00:04:35,335 and practice so that we can have a highly personalized, 105 00:04:35,365 --> 00:04:37,255 digitally enabled patient journey. 106 00:04:38,415 --> 00:04:40,915 So day in a life, right? If you're new in a community 107 00:04:40,915 --> 00:04:43,675 looking for a doctor, we're able to identify 108 00:04:43,675 --> 00:04:46,195 through various algorithms if you would be a good fit 109 00:04:46,455 --> 00:04:47,835 for doctors that operate in 110 00:04:47,835 --> 00:04:49,995 that community within the M-D-V-I-P model. 111 00:04:50,935 --> 00:04:53,275 And based on that fit, we can reach out 112 00:04:53,275 --> 00:04:55,395 to you within minutes, across a variety of channels 113 00:04:55,615 --> 00:04:56,995 to set up that first appointment, 114 00:04:57,015 --> 00:04:59,195 to learn more about the physician and program. 115 00:05:00,125 --> 00:05:03,455 Once you're a member, we have programs that offer, you know, 116 00:05:03,455 --> 00:05:06,615 various conveniences, messaging capabilities across apps 117 00:05:06,715 --> 00:05:11,535 or web portals that offer patients, you know, easy, direct 118 00:05:11,635 --> 00:05:14,015 and secure way to communicate with their doctors. 119 00:05:14,975 --> 00:05:16,595 And most importantly, personalized, 120 00:05:16,745 --> 00:05:19,235 curated digital content from a doctor 121 00:05:19,465 --> 00:05:21,835 that can help drive positive behavior and choices. 122 00:05:22,015 --> 00:05:24,675 In the panel, we run a program called Health Champions 123 00:05:24,675 --> 00:05:28,095 that is, has been very successful in this particular, uh, 124 00:05:28,105 --> 00:05:31,495 focus, which is to drive personalized digital content, uh, 125 00:05:31,495 --> 00:05:34,135 that can help patients make healthier choices. 126 00:05:35,425 --> 00:05:36,805 And then lastly on ai, right? 127 00:05:37,005 --> 00:05:40,565 M-D-V-I-P has been using artificial intelligence since 2015. 128 00:05:41,305 --> 00:05:43,605 And I think what is most telling as it relates 129 00:05:43,625 --> 00:05:45,925 to digital health, um, and its impact 130 00:05:45,925 --> 00:05:49,325 and on patient outcomes, is that in some use cases such 131 00:05:49,325 --> 00:05:52,805 as medication risk and even anti-cancer, early detection, 132 00:05:53,105 --> 00:05:55,365 our doctors have effectively used this technology 133 00:05:55,945 --> 00:05:58,725 for early better diagnosis and care delivery. 134 00:06:00,515 --> 00:06:03,665 - Thank you so much, vm. I really appreciate that overview. 135 00:06:03,965 --> 00:06:06,505 It, it's interesting to hear about this evolution 136 00:06:07,325 --> 00:06:10,745 in patients technology use from low, low touch low tech 137 00:06:10,805 --> 00:06:12,225 to now high touch high tech. 138 00:06:12,805 --> 00:06:15,745 And I think those three principles that you outlined, um, 139 00:06:15,745 --> 00:06:18,665 that you leverage at M-D-V-I-P are really helpful 140 00:06:18,765 --> 00:06:21,825 for our listeners and really tying that back 141 00:06:21,825 --> 00:06:24,025 to what's possible in terms 142 00:06:24,025 --> 00:06:25,585 of influencing the patient experience, 143 00:06:25,585 --> 00:06:26,745 but also their health outcomes. 144 00:06:27,325 --> 00:06:28,945 Um, so again, thank you so much for, 145 00:06:29,125 --> 00:06:30,585 for sharing those insights. 146 00:06:31,325 --> 00:06:32,985 So considering all of this 147 00:06:33,525 --> 00:06:35,105 and those three principles, going back 148 00:06:35,265 --> 00:06:37,505 to those best practices, you mentioned, you know, ensuring 149 00:06:37,505 --> 00:06:41,145 that digital health is high quality, um, multimodal, 150 00:06:41,145 --> 00:06:42,185 highly personalized, 151 00:06:43,065 --> 00:06:45,105 assuming a healthcare organization achieves those, 152 00:06:45,755 --> 00:06:47,985 those things, what are some good ways 153 00:06:48,005 --> 00:06:51,065 to get patients engaged in those digital health initiatives? 154 00:06:51,835 --> 00:06:54,885 - Yeah, that's often the, the, the tougher question, right? 155 00:06:55,025 --> 00:06:57,485 So, you know, as I reflect on a variety 156 00:06:57,505 --> 00:07:00,045 of digital health rollouts, um, that we've had, 157 00:07:00,315 --> 00:07:02,965 whether it's, uh, platforms that we've rolled out 158 00:07:02,965 --> 00:07:05,525 for messaging and various apps or portals 159 00:07:06,025 --> 00:07:08,445 or specific programs, uh, that have more 160 00:07:08,445 --> 00:07:11,445 of a clinical element, uh, that we've rolled out such 161 00:07:11,445 --> 00:07:14,605 as telehealth or digitally enabled chronic care management, 162 00:07:14,665 --> 00:07:17,805 remote patient monitoring, variety of clinical pilots, 163 00:07:18,565 --> 00:07:21,725 I think similar themes have emerged in driving 164 00:07:21,895 --> 00:07:23,925 engagement from patients. 165 00:07:24,225 --> 00:07:27,285 And I'll kind of stick to my sort of three rule principle, 166 00:07:27,285 --> 00:07:29,485 hopefully that that serves as good takeaways for the, 167 00:07:29,705 --> 00:07:31,245 the the listeners. 168 00:07:31,785 --> 00:07:35,285 Um, so I think the, the, the first learning we've had is 169 00:07:36,185 --> 00:07:40,365 buy-in and alignment from the doctor is a must have. 170 00:07:40,825 --> 00:07:42,005 And specifically in our model, 171 00:07:42,005 --> 00:07:44,805 which is uniquely focused on the physician patient 172 00:07:44,805 --> 00:07:49,325 relationship, focusing on the physician as the net promoter 173 00:07:49,325 --> 00:07:52,525 and champion of the digital health initiative is critical 174 00:07:52,545 --> 00:07:54,085 to driving patient engagement. 175 00:07:55,335 --> 00:07:57,315 The second, um, sort of takeaway 176 00:07:57,335 --> 00:08:01,035 or learning we've had is equally important to the doctor, 177 00:08:01,665 --> 00:08:04,875 perhaps even more is buy-in 178 00:08:04,875 --> 00:08:07,675 and alignment from the staff in the practice. 179 00:08:08,095 --> 00:08:11,355 So in addition to the physician championing the digital 180 00:08:11,355 --> 00:08:13,825 health initiative with the staff, 181 00:08:13,975 --> 00:08:16,065 with the practice staff on a consistent cadence, 182 00:08:17,865 --> 00:08:19,955 methodologies that really have worked 183 00:08:19,955 --> 00:08:23,155 for us in the past are threefold staff training, 184 00:08:23,985 --> 00:08:26,335 staff incentives and staff recognition. 185 00:08:27,405 --> 00:08:30,305 So for example, one thing we've done is having dedicated 186 00:08:30,855 --> 00:08:32,705 outside of operational working hours 187 00:08:32,765 --> 00:08:35,145 and frankly location training 188 00:08:35,445 --> 00:08:37,625 for practice staff on the initiative so 189 00:08:37,625 --> 00:08:39,825 that they are in the mental space to be able 190 00:08:39,825 --> 00:08:42,385 to really absorb and go through the change 191 00:08:42,385 --> 00:08:45,545 that's necessary in how they operationally execute on 192 00:08:45,545 --> 00:08:46,745 that digital health initiative, 193 00:08:48,235 --> 00:08:49,875 creating community of engaged staff. 194 00:08:50,295 --> 00:08:51,875 So one thing we've piloted 195 00:08:51,935 --> 00:08:54,755 and have had success with is linking 196 00:08:55,875 --> 00:08:57,715 practice staff from various practices so 197 00:08:57,715 --> 00:08:58,875 that they can exchange ideas 198 00:08:59,295 --> 00:09:01,755 and also be transparent about obstacles that they're facing 199 00:09:01,905 --> 00:09:03,315 with the digital health initiative. 200 00:09:03,815 --> 00:09:08,445 And that creates both sort of a feedback loop 201 00:09:08,515 --> 00:09:10,325 that is important not just for M-D-V-I-P, 202 00:09:10,585 --> 00:09:13,365 but it creates a feedback loop within the practices 203 00:09:13,365 --> 00:09:16,045 that can help motivate each other, uh, to bring 204 00:09:16,045 --> 00:09:17,645 that initiative to life and scale it. 205 00:09:19,115 --> 00:09:21,205 Another thing we've done vis-a-vis staff is 206 00:09:21,205 --> 00:09:22,525 to create quantitative 207 00:09:22,585 --> 00:09:24,805 and qualitative incentives for the staff. 208 00:09:25,155 --> 00:09:27,405 Sometimes physicians translate 209 00:09:27,405 --> 00:09:28,525 that to monitoring incentives. 210 00:09:28,875 --> 00:09:30,565 Sometimes the qualitative incentives 211 00:09:30,915 --> 00:09:32,365 include a recognition program. 212 00:09:32,945 --> 00:09:36,285 So we have a recognition programs for staff who go really 213 00:09:36,335 --> 00:09:38,485 above and beyond in the successful rollout 214 00:09:38,485 --> 00:09:40,645 or adoption of key initiatives at the practice. 215 00:09:41,635 --> 00:09:44,695 And all of this really then creates the conditions 216 00:09:44,695 --> 00:09:46,095 between the alignment from the doctor 217 00:09:46,195 --> 00:09:49,975 and then alignment from the staff to now start, you know, 218 00:09:49,975 --> 00:09:52,135 sort of sowing the seeds for good alignment 219 00:09:52,235 --> 00:09:54,135 and good engagement from the patients. 220 00:09:55,075 --> 00:09:56,575 And I think when it comes to the patients 221 00:09:56,575 --> 00:09:58,815 and their activation and additional health initiative 222 00:09:59,605 --> 00:10:01,225 itself, we use the same guiding 223 00:10:01,225 --> 00:10:02,305 principles that we talked about. 224 00:10:02,685 --> 00:10:05,345 So we, we look at engaging patients 225 00:10:05,345 --> 00:10:06,505 through multimodal means. 226 00:10:06,845 --> 00:10:08,225 We look at engaging patients 227 00:10:08,225 --> 00:10:09,705 through personalized mechanisms. 228 00:10:10,325 --> 00:10:12,425 So first we would, you know, 229 00:10:12,425 --> 00:10:15,305 we segment the patient population, identifying patients 230 00:10:15,305 --> 00:10:17,305 who would be good fit for the digital health initiative. 231 00:10:18,145 --> 00:10:20,115 Usually, you know, obviously this is enabled 232 00:10:20,175 --> 00:10:22,435 by the physician or some, uh, type 233 00:10:22,435 --> 00:10:24,275 of a clinical set of guidelines. 234 00:10:25,055 --> 00:10:27,075 We would then conduct multimodal outreach 235 00:10:27,105 --> 00:10:29,355 that is on the behalf of the physician 236 00:10:29,415 --> 00:10:32,235 so the patients are actually hearing from their doctor. 237 00:10:32,775 --> 00:10:35,355 And this could be a broad range of communications such 238 00:10:35,355 --> 00:10:37,395 as calls, like recorded calls 239 00:10:37,535 --> 00:10:41,235 or direct phone calls, emails, you know, messages, 240 00:10:41,535 --> 00:10:43,915 alerts across the various tools that patients use 241 00:10:44,455 --> 00:10:45,635 in office activation. 242 00:10:45,635 --> 00:10:47,915 So the patients come in for appointments, ac you know, using 243 00:10:47,915 --> 00:10:50,035 that opportunity to activate them on the initiative. 244 00:10:50,495 --> 00:10:52,675 And then, as I mentioned before, both virtual 245 00:10:52,935 --> 00:10:53,995 and offline events. 246 00:10:54,055 --> 00:10:55,315 And so sometimes we'll do like 247 00:10:55,875 --> 00:10:58,835 geographically focused webinars, right, on some specific, 248 00:10:59,055 --> 00:11:01,435 um, benefit, and then the patients can 249 00:11:01,435 --> 00:11:02,475 engage and learn from that. 250 00:11:02,855 --> 00:11:06,195 So all of these sort of go into the recipe of 251 00:11:07,185 --> 00:11:10,845 making sure that we are doing our best to engage patients, 252 00:11:11,345 --> 00:11:12,885 and then we're doing that follow up 253 00:11:12,885 --> 00:11:16,005 and follow through necessary for successfully rolling out, 254 00:11:16,225 --> 00:11:17,805 uh, whatever digital health initiative 255 00:11:17,805 --> 00:11:18,805 that we have on our plate. 256 00:11:20,235 --> 00:11:21,525 - Yeah, thanks so much VM. 257 00:11:21,545 --> 00:11:24,005 It sounds like a really intentional approach 258 00:11:24,345 --> 00:11:26,045 and as you were describing it, 259 00:11:26,505 --> 00:11:30,645 it sounds also like the provider experience is so connected 260 00:11:30,795 --> 00:11:32,645 with the patient experience when it comes 261 00:11:32,645 --> 00:11:34,805 to rolling out digital health initiatives 262 00:11:35,345 --> 00:11:37,245 and the experience that patients have. 263 00:11:37,315 --> 00:11:40,165 It's very much influenced by provider adoption 264 00:11:40,185 --> 00:11:41,805 and having those physician champions. 265 00:11:42,465 --> 00:11:43,565 Um, so I kind of wanted 266 00:11:43,565 --> 00:11:44,965 to drill down on that a little bit more. 267 00:11:45,785 --> 00:11:48,805 Can you share any opportunities, um, that you see 268 00:11:48,825 --> 00:11:50,165 to improve experience 269 00:11:50,165 --> 00:11:52,685 and outcomes for, for healthcare providers with these 270 00:11:52,685 --> 00:11:53,685 - Initiatives? 271 00:11:54,655 --> 00:11:56,145 Yeah, I think that's pretty spot on, right? 272 00:11:56,145 --> 00:11:58,105 Like many of the consumer expectations 273 00:11:58,205 --> 00:12:01,065 and the first principles that we operate, uh, that we spoke 274 00:12:01,065 --> 00:12:03,745 around on the patient side, interestingly apply 275 00:12:03,745 --> 00:12:05,345 to providers as well, right? 276 00:12:05,365 --> 00:12:07,745 So if you, if you think about our model, you know, 277 00:12:07,745 --> 00:12:08,945 it's more than two decades old, 278 00:12:09,205 --> 00:12:11,345 but it was founded by primary care doctors 279 00:12:11,485 --> 00:12:13,905 who recognize the need for more engagement 280 00:12:14,085 --> 00:12:18,465 and really greater work satisfaction amongst their peers in, 281 00:12:18,465 --> 00:12:20,625 um, in a delivery, in a care delivery environment 282 00:12:20,625 --> 00:12:23,465 where physician burnout is now approaching, what, 283 00:12:23,465 --> 00:12:24,865 70% in primary care. 284 00:12:25,535 --> 00:12:27,385 This really was a hypothesis, right? 285 00:12:27,385 --> 00:12:29,625 This hypothesis of an empathetic approach 286 00:12:29,645 --> 00:12:31,185 to primary care physicians, 287 00:12:31,555 --> 00:12:34,225 which would then ultimately drive higher satisfaction, 288 00:12:34,225 --> 00:12:36,545 higher engagement from those physicians, 289 00:12:36,965 --> 00:12:38,825 and then would have second order effects 290 00:12:38,885 --> 00:12:40,425 of driving patient outcomes. 291 00:12:40,855 --> 00:12:43,025 This, this hypothesis holds truer than ever. 292 00:12:44,045 --> 00:12:46,705 So when we engage with physicians, either, you know, 293 00:12:46,705 --> 00:12:48,425 whether they're employed by health system 294 00:12:48,605 --> 00:12:51,505 or in an independent setting, we look for doctors 295 00:12:51,575 --> 00:12:54,585 that can thrive in a model of smaller patient panels 296 00:12:54,585 --> 00:12:57,385 that can take the time, that can benefit from a time 297 00:12:57,725 --> 00:12:59,905 to deliver a personalized preventative care model, 298 00:13:00,405 --> 00:13:03,225 and then provide them with tools to help them do 299 00:13:03,245 --> 00:13:04,985 so both clinically and operationally. 300 00:13:06,285 --> 00:13:07,905 You know, in many ways, you know, when, 301 00:13:07,975 --> 00:13:10,145 when I think about our model, it, it, 302 00:13:10,145 --> 00:13:13,225 it is the original promise of value-based care, right? 303 00:13:13,665 --> 00:13:16,305 A relentless focus on the doctor, the patient, 304 00:13:16,925 --> 00:13:19,505 the relationships with both those stakeholders 305 00:13:19,605 --> 00:13:21,785 and the relationships amongst those stakeholders. 306 00:13:22,405 --> 00:13:25,505 And so bringing it back to those, uh, first principles 307 00:13:26,095 --> 00:13:29,545 when we focus on high touch, this focus on the doctor 308 00:13:29,685 --> 00:13:32,585 and the focus on relationships with the doctor is 309 00:13:32,585 --> 00:13:36,425 what we mean, which then creates the context necessary 310 00:13:36,445 --> 00:13:37,785 to deliver satisfaction 311 00:13:38,005 --> 00:13:40,465 and effectiveness both on the doctor side 312 00:13:40,465 --> 00:13:42,025 and the same for the patient side. 313 00:13:42,845 --> 00:13:44,825 So now you apply this to digital health, right? 314 00:13:44,885 --> 00:13:46,265 So the idea is 315 00:13:46,265 --> 00:13:48,265 that you've now created the necessary conditions 316 00:13:48,285 --> 00:13:49,865 for a doctor to really thrive. 317 00:13:50,005 --> 00:13:52,225 As I laid out. You can then 318 00:13:53,055 --> 00:13:55,205 focus on more decisioning 319 00:13:55,205 --> 00:13:57,005 and tooling support for the doctor, 320 00:13:57,065 --> 00:13:58,245 and that's where the technology 321 00:13:58,265 --> 00:13:59,765 and digital health really comes in. 322 00:14:00,265 --> 00:14:02,205 And we firmly believe that that technology 323 00:14:02,225 --> 00:14:04,845 and digital health should really be ambient 324 00:14:04,945 --> 00:14:07,685 to the human experience of a doctor spending time 325 00:14:07,685 --> 00:14:10,605 with a patient or us as the enablers 326 00:14:10,605 --> 00:14:12,685 of the doctor spending time with the doctor. 327 00:14:14,325 --> 00:14:15,945 So, you know, let's talk about a use case, right? 328 00:14:15,945 --> 00:14:18,225 Like one use case in which we've had success in 329 00:14:18,745 --> 00:14:21,665 enabling physicians this way is really leveraging machine 330 00:14:21,905 --> 00:14:25,665 learning to help doctors identify which patients should they 331 00:14:25,665 --> 00:14:27,865 conduct direct outreach to and engage. 332 00:14:28,325 --> 00:14:30,425 And these could be, you know, existing patients 333 00:14:30,525 --> 00:14:32,825 or new patients and that, you know, 334 00:14:32,825 --> 00:14:33,985 we could focus on engagements 335 00:14:33,985 --> 00:14:36,905 that can have predictive correlation to all kinds 336 00:14:36,905 --> 00:14:38,865 of key objectives and milestones we're looking for, right? 337 00:14:38,865 --> 00:14:41,665 Like, uh, like a wellness visit, which then could turn 338 00:14:41,735 --> 00:14:43,705 that in, turn could drive health outcomes. 339 00:14:44,565 --> 00:14:47,575 Another use case, um, to wrap up 340 00:14:47,585 --> 00:14:50,095 where digital tools have played a role is 341 00:14:50,095 --> 00:14:52,125 to helping our doctors with a set of, 342 00:14:52,315 --> 00:14:54,085 essentially a set of to-dos, right? 343 00:14:54,445 --> 00:14:55,485 Reminders that can help them 344 00:14:55,585 --> 00:14:58,725 and their practice staff proactively manage their patient 345 00:14:58,865 --> 00:15:02,925 panels across a variety of clinical, um, an example being, 346 00:15:02,925 --> 00:15:05,005 let's say rolling out remote patient monitoring 347 00:15:05,465 --> 00:15:08,245 or nonclinical or operational programs such as, you know, 348 00:15:08,245 --> 00:15:09,325 welcoming a new patient. 349 00:15:10,065 --> 00:15:14,385 So what we focused on is letting these tools be rolled out 350 00:15:15,155 --> 00:15:17,495 to physicians that can help drive efficiency 351 00:15:17,555 --> 00:15:20,335 and effectiveness in managing the M-D-V-I-P practice, 352 00:15:20,685 --> 00:15:23,935 letting these tools be ambient to the point of multimodality 353 00:15:24,115 --> 00:15:26,415 and high touch and personalization we talked about, 354 00:15:27,035 --> 00:15:30,775 but ultimately using them as enablers to increasing 355 00:15:31,355 --> 00:15:33,615 the physician's engagement and buy-in 356 00:15:33,615 --> 00:15:35,695 because they're seeing the support that's coming their way, 357 00:15:35,985 --> 00:15:37,135 which then has second 358 00:15:37,155 --> 00:15:39,175 and third order effects on patient outcomes 359 00:15:39,175 --> 00:15:40,975 because the physician is in a happier 360 00:15:41,025 --> 00:15:42,135 place with this context. 361 00:15:44,455 --> 00:15:47,735 - Absolutely, and as you were just mentioning 362 00:15:47,735 --> 00:15:51,455 that point about these tools serving as en enablers 363 00:15:51,515 --> 00:15:53,375 to increase physician engagement 364 00:15:53,435 --> 00:15:57,695 and buy-in, um, you know, I'm sure that, that it's, 365 00:15:57,765 --> 00:16:00,055 they see value in gaining time back 366 00:16:00,075 --> 00:16:02,335 to have meaningful interactions with patients. 367 00:16:02,875 --> 00:16:06,095 Um, so I'm sure that for a lot of providers out there, 368 00:16:06,805 --> 00:16:08,535 they can see the benefits in technology, 369 00:16:09,035 --> 00:16:11,815 but seeing those benefits versus actually, uh, 370 00:16:12,695 --> 00:16:14,535 becoming engaged in the digital health initiative, 371 00:16:14,635 --> 00:16:15,975 I'm sure those are two different things. 372 00:16:16,195 --> 00:16:19,815 So just kind of as we close out here, do you have any final 373 00:16:20,325 --> 00:16:22,055 best practices, recommendations, 374 00:16:22,055 --> 00:16:25,215 or methods that you'd recommend, um, for organizations 375 00:16:25,435 --> 00:16:27,735 who are really looking to get their providers engaged? 376 00:16:29,375 --> 00:16:31,985 - Yeah, so, you know, at M-D-V-I-P, we use that, you know, 377 00:16:32,085 --> 00:16:35,025 no two physicians and no two practices are really alike. 378 00:16:35,645 --> 00:16:39,705 And what that requires is discipline, meaning tools, 379 00:16:39,705 --> 00:16:42,905 analytics, and a mindset to be able to understand physicians 380 00:16:43,045 --> 00:16:45,145 and practices, you know, 381 00:16:45,145 --> 00:16:47,545 segmenting them in useful ways, right? 382 00:16:47,545 --> 00:16:50,305 To derive insights on who may be best suited 383 00:16:50,445 --> 00:16:52,465 for leveraging an opportunity in digital health. 384 00:16:52,965 --> 00:16:55,225 Not everyone is, and not everyone is well 385 00:16:55,225 --> 00:16:56,425 suited for every opportunity. 386 00:16:57,275 --> 00:16:59,735 So the first angle here is this like 387 00:16:59,995 --> 00:17:01,975 inside out analytical perspective, 388 00:17:03,135 --> 00:17:04,795 and then we combine that with an 389 00:17:04,795 --> 00:17:09,035 outside in feedback loop from physicians who sit on various, 390 00:17:09,095 --> 00:17:11,355 you know, task forces and advisory boards within our 391 00:17:11,355 --> 00:17:13,835 organization, and then sort of the two mix 392 00:17:13,935 --> 00:17:16,995 to create a degree of selection that can take place, 393 00:17:17,915 --> 00:17:20,025 which determines which physicians are fit 394 00:17:20,045 --> 00:17:22,265 for which digital health programs 395 00:17:22,725 --> 00:17:26,105 and which practices as a secondary qualifier are fit 396 00:17:26,105 --> 00:17:27,585 for which digital health programs. 397 00:17:28,495 --> 00:17:32,335 Now this engagement, you know, one, one criteria here is 398 00:17:32,335 --> 00:17:34,015 that it is usually sponsor driven. 399 00:17:34,075 --> 00:17:35,335 So you need a strong sponsor 400 00:17:35,515 --> 00:17:37,495 and buy-in from the sponsor who's typically the owner 401 00:17:37,495 --> 00:17:38,615 of the digital health initiative. 402 00:17:39,115 --> 00:17:41,175 And it's combined with boots on the ground 403 00:17:41,825 --> 00:17:44,735 engagement from various teams that support physicians 404 00:17:44,735 --> 00:17:46,975 and practices, um, to outreach 405 00:17:47,115 --> 00:17:48,615 to those physicians and engage them. 406 00:17:49,265 --> 00:17:50,645 Uh, the engagement is personal. 407 00:17:50,785 --> 00:17:52,685 Um, so the idea there is that 408 00:17:53,265 --> 00:17:55,245 really understanding your physician to understand 409 00:17:55,395 --> 00:17:56,565 what really motivates them. 410 00:17:57,065 --> 00:17:58,965 Is it clinical outcomes for their patients? 411 00:17:59,545 --> 00:18:02,085 Is it operational workflow and administrative load 412 00:18:02,085 --> 00:18:05,365 and lessening that, is it financial incentives, right? 413 00:18:06,055 --> 00:18:08,805 Those levers can vary across the physician population. 414 00:18:08,825 --> 00:18:09,885 It can vary based on 415 00:18:09,885 --> 00:18:11,405 where the physician is in their careers. 416 00:18:11,425 --> 00:18:13,285 So ultimately knowing your physicians well 417 00:18:13,705 --> 00:18:15,645 and maintaining a strong relationship with them 418 00:18:15,665 --> 00:18:17,205 to help drive these conversations 419 00:18:17,265 --> 00:18:19,805 and ultimately conversions is critical. 420 00:18:20,545 --> 00:18:23,045 And then there's obviously the multimodality aspect in 421 00:18:23,045 --> 00:18:24,245 physician engagement as well, right? 422 00:18:24,305 --> 00:18:27,965 So in addition to the, you know, the digitally enabled call 423 00:18:27,965 --> 00:18:29,005 and email campaigns, 424 00:18:29,105 --> 00:18:31,005 we also leverage digital tools in our 425 00:18:31,005 --> 00:18:32,125 portals to drive awareness. 426 00:18:32,665 --> 00:18:34,805 We also leverage, you know, community updates 427 00:18:34,825 --> 00:18:37,485 and newsletters to announce, you know, new initiatives 428 00:18:37,485 --> 00:18:39,445 that are coming online that physicians can pilot 429 00:18:39,745 --> 00:18:40,885 in or participate in. 430 00:18:41,865 --> 00:18:43,005 And in the last few years, 431 00:18:43,005 --> 00:18:45,205 we've also invested in developing online webinar 432 00:18:45,205 --> 00:18:46,965 capabilities for physicians. 433 00:18:46,965 --> 00:18:50,245 So you're almost building communities of interest, um, such 434 00:18:50,245 --> 00:18:53,285 as a digital task force that we put together, and then, 435 00:18:53,345 --> 00:18:56,285 but also using regularly scheduled regional 436 00:18:56,425 --> 00:18:58,565 and national in-person meetings 437 00:18:58,825 --> 00:19:00,765 to reinforce our priorities as well. 438 00:19:01,145 --> 00:19:05,005 So all of that sort of serves that multimodal touch points 439 00:19:05,595 --> 00:19:07,765 that can help engage doctors. 440 00:19:08,805 --> 00:19:10,425 So I think I'll leave you with this, right? 441 00:19:10,825 --> 00:19:13,385 Pursuing the goal of Happy Physicians 442 00:19:13,575 --> 00:19:14,705 that are successful 443 00:19:14,705 --> 00:19:17,795 and effective, it in turn leads to happy staff 444 00:19:17,815 --> 00:19:19,875 and practices that are successful and effective, 445 00:19:20,135 --> 00:19:22,555 and that yields patients who are engaged 446 00:19:22,815 --> 00:19:24,635 and are effectively managing their health 447 00:19:24,655 --> 00:19:25,835 to successful outcomes, 448 00:19:26,125 --> 00:19:28,315 which you can see across various published studies, right, 449 00:19:28,315 --> 00:19:29,875 that that MDV IP has had. 450 00:19:30,755 --> 00:19:34,205 Digital health is a ambient mechanism, a means 451 00:19:34,425 --> 00:19:35,965 to achieve these inherent goals, 452 00:19:36,305 --> 00:19:38,525 and it's not necessarily the end in itself. 453 00:19:40,935 --> 00:19:42,455 - Absolutely. I really love 454 00:19:42,535 --> 00:19:46,375 what you said there at the end vm, the pursuing the goal 455 00:19:46,375 --> 00:19:48,775 of Happy Physicians and kind of the ripple effect 456 00:19:48,775 --> 00:19:52,055 that can come from that on both staff and patient outcomes. 457 00:19:52,315 --> 00:19:53,855 So really think 458 00:19:53,855 --> 00:19:56,055 that our listeners are going to appreciate that. 459 00:19:56,155 --> 00:19:58,615 And I, I really appreciate you sharing all 460 00:19:58,615 --> 00:19:59,655 of your insights with us today. 461 00:19:59,655 --> 00:20:01,495 Thanks so much again for hopping on the podcast. 462 00:20:02,425 --> 00:20:03,495 - Thank you. I appreciate it. 463 00:20:04,125 --> 00:20:06,095 - We'd also like to thank our podcast sponsor 464 00:20:06,265 --> 00:20:07,815 today, M-D-V-I-P. 465 00:20:08,395 --> 00:20:10,615 You can tune into more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare 466 00:20:10,755 --> 00:20:13,135 by visiting our podcast page at becker's 467 00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:14,375 hospital review.com. 468 00:20:14,855 --> 00:20:14,975 I.