1 00:00:00,495 --> 00:00:02,865 - This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 2 00:00:03,445 --> 00:00:05,385 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Jeff Ney, 3 00:00:05,385 --> 00:00:07,945 senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Rush 4 00:00:07,945 --> 00:00:09,185 University System for Health. 5 00:00:09,495 --> 00:00:11,505 Jeff, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 6 00:00:12,875 --> 00:00:14,825 - Great to be on. Laura, thanks for inviting me. 7 00:00:16,305 --> 00:00:18,625 - Absolutely. Anytime. I know we're excited to have you on 8 00:00:18,625 --> 00:00:19,865 and, and for this conversation, 9 00:00:19,865 --> 00:00:21,505 because I know Rush is doing 10 00:00:21,605 --> 00:00:23,545 so much in the digital health space 11 00:00:23,565 --> 00:00:25,265 and certainly on the forefront of 12 00:00:25,525 --> 00:00:27,625 how transformation is happening in the healthcare. 13 00:00:28,125 --> 00:00:30,265 But before we dive into our broader discussion, 14 00:00:30,265 --> 00:00:31,305 can you tell us a little bit more 15 00:00:31,305 --> 00:00:32,465 about yourself and your background? 16 00:00:33,975 --> 00:00:36,555 - Uh, sure. Yeah. I am, uh, CIO here at Rush. 17 00:00:36,625 --> 00:00:38,235 I've been for the past three years. 18 00:00:38,975 --> 00:00:41,995 Um, prior to that I was a managing director at Deloitte 19 00:00:42,015 --> 00:00:43,595 and a partner at Ernst and Young, 20 00:00:44,095 --> 00:00:47,275 and sandwiched in between those two was a stented, 21 00:00:47,275 --> 00:00:48,915 Northwell Health for about eight years 22 00:00:48,915 --> 00:00:50,315 running IT operations. 23 00:00:50,455 --> 00:00:52,715 So I've had a, you know, a chance 24 00:00:52,715 --> 00:00:55,115 to sit in the vendor chair, a chance to 25 00:00:55,735 --> 00:00:57,395 sit in the professional services chair 26 00:00:57,395 --> 00:00:59,555 and as chance to sit in the operations chair. 27 00:00:59,575 --> 00:01:01,755 And I think it kind of gives you a unique perspective. 28 00:01:02,535 --> 00:01:05,275 So, uh, three years of rush and joining just 29 00:01:05,325 --> 00:01:09,035 after Covid is definitely an interesting, um, 30 00:01:09,535 --> 00:01:11,195 was definitely an interesting experience. 31 00:01:11,435 --> 00:01:13,475 I, I did an orientation session this morning 32 00:01:13,475 --> 00:01:14,595 for new employees at Rush, 33 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:16,635 and of course when I joined, none 34 00:01:16,635 --> 00:01:17,755 of those things were in person. 35 00:01:18,015 --> 00:01:20,675 In fact, my whole department was remote, so I showed up 36 00:01:20,675 --> 00:01:24,875 and it was like a totally empty floor in an office building. 37 00:01:25,155 --> 00:01:27,635 , which was the laptop sitting on my desk . 38 00:01:28,215 --> 00:01:29,995 It was sort of like the matrix, like, 39 00:01:30,265 --> 00:01:33,355 open this up and join us. 40 00:01:33,575 --> 00:01:34,835 So it was, uh, it was fun. 41 00:01:37,005 --> 00:01:38,065 - Oh, that's great to hear. 42 00:01:38,125 --> 00:01:40,345 And certainly, you know, when you think about all, um, 43 00:01:40,365 --> 00:01:42,465 the different experiences you've had throughout your career, 44 00:01:42,705 --> 00:01:45,105 I can imagine bringing that into now, you know, 45 00:01:45,405 --> 00:01:47,625 how you're running things at Rush, um, 46 00:01:48,045 --> 00:01:49,545 and through the pandemic as well. 47 00:01:50,045 --> 00:01:52,585 It can just, should just be a unique experience. 48 00:01:53,015 --> 00:01:55,105 What are some of your top priorities right now 49 00:01:55,325 --> 00:01:57,105 and what are you spending most of your time on? 50 00:01:59,125 --> 00:02:00,495 - Yeah, you know, I think, um, 51 00:02:01,015 --> 00:02:02,215 I think probably the same things 52 00:02:02,215 --> 00:02:03,855 that many people are spending their time on. 53 00:02:03,855 --> 00:02:05,615 There's a certain amount of sort of legacy. 54 00:02:06,595 --> 00:02:10,295 You know, it, it's kind of like anytime you own something, 55 00:02:10,295 --> 00:02:11,535 whether it's a house or a car 56 00:02:11,535 --> 00:02:15,695 or an IT apartment, there's always some sort of erosion 57 00:02:15,955 --> 00:02:20,255 and decrepitude that's that, uh, sneaks in. 58 00:02:20,315 --> 00:02:21,495 So we, we've spent a lot 59 00:02:21,495 --> 00:02:23,455 of the last two years trying to fix that. 60 00:02:23,735 --> 00:02:25,295 'cause it had been somewhat neglected. 61 00:02:25,905 --> 00:02:27,415 There was a lot of infrastructure 62 00:02:27,675 --> 00:02:29,695 and continues to be a decent amount of infrastructure 63 00:02:29,695 --> 00:02:33,215 and cyber, um, investments that had to be made to sort 64 00:02:33,215 --> 00:02:34,735 of bring the whole place up to code. 65 00:02:35,105 --> 00:02:36,535 We're getting much closer to that. 66 00:02:37,115 --> 00:02:40,735 Um, the last big thing on the application side is an ERP 67 00:02:40,735 --> 00:02:43,775 project, which we've just launched, um, past month. 68 00:02:44,355 --> 00:02:46,615 And so we'll be replacing our ERP solution 69 00:02:46,615 --> 00:02:48,935 and that'll really get us to the place that we need to be 70 00:02:49,075 --> 00:02:52,095 as far as being very current with our systems 71 00:02:52,155 --> 00:02:53,175 and our infrastructure. 72 00:02:53,955 --> 00:02:55,095 Um, so there's that. 73 00:02:55,565 --> 00:02:57,335 There's, um, always cyber 74 00:02:57,915 --> 00:03:00,725 and, you know, never more so than the last few months. 75 00:03:00,825 --> 00:03:04,405 And unfortunately here in Chicagoland, we have one 76 00:03:04,405 --> 00:03:07,805 of our close partners that was attacked with Lurie children. 77 00:03:08,345 --> 00:03:12,805 So that's put everyone on, you know, super high alert, um, 78 00:03:13,185 --> 00:03:14,765 and made us all rethink our 79 00:03:14,795 --> 00:03:16,565 architectures and our protections. 80 00:03:17,465 --> 00:03:19,585 Are they adequate? Uh, 81 00:03:19,765 --> 00:03:20,865 and I would say, you know, 82 00:03:21,135 --> 00:03:22,665 they're never completely adequate. 83 00:03:22,665 --> 00:03:24,265 You're never really completely safe. 84 00:03:24,365 --> 00:03:28,215 And so we've taken , you know, taken a posture 85 00:03:28,405 --> 00:03:29,615 that every outage 86 00:03:29,615 --> 00:03:31,855 or every incident that occurs is a cyber incident 87 00:03:31,855 --> 00:03:33,775 until it's proven not to be that. 88 00:03:33,775 --> 00:03:36,895 So that's consuming an awful lot of, it's, its a lot 89 00:03:36,895 --> 00:03:38,615 of resources to remain that vigilant 90 00:03:38,675 --> 00:03:41,455 and sort of always be, uh, you know, waiting 91 00:03:41,515 --> 00:03:42,615 for the fire bill to ring. 92 00:03:43,035 --> 00:03:45,215 And then on the positive side, you know, looking 93 00:03:45,995 --> 00:03:49,215 beyond those two things, we're carving out a lot of time 94 00:03:49,215 --> 00:03:51,775 and a lot of resource towards improving our digital 95 00:03:52,555 --> 00:03:55,615 health presence and reimagining our business models 96 00:03:55,805 --> 00:03:57,655 with digital as kind 97 00:03:57,655 --> 00:04:00,975 of a digital first view, um, of things. 98 00:04:01,115 --> 00:04:05,175 And that's taken, you know, all kinds of different, um, 99 00:04:05,705 --> 00:04:10,055 forms, whether it be improving our text, text, um, 100 00:04:10,055 --> 00:04:13,375 capabilities to engage with patients so, uh, via text 101 00:04:13,675 --> 00:04:16,775 and allow them to do, um, self-serve in a lot 102 00:04:16,775 --> 00:04:19,695 of different ways using just text to, um, 103 00:04:19,885 --> 00:04:23,335 co-developing a new application with a, a startup company 104 00:04:24,115 --> 00:04:28,895 to adding in features like the ability to, uh, 105 00:04:28,955 --> 00:04:30,255 let people know about wait times 106 00:04:30,515 --> 00:04:32,935 and deflect them to other places. 107 00:04:33,155 --> 00:04:35,295 We have a very nice Starbucks here on campus, 108 00:04:35,475 --> 00:04:38,615 and we know there's a 15 or 20 minute wait at the campus. 109 00:04:38,715 --> 00:04:41,295 You may get an alert from us to go grab a cup 110 00:04:41,295 --> 00:04:44,695 of coffee on us at Starbucks while, while we clear the, 111 00:04:44,835 --> 00:04:46,175 the queue, and then we'll let you know when 112 00:04:46,175 --> 00:04:47,375 it's time to come back up. 113 00:04:47,635 --> 00:04:51,335 So we're focusing a lot on sort of low tech features 114 00:04:51,335 --> 00:04:54,855 and the digital experience that have, that are real patient 115 00:04:55,315 --> 00:04:57,855 and, and, and, uh, customer satisfiers. 116 00:04:58,315 --> 00:05:00,975 And then of course, AI is, you know, 117 00:05:00,975 --> 00:05:02,415 a very large priority for us. 118 00:05:02,555 --> 00:05:05,655 And again, I think trying to, what I call kind 119 00:05:05,655 --> 00:05:06,735 of lunch pail ai. 120 00:05:06,955 --> 00:05:08,935 So, you know, using AI 121 00:05:08,955 --> 00:05:13,925 and kind of simple ways to improve our effectiveness 122 00:05:14,545 --> 00:05:19,215 as opposed to vast, you know, deep ai, um, 123 00:05:19,295 --> 00:05:21,775 projects we're trying to do, small ones 124 00:05:21,775 --> 00:05:24,535 that have real payback and um, 125 00:05:24,875 --> 00:05:26,775 and are integrated, most importantly, 126 00:05:26,775 --> 00:05:28,375 integrated with the workflow. 127 00:05:28,995 --> 00:05:32,175 And we never want service of AI to force people 128 00:05:32,275 --> 00:05:33,735 to step out of what they're doing. 129 00:05:33,735 --> 00:05:35,175 It should make them more efficient 130 00:05:35,195 --> 00:05:37,815 and more effective than, than less so. 131 00:05:38,515 --> 00:05:41,775 So those, those things legacy that cyber, digital 132 00:05:41,915 --> 00:05:45,655 and ai, they are probably taking up 90% of my 133 00:05:47,745 --> 00:05:48,925 - That's fascinating to hear. 134 00:05:48,945 --> 00:05:51,005 And certainly I can imagine, as you were talking 135 00:05:51,005 --> 00:05:52,005 through all this, I mean, 136 00:05:52,235 --> 00:05:56,005 obviously cybersecurity is a huge challenge in, in trying 137 00:05:56,005 --> 00:05:58,525 to figure out how to manage the resources there 138 00:05:58,625 --> 00:06:01,245 to the most effectiveness possible. 139 00:06:01,665 --> 00:06:02,845 Um, is is great. 140 00:06:02,905 --> 00:06:04,845 And then, you know, when you look at, um, 141 00:06:04,865 --> 00:06:06,245 as you were just mentioning AI 142 00:06:06,265 --> 00:06:09,285 and, um, some of the simple ways that you're able 143 00:06:09,285 --> 00:06:11,365 to apply it, um, into the organization 144 00:06:11,365 --> 00:06:13,005 and operational efficiencies. 145 00:06:13,285 --> 00:06:14,805 I mean, can you share one 146 00:06:14,805 --> 00:06:17,405 or two examples of ways that you've really been able 147 00:06:17,405 --> 00:06:20,765 to use artificial intelligence, um, in, in some of those, 148 00:06:21,025 --> 00:06:23,165 um, aspects, I guess, of the health systems 149 00:06:23,625 --> 00:06:24,805 to improve effectiveness? 150 00:06:26,435 --> 00:06:29,485 - Yeah, we, and we take a pretty broad definition of ai. 151 00:06:29,505 --> 00:06:32,005 So I know Gen AI is sort of the darling in the moment, 152 00:06:32,345 --> 00:06:37,045 but, um, you know, we've been using AI in, for instance, 153 00:06:37,135 --> 00:06:39,725 diagnostic radiology for a long time. 154 00:06:40,225 --> 00:06:43,205 And what we've done just recently is, um, 155 00:06:43,675 --> 00:06:46,085 established a partnership with Bayer Klan 156 00:06:46,865 --> 00:06:48,805 to which really offers a framework 157 00:06:48,945 --> 00:06:51,685 for using artificial intelligence protocols. 158 00:06:51,915 --> 00:06:56,485 Many of them, you know, from multiple vendors in the care 159 00:06:56,545 --> 00:06:59,485 of a, of a patient, um, that sort 160 00:06:59,485 --> 00:07:01,605 of lets you click those modules in 161 00:07:01,785 --> 00:07:05,125 and provides a consistent interface for the radiologist 162 00:07:05,185 --> 00:07:08,035 and data interface for the AI module. 163 00:07:08,815 --> 00:07:11,355 Um, and we think that's gonna have a big impact on, 164 00:07:12,415 --> 00:07:14,915 you know, both quality as well as speed 165 00:07:14,975 --> 00:07:18,595 and effectiveness of our, um, diagnos diagnostic, 166 00:07:18,615 --> 00:07:19,995 uh, radiologists. 167 00:07:20,295 --> 00:07:23,115 We were an early adopter of nuance for ambient listening, 168 00:07:23,815 --> 00:07:25,995 and we're intrigued by the idea 169 00:07:25,995 --> 00:07:28,555 of using ambient listening in a lot of other settings, 170 00:07:28,695 --> 00:07:32,115 not just in the clinic and not just for clinician notes. 171 00:07:32,895 --> 00:07:34,595 How could it be used in nursing? 172 00:07:34,815 --> 00:07:38,755 How could it be used in, um, other diagnostic areas? 173 00:07:39,135 --> 00:07:41,155 How could it be used potentially with patients? 174 00:07:42,145 --> 00:07:45,165 We have a AI enabled integrated voice 175 00:07:45,165 --> 00:07:48,565 and response system that sits in front of our access center 176 00:07:48,625 --> 00:07:51,205 so that patients are able to use their voice to self-serve, 177 00:07:51,825 --> 00:07:53,205 um, a bunch of different functions. 178 00:07:54,225 --> 00:07:56,125 And we've had some success with that. 179 00:07:56,225 --> 00:07:59,325 So how do we extend that when it comes to ambient listening? 180 00:08:00,105 --> 00:08:03,045 Uh, and then on the gen AI front, say we're, 181 00:08:03,055 --> 00:08:06,005 we've been working pretty closely with, um, epic 182 00:08:06,465 --> 00:08:07,485 and ServiceNow, 183 00:08:08,305 --> 00:08:11,045 and, uh, we'll be working pretty closely with Salesforce 184 00:08:11,045 --> 00:08:13,965 around their Einstein tool set to apply some 185 00:08:13,965 --> 00:08:18,465 of those technologies to our stack, big stack vendors, 186 00:08:18,685 --> 00:08:20,465 big box vendors, um, 187 00:08:20,845 --> 00:08:23,545 and then standing up our own AI chat, GDT 188 00:08:23,725 --> 00:08:25,465 and, you know, large language model 189 00:08:25,465 --> 00:08:26,985 environment later this year. 190 00:08:27,565 --> 00:08:30,865 So we can begin to experiment in a more structured way 191 00:08:30,865 --> 00:08:31,945 with some of those tools. 192 00:08:32,795 --> 00:08:36,745 We're currently prototyping copilot, um, Microsoft's copilot 193 00:08:36,805 --> 00:08:38,305 for Office 365. 194 00:08:39,415 --> 00:08:42,505 Also let people, you know, try out the tech 195 00:08:42,505 --> 00:08:43,665 and get a better understanding 196 00:08:43,765 --> 00:08:46,265 and adjust their expectations of what it can do 197 00:08:46,485 --> 00:08:48,185 and what it isn't so good at. 198 00:08:48,415 --> 00:08:51,065 Because, uh, regardless of what you may read, 199 00:08:51,215 --> 00:08:54,305 it's not not gonna solve all problems . 200 00:08:54,985 --> 00:08:57,165 So, although I sure absolutely would, 201 00:08:57,305 --> 00:08:59,205 but it's not, not likely to. Yeah. 202 00:09:00,035 --> 00:09:01,485 - Yeah. Wouldn't that be nice just 203 00:09:01,485 --> 00:09:03,445 to have a button you can press, um, 204 00:09:03,445 --> 00:09:05,685 and AI will deal with everything that comes up. 205 00:09:06,125 --> 00:09:07,125 , 206 00:09:07,685 --> 00:09:08,685 - I think the button exists 207 00:09:09,025 --> 00:09:10,925 and I think it will deal with it, 208 00:09:11,105 --> 00:09:13,045 but it doesn't mean that it'll deal with it correctly. 209 00:09:13,605 --> 00:09:16,485 . And that's what we're, you know, that's 210 00:09:16,485 --> 00:09:17,965 what we have to be cautious about is 211 00:09:18,085 --> 00:09:19,925 'cause I do think, unfortunately there is a button 212 00:09:19,945 --> 00:09:21,405 and unfortunately it will deal, 213 00:09:21,545 --> 00:09:24,605 but, uh, making sure it does it safely and ethically 214 00:09:24,665 --> 00:09:27,925 and doesn't create, you know, more inequities, uh, 215 00:09:28,105 --> 00:09:30,365 and health access and so forth, there are all the things 216 00:09:30,365 --> 00:09:33,405 that we worry about and spend time on, you know, 217 00:09:33,465 --> 00:09:35,725 to make sure that it's, it's a useful tool 218 00:09:35,745 --> 00:09:38,365 and not one that potentially causes other issues. 219 00:09:39,915 --> 00:09:42,795 - Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. Um, well, perfect. 220 00:09:42,905 --> 00:09:44,115 Well, you know, in, in given, 221 00:09:44,115 --> 00:09:46,715 whether it's artificial intelligence, digital health or, 222 00:09:46,715 --> 00:09:49,955 or some of the other areas that are really, um, emerging, 223 00:09:50,535 --> 00:09:52,395 um, for patient self service 224 00:09:52,575 --> 00:09:53,795 and the patient experience, 225 00:09:54,335 --> 00:09:56,195 how do you see Rush evolving over the next 226 00:09:56,215 --> 00:09:57,275 two to three years or so? 227 00:09:57,505 --> 00:09:59,795 What areas are you continuing to zero in on 228 00:09:59,795 --> 00:10:01,115 or are there any, uh, new spaces 229 00:10:01,145 --> 00:10:02,315 that you expect to get into? 230 00:10:04,395 --> 00:10:06,845 - Yeah, I think our, our strategy, our, 231 00:10:06,985 --> 00:10:09,005 our digital strategy really has these three 232 00:10:09,175 --> 00:10:10,885 major pillars to it. 233 00:10:10,885 --> 00:10:13,125 There's one that's very focused on the consumer, 234 00:10:13,225 --> 00:10:14,285 and I say consumer 235 00:10:14,285 --> 00:10:17,645 because in addition to being a healthcare organization, 236 00:10:17,655 --> 00:10:18,965 we're also a university. 237 00:10:19,265 --> 00:10:22,285 We have students, we have applicants, um, 238 00:10:22,425 --> 00:10:25,325 and then we have employees, you know, that also want 239 00:10:25,325 --> 00:10:27,165 to interact and need to interact with us. 240 00:10:27,265 --> 00:10:30,965 So it's a, it's a consumer focused strategy. 241 00:10:31,065 --> 00:10:32,845 And then there's another pillar that's 242 00:10:32,845 --> 00:10:34,165 around care transformation. 243 00:10:34,265 --> 00:10:37,885 So how do we change, how do we change how we deliver care, 244 00:10:38,105 --> 00:10:40,045 either in augmenting it 245 00:10:40,105 --> 00:10:42,645 or in supporting completely different models 246 00:10:42,745 --> 00:10:45,045 for delivering care using digital technology. 247 00:10:45,785 --> 00:10:47,285 And then the third pillar is really 248 00:10:47,445 --> 00:10:48,965 around operations efficiency. 249 00:10:49,225 --> 00:10:52,805 How do you use this technology to become more efficient 250 00:10:52,905 --> 00:10:57,645 and find ways of either, um, accelerating steps 251 00:10:57,675 --> 00:11:00,685 through like robotic process automation as an example, 252 00:11:01,345 --> 00:11:05,565 or removing steps entirely from the work flow, um, like, uh, 253 00:11:05,675 --> 00:11:08,005 automated chart reviews is there. 254 00:11:08,505 --> 00:11:10,565 Um, so they have, we have these three pillars. 255 00:11:10,565 --> 00:11:14,245 And then within the con the consumer strategy, there's sort 256 00:11:14,245 --> 00:11:15,405 of two parts to that. 257 00:11:15,745 --> 00:11:19,685 One is making ourselves very easy to access. 258 00:11:19,745 --> 00:11:21,205 So streamlining the process 259 00:11:21,345 --> 00:11:23,605 and letting people choose their, their journey. 260 00:11:24,505 --> 00:11:29,485 And, um, you know, having a multi-channel view of that so 261 00:11:29,485 --> 00:11:31,365 that people can engage with us through an app, 262 00:11:31,365 --> 00:11:34,765 through the web, through a phone call, text message, 263 00:11:35,315 --> 00:11:37,325 through any different which way, whatever, 264 00:11:38,045 --> 00:11:39,685 whatever their preferred way of communicating. 265 00:11:41,085 --> 00:11:42,825 And then the second part that supports 266 00:11:42,825 --> 00:11:47,025 that is creating a very personalized experience, folks so 267 00:11:47,025 --> 00:11:50,525 that they, not just a generic one them, but, 268 00:11:50,905 --> 00:11:53,565 but actually somebody who's engaged with them on a trusted, 269 00:11:54,345 --> 00:11:55,605 uh, source of information 270 00:11:55,665 --> 00:11:57,845 and advisor to them as they plan their care 271 00:11:58,385 --> 00:11:59,805 or plan their student experience. 272 00:12:01,575 --> 00:12:02,585 - That makes a lot of sense. 273 00:12:02,685 --> 00:12:05,665 And, you know, really, um, sounds like it'll be exciting 274 00:12:05,685 --> 00:12:08,665 to see how all of that evolves and grows and, 275 00:12:08,665 --> 00:12:11,905 and, um, you know, can, can lead to that better experience 276 00:12:12,045 --> 00:12:15,265 for patients and healthcare consumers as well as, you know, 277 00:12:15,325 --> 00:12:17,785 the, the team within the health system at large. 278 00:12:18,365 --> 00:12:19,905 Um, I, I'm wondering 279 00:12:19,905 --> 00:12:22,545 before we wrap up here, could you talk about one change 280 00:12:22,545 --> 00:12:24,425 that you or your team has made recently 281 00:12:24,425 --> 00:12:25,585 that yielded great results? 282 00:12:27,395 --> 00:12:31,815 - Um, sure. I, I, I think maybe two changes, um, 283 00:12:32,715 --> 00:12:35,575 uh, if you don't mind kind of related to one another. 284 00:12:36,075 --> 00:12:39,495 Um, first is we just recently completed implementation 285 00:12:39,755 --> 00:12:43,975 of a new customer, kind of 360 architecture. 286 00:12:44,075 --> 00:12:46,695 So the idea that we have all of this information 287 00:12:46,715 --> 00:12:51,415 and puddles of data all across the health system, each one 288 00:12:51,415 --> 00:12:53,535 of which you may have some of your data 289 00:12:53,555 --> 00:12:54,615 and maybe you were a student, 290 00:12:54,615 --> 00:12:56,495 maybe you've given money to us before. 291 00:12:56,905 --> 00:13:00,135 Maybe you were part of our, one of our community programs. 292 00:13:00,145 --> 00:13:02,655 Maybe you've been a patient, maybe a family member's, 293 00:13:02,655 --> 00:13:07,055 been a patient, really all of those encounters 294 00:13:07,705 --> 00:13:10,335 lived in different databases until very recent. 295 00:13:11,005 --> 00:13:14,095 Just put in this infrastructure to connect all of that, 296 00:13:14,155 --> 00:13:17,295 to give us a much more holistic view of 297 00:13:17,295 --> 00:13:19,775 who our customers are, what their preferences are, 298 00:13:20,085 --> 00:13:23,415 what their experiences have been, so that at that point 299 00:13:23,415 --> 00:13:26,015 of contact, we're able to bring all of that knowledge 300 00:13:26,015 --> 00:13:28,415 to bear and sort of suggest 301 00:13:28,445 --> 00:13:30,215 what the next best action could be. 302 00:13:30,835 --> 00:13:32,455 And that could be very kind of subtle. 303 00:13:32,635 --> 00:13:33,735 For instance, a person 304 00:13:33,735 --> 00:13:36,255 who called into the call center the other day was calling in 305 00:13:36,275 --> 00:13:38,215 for one particular thing, 306 00:13:38,235 --> 00:13:39,775 but they had three referrals 307 00:13:39,775 --> 00:13:41,215 that they had never followed up on. 308 00:13:41,835 --> 00:13:44,335 And we were able to surface that information. 309 00:13:44,555 --> 00:13:47,535 And so the agent was able to actually help them schedule all 310 00:13:47,535 --> 00:13:49,495 of the care so close that care gap 311 00:13:50,045 --> 00:13:51,815 know in, in one phone call. 312 00:13:52,035 --> 00:13:54,255 So it, it could be subtle, but it could be major. 313 00:13:55,115 --> 00:13:57,215 And then what's related to that is really taking 314 00:13:57,995 --> 00:13:59,495 how our staff is organized 315 00:13:59,495 --> 00:14:00,735 and how they think about what they do 316 00:14:00,915 --> 00:14:02,295 and turning it on its side. 317 00:14:02,865 --> 00:14:07,095 Which is to say, you know, traditionally, like most other 318 00:14:07,805 --> 00:14:09,935 epic shops in particular are, 319 00:14:10,115 --> 00:14:12,695 are folks have been primarily in swim lanes. 320 00:14:12,805 --> 00:14:15,815 They're, you know, experts atomos module 321 00:14:15,955 --> 00:14:17,215 or they're experts at Epic, 322 00:14:17,755 --> 00:14:19,935 but they're not generally thinking about things 323 00:14:19,935 --> 00:14:21,215 outside of that swim lane. 324 00:14:21,925 --> 00:14:23,735 Have to really turn that on its side 325 00:14:23,755 --> 00:14:26,015 and say, no, no, let's think about the whole workflow. 326 00:14:26,815 --> 00:14:29,015 'cause it's not just an epic workflow anymore. 327 00:14:29,315 --> 00:14:33,215 Now there's half a dozen other things that light up that 328 00:14:33,755 --> 00:14:34,815 and make that work. 329 00:14:35,275 --> 00:14:37,455 You have to think about those tools 330 00:14:37,555 --> 00:14:41,095 and think about how they enable the workflow different way. 331 00:14:41,635 --> 00:14:43,935 And that's, you know, it's been a challenge 332 00:14:43,935 --> 00:14:47,935 because like I said, we have trained people to be really, 333 00:14:47,935 --> 00:14:49,455 really good in their swim lanes 334 00:14:49,455 --> 00:14:52,125 and now we're asking them to think about the whole pool. 335 00:14:52,785 --> 00:14:55,845 And sometimes that's, uh, that's a challenging transition, 336 00:14:55,865 --> 00:14:58,285 but I think that's the one that'll bear the greatest fruit 337 00:14:58,285 --> 00:14:59,365 for us as we go forward. 338 00:14:59,645 --> 00:15:01,725 'cause I think that's the reality, you know, 339 00:15:01,765 --> 00:15:02,925 particularly in digital 340 00:15:03,025 --> 00:15:06,285 and AI, is you really do have to think across those silos. 341 00:15:08,955 --> 00:15:10,125 - That makes a lot of sense. 342 00:15:10,225 --> 00:15:13,085 And, you know, it is just fascinating to kind of think 343 00:15:13,085 --> 00:15:15,005 through how the technology is now 344 00:15:15,285 --> 00:15:16,365 enabling so much more to happen. 345 00:15:16,505 --> 00:15:20,365 But you know, really truly now, um, knocking down some 346 00:15:20,365 --> 00:15:22,605 of those silos that we've been talking about for years, 347 00:15:22,635 --> 00:15:26,045 needing to, um, be more integrated between teams. 348 00:15:26,595 --> 00:15:29,965 When you go about that process, um, of trying to change 349 00:15:30,025 --> 00:15:32,005 how people are thinking about their day-to-day 350 00:15:32,445 --> 00:15:34,085 responsibilities and what growth looks like, 351 00:15:34,185 --> 00:15:38,485 and, um, really truly, you know, uh, get them, um, 352 00:15:39,165 --> 00:15:42,605 thinking differently about how the organization runs in, 353 00:15:42,625 --> 00:15:45,085 in the connective tissue there, is there anything 354 00:15:45,085 --> 00:15:47,525 that you have found particularly effective in communicating 355 00:15:47,525 --> 00:15:51,285 that and really, um, uh, inspiring change? 356 00:15:52,885 --> 00:15:56,385 - Um, I think the, probably the thing 357 00:15:56,385 --> 00:15:59,705 that's been most effective is to make people aware that 358 00:15:59,725 --> 00:16:02,225 that's how it's going to be going forward. 359 00:16:02,645 --> 00:16:05,545 And inviting them to be part of the planning 360 00:16:05,645 --> 00:16:09,385 and design process so that folks feel invested in, 361 00:16:09,385 --> 00:16:10,585 they don't feel left behind. 362 00:16:11,205 --> 00:16:12,905 So I think a lot of communication, 363 00:16:13,005 --> 00:16:14,065 of course, that's a challenge. 364 00:16:14,115 --> 00:16:18,025 We're a hybrid, um, workforce, largely remote. 365 00:16:18,285 --> 00:16:20,225 We have folks part of our workforce 366 00:16:20,335 --> 00:16:23,305 that work in more than 20 different states. 367 00:16:24,125 --> 00:16:26,745 So in the old days of pulling people together in a room 368 00:16:26,805 --> 00:16:28,745 and then kind of whiteboarding things out 369 00:16:28,885 --> 00:16:30,465 are very different today. 370 00:16:30,605 --> 00:16:32,345 So how we engage with people 371 00:16:32,365 --> 00:16:34,305 and how we inspire them had 372 00:16:34,305 --> 00:16:37,105 to adapt from the last three years significantly. 373 00:16:37,845 --> 00:16:41,505 So over communicating is, um, definitely part of it. 374 00:16:42,205 --> 00:16:44,465 And then I would say, you know, some formal training 375 00:16:45,165 --> 00:16:48,105 and some assignments, the projects that are stretch projects 376 00:16:48,395 --> 00:16:51,785 where they may not know everything going in, um, 377 00:16:51,925 --> 00:16:54,945 but learn on the job, the old, you know, 378 00:16:55,685 --> 00:16:58,185 toy people into the deep end of the pool, most 379 00:16:58,185 --> 00:16:59,185 of them do learn to swim. 380 00:17:00,165 --> 00:17:01,225 Few do sink . 381 00:17:01,325 --> 00:17:03,105 So we want to save them because, 382 00:17:03,335 --> 00:17:04,945 because we need, we need the whole, 383 00:17:05,005 --> 00:17:06,265 we need everybody in the village, 384 00:17:06,485 --> 00:17:07,865 not just some people in the village. 385 00:17:07,865 --> 00:17:09,625 Yeah. Um, but, uh, 386 00:17:09,725 --> 00:17:12,105 but for the most part, you know, I think this, 387 00:17:12,215 --> 00:17:13,585 there's the training you can do, 388 00:17:13,585 --> 00:17:14,825 there's the communication you can do, 389 00:17:14,825 --> 00:17:16,945 but there's no real remedy for real experience. 390 00:17:17,445 --> 00:17:19,385 So we try to put people into safe spots 391 00:17:19,385 --> 00:17:21,825 where they can participate in projects and grow. 392 00:17:22,525 --> 00:17:25,385 Um, and that's been so far pretty successful. 393 00:17:25,385 --> 00:17:27,625 There's lots more room to continue to do that, 394 00:17:27,765 --> 00:17:31,745 but I, I think it also signifies to the rest of the staff 395 00:17:31,775 --> 00:17:35,545 that we have a commitment to continually investing 396 00:17:35,545 --> 00:17:36,945 and continually growing them. 397 00:17:37,005 --> 00:17:39,145 And I want us to be thought of as a place 398 00:17:39,145 --> 00:17:40,825 where people can come and grow their career 399 00:17:40,845 --> 00:17:42,985 and not just, you know, do the one thing 400 00:17:42,985 --> 00:17:45,345 that they're really well known for over and over again, 401 00:17:46,045 --> 00:17:48,785 but can branch out and, and learn new things 402 00:17:48,985 --> 00:17:52,245 and participate, you know, in, in, uh, change. 403 00:17:52,245 --> 00:17:56,245 Because our, that's the one constant right in our health. 404 00:17:56,305 --> 00:17:58,405 It is, uh, is change. 405 00:17:59,765 --> 00:18:01,405 - Absolutely. That's such a great philosophy 406 00:18:01,405 --> 00:18:02,485 and way to approach things. 407 00:18:02,835 --> 00:18:05,245 Jeff, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. 408 00:18:05,315 --> 00:18:07,005 This has been a fascinating discussion. 409 00:18:07,205 --> 00:18:08,685 I, you know, really learned a lot. 410 00:18:08,865 --> 00:18:10,085 It made me think a lot about 411 00:18:10,145 --> 00:18:12,725 how technology is really evolving in the healthcare space. 412 00:18:13,155 --> 00:18:15,805 Look forward to, um, having you back again soon 413 00:18:15,805 --> 00:18:17,365 and it'll be great to see you, um, 414 00:18:17,885 --> 00:18:19,765 speaking at our live events as well upcoming here. 415 00:18:20,575 --> 00:18:22,395 - Thanks Laura. Really looking forward to it. 416 00:18:22,455 --> 00:18:24,155 And I, thanks again for the opportunity. 417 00:18:24,395 --> 00:18:26,915 I really appreciate it. Always enjoy, uh, working 418 00:18:26,915 --> 00:18:28,155 with Becker, so thank you.