At athenahealth,
we know your ambulatory practice wants healthier, a
healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier patients.
But the complexities of modern health care tech
make it hard for you and your care
teams to focus on what matters
most? That's where athenahealth can help. Our AI
native all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens,
streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights
when clinicians need it most. That means fewer
clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom
lines.
Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice
can be that much simpler with athenahealth.
See how simpler is healthier@athenahealth.com.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Becker's Health Care
podcast. I'm Scott King. Thrilled today to be
joined by Matthew Harenstein, vice president and associate
chief medical officer over at Northwell. Matthew, thanks
so much for joining us today. How are
you doing?
I'm great. Thanks so much for having me,
Scott. It's a it's a great honor to
be here and a a pleasure to share
a little bit about what we've been doing.
Of course. And we really appreciate your time,
and and we're gonna appreciate your expertise diving
into some kind of big topics and trends
going on in health care right now. But
before before we jump to the questions, just
wondering if you could please introduce yourself and
just tell us a little bit about your
background.
Yes. Absolutely. So I'm doctor Matthew Harenstein.
I am, vice president and an associate chief
medical officer at Northwell Health. I'm also a
practicing cardiologist
and have spent, much of my career focused
on, cardiovascular imaging, specifically nuclear cardiology
and echocardiography,
as well as assessment of, perioperative patients and,
in cardio oncology.
Before joining Northwell, I spent about fifteen years
at UPMC in Pittsburgh.
I held roles, that bridge clinical medicine, physician
leadership, and administration,
both domestically and internationally.
What really drew drew me to
Northwell was its phenomenal and unique culture.
I think one that balances clinical excellence,
optimal care of the patients, innovation,
and really focuses on, the workforce.
In my current role, I work, with our
chief medical officer in the CMO office,
as well as hospital leaders to help advance
system integration, efforts to strengthen our culture,
support our providers,
and enhance engagement across our system.
Thanks so much for sharing that background information.
And to get to the the trends in
health care I I had mentioned,
what opportunities and headwinds do you have your
eye on right now in health care?
Great question. There there's a number of opportunities,
really across the continuum, but, you know, the
the couple that I'm focused on specifically are,
really around using data and digital tools to
advance our care and to allow providers, to
spend more time with the patients and also
helping to identify patients who may benefit,
from specific types of care. So a lot
of opportunity to use AI and, you know,
look at patients who might qualify for particular
treatments or procedures
and help them to to receive the right
care that they need and also to really
help with, our providers and promote,
you know, a culture that allows them to
be as satisfied as possible.
I think if we can use some of
these tools to identify patients who'd benefit from
procedures such as diabetes or cardiovascular care or
things like structural heart procedures,
we can help to really optimize our clinical
pathways and workflows.
Think another,
opportunity
is really for us around the integration between
Northwell and Nuvance Health, which started, this year.
It's it's not really just about combining two
systems, but it's really about creating,
a system that's even stronger. It's now,
allowing us to unify, you know, best practices
from both Northwell and Nuvance,
elevate,
quality across, the regions,
and really leverage all of the resources and
clinical expertise that now,
sit anywhere between Long Island through New York,
and into Connecticut,
and to really make those available to to
all of our patients.
I think at the same time, regarding the
headwinds that we're that we're seeing, I think
a lot of these are ones that many
health systems are facing right now in terms
of workforce challenges,
financial constraints, and the pace of change.
The key is, I think, maintaining a culture
where people feel valued and supported, and their
well-being is promoted.
From my perspective, I think when employees
feel satisfied in their roles, when they feel
seen or heard or connected to their purpose,
I think everyone is more efficient, productive, and
ultimately happier. So if we can make sure
that every one of our staff members from
administration
to ancillary services to the provider level is
satisfied in what they're doing. I think everybody,
works better. And, really, who benefits the most
is, our patients who receive the best care,
and have the best experience.
And, doctor Herndon, I just wanna follow-up on
on something you said. You you said you're
using
your system's implementing AI to free up time
with patients, and that that way you have
more time to patients and and can really
listen to them. How has that kinda early
implementation worked? Are you already seeing a lot
more time with patients,
at your system versus having to do, you
know, all all the kind of administrative stuff?
Yeah. So from that perspective, I think a
lot of, systems are moving more towards the,
Ambient
AI in terms of, how to,
better be able to produce clinical notes and
focus, you know, less on the documentation
and more on time spent with patient care.
And so this is, certainly something that is,
going to be, rolled out at Northwell
and, you know, creates an opportunity for, you
know, more focus on the patient and and
hopefully more satisfaction for the providers.
Absolutely. And I also want to ask you,
how are you thinking about
growth and adding value to your organization?
So I think from a, you know, Northwell
perspective,
growth really isn't just
measured by geography or or clinical volume, but
it's also about, you know, value and and
impact.
So we're focused on growing intelligently,
really strengthening our clinical programs around transplantation,
surgical areas, including cardiac, neurosurgery,
abdominal,
and others, and then leveraging digital tools to
expand access and, building integrated teams that, you
know, can help deliver care seamlessly across the
health system.
I think focusing on our network and focusing
on strengthening our hospital medical staffs is really
critically important.
The more that we can connect to the
ambulatory to the hospital and make sure that
people feel,
a part of the community and know how
to get their patients to move throughout the
system,
is really critically important. That's how patients are
gonna be able to receive the care that
they need, hopefully, as close to home as
possible.
And the more we function as a network,
the more providers are gonna know how and
who to get in touch with and the
more that ultimately the patients will be able
to receive the best care.
I also think, you know, as far as
as growth, we're really deeply committed to cultivating,
you know, a culture
that is really more of a strategic asset.
And what I mean by that is,
you know, programs,
you know, in our perioperative areas where we're
reinforcing what it means to lead with purpose
and empathy in some of our hospitals,
We really are emphasizing the best culture possible.
And when you have a a really great
culture where people feel respected, part of the
team, it creates really the safest and highest
quality care for the patients. And so really
focusing on, you know, culture as a growth
asset,
is important,
as well. And, and, ultimately, when pay when
people feel empowered and respected, they're gonna contribute
ideas, solve problems, drive improvement, and that's only
gonna lead to, to more growth opportunities.
You mentioned digital tools. Obviously, we're we're seeing
and and hearing about a lot of systems
investing in more and more of them. What's
one risk or investment worth making this year,
you think? And would it be a a
digital tool or something else?
Yeah. So,
so great question and and one that definitely
applies in our case. And, you know, I
think one of the, you know, the the
way I would phrase it is one of
the most meaningful investments that we can make
is is in our people and particularly,
you know, leadership development,
engagement,
and and well-being.
And
one of the things that we have just
implemented at Northwell is, the first wave of
of EPIC. And so, EPIC is going to
be the new electronic health record, at Northwell,
and it's going to be, implemented across a
a couple of different waves. And we just
had our first wave in several of our
hospitals and ambulatory sites, and it's really,
really occurred with great success.
You saw,
physicians, nurses,
you know, frontline leaders who are all,
working, you know, around the clock and really
in concert with one another to make sure
that this,
you know, moves forward seamlessly.
And I was just so impressed with how
well everything,
worked out. And I had the opportunity,
over the last week or so to visit
many of our sites
and talk with,
people at all levels of the organization.
And, really, we heard,
myself and and one of my colleagues who,
visited some of these sites, nothing but enthusiasm.
You know, this time when you're moving from
one EHR to another,
particularly from a,
you know, a different company,
can be daunting for providers. It's a new
system. It's something that they're not familiar with.
You know, even with all the training that
you go through, once it's it's finally time
for prime time, you know, it can be
challenging.
But we heard nothing but, excitement, and people
were just talking about,
already how much they're seeing improvement in some
of their workflows
and, that this is only gonna be more
positive for their daily lives and for for
the patient care. So really just, you know,
extremely,
excited.
And I think another investment, you know, when
we think about it is is really moving
forward with, you know, this this idea of
this new EHR and what Epic can do
for us is some of the the digital
analytic capabilities. You know, again, how can we
utilize AI to,
help us with,
you know, creating notes, with creating discharge summaries.
We talked about that, previously.
How can we, you know, better monitor patients?
And so all of these things that we
can now do will will only enhance our
communication amongst ourselves with the with the patients
and hopefully,
improve the well-being of, of our staff.
It's great to hear the epic rollout is
going very well, over at Northwell. That's wonderful
news. And
the last thing I wanted to ask you,
doctor Harenstein,
where do you see the best opportunities for
growth in the future?
So from my perspective, I think the growth,
really lies in connection.
Connecting,
our health systems between,
Northwell Nuvance,
connecting data, and, you know, really, connecting our
people. And, you know, the the integration with
Nuvance is a great example of that. We're
bringing together,
many talented teams,
complementary
resources,
and, shared values, to deliver exceptional care in
the communities.
But, also, it's important to think about strengthening
our network to make sure that everyone has
access to every resource in the health system
that allows us to identify patients and, you
know, to make sure that they're placed in
in the right place for care. And so
the more that we can
connect our medical staffs, connect the community physicians,
across all of our different areas, the more
successful we'll be. If you,
enter care through, a primary care physician, which
is a wonderful opportunity for us to think
about growth in the future,
if they know who to go directly to
to receive care,
that will just occur seamlessly. And now all
of a sudden, that patient who may struggle
to figure out, you know, where do I
go next? Who do I go to for
my referral?
Now is going to be able to get
that appointment,
get into the system, and then, again, get
the treatment they need. That might be making
sure that they're monitored for prevention purposes. It
might be being,
told that there's an opportunity for them to
get a procedure that's going to help them
that they now qualify for to to help
them live longer or live a more, you
know, healthy life. So
these are, I I think, you know, just
critical,
opportunities for growth is is really to make
those connections and to, you know, make sure
that people know how to get through the
system. And for the procedures that might not
be closest to home, now patients really throughout
our health system can have access to those
high acuity,
procedures
like transplantation
and others. So I think that's really where
I see,
the most growth. And, you know, overall, I
think health care is about, you know, people.
It's the people we care for,
the people that deliver the care.
I think when we have this this environment
of connection,
and, you know, promotion of well-being,
Everyone has the opportunity to flourish, and, you
know, hopefully, we can deliver the the best
care,
with the highest quality and and hopefully with
a high level of innovation overall.
Absolutely. And and certainly some great strategies and
and
insight on on growth there. And, doctor Henstein,
thanks so much for joining us on the
podcast. It was a great conversation. I look
forward to working with you again soon. Thanks
so much. I appreciate the opportunity to join
you and look forward to speaking again.
At athenahealth, we know your ambulatory practice wants
healthier,
a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier
patients.
But the complexities of modern health care tech
make it hard for you and your care
teams to focus on what matters most.
That's where athenahealth can help. Our AI native
all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens,
streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights
when clinicians need it most. That means fewer
clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom
lines.
Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice
can be that much simpler with athenahealth.
See how simpler is healthier at athenahealth.com.