1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,319 Would you like to exchange best practices and 2 00:00:02,319 --> 00:00:05,759 ideas to improve care, enhance operational efficiency, and 3 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:09,279 address financial challenges with your peers? Becker's Healthcare 4 00:00:09,279 --> 00:00:09,939 is facilitating 5 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,380 these conversations at their 8th annual Health IT 6 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:16,285 Digital Health and RCM meeting. You can check 7 00:00:16,285 --> 00:00:19,164 your eligibility for complimentary attendance at the link 8 00:00:19,164 --> 00:00:21,245 in the description. We are excited to welcome 9 00:00:21,245 --> 00:00:22,144 you in October. 10 00:00:23,005 --> 00:00:25,085 This is Laura Doodo with the Becker's Healthcare 11 00:00:25,085 --> 00:00:25,585 podcast. 12 00:00:25,885 --> 00:00:27,644 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Omkar 13 00:00:27,644 --> 00:00:28,144 Kulkarni, 14 00:00:28,550 --> 00:00:31,109 chief digital officer and chief transformation officer at 15 00:00:31,109 --> 00:00:33,670 Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Omkar, it's a pleasure 16 00:00:33,670 --> 00:00:35,210 to have you on the podcast today. 17 00:00:36,070 --> 00:00:37,289 Thanks for having me. 18 00:00:37,829 --> 00:00:39,509 Now I'm really excited to talk with you. 19 00:00:39,509 --> 00:00:41,109 I know there's so much happening in the 20 00:00:41,109 --> 00:00:44,704 digital space, IT, technology, and then, you know, 21 00:00:44,924 --> 00:00:47,164 transformation that how hospitals and health systems are 22 00:00:47,164 --> 00:00:49,184 going through right now is really quite significant. 23 00:00:49,244 --> 00:00:51,484 But before we dive into my questions, can 24 00:00:51,484 --> 00:00:52,684 you tell me a little bit more about 25 00:00:52,684 --> 00:00:53,825 yourself and your background? 26 00:00:55,899 --> 00:00:58,539 Sure. So I have been at Children's Hospital 27 00:00:58,539 --> 00:01:00,640 Los Angeles for a little over 5 years, 28 00:01:01,579 --> 00:01:04,540 and I've led the innovation function, the digital 29 00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:06,560 strategy, and the office of transformation, 30 00:01:07,019 --> 00:01:09,019 in my time here. I also have the, 31 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:10,000 the 32 00:01:10,435 --> 00:01:13,255 privilege of running our KidsX 33 00:01:13,635 --> 00:01:16,375 Accelerator program, which is a digital health innovation 34 00:01:16,435 --> 00:01:16,935 program, 35 00:01:18,194 --> 00:01:21,555 focused on pediatrics, and we collaborate with 32 36 00:01:21,555 --> 00:01:24,115 children's hospitals from across the country and actually 37 00:01:24,115 --> 00:01:25,495 a few from around the world, 38 00:01:26,340 --> 00:01:28,819 to collaborate to to drive digital innovation in 39 00:01:28,819 --> 00:01:29,319 pediatrics. 40 00:01:30,260 --> 00:01:32,659 Prior to my time at Children's, that that, 41 00:01:33,140 --> 00:01:34,980 time at other health systems in in New 42 00:01:34,980 --> 00:01:36,280 York and in Los Angeles, 43 00:01:37,219 --> 00:01:37,719 driving, 44 00:01:38,420 --> 00:01:40,600 you know, performance improvement, innovation, 45 00:01:41,944 --> 00:01:44,584 different kind of activities, all kind of focused 46 00:01:44,584 --> 00:01:45,484 around the same 47 00:01:45,784 --> 00:01:48,844 general theme, which is solving big complex problems 48 00:01:49,064 --> 00:01:51,304 in health systems and health care delivery. And 49 00:01:51,304 --> 00:01:51,804 so 50 00:01:52,185 --> 00:01:53,465 I love what I do, and it's it's 51 00:01:53,465 --> 00:01:54,664 a fun job. And it's, 52 00:01:55,619 --> 00:01:56,819 it'll be fun to talk a little bit 53 00:01:56,819 --> 00:01:57,459 more about, 54 00:01:57,859 --> 00:01:59,799 about the things we're working on now. 55 00:02:00,659 --> 00:02:03,859 Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, what a fascinating career journey. 56 00:02:03,859 --> 00:02:05,140 And, you know, when you look at where 57 00:02:05,140 --> 00:02:07,379 you're at today at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 58 00:02:07,379 --> 00:02:09,544 what are some of the big opportunities that 59 00:02:09,544 --> 00:02:11,305 you have? What are you most excited about? 60 00:02:11,305 --> 00:02:13,064 And then, 2, the headwinds that you have 61 00:02:13,064 --> 00:02:14,284 your eye on right now. 62 00:02:15,944 --> 00:02:18,585 So I think the, you know, the, 63 00:02:19,305 --> 00:02:20,925 reality that we're all facing 64 00:02:21,784 --> 00:02:22,525 is that, 65 00:02:23,050 --> 00:02:24,490 you know, as we come out of the 66 00:02:24,490 --> 00:02:24,990 pandemic, 67 00:02:25,530 --> 00:02:26,030 our 68 00:02:26,330 --> 00:02:27,050 health systems 69 00:02:28,650 --> 00:02:30,889 you know, the way we operate in our 70 00:02:30,889 --> 00:02:31,389 basic, 71 00:02:32,330 --> 00:02:33,550 kinda cost structure 72 00:02:33,930 --> 00:02:36,330 is is under a bit of stress and 73 00:02:36,330 --> 00:02:37,789 is across all health systems. 74 00:02:38,254 --> 00:02:40,514 You know, our our revenues are generally, 75 00:02:40,814 --> 00:02:43,854 you know, fairly flat, you know, unless something 76 00:02:43,854 --> 00:02:46,014 dramatic has changed. And and even then, it's 77 00:02:46,014 --> 00:02:48,254 it's you know, there's there's there's always pressures 78 00:02:48,254 --> 00:02:48,995 to kind of, 79 00:02:49,694 --> 00:02:52,014 from a reimbursement perspective as it relates to 80 00:02:52,014 --> 00:02:53,875 as it relates to health system revenue. 81 00:02:54,469 --> 00:02:56,729 But as has been well documented, the the 82 00:02:56,949 --> 00:02:59,389 based on the market staffing shortages and and 83 00:02:59,389 --> 00:03:01,030 a lot of other factors coming out of 84 00:03:01,030 --> 00:03:03,750 the pandemic, you know, expenses for health systems 85 00:03:03,750 --> 00:03:05,209 have have gone up, 86 00:03:05,989 --> 00:03:06,489 largely 87 00:03:06,870 --> 00:03:07,689 due to labor. 88 00:03:08,324 --> 00:03:10,185 And, you know, that creates 89 00:03:10,724 --> 00:03:11,705 margin pressures. 90 00:03:12,004 --> 00:03:13,844 You know, many of us have thin margins 91 00:03:13,844 --> 00:03:15,444 to begin with. I think they continue to 92 00:03:15,444 --> 00:03:16,104 be thin 93 00:03:16,564 --> 00:03:18,805 as we, you know, exit the pandemic a 94 00:03:18,805 --> 00:03:19,305 bit. 95 00:03:19,685 --> 00:03:21,750 And the way the reason that's important is, 96 00:03:21,750 --> 00:03:23,669 you know, as you think about digital, as 97 00:03:23,669 --> 00:03:25,849 you think about transformation, as you think about 98 00:03:26,069 --> 00:03:28,790 innovation, it really it's really centered around a 99 00:03:28,790 --> 00:03:30,150 lot of that. Right? I mean, we're trying 100 00:03:30,150 --> 00:03:30,650 to 101 00:03:31,110 --> 00:03:33,110 we're trying to enable the health system to 102 00:03:33,110 --> 00:03:35,474 really thrive and achieve its big strategic goals. 103 00:03:35,474 --> 00:03:37,974 And its strategic goals and priorities right now 104 00:03:38,114 --> 00:03:40,754 are very much reflected on kind of the 105 00:03:40,754 --> 00:03:43,875 the the the challenges around staffing, the challenges 106 00:03:43,875 --> 00:03:45,014 around growing expenses 107 00:03:45,634 --> 00:03:46,455 and costs, 108 00:03:46,914 --> 00:03:49,074 and the reality that we're, you know, trying 109 00:03:49,074 --> 00:03:49,574 to, 110 00:03:50,819 --> 00:03:51,840 you know, grow 111 00:03:52,300 --> 00:03:54,799 as as health systems. But in the pediatric 112 00:03:54,939 --> 00:03:55,919 market specifically, 113 00:03:56,860 --> 00:03:58,080 for example, in California, 114 00:03:59,180 --> 00:04:00,560 you know, the the 115 00:04:01,099 --> 00:04:04,474 population of pediatric patients seeking kind of inpatient 116 00:04:04,534 --> 00:04:07,034 care continues to decline. There's there's, 117 00:04:07,655 --> 00:04:10,055 you know, lots of lots of data showing 118 00:04:10,055 --> 00:04:11,194 that kind of pediatric, 119 00:04:12,694 --> 00:04:13,674 you know, inpatient 120 00:04:14,375 --> 00:04:16,555 discharges and inpatient care 121 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,500 nationally and even in our region, 122 00:04:21,439 --> 00:04:23,360 you know, it it's it's shifting away from 123 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:24,919 that inpatient care. So we're we're all trying 124 00:04:24,919 --> 00:04:26,000 to figure out how to do it. I 125 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,779 think the exciting part is that, 126 00:04:28,639 --> 00:04:29,379 is that, 127 00:04:29,694 --> 00:04:31,714 you know, digital and innovation 128 00:04:32,495 --> 00:04:33,154 are great 129 00:04:33,694 --> 00:04:35,795 strategies to help us achieve that. 130 00:04:36,975 --> 00:04:39,134 That's such a great point. And, certainly, you 131 00:04:39,134 --> 00:04:41,295 know, looking at where the trends are headed 132 00:04:41,295 --> 00:04:43,214 and and for hospitals and health systems to 133 00:04:43,214 --> 00:04:43,955 really be 134 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:45,759 functioning in a way that's, 135 00:04:46,220 --> 00:04:48,319 serving their patient populations well. 136 00:04:49,180 --> 00:04:51,100 What do you think from your vantage point, 137 00:04:51,819 --> 00:04:53,839 is, you know, ways that you can, 138 00:04:54,540 --> 00:04:56,620 think about growth and adding value to the 139 00:04:56,620 --> 00:04:58,955 health system overall? How do you do that 140 00:04:58,955 --> 00:05:01,295 as a chief digital and transformation officer? 141 00:05:01,675 --> 00:05:02,975 What does that really look like? 142 00:05:04,955 --> 00:05:06,814 Well, I think, you know, at its core, 143 00:05:07,035 --> 00:05:09,295 what we're trying to do is find ways 144 00:05:09,915 --> 00:05:11,214 to leverage technology 145 00:05:12,154 --> 00:05:12,654 to 146 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:14,660 solve really complicated 147 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:18,080 problems for our health system. And, you know, 148 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:19,860 as I as we were just talking about, 149 00:05:20,879 --> 00:05:22,639 as an example, one of them is around 150 00:05:22,639 --> 00:05:24,240 growth. Right? So how are we going to 151 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,220 leverage technology to attract new patients, to retain 152 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:27,860 patients, 153 00:05:28,625 --> 00:05:31,345 to ensure that patients who are coming to 154 00:05:31,345 --> 00:05:33,524 see us have a great experience, that they 155 00:05:33,745 --> 00:05:35,365 come back, that they, you know, 156 00:05:35,745 --> 00:05:37,985 talk about the the positive experience to others. 157 00:05:37,985 --> 00:05:39,185 At the end of the day, you know, 158 00:05:39,185 --> 00:05:41,764 we provide an important service to our community, 159 00:05:42,220 --> 00:05:44,139 and that service is one that we want, 160 00:05:44,139 --> 00:05:46,060 you know, as many people to access as 161 00:05:46,060 --> 00:05:46,560 possible. 162 00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:49,899 So, you know, digital is a great tool 163 00:05:49,899 --> 00:05:52,939 to increase access and and attract and retain 164 00:05:52,939 --> 00:05:54,160 patients. And so 165 00:05:54,654 --> 00:05:56,894 we're always thinking about how we can leverage 166 00:05:56,894 --> 00:05:58,194 the tools in our toolkit 167 00:05:58,814 --> 00:06:00,975 to to do that. You know, we use 168 00:06:00,975 --> 00:06:03,375 a product lens at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 169 00:06:03,375 --> 00:06:05,294 When we think about transformation, we think about 170 00:06:05,294 --> 00:06:05,794 innovation. 171 00:06:06,334 --> 00:06:08,274 By that, I mean, you know, products 172 00:06:08,894 --> 00:06:11,270 are, at least in my head, bringing together 173 00:06:11,270 --> 00:06:13,830 people, process, and technology to solve a need 174 00:06:13,830 --> 00:06:15,750 for a customer or end user. So in 175 00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:17,750 our case, the customer is often the patient 176 00:06:17,750 --> 00:06:19,210 or the family, the parent, 177 00:06:19,750 --> 00:06:22,150 or sometimes the provider or the the staff 178 00:06:22,150 --> 00:06:24,150 member, depending on what the actual thing is 179 00:06:24,150 --> 00:06:26,415 we're working on. And so our goal is 180 00:06:26,415 --> 00:06:28,254 to really orient all of our work, all 181 00:06:28,254 --> 00:06:30,735 the things we're doing towards developing and, you 182 00:06:30,735 --> 00:06:32,915 know, putting out the best products that, 183 00:06:33,375 --> 00:06:35,535 really people who are using them love to 184 00:06:35,535 --> 00:06:36,035 use. 185 00:06:36,574 --> 00:06:38,415 The more they really engage in them and 186 00:06:38,415 --> 00:06:40,970 they really find them valuable to their individual 187 00:06:41,029 --> 00:06:42,789 lives, the more likely they are to use 188 00:06:42,789 --> 00:06:44,789 them to their fullest capacity, which means that 189 00:06:44,789 --> 00:06:46,629 we're gonna generate the most value out of 190 00:06:46,629 --> 00:06:49,610 these products we're bringing to our patients, families, 191 00:06:49,669 --> 00:06:50,649 and and staff. 192 00:06:52,165 --> 00:06:54,245 Absolutely. That that's a really great point, and 193 00:06:54,245 --> 00:06:56,564 I love that focus both internally and externally 194 00:06:56,564 --> 00:06:58,644 too on the patients and their families. Now 195 00:06:58,644 --> 00:07:01,205 when you're looking at both sides, how do 196 00:07:01,205 --> 00:07:03,384 you make sure you're getting feedback and constantly 197 00:07:03,444 --> 00:07:05,524 iterating on what you're doing in order to, 198 00:07:06,229 --> 00:07:08,470 you know, get the the best, I guess, 199 00:07:08,470 --> 00:07:09,370 product possible. 200 00:07:09,990 --> 00:07:11,750 What does that look like, and how do 201 00:07:11,750 --> 00:07:13,750 you move from the beginning of a project 202 00:07:13,750 --> 00:07:15,110 to all the way through to where it 203 00:07:15,110 --> 00:07:15,850 is today? 204 00:07:17,189 --> 00:07:19,975 I mean, it really starts with understanding who 205 00:07:19,975 --> 00:07:21,735 the right who the customers are for any 206 00:07:21,735 --> 00:07:22,235 given, 207 00:07:23,415 --> 00:07:25,254 any given product and really making sure we 208 00:07:25,254 --> 00:07:26,074 have a full 209 00:07:26,694 --> 00:07:28,774 breadth of the different types of customers that 210 00:07:28,774 --> 00:07:30,954 exist. So even, you know, amongst our population 211 00:07:31,014 --> 00:07:33,115 at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the 212 00:07:33,810 --> 00:07:36,149 the the patients and families are very diverse 213 00:07:36,370 --> 00:07:36,870 and, 214 00:07:37,250 --> 00:07:40,129 have different, you know, perspective. They come from 215 00:07:40,129 --> 00:07:42,529 different parts of the city. They come, you 216 00:07:42,529 --> 00:07:45,089 know, with their own kind of set of, 217 00:07:45,329 --> 00:07:47,954 you know, personal experiences they're bringing with them, 218 00:07:48,034 --> 00:07:49,394 And we need to understand those. We need 219 00:07:49,394 --> 00:07:51,154 to really deeply understand those so that we 220 00:07:51,154 --> 00:07:53,175 can build design and develop a solution 221 00:07:53,794 --> 00:07:56,115 specifically that's going to cater towards our broader 222 00:07:56,115 --> 00:07:58,274 population. Because, you know, when you do that, 223 00:07:58,274 --> 00:08:00,514 you get better adoption, and adoption is really 224 00:08:00,514 --> 00:08:03,154 the value of of, you know, digital innovation. 225 00:08:03,154 --> 00:08:03,654 So 226 00:08:04,009 --> 00:08:06,089 so we we start with with deep kind 227 00:08:06,089 --> 00:08:08,250 of discovery of kind of who our customers 228 00:08:08,250 --> 00:08:10,169 are and and end users are, what their 229 00:08:10,169 --> 00:08:12,889 what their, you know, experience is today, what 230 00:08:12,889 --> 00:08:15,289 their journeys look like today given the existing 231 00:08:15,289 --> 00:08:16,754 part of what we're trying to build for. 232 00:08:16,915 --> 00:08:19,395 And then we learn throughout that process what 233 00:08:19,395 --> 00:08:21,235 they're doing, and and then we we we 234 00:08:21,235 --> 00:08:22,855 engage deeply with those customers 235 00:08:23,395 --> 00:08:26,035 through and those end users throughout the product 236 00:08:26,035 --> 00:08:27,095 development cycle 237 00:08:27,395 --> 00:08:29,654 to think about how we can, 238 00:08:30,919 --> 00:08:34,299 how we can solve specifically for that population. 239 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:36,759 And I think sticking to that and building 240 00:08:36,759 --> 00:08:39,559 metrics around that and really orienting all of 241 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:40,539 our work towards 242 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:43,959 the the the end user as a central 243 00:08:43,959 --> 00:08:44,779 part of that, 244 00:08:45,544 --> 00:08:47,464 kind of product development journey is really crucial. 245 00:08:47,464 --> 00:08:49,065 And we we stick to that as as 246 00:08:49,065 --> 00:08:50,504 as closely as we can on all of 247 00:08:50,504 --> 00:08:51,164 our products. 248 00:08:52,664 --> 00:08:54,825 Absolutely. I love that. Thank you so much. 249 00:08:54,825 --> 00:08:56,664 Now I know as you mentioned a little 250 00:08:56,664 --> 00:08:59,199 bit earlier in the conversation, obviously, there are 251 00:08:59,199 --> 00:09:00,879 a lot of challenges right now for hospitals 252 00:09:00,879 --> 00:09:02,259 and health systems in general, 253 00:09:02,799 --> 00:09:04,259 whether it's staffing, 254 00:09:04,879 --> 00:09:06,019 shortages, or, 255 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,639 some of the other challenges with inflation and 256 00:09:08,639 --> 00:09:10,879 the economy and whatnot. So when you look 257 00:09:10,879 --> 00:09:13,199 at where we're at today, resources, obviously, are 258 00:09:13,199 --> 00:09:15,704 are very valuable, especially in health care. So 259 00:09:15,704 --> 00:09:17,544 what do you see as one investment or 260 00:09:17,544 --> 00:09:20,024 risk that's still worth making this year even 261 00:09:20,024 --> 00:09:22,264 given, you know, the the way that, a 262 00:09:22,264 --> 00:09:24,584 lot of organizations are having to cut back 263 00:09:24,584 --> 00:09:25,404 just a bit? 264 00:09:26,904 --> 00:09:27,964 I mean, I think, 265 00:09:29,304 --> 00:09:30,184 you know, it it's 266 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,039 instead of giving you, like, a technology answer, 267 00:09:33,039 --> 00:09:34,559 I'll give you kind of the the problem 268 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:35,600 that I think we need to solve for. 269 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:36,899 And I think the problem 270 00:09:37,919 --> 00:09:40,000 is a long term problem, and it's around 271 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,199 staffing. So, like, our traditional health delivery models 272 00:09:43,199 --> 00:09:45,394 have involved, you know, a certain number of 273 00:09:45,394 --> 00:09:48,034 staff providing a certain amount of care to 274 00:09:48,034 --> 00:09:49,475 a certain number of patients, and a lot 275 00:09:49,475 --> 00:09:50,995 of it a lot of it is live, 276 00:09:50,995 --> 00:09:51,495 synchronous, 277 00:09:52,195 --> 00:09:54,355 you know, and it's pretty much unchanged for 278 00:09:54,355 --> 00:09:57,075 years, right, decades maybe, in terms of doctors, 279 00:09:57,075 --> 00:09:58,054 nurses, therapists, 280 00:09:58,419 --> 00:10:01,240 pharmacists kind of collaborating to deliver care. 281 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:03,080 It's often very episodic 282 00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:03,960 and 283 00:10:04,340 --> 00:10:06,899 and our reimbursement structures and others kind of 284 00:10:06,899 --> 00:10:08,500 guide through that. But I think the challenge 285 00:10:08,500 --> 00:10:09,480 is that we know, 286 00:10:10,019 --> 00:10:10,600 you know, 287 00:10:11,220 --> 00:10:14,355 given staffing challenges, given kind of data and 288 00:10:14,495 --> 00:10:16,434 always coming out around kind of 289 00:10:17,134 --> 00:10:19,215 the challenges we have in that space, it's 290 00:10:19,215 --> 00:10:20,975 something that we need to think about. So 291 00:10:20,975 --> 00:10:23,054 how can technology could you answer your question 292 00:10:23,054 --> 00:10:25,455 around investment? How can we leverage and invest 293 00:10:25,455 --> 00:10:27,795 in technology that's going to make it 294 00:10:28,570 --> 00:10:30,269 possible for our clinical 295 00:10:30,649 --> 00:10:32,990 health system to provide care, 296 00:10:34,009 --> 00:10:35,309 great quality care, 297 00:10:36,089 --> 00:10:38,809 perhaps with limited staffing. Right? So is there 298 00:10:38,809 --> 00:10:41,850 ways to augment the staff leveraging technology like 299 00:10:41,850 --> 00:10:44,174 artificial intelligence, decision support, you know, various kind 300 00:10:44,174 --> 00:10:45,148 of algorithms that can support kind of co 301 00:10:45,148 --> 00:10:46,914 pilot, the the clinical care team? 302 00:10:47,855 --> 00:10:50,115 Is there ways to do asynchronous, you 303 00:10:50,725 --> 00:10:51,475 know, care 304 00:10:52,335 --> 00:10:52,835 delivery? 305 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:58,860 Again, we we have to think about how, 306 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,600 we can provide the same level of care 307 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,160 for, you know, a growing need of health 308 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:05,660 care, 309 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,054 with less, you know, with less people than 310 00:11:10,054 --> 00:11:12,134 we probably had in the in the staffing 311 00:11:12,134 --> 00:11:14,534 side of the equation 10 years ago. Right? 312 00:11:14,534 --> 00:11:16,375 So I think technology is gonna that's gonna 313 00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:17,975 be the key investment that we make is 314 00:11:17,975 --> 00:11:21,174 how we can leverage technology to to plug 315 00:11:21,174 --> 00:11:21,834 in there. 316 00:11:22,540 --> 00:11:25,360 You know, a quick example, we've invested in 317 00:11:25,660 --> 00:11:27,660 our you know, we we put we we 318 00:11:27,660 --> 00:11:29,660 we we partnered with a company to to 319 00:11:29,660 --> 00:11:31,899 put have a robot, that, you know, that 320 00:11:31,899 --> 00:11:35,259 walk that roams around Children's Hospital Los Angeles 321 00:11:35,259 --> 00:11:38,115 and delivers medication from the pharmacy to the 322 00:11:38,115 --> 00:11:39,014 nursing unit. 323 00:11:39,394 --> 00:11:40,834 Well, a year ago, there was a person 324 00:11:40,834 --> 00:11:43,075 doing that, a few people doing that. And, 325 00:11:43,075 --> 00:11:46,115 you know, we we given our challenges, we 326 00:11:46,115 --> 00:11:48,595 can now have those people do other things 327 00:11:48,595 --> 00:11:50,820 and have this robot, you know, do this 328 00:11:50,820 --> 00:11:52,279 task just as well, 329 00:11:53,220 --> 00:11:55,139 you know, and and leverage technology that way. 330 00:11:55,139 --> 00:11:57,059 So what's one example of many that you 331 00:11:57,059 --> 00:11:59,299 could think about how technology can can be 332 00:11:59,299 --> 00:11:59,799 inserted 333 00:12:00,259 --> 00:12:03,059 to help not help manage the realities of 334 00:12:03,059 --> 00:12:04,120 our future staffing, 335 00:12:04,980 --> 00:12:05,480 challenges? 336 00:12:06,795 --> 00:12:08,875 Absolutely. Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. 337 00:12:08,875 --> 00:12:09,855 You know, it's just, 338 00:12:10,315 --> 00:12:12,634 so fascinating to think about that robot going 339 00:12:12,634 --> 00:12:14,955 through the hospital and doing, you know, that 340 00:12:14,955 --> 00:12:16,715 job. Is how how do the staff like 341 00:12:16,715 --> 00:12:18,394 it? Is that something that the kids also 342 00:12:18,394 --> 00:12:20,415 see too, or or what's that like? 343 00:12:21,100 --> 00:12:23,019 Yeah. The kids they're definitely public facing. So 344 00:12:23,019 --> 00:12:24,379 kids see it. They love it. We've heard 345 00:12:24,379 --> 00:12:26,299 lots of stories about this story I had 346 00:12:26,299 --> 00:12:28,480 the other day about this this child 347 00:12:29,019 --> 00:12:31,580 and his dad who would follow the robot 348 00:12:31,580 --> 00:12:33,259 around even had even had nothing to do 349 00:12:33,259 --> 00:12:35,674 with like, the the he just he was 350 00:12:35,674 --> 00:12:37,115 so curious about the robot. He would just 351 00:12:37,115 --> 00:12:38,975 kinda follow the robot around, and, 352 00:12:39,355 --> 00:12:41,595 whenever the whenever they return, they would see 353 00:12:41,595 --> 00:12:43,274 the child kind of looking from a distance 354 00:12:43,274 --> 00:12:44,875 because he's so fascinated. So, yeah, I mean, 355 00:12:44,875 --> 00:12:47,754 there's there's been some great stories about how, 356 00:12:48,235 --> 00:12:50,154 in addition to everything else in terms of 357 00:12:50,154 --> 00:12:51,294 efficiency and 358 00:12:51,779 --> 00:12:53,459 and and all of that, that it's actually 359 00:12:53,459 --> 00:12:55,139 added a great kind of experience to the 360 00:12:55,139 --> 00:12:56,600 kids in the hospital. So, 361 00:12:56,980 --> 00:12:59,779 definitely happy about that. Yeah. Absolutely. I have 362 00:12:59,779 --> 00:13:01,379 a almost 7 year old son, and I 363 00:13:01,379 --> 00:13:02,980 can imagine if he were there, he would 364 00:13:02,980 --> 00:13:05,139 have a 1,000,001 questions about how the robot 365 00:13:05,139 --> 00:13:07,034 worked and he'd be very curious about it 366 00:13:07,034 --> 00:13:08,975 too. So that's fantastic to hear. 367 00:13:09,754 --> 00:13:10,254 Yeah. 368 00:13:10,875 --> 00:13:13,034 As we wrap up our our conversation, I'm 369 00:13:13,034 --> 00:13:15,034 just wondering, looking ahead into the future, you 370 00:13:15,034 --> 00:13:16,075 know, where do you see as some of 371 00:13:16,075 --> 00:13:18,095 the best opportunities for growth and development, 372 00:13:18,475 --> 00:13:20,154 for your department, the teams you work with, 373 00:13:20,154 --> 00:13:21,695 and the hospital overall? 374 00:13:23,259 --> 00:13:25,980 Well, so what I would say is, you 375 00:13:25,980 --> 00:13:28,379 know, there there continues to be this kinda 376 00:13:28,379 --> 00:13:29,759 gap in terms of 377 00:13:30,460 --> 00:13:34,000 funding we have towards pediatric innovation and pediatric 378 00:13:34,299 --> 00:13:36,000 digital innovation specifically. 379 00:13:36,684 --> 00:13:39,085 And so, you know, my hope is that 380 00:13:39,085 --> 00:13:40,705 as we continue to, 381 00:13:41,884 --> 00:13:43,805 you know, think about how we wanna invest 382 00:13:43,805 --> 00:13:45,965 as a nation, as a kind of as 383 00:13:45,965 --> 00:13:48,605 a community in our in our, you know, 384 00:13:48,605 --> 00:13:51,105 innovative innovative technologies and solutions, 385 00:13:51,839 --> 00:13:53,919 let's pay more attention to pediatrics. I mean, 386 00:13:53,919 --> 00:13:56,000 they've been well documented in the last year. 387 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,399 There's a crisis going on in pediatric mental 388 00:13:58,399 --> 00:13:58,899 health. 389 00:13:59,759 --> 00:14:02,899 Adolescents and teenagers and young adults are experiencing 390 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:04,820 really high levels of, 391 00:14:06,065 --> 00:14:07,365 you know, mental health, 392 00:14:08,384 --> 00:14:08,884 challenges. 393 00:14:09,264 --> 00:14:12,065 And we just don't have the infrastructure as 394 00:14:12,065 --> 00:14:15,524 nor as a country to really properly navigate 395 00:14:16,065 --> 00:14:17,825 and and and meet the needs of these 396 00:14:17,825 --> 00:14:18,325 kids. 397 00:14:18,705 --> 00:14:20,200 You You know, these kids turn into adults 398 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,800 and the adults turn into seniors. So this 399 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:22,680 is this could be a problem for a 400 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:23,879 long time if we don't address it. And 401 00:14:23,879 --> 00:14:25,800 I think the the way to one of 402 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:27,080 the ways to address it is going to 403 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:29,160 be to be innovative around how we, you 404 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,220 know, do everything from screen to to diagnose 405 00:14:32,279 --> 00:14:32,940 to treat, 406 00:14:34,044 --> 00:14:37,084 these these children who have anything. But in 407 00:14:37,084 --> 00:14:37,824 this example, 408 00:14:38,204 --> 00:14:40,065 you know, mental behavioral health 409 00:14:40,445 --> 00:14:42,544 challenges they're they're facing. So 410 00:14:42,924 --> 00:14:44,445 that's my hope, and I'm hoping that we 411 00:14:44,445 --> 00:14:46,445 can, you know, collectively invest more and more 412 00:14:46,445 --> 00:14:49,509 in pediatrics and and children, and see the 413 00:14:49,509 --> 00:14:51,129 dividends pay off in the long run. 414 00:14:53,269 --> 00:14:55,110 Absolutely. And that's such an important issue that 415 00:14:55,110 --> 00:14:56,470 I know you just brought up in terms 416 00:14:56,470 --> 00:14:58,389 of the pediatric mental health. It's something I 417 00:14:58,389 --> 00:14:59,990 feel like every day we have new studies 418 00:14:59,990 --> 00:15:01,909 on just the challenges and the breadth and 419 00:15:01,909 --> 00:15:03,990 the depth of the problem and trying to 420 00:15:03,990 --> 00:15:06,695 reach the these kids who have been so 421 00:15:06,914 --> 00:15:09,154 impacted by the pandemic and everything else that's 422 00:15:09,154 --> 00:15:11,394 happening in the world. So, I love that 423 00:15:11,394 --> 00:15:13,955 there's efforts and investments in doing more with 424 00:15:13,955 --> 00:15:15,014 that and really, 425 00:15:15,394 --> 00:15:17,554 making that a a top priority. It just 426 00:15:17,554 --> 00:15:20,035 seems like, it'll be so important for us 427 00:15:20,035 --> 00:15:20,899 down the line. 428 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:22,980 Absolutely. 429 00:15:23,759 --> 00:15:25,360 Well, Omkar, thank you so much for joining 430 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:27,200 us on the podcast today. This has been 431 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,360 such a fun and interesting conversation, and I'm 432 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,440 excited to have you as well. Speaking at 433 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,924 our health IT digital health and revenue cycle 434 00:15:33,924 --> 00:15:35,524 event in October, I think, you know, a 435 00:15:35,524 --> 00:15:37,625 lot of these themes we'll talk about and 436 00:15:37,764 --> 00:15:40,184 especially looking at some of the digital innovations 437 00:15:40,245 --> 00:15:42,485 and and leveraging technology for better patient care. 438 00:15:42,485 --> 00:15:44,164 So I'm excited to hear more from you 439 00:15:44,164 --> 00:15:45,059 at that point. 440 00:15:46,899 --> 00:15:48,500 I'm looking forward to being there and and 441 00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:50,500 sharing more of my perspective. Thank you for 442 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:51,240 having me. 443 00:15:55,620 --> 00:15:57,379 It's so important for leaders at the top 444 00:15:57,379 --> 00:16:00,100 of organizations to keep learning, stay sharp, grow 445 00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:00,759 their networks, 446 00:16:01,154 --> 00:16:02,834 Help our audience better do this in a 447 00:16:02,834 --> 00:16:06,595 more simplified, personalized, and meaningful way. Becker's Healthcare 448 00:16:06,595 --> 00:16:07,735 has launched MyBHC. 449 00:16:08,754 --> 00:16:11,235 It's your trusted Becker's Healthcare experience and more 450 00:16:11,235 --> 00:16:14,054 with content, connections, events, and learning opportunities. 451 00:16:14,789 --> 00:16:17,289 Join the community free of charge at www.my.beggarshospitalreview.com, 452 00:16:20,709 --> 00:16:21,929 and we'll see you there.