1 00:00:00,235 --> 00:00:02,205 - Prepare to dive into the forefront 2 00:00:02,225 --> 00:00:05,525 of healthcare innovation at our 14th annual meeting coming 3 00:00:05,545 --> 00:00:06,645 up on April 8th 4 00:00:06,645 --> 00:00:10,765 through 11th at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, with thousands 5 00:00:10,765 --> 00:00:13,965 of industry leaders converging over four dynamic days 6 00:00:13,985 --> 00:00:16,805 of discussions on crucial topics from health IT 7 00:00:17,185 --> 00:00:18,685 to executive leadership. 8 00:00:18,995 --> 00:00:21,325 It's where the future of healthcare takes shape. 9 00:00:21,865 --> 00:00:24,085 We can't wait to connect with you in person 10 00:00:24,305 --> 00:00:26,685 and engage in these important conversations. 11 00:00:27,515 --> 00:00:29,925 - This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 12 00:00:30,465 --> 00:00:32,405 I'm thrilled today to be joined by John Henderson, 13 00:00:32,475 --> 00:00:33,965 vice President and Chief Information 14 00:00:33,965 --> 00:00:36,165 and digital officer at Children's Hospital of Orange County. 15 00:00:36,555 --> 00:00:38,525 John, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 16 00:00:39,345 --> 00:00:41,885 - Thanks, Laura. Happy to be here. Glad to talk to you. 17 00:00:43,245 --> 00:00:45,445 - Absolutely. Now, you know, I'm really excited 18 00:00:45,505 --> 00:00:47,485 to get deeper into some of the different things 19 00:00:47,485 --> 00:00:49,165 that you're doing at the hospital. 20 00:00:49,365 --> 00:00:51,725 I, I know there's a lot happening in digital health right 21 00:00:51,725 --> 00:00:53,405 now, and in particular looking at 22 00:00:53,405 --> 00:00:54,925 how you can drive efficiencies 23 00:00:54,985 --> 00:00:57,845 and continue to, um, you know, grow the system. 24 00:00:58,065 --> 00:00:59,845 But before we dive into that conversation, 25 00:00:59,945 --> 00:01:00,965 can you tell me a little bit more 26 00:01:00,965 --> 00:01:02,125 about yourself and your background? 27 00:01:04,075 --> 00:01:06,125 - Sure. Um, as you mentioned, uh, I'm 28 00:01:06,125 --> 00:01:07,525 with Children's Hospital of Orange County. 29 00:01:07,675 --> 00:01:09,725 I've been here just over seven years. 30 00:01:10,265 --> 00:01:12,645 Uh, spent the majority of my career in pediatric healthcare 31 00:01:12,905 --> 00:01:13,925 ip, um, 32 00:01:14,225 --> 00:01:17,885 and as I've been out here in southern California, um, 33 00:01:18,145 --> 00:01:20,805 we are a two hospital pediatric health system. 34 00:01:21,385 --> 00:01:24,485 Um, we have, uh, five centers of excellence, uh, 35 00:01:24,485 --> 00:01:28,205 focused in cardiology, cancer, orthopedic, uh, 36 00:01:28,205 --> 00:01:31,205 the neurosciences, and also research organization, um, 37 00:01:31,345 --> 00:01:35,285 30 plus specialties, uh, as well as 30 plus primary care. 38 00:01:36,585 --> 00:01:39,605 - Oh, that's amazing. And really impressive, especially, um, 39 00:01:39,745 --> 00:01:42,005 for a children's hospital to have such a breadth 40 00:01:42,025 --> 00:01:44,645 of specialists in, in, um, coverage area. 41 00:01:46,555 --> 00:01:49,175 - Yes, yes. You know, we are, you know, we are big, uh, 42 00:01:49,235 --> 00:01:50,255 on population health. 43 00:01:50,255 --> 00:01:52,015 We have a large geography to cover. 44 00:01:52,515 --> 00:01:54,775 Uh, and, you know, we're really focused on trying 45 00:01:54,775 --> 00:01:57,175 to create the healthiest community, uh, for peds, 46 00:01:57,175 --> 00:01:58,295 uh, all across Orange County. 47 00:01:59,695 --> 00:02:02,105 - Fantastic. Well, with that in mind, you know, I, 48 00:02:02,225 --> 00:02:03,905 I am excited to learn more. 49 00:02:03,965 --> 00:02:05,465 And, and from your perspective, 50 00:02:05,565 --> 00:02:06,985 and looking back over the last year 51 00:02:06,985 --> 00:02:08,665 or so, what is one change that you've made 52 00:02:08,665 --> 00:02:10,225 that has really yielded some great results? 53 00:02:12,145 --> 00:02:15,245 - Oh, wow. Great question. Um, so 54 00:02:15,315 --> 00:02:18,365 what I would say is it's a combination of 55 00:02:18,965 --> 00:02:20,085 creating our digital team 56 00:02:20,905 --> 00:02:23,045 and the different results that we've been able 57 00:02:23,105 --> 00:02:24,245 to, uh, deliver. 58 00:02:24,665 --> 00:02:27,365 And so by digital team, I mean bringing in leadership 59 00:02:27,385 --> 00:02:30,685 that's solely focused, uh, on automation, 60 00:02:31,065 --> 00:02:33,645 but also, uh, with mobile apps 61 00:02:33,665 --> 00:02:36,245 and solutions to serve, uh, to serve our organization. 62 00:02:36,745 --> 00:02:38,685 So we've created this team, uh, 63 00:02:38,745 --> 00:02:41,845 and we've had a heavy emphasis on, uh, 64 00:02:41,875 --> 00:02:43,365 robotic process automation. 65 00:02:43,745 --> 00:02:47,485 Um, we've, uh, been able to deploy over, uh, 66 00:02:47,485 --> 00:02:50,485 just over think 10, 11, uh, automations, 67 00:02:50,625 --> 00:02:51,845 uh, into production. 68 00:02:52,305 --> 00:02:55,205 Um, and it's focused on a, a variety of different areas, uh, 69 00:02:55,315 --> 00:02:59,565 some administrative areas, um, some clinical areas, uh, 70 00:03:00,045 --> 00:03:03,965 focusing on how do we take manual, uh, 71 00:03:04,415 --> 00:03:06,365 tasks from operations 72 00:03:06,705 --> 00:03:10,845 and really put those into an automation, uh, capability so 73 00:03:10,845 --> 00:03:12,645 that they can be more effective, uh, 74 00:03:12,665 --> 00:03:15,845 and remove some of those mundane day-to-day process tasks 75 00:03:15,845 --> 00:03:17,885 that, that they've been, that they've been focused on. 76 00:03:18,305 --> 00:03:20,725 Uh, so I'll say that's been what, uh, 77 00:03:20,875 --> 00:03:22,685 I'll say the biggest change we've made 78 00:03:22,685 --> 00:03:24,805 that's yielded some really, really strong results. 79 00:03:26,825 --> 00:03:28,625 - Absolutely. That's, you know, fascinating and, 80 00:03:28,625 --> 00:03:30,825 and cool to hear that having that leadership, 81 00:03:31,225 --> 00:03:33,185 building out a team that is focused on automation 82 00:03:33,205 --> 00:03:35,745 and, um, can really have a, 83 00:03:36,225 --> 00:03:38,305 a big impact on the system at large. 84 00:03:38,645 --> 00:03:40,465 Is there anything in particular, um, 85 00:03:40,855 --> 00:03:43,105 that you've done in terms of being able 86 00:03:43,105 --> 00:03:44,465 to zero in on a project or, 87 00:03:44,465 --> 00:03:48,145 or something that has, um, led to success or, 88 00:03:48,165 --> 00:03:51,105 or, um, I guess describe what happened and what you did? 89 00:03:52,935 --> 00:03:55,425 - Sure, sure. So there's been a couple of things we've done. 90 00:03:55,605 --> 00:03:59,425 Uh, one of the, one of the products we worked on was 91 00:03:59,605 --> 00:04:02,185 for our electronic prescribed, uh, controlled substances. 92 00:04:02,205 --> 00:04:04,505 How do we provision our providers, uh, 93 00:04:04,505 --> 00:04:07,105 that come into the organization to gain access 94 00:04:07,205 --> 00:04:08,465 to, to those capabilities? 95 00:04:08,925 --> 00:04:10,945 So we built an automation that, uh, 96 00:04:11,165 --> 00:04:15,185 really provisions the providers, uh, and really gets them up 97 00:04:15,185 --> 00:04:17,225 and running much quicker than, uh, 98 00:04:17,615 --> 00:04:19,185 what we would historically have. 99 00:04:19,235 --> 00:04:21,745 Three different teams have a step in that process. 100 00:04:22,325 --> 00:04:25,305 And the length of time it would take could be anywhere from 101 00:04:26,655 --> 00:04:29,405 three business days to 10 business days. 102 00:04:29,785 --> 00:04:32,605 So that's really anywhere from one to two weeks to get 103 00:04:32,685 --> 00:04:34,685 that physician physician that, that access. 104 00:04:35,015 --> 00:04:37,965 Where now with the automation, we're able to turn that 105 00:04:37,965 --> 00:04:41,085 around, uh, within a couple of days consistently. 106 00:04:41,745 --> 00:04:45,805 Um, another, another project, uh, that we have, uh, 107 00:04:45,805 --> 00:04:50,525 was focused on how do we, uh, remove access for our, 108 00:04:50,745 --> 00:04:53,765 our, our patients who turn 18 from our patient portal. 109 00:04:54,385 --> 00:04:57,405 So because of regulatory, uh, guidelines, as soon 110 00:04:57,405 --> 00:05:01,925 as a a patient turns 18, we have to be able to, 111 00:05:02,385 --> 00:05:06,165 uh, uh, terminate access for, for parents, uh, uh, 112 00:05:06,355 --> 00:05:08,045 because they're no longer a minor. 113 00:05:08,465 --> 00:05:12,085 Uh, so we've put in automation to automatically do that. 114 00:05:12,385 --> 00:05:16,325 Um, and that's been, uh, one that's, uh, saved us time, 115 00:05:16,745 --> 00:05:20,045 but also, uh, we're able to really monitor that 116 00:05:20,065 --> 00:05:22,245 and have a whole monitoring, uh, program 117 00:05:22,465 --> 00:05:25,085 that's solely focused on keeping us compliant with 118 00:05:25,085 --> 00:05:26,205 that particular regulation. 119 00:05:26,825 --> 00:05:28,525 Um, there's been a number of other items 120 00:05:28,655 --> 00:05:30,365 where we've done some lead screening 121 00:05:30,365 --> 00:05:31,365 that our population Health 122 00:05:31,365 --> 00:05:34,365 and Utilization review group, uh, they have to, uh, 123 00:05:34,435 --> 00:05:37,085 perform quarterly lead screenings now it's monthly. 124 00:05:38,025 --> 00:05:40,605 Um, and basically they'd have to go out to, uh, 125 00:05:41,225 --> 00:05:44,525 to a website, uh, look up information 126 00:05:44,865 --> 00:05:47,845 and then document, uh, that they've performed that, that, 127 00:05:47,845 --> 00:05:49,045 that, that lead screening. 128 00:05:49,225 --> 00:05:52,605 So we've taken that, uh, and deployed automation. 129 00:05:52,745 --> 00:05:54,645 So we have a bot that goes out 130 00:05:54,645 --> 00:05:56,725 and performs that entire function, uh, 131 00:05:57,385 --> 00:05:59,565 and provides the results to that team. 132 00:06:00,505 --> 00:06:03,565 So lots of different, uh, areas we're focused on, 133 00:06:03,905 --> 00:06:05,685 but, uh, those are just a few projects that, 134 00:06:05,685 --> 00:06:08,365 that we've been able to deploy and sealing some pretty 135 00:06:08,365 --> 00:06:10,165 significant, uh, time savings each month. 136 00:06:11,625 --> 00:06:12,805 - That's fascinating to hear 137 00:06:12,865 --> 00:06:15,485 and definitely makes a big difference on the time side in 138 00:06:15,485 --> 00:06:16,525 terms of, you know, 139 00:06:16,525 --> 00:06:18,965 having those administrative tasks automated so 140 00:06:18,965 --> 00:06:20,765 that the team can focus in on other areas 141 00:06:20,855 --> 00:06:23,765 where really their, their skills and in person 142 00:06:23,765 --> 00:06:25,525 and person interaction is so vital. 143 00:06:26,065 --> 00:06:27,205 Um, you know, 144 00:06:27,505 --> 00:06:29,565 and kind of given your focus, especially as you're talking 145 00:06:29,565 --> 00:06:30,805 through more population health 146 00:06:30,945 --> 00:06:32,725 and some other areas where, um, 147 00:06:32,725 --> 00:06:34,045 really you can make a difference. 148 00:06:34,115 --> 00:06:35,325 What are some of the top trends 149 00:06:35,325 --> 00:06:36,525 that you're following in healthcare? 150 00:06:36,985 --> 00:06:38,125 What's top of mind for you? 151 00:06:39,635 --> 00:06:43,335 - So right now, the, the digital health is still one 152 00:06:43,335 --> 00:06:44,375 of the biggest trends, 153 00:06:44,475 --> 00:06:47,935 but we're really looking at, uh, the ambient technologies 154 00:06:48,445 --> 00:06:51,975 that can take natural, uh, language, uh, as part of a visit 155 00:06:52,395 --> 00:06:55,735 and really, uh, looking at the solutions that can transcribe 156 00:06:55,735 --> 00:06:58,535 that into a good solid note 157 00:06:58,675 --> 00:07:01,095 and then be able to integrate that back into the EMR 158 00:07:01,155 --> 00:07:04,775 to really, uh, increase the efficiency of the physicians, 159 00:07:05,315 --> 00:07:07,135 reduce their, their cognitive burden, 160 00:07:07,435 --> 00:07:09,415 but also, uh, give them the ability to 161 00:07:10,205 --> 00:07:13,015 have a more engaging conversation with their patient. 162 00:07:13,675 --> 00:07:16,055 I'm looking at those types of technologies and those trends. 163 00:07:16,875 --> 00:07:20,375 AI is, is, is so prevalent with large language models, 164 00:07:20,555 --> 00:07:22,535 gen ai, uh, under trying 165 00:07:22,535 --> 00:07:23,935 to understand what's happening there 166 00:07:24,395 --> 00:07:27,295 and how do we take advantage of those types of, uh, 167 00:07:27,295 --> 00:07:28,735 capabilities at the, 168 00:07:28,735 --> 00:07:31,295 but at the same time making sure 169 00:07:31,325 --> 00:07:33,015 that we can do that, uh, safely. 170 00:07:34,095 --> 00:07:37,615 I think one of the other areas, uh, in trends, uh, 171 00:07:38,535 --> 00:07:42,835 really is, is, is focused on how do you, how do, 172 00:07:42,935 --> 00:07:44,795 how do you really look at, um, 173 00:07:45,995 --> 00:07:50,035 shifting your organization's talent profile, um, 174 00:07:50,495 --> 00:07:55,035 to meet the coming needs of large language models and the, 175 00:07:55,035 --> 00:07:56,195 and the type of talent you need 176 00:07:56,195 --> 00:07:58,035 to really take advantage of those capabilities. 177 00:07:58,695 --> 00:08:00,715 Uh, the digital, uh, programs 178 00:08:00,715 --> 00:08:05,405 and platforms that, uh, been so prevalent, uh, looking 179 00:08:05,545 --> 00:08:09,725 for, uh, product managers, uh, low-code developers, 180 00:08:10,025 --> 00:08:13,125 so you have the right mix of talent to really be able 181 00:08:13,125 --> 00:08:15,525 to drive forward the strategies 182 00:08:15,635 --> 00:08:17,125 that the organization is looking forward 183 00:08:17,145 --> 00:08:18,605 to become more and more digital. 184 00:08:19,145 --> 00:08:21,565 Uh, those are kind of the things that, uh, that, 185 00:08:21,635 --> 00:08:22,885 that, that we're really following. 186 00:08:24,445 --> 00:08:25,945 And then of course, consolidation. 187 00:08:26,325 --> 00:08:29,345 Um, um, you know, particularly with a lot 188 00:08:29,345 --> 00:08:32,865 of the startups in, in, in a number of spaces, uh, 189 00:08:32,865 --> 00:08:34,585 just trying to understand and, 190 00:08:34,645 --> 00:08:37,905 and see where we think there may be consolidation, uh, 191 00:08:37,905 --> 00:08:40,345 with some of these, uh, vendor platforms, particularly some 192 00:08:40,345 --> 00:08:42,625 of the, uh, the, the early, uh, 193 00:08:42,835 --> 00:08:44,385 early platform developers in, 194 00:08:44,385 --> 00:08:45,985 in the ambient technology space. 195 00:08:48,825 --> 00:08:52,185 - Fascinating. Yeah, I, I I think especially as, you know, 196 00:08:52,485 --> 00:08:55,685 the, um, very much the digital health, uh, 197 00:08:56,245 --> 00:08:58,485 industry continues to grow and, and change 198 00:08:58,545 --> 00:09:01,165 and, um, really evolve, um, the ability 199 00:09:01,265 --> 00:09:02,525 to have those connections 200 00:09:02,525 --> 00:09:05,165 and then too to understand, as you said, how um, 201 00:09:05,605 --> 00:09:08,165 companies are moving and what that means for organizations. 202 00:09:08,385 --> 00:09:10,325 Um, you know, definitely important 203 00:09:10,325 --> 00:09:11,365 to stay top of mind there. 204 00:09:12,185 --> 00:09:13,525 Um, I'm wondering 205 00:09:13,525 --> 00:09:15,845 before we wrap up here, how are you thinking about growth 206 00:09:15,845 --> 00:09:18,085 and development over the next 12 to 24 months? 207 00:09:18,395 --> 00:09:20,005 What do you really see as being spaces 208 00:09:20,055 --> 00:09:21,765 where you can continue to build out 209 00:09:21,825 --> 00:09:25,845 and, uh, grow, um, your accountabilities on the digital side 210 00:09:25,865 --> 00:09:27,765 as well as, um, the hospital overall? 211 00:09:29,515 --> 00:09:33,975 - Uh, so, um, right now I, I think our growth is going 212 00:09:33,975 --> 00:09:36,775 to be in call center platforms. 213 00:09:37,075 --> 00:09:41,375 So we have a huge access and carry design journey we're on. 214 00:09:41,795 --> 00:09:45,495 And so as part of that, part of it is how do we, uh, 215 00:09:45,525 --> 00:09:48,415 improve access to care in our specialty clinics? 216 00:09:48,995 --> 00:09:52,655 And so as we, as we look at that particular program, 217 00:09:53,715 --> 00:09:56,055 we looked at it from not only a, a technology, 218 00:09:56,075 --> 00:09:59,695 but a people in process aspect of it, so that 219 00:09:59,725 --> 00:10:03,455 that journey will, will wrap up in the next 12 months. 220 00:10:04,035 --> 00:10:05,855 And if we are successful, 221 00:10:05,855 --> 00:10:07,735 and I believe we will be, that will 222 00:10:08,415 --> 00:10:10,815 increase our ambulatory specialty clinic volume 223 00:10:10,815 --> 00:10:14,135 significantly gives us more capability, more capacity 224 00:10:14,155 --> 00:10:15,255 to see more patients. 225 00:10:15,755 --> 00:10:19,335 Um, and so with that, uh, our new specialty clinic tower 226 00:10:19,395 --> 00:10:24,055 that's coming online in June of 2025, um, we really have 227 00:10:24,055 --> 00:10:26,975 to be in a position to offer more digital capabilities. 228 00:10:27,435 --> 00:10:31,655 So Cloud-based call center platform with a lot of, uh, 229 00:10:31,655 --> 00:10:34,575 digital assistant, virtual assistant capabilities, uh, 230 00:10:34,575 --> 00:10:36,135 that allows us to handle more volume 231 00:10:36,275 --> 00:10:38,775 and not have to grow, uh, the staffing. 232 00:10:39,155 --> 00:10:41,255 Uh, looking at implementing 233 00:10:41,255 --> 00:10:45,415 and enabling, uh, some gen EI capabilities, uh, 234 00:10:45,415 --> 00:10:50,265 particularly focused, uh, on, uh, on how do you take, 235 00:10:50,525 --> 00:10:54,545 uh, a large language model that towards some 236 00:10:54,545 --> 00:10:56,225 of our key insights and information 237 00:10:56,605 --> 00:10:59,265 and leverage that to improve our access, 238 00:10:59,375 --> 00:11:00,705 improve our efficiency, 239 00:11:01,005 --> 00:11:03,905 and really be able to tie some of those capabilities into, 240 00:11:04,605 --> 00:11:07,505 uh, some of the digital capabilities with our call center, 241 00:11:07,845 --> 00:11:10,705 but also with, uh, our, our patient portal. 242 00:11:10,995 --> 00:11:13,505 We're building, uh, currently a mobile solution. 243 00:11:13,505 --> 00:11:17,145 We call it My Shock, um, that really takes a lot 244 00:11:17,145 --> 00:11:19,185 of the wealth of information in a patient portal, 245 00:11:19,605 --> 00:11:23,425 but really building out, uh, ability that are beyond 246 00:11:23,655 --> 00:11:25,865 what a traditional patient portal offers. 247 00:11:26,445 --> 00:11:29,825 So in addition to, uh, the ability to, to 248 00:11:29,825 --> 00:11:31,985 to schedule your appointment, see, see your record, 249 00:11:32,475 --> 00:11:35,225 we're promoting and producing content that's, uh, 250 00:11:35,575 --> 00:11:37,305 that will be specific to the patient 251 00:11:37,405 --> 00:11:40,705 and what they are coming to, uh, see us for, for services 252 00:11:41,285 --> 00:11:44,185 and how do we take that, that platform, 253 00:11:45,025 --> 00:11:49,025 leverage these large language models, uh, really offer, uh, 254 00:11:49,505 --> 00:11:51,985 enhanced services that our patients 255 00:11:51,985 --> 00:11:53,645 and patients families, uh, really want. 256 00:11:54,025 --> 00:11:56,525 Um, so growth in those areas. Uh, I see. 257 00:11:56,825 --> 00:11:59,525 Um, I also see growth in data science. 258 00:11:59,905 --> 00:12:03,685 Uh, we have a data science team at CHOP that is doing, uh, 259 00:12:03,795 --> 00:12:06,045 several predictive models at the point of care 260 00:12:06,045 --> 00:12:08,205 that we integrate, uh, into the EMR 261 00:12:08,425 --> 00:12:11,565 and looking to continue to grow that team, uh, 262 00:12:11,625 --> 00:12:15,205 and the services, uh, really, really, uh, take us to, 263 00:12:15,225 --> 00:12:16,485 to more advanced outcomes 264 00:12:16,905 --> 00:12:19,245 and really help with continuing to kind of 265 00:12:20,215 --> 00:12:23,265 support our care delivery process for our physicians, uh, 266 00:12:23,555 --> 00:12:27,665 which we hope will also, uh, play a significant role in, 267 00:12:27,725 --> 00:12:31,865 in reducing uh, kind of the physician burnout that, uh, 268 00:12:31,865 --> 00:12:34,505 still continues to be on, not only for us 269 00:12:34,525 --> 00:12:35,585 but also across the country. 270 00:12:37,005 --> 00:12:38,465 - And John, that's fascinating to hear. 271 00:12:38,515 --> 00:12:40,625 Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. 272 00:12:40,625 --> 00:12:42,265 This has been a really great conversation. 273 00:12:42,625 --> 00:12:44,905 I learned a lot and certainly a lot to think about, 274 00:12:45,005 --> 00:12:46,345 you know, when we're looking to the future. 275 00:12:46,865 --> 00:12:48,025 I appreciate your time today 276 00:12:48,165 --> 00:12:49,745 and excited to have you, um, 277 00:12:50,025 --> 00:12:51,345 speaking at our Health IT Digital Health 278 00:12:51,345 --> 00:12:53,065 and Revenue Cycle event this October. 279 00:12:53,395 --> 00:12:56,105 It'll be great to be able to continue these conversations 280 00:12:56,365 --> 00:12:58,065 and, uh, talk about many of these themes, 281 00:12:58,205 --> 00:12:59,385 um, at that point as well. 282 00:13:00,775 --> 00:13:02,265 - Alright. It's been great talking to you 283 00:13:02,325 --> 00:13:04,145 and looking forward to Becca's in October.