1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,199 Philips is a health tech leader focused on 2 00:00:03,199 --> 00:00:06,000 innovation that improves the health and well-being of 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,460 people. Our health care technology and informatics solutions 4 00:00:09,599 --> 00:00:12,559 help care teams diagnose, treat, and manage more 5 00:00:12,559 --> 00:00:16,244 patients with greater precision, speed, and confidence across 6 00:00:16,244 --> 00:00:19,225 the care journey. With Philips, clinicians are empowered 7 00:00:19,285 --> 00:00:21,765 with streamlined insights in the moments that matter 8 00:00:21,765 --> 00:00:24,904 for every patient. Better care for more people. 9 00:00:25,204 --> 00:00:25,704 Philips. 10 00:00:29,170 --> 00:00:30,929 Hello, and welcome to the Becker's Health Care 11 00:00:30,929 --> 00:00:33,329 podcast recorded live at the 9th annual health 12 00:00:33,329 --> 00:00:36,049 IT, digital health, and RCM conference in Chicago. 13 00:00:36,049 --> 00:00:38,450 We're joined today by Karen Hunter, chief nursing 14 00:00:38,450 --> 00:00:41,250 informatics officer at Adventist Health. Karen, to get 15 00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:42,369 us started, can you please tell us a 16 00:00:42,369 --> 00:00:43,969 little bit about yourself, your background, and your 17 00:00:43,969 --> 00:00:44,265 role 18 00:00:44,825 --> 00:00:46,765 at your organization? Yes. Good afternoon, Jeremy. 19 00:00:47,384 --> 00:00:49,384 I'm the chief nursing informatics officer, as you 20 00:00:49,384 --> 00:00:51,864 said, and I work for Adventist Health. We're 21 00:00:51,864 --> 00:00:52,604 a $8,000,000,000 22 00:00:53,145 --> 00:00:56,184 revenue, 28 hospital, roughly 400 clinics, 23 00:00:57,270 --> 00:00:58,949 system in the West Coast based out of 24 00:00:58,949 --> 00:00:59,929 Roseville, California. 25 00:01:01,030 --> 00:01:03,909 In my role, I leverage mostly my nursing 26 00:01:03,909 --> 00:01:06,409 background. Was a bedside nurse for roughly 27 00:01:06,790 --> 00:01:09,189 9 years, then went into management for 6 28 00:01:09,189 --> 00:01:10,709 years. While I was there, we had a 29 00:01:10,709 --> 00:01:11,930 fatal medical error. 30 00:01:12,555 --> 00:01:15,114 It got my attention. I, a 17 year 31 00:01:15,114 --> 00:01:16,555 old girl came in with a heart and 32 00:01:16,555 --> 00:01:17,375 lung transplant, 33 00:01:17,914 --> 00:01:20,795 and discovered the organs donated were the wrong 34 00:01:20,795 --> 00:01:23,754 blood type. And it taught me the power 35 00:01:23,754 --> 00:01:26,474 of data. Now one, erroneous piece of data 36 00:01:26,474 --> 00:01:28,469 cost this girl her life. And so I 37 00:01:28,469 --> 00:01:30,549 looked at how does technology help us be 38 00:01:30,549 --> 00:01:31,689 better, better clinicians, 39 00:01:32,229 --> 00:01:33,129 better operators, 40 00:01:33,590 --> 00:01:34,869 and so forth. So I went back to 41 00:01:34,869 --> 00:01:36,869 school, got my master's in nursing informatics, never 42 00:01:36,869 --> 00:01:37,609 looked back. 43 00:01:38,310 --> 00:01:41,269 Mhmm. So AI adoption is exploding in health 44 00:01:41,269 --> 00:01:43,245 care. In your view, what would you say 45 00:01:43,245 --> 00:01:45,405 is the most significant or promising application of 46 00:01:45,405 --> 00:01:46,944 this technology right now? 47 00:01:47,245 --> 00:01:49,905 And, how is this informing your organization's innovation 48 00:01:49,965 --> 00:01:50,465 strategy? 49 00:01:51,165 --> 00:01:53,405 Absolutely. I think this is huge. This is 50 00:01:53,405 --> 00:01:55,405 gonna transform health care. I I know I'm 51 00:01:55,405 --> 00:01:56,625 not alone in that opinion. 52 00:01:57,269 --> 00:02:00,890 The most significant and promising application today is 53 00:02:01,189 --> 00:02:01,689 augmenting 54 00:02:02,229 --> 00:02:02,729 clinicians, 55 00:02:03,510 --> 00:02:05,849 making them better, smarter, safer, 56 00:02:06,469 --> 00:02:08,550 not replacing them, not doing their job for 57 00:02:08,550 --> 00:02:11,985 them, but surfacing information, analyzing it, you know, 58 00:02:11,985 --> 00:02:14,165 at lightning speed and being able to 59 00:02:14,545 --> 00:02:17,444 pull that up, apply algorithms, and surface, 60 00:02:18,625 --> 00:02:20,625 and help the clinician prioritize what's going on 61 00:02:20,625 --> 00:02:22,659 with the patient, identifying those soft spots in 62 00:02:22,659 --> 00:02:24,340 the clinical picture that may not be so 63 00:02:24,340 --> 00:02:26,439 evident at first look, first glance. 64 00:02:27,299 --> 00:02:29,860 We are moving forward at Adventist Health. We're 65 00:02:29,860 --> 00:02:31,860 on a 2 year journey to replace our 66 00:02:31,860 --> 00:02:33,780 EHR with a new system and we're going 67 00:02:33,780 --> 00:02:35,060 to embed AI in this. 68 00:02:35,844 --> 00:02:36,965 But I'm happy to say we do have 69 00:02:36,965 --> 00:02:39,925 a nursing focused AI strategy or solution in 70 00:02:39,925 --> 00:02:40,824 place right now, 71 00:02:41,284 --> 00:02:42,004 which helps, 72 00:02:42,485 --> 00:02:45,224 nurses in the emergency room adequately assess 73 00:02:45,604 --> 00:02:47,844 patients. So the nurse enters their assessment in 74 00:02:47,844 --> 00:02:48,504 the HR. 75 00:02:49,030 --> 00:02:51,830 When they click submit, immediately pops up with 76 00:02:51,830 --> 00:02:53,129 a confirmation 77 00:02:53,430 --> 00:02:56,469 or suggestion. You might consider additional factors in 78 00:02:56,469 --> 00:02:59,110 this patient's condition that could, make them a 79 00:02:59,110 --> 00:03:01,030 higher priority to be seen in the emergency 80 00:03:01,030 --> 00:03:03,655 room. We found it very helpful with throughput 81 00:03:03,655 --> 00:03:05,574 and really have come to rely on it 82 00:03:05,574 --> 00:03:07,354 as a effective guide. 83 00:03:07,735 --> 00:03:09,894 Again, however, it still remains with the nurse 84 00:03:09,894 --> 00:03:12,394 whether to accept that decision or not. 85 00:03:12,854 --> 00:03:15,094 So health care leaders are managing greater volumes 86 00:03:15,094 --> 00:03:16,169 of data and more devices 87 00:03:18,569 --> 00:03:19,069 populations. 88 00:03:19,530 --> 00:03:22,270 In this complex environment, what clinical data integration 89 00:03:22,330 --> 00:03:23,389 tools or practices 90 00:03:23,930 --> 00:03:26,169 are you seeing drive improvements in patient outcomes 91 00:03:26,169 --> 00:03:28,009 and operations? And do you mind sharing a 92 00:03:28,009 --> 00:03:28,830 couple examples? 93 00:03:29,655 --> 00:03:30,155 Absolutely. 94 00:03:30,854 --> 00:03:32,955 I remember when I was working in ICU, 95 00:03:33,094 --> 00:03:34,615 we had an, I think at that time, 96 00:03:34,615 --> 00:03:37,094 an average of 19 different pieces of clinical 97 00:03:37,094 --> 00:03:38,854 equipment in the room. And I used to 98 00:03:38,854 --> 00:03:40,055 joke that we had to be able to 99 00:03:40,055 --> 00:03:41,735 troubleshoot any one of those in the time 100 00:03:41,735 --> 00:03:43,259 it takes you to hold your breath 101 00:03:43,739 --> 00:03:44,780 because a critical, 102 00:03:45,340 --> 00:03:47,039 care patient was relying on them. 103 00:03:47,419 --> 00:03:50,699 So nurses are not new to managing all 104 00:03:50,699 --> 00:03:53,039 this information and, and coming forward. 105 00:03:53,659 --> 00:03:54,159 However, 106 00:03:54,539 --> 00:03:55,039 interoperability 107 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:56,205 is not, 108 00:03:56,685 --> 00:03:58,444 as robust as it could be. And I 109 00:03:58,444 --> 00:04:00,604 think that's a fundamental thing that we often 110 00:04:00,604 --> 00:04:03,104 forget in chasing the next shiny object. 111 00:04:03,405 --> 00:04:06,284 But simply ensuring that, like, our vital signs 112 00:04:06,284 --> 00:04:06,784 machines 113 00:04:07,085 --> 00:04:08,625 are integrated to the HR. 114 00:04:08,990 --> 00:04:11,230 If we wait for someone to manually enter 115 00:04:11,230 --> 00:04:13,810 those vital signs, we risk, you know, mistakes. 116 00:04:13,870 --> 00:04:15,409 We risk omissions. 117 00:04:15,710 --> 00:04:18,269 Mhmm. And, also we don't get the benefit 118 00:04:18,269 --> 00:04:21,069 of the real time data analysis and tools 119 00:04:21,069 --> 00:04:22,290 that are in the system. 120 00:04:22,985 --> 00:04:25,224 So I think this is a fundamental thing, 121 00:04:25,224 --> 00:04:27,544 interoperability, making sure all that data is flowing 122 00:04:27,544 --> 00:04:30,204 seamlessly in real time between systems. 123 00:04:31,544 --> 00:04:34,024 So how can health care organizations better support 124 00:04:34,024 --> 00:04:36,185 IT and clinical teams as they carry out 125 00:04:36,185 --> 00:04:38,110 innovation efforts? And, what are some of the 126 00:04:38,110 --> 00:04:40,910 common pitfalls here? Wow. This is a good 127 00:04:40,910 --> 00:04:41,889 question because 128 00:04:42,349 --> 00:04:44,669 everyone is so passionate in health care. Our 129 00:04:44,669 --> 00:04:45,410 IT colleagues, 130 00:04:46,269 --> 00:04:48,110 could make more money elsewhere, but they choose 131 00:04:48,110 --> 00:04:49,789 to work in health care because they feel 132 00:04:49,789 --> 00:04:50,610 called to, 133 00:04:51,144 --> 00:04:53,165 support patients and drive patient care. 134 00:04:53,625 --> 00:04:55,785 But they don't always understand the language of 135 00:04:55,785 --> 00:04:57,805 the clinician. And that's a particular, 136 00:04:58,665 --> 00:05:00,904 value my role brings the organization is that 137 00:05:00,904 --> 00:05:02,985 the goal between to help translate between the 138 00:05:02,985 --> 00:05:03,644 two specialties 139 00:05:04,185 --> 00:05:07,279 Mhmm. And translate what the priorities are. Think 140 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:08,959 we have to work together. We have to 141 00:05:08,959 --> 00:05:11,519 forge this math together and continue to work 142 00:05:11,519 --> 00:05:14,420 on understanding each other, trusting each other. 143 00:05:14,879 --> 00:05:17,759 The common pitfalls, you know, just miscommunication and 144 00:05:17,759 --> 00:05:19,139 misunderstanding each other. 145 00:05:19,644 --> 00:05:21,964 But roles like mine and informatics can help 146 00:05:21,964 --> 00:05:22,625 with that. 147 00:05:23,485 --> 00:05:25,324 So based on your experience in the health 148 00:05:25,324 --> 00:05:27,084 care industry, what is your top piece of 149 00:05:27,084 --> 00:05:29,164 advice for other leaders as they prepare for 150 00:05:29,164 --> 00:05:31,724 further advancements in technology and greater demands for 151 00:05:31,724 --> 00:05:33,860 care? I've been waiting for this question. 152 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,459 As we move forward, we have to maintain 153 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,420 rigor and discipline around all of our activities. 154 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:42,800 We can't just grab onto a shiny object 155 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,560 because it's popular, the pool kids have it, 156 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,454 or the hospital across the street has it. 157 00:05:46,534 --> 00:05:48,214 Right? We have to think about what is 158 00:05:48,214 --> 00:05:50,214 it we're trying to accomplish? What is the 159 00:05:50,214 --> 00:05:51,754 problem we're trying to solve? 160 00:05:52,055 --> 00:05:55,675 We have to apply metrics and continuously evaluate. 161 00:05:55,735 --> 00:05:57,894 Are we achieving our goals? And then we 162 00:05:57,894 --> 00:05:59,654 can't be afraid to cut the cord and 163 00:05:59,654 --> 00:06:01,230 just say, this is not working out. This 164 00:06:01,230 --> 00:06:03,569 this product is not delivering the value expected. 165 00:06:04,270 --> 00:06:06,189 And that's okay. Right? And, that's how you 166 00:06:06,189 --> 00:06:08,830 innovate and iterate and learn. And as we 167 00:06:08,830 --> 00:06:10,910 do that, then we'll end up with value 168 00:06:10,910 --> 00:06:12,029 add at the end of the day and 169 00:06:12,029 --> 00:06:14,189 not just a bunch of technology that's shiny, 170 00:06:14,189 --> 00:06:16,290 but doesn't deliver the promised value. 171 00:06:17,254 --> 00:06:18,615 Well, Karen, as we wrap up, do you 172 00:06:18,615 --> 00:06:19,814 have any final thoughts you'd like to leave 173 00:06:19,814 --> 00:06:21,034 with our listeners today? 174 00:06:21,974 --> 00:06:23,574 I think this is the time to be 175 00:06:23,574 --> 00:06:25,095 in health IT. This is what I've been 176 00:06:25,095 --> 00:06:26,794 waiting for my whole career. 177 00:06:27,175 --> 00:06:29,574 I had visions of this in grad school 178 00:06:29,574 --> 00:06:31,769 20 years ago, and and it's so exciting. 179 00:06:31,769 --> 00:06:33,529 I'm so thrilled to be here at this 180 00:06:33,529 --> 00:06:36,649 time and supporting our clinicians and, through the 181 00:06:36,649 --> 00:06:39,449 technology adventure. Just out of curiosity, can can 182 00:06:39,449 --> 00:06:41,370 you define a little bit, like, what makes 183 00:06:41,370 --> 00:06:43,610 right now so exciting in IT compared to 184 00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:44,745 other times in your career? 185 00:06:45,225 --> 00:06:46,665 I think we have the, 186 00:06:47,144 --> 00:06:49,004 ability now through our infrastructures 187 00:06:49,464 --> 00:06:52,745 and speed and large language models to actually 188 00:06:52,745 --> 00:06:55,225 process all the complex patient data. And we 189 00:06:55,225 --> 00:06:57,384 also have means to gather that data in 190 00:06:57,384 --> 00:07:00,020 easy ways. So patients have wearables and and 191 00:07:00,020 --> 00:07:01,620 things like that we we could only dream 192 00:07:01,620 --> 00:07:02,360 about before. 193 00:07:02,740 --> 00:07:06,259 And then our, mobility. Right? I I've created 194 00:07:06,259 --> 00:07:07,560 a device for nurses, 195 00:07:07,939 --> 00:07:09,720 15 years ago that was mobile, 196 00:07:10,259 --> 00:07:12,020 but we could not, get it off the 197 00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:12,980 ground. It does, 198 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:15,644 what Rover does for nurses today in Epic. 199 00:07:15,884 --> 00:07:18,125 But having that real time data access, the 200 00:07:18,125 --> 00:07:20,685 ability to process all that information and summarize 201 00:07:20,685 --> 00:07:22,925 it in a meaningful way with AI, this 202 00:07:22,925 --> 00:07:24,925 is the pinnacle for me. Well, I I'm 203 00:07:25,084 --> 00:07:27,164 now I'm curious. Mhmm. So when you look 204 00:07:27,164 --> 00:07:29,180 out there, is there one piece of technology 205 00:07:29,180 --> 00:07:30,939 you see that maybe we're not doing now 206 00:07:30,939 --> 00:07:32,379 that in 5, 10 years, you feel like 207 00:07:32,379 --> 00:07:33,740 will be a real big game changer or, 208 00:07:33,740 --> 00:07:35,579 like, you know, really kind of help improve 209 00:07:35,579 --> 00:07:36,319 health care? 210 00:07:36,779 --> 00:07:39,180 You know, what what what, like, technologies are 211 00:07:39,180 --> 00:07:41,100 you most excited about right now? I am 212 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:43,199 most excited about ambient listening 213 00:07:43,574 --> 00:07:45,675 with AI because I see it as removing 214 00:07:45,975 --> 00:07:48,634 eliminating the need for a keyboard Mhmm. Eliminating 215 00:07:48,694 --> 00:07:51,095 the need to manually enter data. And I 216 00:07:51,095 --> 00:07:52,474 think that has been the enemy 217 00:07:52,774 --> 00:07:54,615 for so long. I've as a nurse, I 218 00:07:54,615 --> 00:07:56,649 spent so much time capturing notes, trying to 219 00:07:56,649 --> 00:07:58,329 remember what did my patient do this morning? 220 00:07:58,329 --> 00:08:00,170 What did they eat for lunch today? You 221 00:08:00,170 --> 00:08:01,769 know, all these, you know, days that I 222 00:08:01,769 --> 00:08:04,810 could just now can enter by voice throughout 223 00:08:04,810 --> 00:08:07,370 my day, or even I anticipate cameras can 224 00:08:07,370 --> 00:08:07,870 capture 225 00:08:08,250 --> 00:08:10,649 important information as we move through the shift 226 00:08:10,649 --> 00:08:12,795 with the patient. I think that's the game 227 00:08:12,795 --> 00:08:14,475 changer to not have to worry about capturing 228 00:08:14,475 --> 00:08:16,714 that information, that focus. What does this all 229 00:08:16,714 --> 00:08:18,634 mean? What is it telling me about my 230 00:08:18,634 --> 00:08:20,795 patient? And how do I get my patients 231 00:08:20,795 --> 00:08:23,214 in the next level of care and health? 232 00:08:23,691 --> 00:08:25,851 Well, Karen, this was absolutely fascinating. I really 233 00:08:25,851 --> 00:08:27,291 appreciate your time today. Thank you so much, 234 00:08:27,291 --> 00:08:28,251 and you have a lovely rest of your 235 00:08:28,251 --> 00:08:30,031 day. Thank you very much. My pleasure.