1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,220 Today's episode is brought to you by Abridge. 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,559 Named best in class for the ambient AI 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,359 segment, Abridge is the leading AI platform for 4 00:00:09,359 --> 00:00:10,580 clinical conversations 5 00:00:11,359 --> 00:00:14,255 designed by clinicians and scientists to meet the 6 00:00:14,255 --> 00:00:17,454 diverse needs of the largest and most complex 7 00:00:17,454 --> 00:00:18,274 health systems. 8 00:00:19,135 --> 00:00:21,154 Abridge automates clinical documentation 9 00:00:21,535 --> 00:00:24,335 in real time and integrates directly within the 10 00:00:24,335 --> 00:00:26,114 electronic health record workflow, 11 00:00:26,690 --> 00:00:30,070 reducing the burden and distraction of repetitive administrative 12 00:00:30,370 --> 00:00:32,870 tasks across care settings, specialties, 13 00:00:33,250 --> 00:00:34,070 and languages. 14 00:00:34,929 --> 00:00:36,850 A bridge has been shown to reduce burnout 15 00:00:36,850 --> 00:00:38,149 by 55%, 16 00:00:38,530 --> 00:00:41,804 improve clinician job satisfaction by 85%, 17 00:00:42,204 --> 00:00:42,945 and significantly 18 00:00:43,405 --> 00:00:47,085 increase patient satisfaction scores according to surveys from 19 00:00:47,085 --> 00:00:47,825 Press Ganey. 20 00:00:48,204 --> 00:00:50,364 Bring this impact to your health system today 21 00:00:50,364 --> 00:00:52,924 and join the community of users across leading 22 00:00:52,924 --> 00:00:56,979 health systems, including Duke Health, Emory Health, John 23 00:00:56,979 --> 00:00:57,960 Hopkins Medicine, 24 00:00:58,340 --> 00:00:59,320 and Mayo Clinic. 25 00:00:59,699 --> 00:01:00,979 Visit abridge.com 26 00:01:00,979 --> 00:01:02,119 to learn more today. 27 00:01:03,140 --> 00:01:05,299 This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare 28 00:01:05,299 --> 00:01:07,379 podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 29 00:01:07,379 --> 00:01:10,180 doctor Zafar Choudhry, senior vice president as well 30 00:01:10,180 --> 00:01:12,745 as chief digital, chief AI, and chief information 31 00:01:12,745 --> 00:01:15,465 officer at CLL Children's. Doctor Choudhry, it's a 32 00:01:15,465 --> 00:01:17,245 pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 33 00:01:17,865 --> 00:01:19,405 Thank you for having me, Laura. 34 00:01:19,784 --> 00:01:21,944 Now I'm excited for our conversation because I 35 00:01:21,944 --> 00:01:23,939 know you've had a lot of experience in 36 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:26,340 the technology as well as, of course, health 37 00:01:26,340 --> 00:01:29,240 care space and, a really unique perspective that 38 00:01:29,299 --> 00:01:30,659 you bring to us. You've been on the 39 00:01:30,659 --> 00:01:33,299 podcast several times before, and and so it's 40 00:01:33,299 --> 00:01:34,579 always great to have you back. 41 00:01:35,140 --> 00:01:36,740 And I'm curious to dig into some of 42 00:01:36,740 --> 00:01:38,579 the cool things you're doing at Seattle Children's 43 00:01:38,579 --> 00:01:40,334 as well as how you're thinking about the 44 00:01:40,334 --> 00:01:42,275 future, especially given some of the 45 00:01:42,575 --> 00:01:43,075 uncertainties, 46 00:01:43,615 --> 00:01:45,694 within the health care as well as just 47 00:01:45,694 --> 00:01:46,194 broader, 48 00:01:46,895 --> 00:01:49,534 you know, US ecosystem here. But before we 49 00:01:49,534 --> 00:01:51,454 dive in, I'm wondering, could you tell us 50 00:01:51,454 --> 00:01:53,775 a little bit more about Seattle Children's and 51 00:01:53,775 --> 00:01:54,834 what makes it unique? 52 00:01:55,899 --> 00:01:58,780 Yeah. So Seattle Children's, it's a pediatric health 53 00:01:58,780 --> 00:02:00,799 system. We're in the Pacific Northwest. 54 00:02:01,659 --> 00:02:02,399 We serve 55 00:02:02,939 --> 00:02:05,679 Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, 56 00:02:06,140 --> 00:02:07,739 and we have 47 57 00:02:07,739 --> 00:02:08,239 sites. 58 00:02:09,314 --> 00:02:13,394 Amongst, those four states, we're about 13,000 59 00:02:13,394 --> 00:02:13,894 people. 60 00:02:14,834 --> 00:02:16,854 500 of those work in IT, 61 00:02:17,474 --> 00:02:19,574 generating about 4,000,000,000 in revenue. 62 00:02:19,955 --> 00:02:22,034 And in the IT arena, we do everything 63 00:02:22,034 --> 00:02:22,854 from infrastructure 64 00:02:23,155 --> 00:02:25,050 all the way through to digital health. 65 00:02:26,250 --> 00:02:28,169 Oh, that's great to hear. And, you know, 66 00:02:28,169 --> 00:02:29,610 when you think back to the last year 67 00:02:29,610 --> 00:02:31,530 or so, what accomplishment are you most proud 68 00:02:31,530 --> 00:02:32,030 of? 69 00:02:33,290 --> 00:02:35,930 So we've done some interesting and cool things. 70 00:02:35,930 --> 00:02:36,430 We've 71 00:02:37,050 --> 00:02:37,550 certainly 72 00:02:38,555 --> 00:02:40,574 implemented a new ERP. 73 00:02:40,875 --> 00:02:43,754 So we are through phase one of our 74 00:02:43,754 --> 00:02:44,655 ERP implementation. 75 00:02:44,955 --> 00:02:46,335 We migrated from, 76 00:02:47,354 --> 00:02:47,854 InfoLawson 77 00:02:48,314 --> 00:02:49,935 to Workday and launched 78 00:02:50,540 --> 00:02:53,340 the human capital management modules as well as 79 00:02:53,340 --> 00:02:54,319 payroll. And 80 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:56,460 good news is we've been able to pay 81 00:02:56,460 --> 00:02:59,740 people correctly on time for many months now 82 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:01,040 using that new system. 83 00:03:01,659 --> 00:03:03,900 The other thing that we have done is 84 00:03:03,900 --> 00:03:05,145 we moved 85 00:03:05,685 --> 00:03:08,344 all of our analytics and data platforms 86 00:03:09,125 --> 00:03:09,625 from 87 00:03:10,164 --> 00:03:12,405 IBM Netezza, which we had used for five 88 00:03:12,405 --> 00:03:12,905 years, 89 00:03:13,284 --> 00:03:14,264 to a full 90 00:03:14,724 --> 00:03:18,219 partnership with Google Cloud. So everything now runs 91 00:03:18,219 --> 00:03:20,139 within that space. And we managed to do 92 00:03:20,139 --> 00:03:22,080 that in a very short period of time, 93 00:03:22,620 --> 00:03:24,080 migrating many, many 94 00:03:24,780 --> 00:03:27,520 billions lines of code as well as 95 00:03:28,300 --> 00:03:29,840 hundreds and hundreds of databases. 96 00:03:31,485 --> 00:03:33,004 That's amazing to hear. And, you know, I 97 00:03:33,004 --> 00:03:34,544 I know that's a huge undertaking, 98 00:03:35,084 --> 00:03:35,584 technical 99 00:03:35,884 --> 00:03:38,125 as well as just the manpower it takes 100 00:03:38,125 --> 00:03:38,604 to do, 101 00:03:39,004 --> 00:03:41,185 something like that and and make the transition. 102 00:03:41,644 --> 00:03:42,305 I'm curious, 103 00:03:42,604 --> 00:03:43,824 you know, when you're, 104 00:03:44,204 --> 00:03:46,900 bringing together all that data in in the 105 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:48,259 code and and trying to, 106 00:03:48,979 --> 00:03:50,819 set the foundation for what you need to 107 00:03:50,819 --> 00:03:53,060 be successful in the future, how do you 108 00:03:53,060 --> 00:03:55,139 do that successfully with your team? What kind 109 00:03:55,139 --> 00:03:55,379 of, 110 00:03:56,180 --> 00:03:58,099 expertise and talent do you need? And then, 111 00:03:58,099 --> 00:04:00,675 you know, looking at the the change management 112 00:04:00,675 --> 00:04:01,655 to bring you into, 113 00:04:02,034 --> 00:04:02,775 the transformation, 114 00:04:03,555 --> 00:04:05,335 on the people and culture side. 115 00:04:05,875 --> 00:04:07,555 How do you bring that all together? What 116 00:04:07,555 --> 00:04:09,235 advice would you have for leaders who are 117 00:04:09,235 --> 00:04:10,694 going through the same thing currently? 118 00:04:11,795 --> 00:04:13,415 Yes. Of all of these programs, 119 00:04:14,590 --> 00:04:17,069 you know, we are a technology group serving 120 00:04:17,069 --> 00:04:19,229 a health care system. So we really are 121 00:04:19,229 --> 00:04:20,610 in the patient business, 122 00:04:21,069 --> 00:04:23,389 not the technology business. And most of the 123 00:04:23,389 --> 00:04:23,889 programs 124 00:04:24,829 --> 00:04:25,729 we run 125 00:04:26,189 --> 00:04:27,569 are really transformation 126 00:04:27,949 --> 00:04:28,449 programs 127 00:04:29,365 --> 00:04:32,084 that require a lot of change management. So 128 00:04:32,084 --> 00:04:34,164 anytime we do a major project like a 129 00:04:34,164 --> 00:04:35,305 new system implementation 130 00:04:36,245 --> 00:04:38,745 or a migration from one tool to another, 131 00:04:39,044 --> 00:04:41,604 we are heavily involving our people and culture 132 00:04:41,604 --> 00:04:43,365 teams, and they usually provide, 133 00:04:44,460 --> 00:04:47,360 resources to help in that change management process. 134 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:50,379 We also wanna make sure that anything we 135 00:04:50,379 --> 00:04:50,879 build 136 00:04:51,339 --> 00:04:55,040 is operationally led and technology enabled. So 137 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:58,139 you don't do these things well without a 138 00:04:58,139 --> 00:04:58,639 multidisciplinary 139 00:04:59,339 --> 00:05:00,454 team of people 140 00:05:00,914 --> 00:05:03,154 who help you get there. So we are 141 00:05:03,154 --> 00:05:03,654 facilitators 142 00:05:04,034 --> 00:05:05,175 to a greater extent 143 00:05:06,034 --> 00:05:06,534 and 144 00:05:07,154 --> 00:05:09,175 trainers, but at the same time, 145 00:05:09,794 --> 00:05:11,894 doing the people and process component 146 00:05:12,274 --> 00:05:12,774 requires 147 00:05:13,154 --> 00:05:13,654 partnership. 148 00:05:14,220 --> 00:05:16,220 And if you bring the right partners to 149 00:05:16,220 --> 00:05:16,879 the table, 150 00:05:17,660 --> 00:05:19,199 you're going to have success. 151 00:05:19,740 --> 00:05:22,540 And implementing systems is actually the easy part. 152 00:05:22,540 --> 00:05:24,399 The sustaining of those systems 153 00:05:24,939 --> 00:05:26,220 is where you have to put a lot 154 00:05:26,220 --> 00:05:28,459 more effort. So getting to a go live 155 00:05:28,459 --> 00:05:29,120 on something, 156 00:05:29,595 --> 00:05:32,235 it's great. You celebrate it. It may be 157 00:05:32,235 --> 00:05:33,915 a long journey. You may have spent many 158 00:05:33,915 --> 00:05:36,235 years on it, but then making sure that 159 00:05:36,235 --> 00:05:37,775 that system is actually 160 00:05:38,555 --> 00:05:40,495 used the way it should be 161 00:05:40,875 --> 00:05:42,014 so that you're driving 162 00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:45,290 all the benefits of the investment you've made 163 00:05:45,590 --> 00:05:48,230 is where you still need to continue to 164 00:05:48,230 --> 00:05:49,530 focus your change 165 00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:52,090 energies within the health system. 166 00:05:53,110 --> 00:05:55,129 Got it. That's helpful to know and understand. 167 00:05:55,270 --> 00:05:57,595 And, you know, really, I appreciate you digging 168 00:05:57,595 --> 00:05:59,834 a little bit deeper there. Now looking ahead, 169 00:05:59,834 --> 00:06:01,834 what are some of the big organizational goals 170 00:06:01,834 --> 00:06:03,694 that you're setting for 2025? 171 00:06:04,634 --> 00:06:07,375 So we've got to continue to do 172 00:06:07,834 --> 00:06:09,055 the second phase 173 00:06:09,355 --> 00:06:10,814 of our Workday implementation. 174 00:06:11,970 --> 00:06:14,050 So that's still got about five or six 175 00:06:14,050 --> 00:06:15,110 months left on 176 00:06:15,490 --> 00:06:17,730 it. That will be the financial module as 177 00:06:17,730 --> 00:06:18,389 well as 178 00:06:19,170 --> 00:06:21,889 our supply chain. So that will involve, once 179 00:06:21,889 --> 00:06:22,389 again, 180 00:06:23,410 --> 00:06:26,310 operational changes to to lead to the transfer 181 00:06:26,745 --> 00:06:29,884 transformation that we're looking for. We have heavily 182 00:06:30,345 --> 00:06:30,845 invested 183 00:06:31,464 --> 00:06:34,345 in our AI program, and this wouldn't be 184 00:06:34,345 --> 00:06:37,004 a conversation if I didn't mention AI. But 185 00:06:37,545 --> 00:06:40,045 we've heavily invested in that in our partnership 186 00:06:40,185 --> 00:06:42,125 with Google. So we are a Gemini 187 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:43,300 AI site, 188 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,800 and we're currently working on some generative AI 189 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:47,540 use cases 190 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,560 in their final stages before they will be 191 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:51,699 released to 192 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,480 our clinical population. And a lot of the 193 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,020 focus has been on 194 00:06:56,774 --> 00:06:59,675 clinical use cases that more than anything else. 195 00:07:00,134 --> 00:07:02,615 The other thing that we actually have just 196 00:07:02,615 --> 00:07:03,115 completed 197 00:07:04,055 --> 00:07:05,035 as we speak 198 00:07:05,735 --> 00:07:07,675 is we have we have done 199 00:07:08,375 --> 00:07:08,875 and 200 00:07:09,669 --> 00:07:12,169 put into play a strategic partnership 201 00:07:12,470 --> 00:07:13,209 with Rackspace. 202 00:07:13,910 --> 00:07:15,050 So moving forwards 203 00:07:15,589 --> 00:07:18,229 in a ten year agreement, Rackspace will be 204 00:07:18,229 --> 00:07:21,209 our core provider for all of our infrastructure 205 00:07:21,669 --> 00:07:23,209 in the Rackspace cloud 206 00:07:23,754 --> 00:07:25,774 as well as all of our networking. 207 00:07:26,555 --> 00:07:29,375 And that will mean that the 1,600 applications 208 00:07:29,675 --> 00:07:30,334 we have 209 00:07:30,634 --> 00:07:31,454 will run-in 210 00:07:31,834 --> 00:07:34,254 the Rackspace cloud, and that's been a big 211 00:07:34,555 --> 00:07:36,334 program of works that we just 212 00:07:36,779 --> 00:07:39,259 completed a few weeks ago. So those are 213 00:07:39,259 --> 00:07:41,339 some of the key things. The other thing 214 00:07:41,339 --> 00:07:43,819 that we are planning to do is build 215 00:07:43,819 --> 00:07:44,720 a new campus 216 00:07:45,339 --> 00:07:46,560 in Renton, Washington, 217 00:07:47,420 --> 00:07:50,399 and that site will be a fully fledged 218 00:07:50,925 --> 00:07:52,865 hospital and all ancillary 219 00:07:53,404 --> 00:07:55,964 systems to support that. That's gonna be a 220 00:07:55,964 --> 00:07:58,204 seven year program, and we actually kicked that 221 00:07:58,204 --> 00:08:00,285 off in the last few weeks. So the 222 00:08:00,285 --> 00:08:02,225 first phase is to do the actual 223 00:08:02,685 --> 00:08:04,365 design of the building and the design of 224 00:08:04,365 --> 00:08:06,144 the technology that goes into that 225 00:08:06,470 --> 00:08:06,970 building. 226 00:08:07,430 --> 00:08:08,970 So we've had a heavy focus 227 00:08:09,590 --> 00:08:11,210 on that project as well. 228 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:13,750 That's great to hear. And I I know, 229 00:08:14,150 --> 00:08:16,250 on all of those fronts, a lot of, 230 00:08:16,790 --> 00:08:19,030 teamwork and effort and resources go into it. 231 00:08:19,030 --> 00:08:20,654 But, certainly, it sounds like, 232 00:08:21,134 --> 00:08:24,254 bringing everything together to make the organization and 233 00:08:24,254 --> 00:08:27,375 the system more efficient, effective, and able to 234 00:08:27,375 --> 00:08:29,935 treat patients better, which is, of course, the 235 00:08:29,935 --> 00:08:31,314 ultimate goal. So, 236 00:08:31,935 --> 00:08:33,455 that's really cool to hear. I know a 237 00:08:33,455 --> 00:08:35,590 lot of opportunities to continue to grow, develop, 238 00:08:35,590 --> 00:08:37,210 and use technology, 239 00:08:37,669 --> 00:08:40,470 to your advantage, but I can imagine that 240 00:08:40,470 --> 00:08:42,549 there are challenges as well. What are some 241 00:08:42,549 --> 00:08:44,549 of those headwinds that you're anticipating for the 242 00:08:44,549 --> 00:08:45,610 next year or two? 243 00:08:46,504 --> 00:08:48,825 So I think the first headwind, I think, 244 00:08:48,825 --> 00:08:50,845 is going to continue to be workforce 245 00:08:51,625 --> 00:08:52,125 shortages, 246 00:08:52,904 --> 00:08:54,524 especially in the clinical space. 247 00:08:55,625 --> 00:08:57,965 Increasing labor costs, there's burnout 248 00:08:59,009 --> 00:08:59,509 That's 249 00:09:00,129 --> 00:09:01,509 impacting health care organizations 250 00:09:01,889 --> 00:09:03,429 and retention as well. 251 00:09:03,889 --> 00:09:06,370 The other thing is financial pressures. So there's 252 00:09:06,370 --> 00:09:08,070 a rising cost of care delivery, 253 00:09:08,769 --> 00:09:09,269 including 254 00:09:09,809 --> 00:09:12,629 inflation in medical supplies, labor expenses, 255 00:09:13,250 --> 00:09:13,990 and now 256 00:09:14,384 --> 00:09:15,684 tariffs, which is straining 257 00:09:16,144 --> 00:09:17,365 health care organization 258 00:09:17,825 --> 00:09:18,325 budgets. 259 00:09:18,785 --> 00:09:21,524 We're also seeing reimbursement challenges from payers, 260 00:09:21,904 --> 00:09:24,485 including potential cuts and increased denials 261 00:09:24,945 --> 00:09:26,725 that will add to financial difficulty. 262 00:09:28,029 --> 00:09:28,529 And, 263 00:09:28,990 --> 00:09:31,309 you know, we are sort of midsized, but 264 00:09:31,309 --> 00:09:32,929 we sort of have to stay 265 00:09:33,629 --> 00:09:36,049 as good financial stewards moving forwards. 266 00:09:36,429 --> 00:09:38,830 The other thing we're seeing is regulatory changes 267 00:09:38,830 --> 00:09:39,570 and uncertainty, 268 00:09:40,695 --> 00:09:42,634 evolving regulatory requirements, 269 00:09:43,014 --> 00:09:44,634 some of the executive orders, 270 00:09:46,134 --> 00:09:48,715 including changes to privacy mandates, 271 00:09:49,495 --> 00:09:50,795 creating some challenges. 272 00:09:51,575 --> 00:09:53,195 So so it's a moving 273 00:09:53,735 --> 00:09:54,235 target 274 00:09:55,159 --> 00:09:57,100 going forwards because there's also 275 00:09:57,639 --> 00:10:00,379 changes in health care policy due to political 276 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,379 shifts that could create uncertainty. 277 00:10:03,399 --> 00:10:05,319 As I said, we're seeing a rising cost 278 00:10:05,319 --> 00:10:07,319 of delivering that care, and that's gonna be 279 00:10:07,319 --> 00:10:09,965 a combination of what we buy, what we 280 00:10:09,965 --> 00:10:12,384 pay in labor, and what the tariffs bring 281 00:10:12,605 --> 00:10:13,504 around medications 282 00:10:13,884 --> 00:10:14,384 and, 283 00:10:15,085 --> 00:10:17,985 medical supplies as well as hardware and software. 284 00:10:19,404 --> 00:10:22,190 We're seeing a focus and headwinds around 285 00:10:22,649 --> 00:10:23,470 more integration 286 00:10:24,089 --> 00:10:26,409 in tech the technology space. How do we 287 00:10:26,409 --> 00:10:29,709 integrate new technologies into existing health care systems? 288 00:10:29,929 --> 00:10:31,870 And that can be complex and expensive. 289 00:10:33,225 --> 00:10:34,605 Let's not forget cybersecurity 290 00:10:35,384 --> 00:10:35,884 threats. 291 00:10:36,585 --> 00:10:39,865 That is on an all time high, and 292 00:10:39,865 --> 00:10:42,105 that is going to create some challenges for 293 00:10:42,105 --> 00:10:44,424 us. The other thing is how do we 294 00:10:44,424 --> 00:10:44,924 maintain 295 00:10:45,629 --> 00:10:48,370 equitable access to health care for all populations 296 00:10:49,070 --> 00:10:50,529 and address any disparities, 297 00:10:51,950 --> 00:10:53,649 with some continued priority. 298 00:10:54,269 --> 00:10:56,110 So I think when you sort of take 299 00:10:56,110 --> 00:10:57,490 all those different things, 300 00:10:57,870 --> 00:11:00,929 these headwinds create a complex and challenging environment. 301 00:11:01,684 --> 00:11:02,985 So we've gotta have 302 00:11:04,164 --> 00:11:04,904 an adaptability 303 00:11:06,085 --> 00:11:08,024 focus on innovation and efficiency 304 00:11:08,565 --> 00:11:10,745 so that we can navigate these challenges. 305 00:11:12,164 --> 00:11:13,924 Absolutely. I I think that makes a lot 306 00:11:13,924 --> 00:11:16,120 of sense. And it seems like, you know, 307 00:11:16,179 --> 00:11:18,500 as you mentioned, having that flexibility and being 308 00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:19,000 nimble, 309 00:11:19,620 --> 00:11:21,639 no matter what you wake up to, whether 310 00:11:21,779 --> 00:11:23,399 executive orders or, 311 00:11:23,860 --> 00:11:24,519 some other, 312 00:11:25,299 --> 00:11:27,539 things that are happening that you can't control, 313 00:11:27,539 --> 00:11:30,264 the ability to manage that, in the day 314 00:11:30,264 --> 00:11:32,345 to day basis while also looking ahead with 315 00:11:32,345 --> 00:11:34,205 that strategic growth plan. 316 00:11:34,665 --> 00:11:36,745 You know, it seems like that would just 317 00:11:36,745 --> 00:11:38,745 be a challenge on a continuous basis, but 318 00:11:38,745 --> 00:11:40,665 it sounds like you've got a a strong 319 00:11:40,665 --> 00:11:42,504 way of managing that and trying to keep 320 00:11:42,504 --> 00:11:43,245 that balance. 321 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,419 Yeah. We are trying. It's it's always difficult 322 00:11:47,879 --> 00:11:50,620 to interpret new things and then figure out 323 00:11:50,919 --> 00:11:53,639 what those actually mean, and then you're moving 324 00:11:53,639 --> 00:11:55,980 at a very high pace, which is unusual 325 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:57,100 for health care. 326 00:11:57,424 --> 00:11:59,345 So we're trying to keep up, you know, 327 00:11:59,345 --> 00:12:01,105 trying to take a deep breath and keep 328 00:12:01,105 --> 00:12:03,204 moving forwards. Because in reality, 329 00:12:03,824 --> 00:12:04,884 change is inevitable. 330 00:12:05,264 --> 00:12:07,424 Right? And so you have to just be 331 00:12:07,424 --> 00:12:07,924 prepared 332 00:12:08,865 --> 00:12:11,824 and try your best to lead people through 333 00:12:11,824 --> 00:12:12,564 those changes. 334 00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:15,799 Not everybody will be happy. It's not that 335 00:12:15,799 --> 00:12:18,200 I agree with everything that's happening, but I 336 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,200 sort of use the eighty twenty rule. If 337 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:21,559 we can do 80% 338 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:23,799 of the things well, we can keep moving 339 00:12:23,799 --> 00:12:26,120 forwards, and we can keep taking care of 340 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,139 kids in the Pacific Northwest. 341 00:12:29,404 --> 00:12:31,404 Absolutely. That that, you know, makes a lot 342 00:12:31,404 --> 00:12:32,845 of sense and is a great way of 343 00:12:32,845 --> 00:12:35,164 looking at it. I'm also curious. You know, 344 00:12:35,164 --> 00:12:36,524 you talked a little bit about some of 345 00:12:36,524 --> 00:12:39,725 the financial challenges, especially as, you know, 346 00:12:40,284 --> 00:12:40,784 with 347 00:12:41,370 --> 00:12:44,410 medical supplies and devices continuing to increase as 348 00:12:44,410 --> 00:12:46,350 well as workforce shortages 349 00:12:46,730 --> 00:12:47,929 in in some of those, 350 00:12:48,410 --> 00:12:50,570 challenges as well. And when you look at 351 00:12:50,570 --> 00:12:53,129 what you're doing on the technology side, how 352 00:12:53,129 --> 00:12:53,870 much of, 353 00:12:54,570 --> 00:12:55,230 you know, 354 00:12:55,845 --> 00:12:58,004 what you're able to, I guess, bring into 355 00:12:58,004 --> 00:12:58,584 the system, 356 00:12:59,684 --> 00:13:01,044 you think of as a solution to some 357 00:13:01,044 --> 00:13:02,644 of these problems or assisting in some of 358 00:13:02,644 --> 00:13:05,704 these problems versus, you know, exacerbating them? 359 00:13:06,804 --> 00:13:07,625 Yeah. So 360 00:13:08,485 --> 00:13:08,985 automation 361 00:13:09,605 --> 00:13:10,504 and AI 362 00:13:11,580 --> 00:13:14,779 are additional tools that you put on your 363 00:13:14,779 --> 00:13:18,160 tool belt to help address some of the 364 00:13:19,179 --> 00:13:21,100 tasks that you're doing in the back office 365 00:13:21,100 --> 00:13:22,480 as an as an example 366 00:13:23,019 --> 00:13:25,519 so that you can focus people on 367 00:13:25,944 --> 00:13:27,964 the important work versus 368 00:13:28,345 --> 00:13:30,504 the day to day lights on doors open 369 00:13:30,504 --> 00:13:32,125 work. So I do think that 370 00:13:32,664 --> 00:13:34,044 using AI technologies 371 00:13:34,424 --> 00:13:34,924 and 372 00:13:35,544 --> 00:13:37,004 automating some processes 373 00:13:37,944 --> 00:13:40,365 will help us build some capacity, 374 00:13:41,049 --> 00:13:43,470 and it'll also take the pressure off work 375 00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:46,990 that people honestly don't like doing 376 00:13:47,769 --> 00:13:49,769 but have to do. And maybe if we 377 00:13:49,769 --> 00:13:53,790 can automate that, we'll see some significant operational 378 00:13:54,090 --> 00:13:54,590 improvements 379 00:13:55,315 --> 00:13:57,335 as a as part of that process. 380 00:13:57,875 --> 00:13:59,894 So I think we can't ignore, 381 00:14:00,915 --> 00:14:02,915 and we have to adapt to the new 382 00:14:02,915 --> 00:14:03,975 technology changes 383 00:14:04,514 --> 00:14:07,154 and rapidly try to integrate some of those 384 00:14:07,154 --> 00:14:07,654 tools 385 00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:09,959 so that we take pressure off people, 386 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:11,559 reduce burnout. 387 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:14,419 And then if you reduce burnout, you also 388 00:14:14,419 --> 00:14:15,720 improve in retention, 389 00:14:16,419 --> 00:14:19,000 take away some of the day to day 390 00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:23,139 standard tasks that, let's be truthful, everybody hates 391 00:14:23,139 --> 00:14:24,394 but has to do. 392 00:14:24,855 --> 00:14:26,935 And then we can get our people focused 393 00:14:26,935 --> 00:14:27,435 on 394 00:14:27,815 --> 00:14:30,475 what they really came to work at Seattle 395 00:14:30,535 --> 00:14:33,115 Children's for was focused on patients, 396 00:14:33,575 --> 00:14:34,715 patient outcomes, 397 00:14:35,495 --> 00:14:36,634 and addressing, 398 00:14:37,815 --> 00:14:38,634 any disparities. 399 00:14:40,179 --> 00:14:42,259 That's helpful context, and and thank you so 400 00:14:42,259 --> 00:14:44,419 much for digging in deeply there. Now before 401 00:14:44,419 --> 00:14:46,740 we wrap up our conversation, I'm wondering how 402 00:14:46,740 --> 00:14:49,159 are you evolving as a leader, especially given 403 00:14:49,299 --> 00:14:51,379 the market dynamics we've talked about and as 404 00:14:51,379 --> 00:14:53,534 well as the rapid pace of change for 405 00:14:53,774 --> 00:14:55,794 technology and AI in the health care space? 406 00:14:56,735 --> 00:14:58,995 So truth truth be told, I'm 407 00:14:59,774 --> 00:15:01,475 one of the OAIPs. 408 00:15:02,334 --> 00:15:03,954 So I'm an old aged 409 00:15:04,334 --> 00:15:05,235 IT professional, 410 00:15:05,934 --> 00:15:08,274 and I struggle at times to keep up 411 00:15:08,540 --> 00:15:09,920 with the pace of technological 412 00:15:10,300 --> 00:15:10,800 change. 413 00:15:11,420 --> 00:15:13,500 But it is my job, and I have 414 00:15:13,500 --> 00:15:16,139 to do that. So we've been looking at 415 00:15:16,139 --> 00:15:18,639 how we transform with these technologies, 416 00:15:19,019 --> 00:15:20,160 how we engage 417 00:15:20,940 --> 00:15:21,440 multidisciplinary 418 00:15:21,980 --> 00:15:23,279 teams to help us 419 00:15:23,945 --> 00:15:25,565 evaluate these new technologies 420 00:15:26,184 --> 00:15:26,845 and also 421 00:15:27,865 --> 00:15:30,424 get them and encourage them to volunteer to 422 00:15:30,424 --> 00:15:31,565 try new things. 423 00:15:32,264 --> 00:15:32,924 I think 424 00:15:33,705 --> 00:15:35,705 all of this will have changed, so we 425 00:15:35,705 --> 00:15:37,884 focus, and I'm trying to adapt to 426 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,799 leading on change, being a better and clear 427 00:15:41,799 --> 00:15:42,299 communicator, 428 00:15:43,079 --> 00:15:45,579 and trying to do as much stakeholder engagement 429 00:15:46,039 --> 00:15:48,279 as I can. The other thing I've been 430 00:15:48,279 --> 00:15:50,839 trying to do is understand the workforce of 431 00:15:50,839 --> 00:15:52,794 the future. So So one of the things 432 00:15:52,794 --> 00:15:54,095 I find really confusing 433 00:15:54,714 --> 00:15:56,334 is the gen z population. 434 00:15:57,034 --> 00:15:58,975 It's a very interesting group. 435 00:15:59,434 --> 00:16:01,534 They don't focus for many 436 00:16:02,074 --> 00:16:04,315 for for for long on anything, and they 437 00:16:04,315 --> 00:16:06,014 always want the next challenge. 438 00:16:06,649 --> 00:16:08,990 And so I've tried to surround myself with 439 00:16:09,529 --> 00:16:11,450 this group of individuals so that I can 440 00:16:11,450 --> 00:16:14,570 educate myself on how I need to adapt 441 00:16:14,570 --> 00:16:16,649 my style and the kind of work that 442 00:16:16,649 --> 00:16:19,710 we give the group so that they remain 443 00:16:20,090 --> 00:16:20,590 engaged. 444 00:16:21,365 --> 00:16:23,845 The other thing we're looking at is my 445 00:16:23,845 --> 00:16:25,384 role has evolved into 446 00:16:25,924 --> 00:16:27,144 spending more time 447 00:16:27,684 --> 00:16:30,804 focusing on patient care and making sure that 448 00:16:30,804 --> 00:16:32,985 the tools that we're bringing to the party 449 00:16:33,605 --> 00:16:35,544 are tools that actually impact 450 00:16:36,009 --> 00:16:38,009 the front line. So you see a lot 451 00:16:38,009 --> 00:16:38,909 more of this 452 00:16:39,449 --> 00:16:40,509 virtual nursing 453 00:16:40,809 --> 00:16:41,309 and 454 00:16:41,929 --> 00:16:44,829 use of AI to predict things like 455 00:16:45,209 --> 00:16:47,069 patients falling from a bed, etcetera. 456 00:16:47,449 --> 00:16:50,054 So sort of that to improve the quality 457 00:16:50,054 --> 00:16:52,134 and efficiency of the care delivery that we 458 00:16:52,134 --> 00:16:52,634 have. 459 00:16:53,014 --> 00:16:55,095 And then, of course, we also have to 460 00:16:55,095 --> 00:16:55,595 build 461 00:16:55,975 --> 00:16:58,554 pipelines of new staff coming into the organization. 462 00:16:58,774 --> 00:16:59,274 So 463 00:16:59,654 --> 00:17:02,610 I've had I've put some focus on mentoring 464 00:17:02,830 --> 00:17:03,330 programs 465 00:17:03,710 --> 00:17:04,849 as well as 466 00:17:05,309 --> 00:17:07,009 how do we get high school students 467 00:17:07,309 --> 00:17:07,809 through 468 00:17:08,349 --> 00:17:09,490 associate degrees. 469 00:17:09,950 --> 00:17:12,589 It has a pipeline into our organization, and 470 00:17:12,589 --> 00:17:13,329 we sponsored 471 00:17:13,950 --> 00:17:16,609 programs with the local college to 472 00:17:17,085 --> 00:17:19,744 create those programs and provide scholarships 473 00:17:20,365 --> 00:17:22,605 to make that happen. So I've tried to 474 00:17:22,605 --> 00:17:23,105 stay 475 00:17:24,525 --> 00:17:26,224 thinking one step ahead 476 00:17:26,765 --> 00:17:29,265 whilst never losing the focus on 477 00:17:29,789 --> 00:17:30,850 patient well-being 478 00:17:31,950 --> 00:17:32,610 and understanding 479 00:17:32,990 --> 00:17:33,490 that 480 00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:34,850 change is inevitable. 481 00:17:35,710 --> 00:17:36,930 And if organizations 482 00:17:37,549 --> 00:17:38,610 don't transform, 483 00:17:39,390 --> 00:17:40,369 they will fail. 484 00:17:41,724 --> 00:17:44,684 That's fascinating. And certainly, you wanna be, not 485 00:17:44,684 --> 00:17:46,684 in that group, but but in organizations that 486 00:17:46,684 --> 00:17:48,284 are thriving and growing. And, 487 00:17:48,605 --> 00:17:50,365 doctor Chowdhury, thank you so much for joining 488 00:17:50,365 --> 00:17:52,125 us on the podcast today. I I really 489 00:17:52,125 --> 00:17:54,204 appreciate your perspective on a great many things, 490 00:17:54,204 --> 00:17:56,409 and we look forward to talking with you 491 00:17:56,409 --> 00:17:58,329 again soon as well as seeing you at 492 00:17:58,329 --> 00:18:00,509 our health IT event. I know you'll be, 493 00:18:00,970 --> 00:18:03,049 speaking on one of our panels, and truly 494 00:18:03,049 --> 00:18:04,809 will be excited to see you there in 495 00:18:04,809 --> 00:18:05,309 person. 496 00:18:06,215 --> 00:18:08,556 Thank you, Laura, and I look forward to 497 00:18:08,695 --> 00:18:11,115 the conference that's coming ahead for backers.