1 00:00:00,235 --> 00:00:02,205 - Prepare to dive into the forefront 2 00:00:02,225 --> 00:00:05,525 of healthcare innovation at our 14th annual meeting coming 3 00:00:05,545 --> 00:00:06,645 up on April 8th 4 00:00:06,645 --> 00:00:10,765 through 11th at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, with thousands 5 00:00:10,765 --> 00:00:13,965 of industry leaders converging over four dynamic days 6 00:00:13,985 --> 00:00:16,805 of discussions on crucial topics from health IT 7 00:00:17,185 --> 00:00:18,685 to executive leadership. 8 00:00:18,995 --> 00:00:21,325 It's where the future of healthcare takes shape. 9 00:00:21,865 --> 00:00:24,085 We can't wait to connect with you in person 10 00:00:24,305 --> 00:00:26,725 and engage in these important conversations. 11 00:00:27,815 --> 00:00:30,185 - This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 12 00:00:30,765 --> 00:00:32,225 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. 13 00:00:32,325 --> 00:00:34,025 Krista Fletch, vice President 14 00:00:34,045 --> 00:00:36,425 and Chief Medical Information Officer at Penn State Health. 15 00:00:36,875 --> 00:00:38,945 Chris, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 16 00:00:39,605 --> 00:00:42,065 - Hey, Laura. Thanks, uh, for having me. I appreciate it. 17 00:00:42,725 --> 00:00:44,545 - Now, you know, I'm looking forward to our discussion 18 00:00:44,545 --> 00:00:45,665 and really learning more 19 00:00:45,665 --> 00:00:47,745 and catching up on what you're doing at Penn State Health. 20 00:00:47,945 --> 00:00:51,065 I know, you know, it's just such a amazing, um, organization 21 00:00:51,285 --> 00:00:53,665 and system that's supporting patients in the community in 22 00:00:53,665 --> 00:00:55,585 many different ways, and so I'm looking 23 00:00:55,585 --> 00:00:56,705 forward to diving in. 24 00:00:56,805 --> 00:00:57,865 But before we do that, 25 00:00:57,925 --> 00:00:58,985 can you tell us a little bit more 26 00:00:58,985 --> 00:01:00,145 about yourself and your background? 27 00:01:01,355 --> 00:01:04,845 - Yeah, sure. Um, uh, so I'm an emergency physician. 28 00:01:05,125 --> 00:01:06,845 I, uh, I grew up in Western Pennsylvania. 29 00:01:07,065 --> 00:01:08,965 I'm an unapologetic Steeler fan. 30 00:01:09,505 --> 00:01:11,525 Uh, I got my undergrad degree in physics, 31 00:01:12,185 --> 00:01:14,045 and my whole family thinks like engineers, 32 00:01:14,105 --> 00:01:15,125 and I say that only 33 00:01:15,125 --> 00:01:17,565 because it's really, uh, you know, kind of is 34 00:01:17,565 --> 00:01:19,805 who I am when I'm, uh, doing things at work 35 00:01:19,825 --> 00:01:21,085 or home or, uh, like that. 36 00:01:21,505 --> 00:01:24,365 Uh, I, my first connection to Penn State is actually, I went 37 00:01:24,365 --> 00:01:26,645 to medical school, uh, at, uh, the College 38 00:01:26,645 --> 00:01:27,685 of Medicine in Hershey. 39 00:01:28,025 --> 00:01:29,965 Did my emergency medicine residency up at UMass 40 00:01:29,965 --> 00:01:31,685 and Worcester, where I got lots of good friends up there 41 00:01:31,685 --> 00:01:33,085 and learned lots of good things there. 42 00:01:33,425 --> 00:01:34,885 Worked in the community hospital 43 00:01:34,905 --> 00:01:36,045 and then came back to Hershey. 44 00:01:36,745 --> 00:01:40,645 Uh, now, 25 years ago, I had my 25th anniversary, uh, 45 00:01:40,665 --> 00:01:42,965 and I came back only to take care of patients in the ed. 46 00:01:43,565 --> 00:01:45,845 I ended up doing a lot of administrative things, though. 47 00:01:45,845 --> 00:01:47,965 It was kind of fun just to improve systems. 48 00:01:48,025 --> 00:01:50,765 And that's sort of how I've gotten to, uh, informatics, is 49 00:01:50,765 --> 00:01:52,685 that a system improvement guy. 50 00:01:52,785 --> 00:01:55,325 Uh, some people would call me an industrial engineer, 51 00:01:55,325 --> 00:01:57,965 want be, uh, I'm big into lean and six Sigma 52 00:01:57,965 --> 00:02:00,325 and trust improvement, and how can we do things? 53 00:02:00,385 --> 00:02:02,005 And I learned a long time ago, 54 00:02:02,005 --> 00:02:04,045 the technology's right smack dab in the middle of it, 55 00:02:04,115 --> 00:02:05,485 both in a good and a bad sense. 56 00:02:05,945 --> 00:02:09,925 And so, um, since then I've, you know, started a residency. 57 00:02:10,285 --> 00:02:13,765 I have, uh, started observational medicine, deployed 58 00:02:14,425 --> 00:02:15,965 the EMR at the Hershey campus. 59 00:02:16,225 --> 00:02:19,525 And over the last few years, we've become a pretty, um, 60 00:02:20,005 --> 00:02:22,845 involved health system, whereas in the last couple of years, 61 00:02:23,095 --> 00:02:25,085 we've actually built two new hospitals. 62 00:02:25,455 --> 00:02:27,645 We've acquired two other hospitals 63 00:02:28,265 --> 00:02:32,535 and have converted well over a hundred ambulatory sites into 64 00:02:32,575 --> 00:02:34,535 a standard, uh, EMR platform. 65 00:02:34,995 --> 00:02:37,335 And so I obviously can't do that myself. 66 00:02:37,485 --> 00:02:39,295 It's our whole IT team along 67 00:02:39,295 --> 00:02:41,335 with the informaticists that I have. 68 00:02:41,435 --> 00:02:44,255 And, um, it's, uh, it's, it's been a journey. 69 00:02:44,575 --> 00:02:46,895 I think one of the fun things though is I still get the 70 00:02:47,055 --> 00:02:49,175 practice emergency medicine every Thursday. 71 00:02:49,555 --> 00:02:50,735 Um, so I still get to teach 72 00:02:50,795 --> 00:02:52,135 and I still get to take care of patients, 73 00:02:52,135 --> 00:02:55,135 and I still use, use the own systems that I, that I deploy. 74 00:02:55,675 --> 00:02:58,255 And, um, I still do some research too. 75 00:02:58,315 --> 00:02:59,725 I'm a professor in the college of medicine 76 00:02:59,825 --> 00:03:03,685 and I've done a, uh, a lot of granted research in the space 77 00:03:03,685 --> 00:03:05,005 of healthcare delivery science 78 00:03:05,265 --> 00:03:07,805 and systems, uh, processing, uh, 79 00:03:07,905 --> 00:03:11,005 and more recently into, um, advanced decision support. 80 00:03:11,715 --> 00:03:13,005 Some people call it machine learning, 81 00:03:13,225 --> 00:03:14,645 AI type things, uh, like that. 82 00:03:15,105 --> 00:03:16,365 And, um, it's been a, 83 00:03:16,365 --> 00:03:17,605 it's been an interesting journey 84 00:03:17,605 --> 00:03:18,685 over the last quarter century. 85 00:03:20,785 --> 00:03:22,745 - Absolutely. I can imagine. You know, you've seen, um, 86 00:03:22,815 --> 00:03:25,105 such an evolution in the healthcare delivery space 87 00:03:25,105 --> 00:03:26,865 and then just the whole healthcare ecosystem. 88 00:03:27,245 --> 00:03:30,225 Um, and you know, it's cool to hear your journey through, 89 00:03:30,445 --> 00:03:32,025 uh, the medical school 90 00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:33,945 and just kind of how you've seen your role 91 00:03:34,005 --> 00:03:35,105 and your career change. 92 00:03:35,525 --> 00:03:38,825 Um, and, and, you know, given all the accelerated change 93 00:03:38,825 --> 00:03:40,865 that's been happening in the healthcare space over the last 94 00:03:40,865 --> 00:03:43,585 couple of years, and looking ahead, what are some some 95 00:03:43,585 --> 00:03:44,785 of your top priorities right now? 96 00:03:44,785 --> 00:03:46,265 What do you really keep top of mind? 97 00:03:47,585 --> 00:03:49,235 - Yeah, I think, you know, I, 98 00:03:49,705 --> 00:03:50,835 I've always been a people person 99 00:03:50,975 --> 00:03:55,515 and I think people is really the top things we as, uh, uh, 100 00:03:55,595 --> 00:03:58,315 information technology professionals should keep at the top. 101 00:03:58,335 --> 00:04:00,875 You know, we all get, you know, enamored 102 00:04:00,875 --> 00:04:03,835 by the bright shiny objects or the next new tools 103 00:04:04,015 --> 00:04:06,475 or, um, you know, abbreviations 104 00:04:06,475 --> 00:04:08,035 that mean different things to different people. 105 00:04:08,495 --> 00:04:09,435 Uh, but at the end of the day, it's 106 00:04:09,435 --> 00:04:10,435 about the people we take care of. 107 00:04:10,535 --> 00:04:11,835 And so always trying 108 00:04:11,835 --> 00:04:14,115 to keep the priority, why do we do these things? 109 00:04:14,415 --> 00:04:16,515 So making sure the patient is always first 110 00:04:16,515 --> 00:04:18,555 and making sure we're caring for the people who are caring 111 00:04:18,615 --> 00:04:20,315 for people that is our staff, 112 00:04:20,335 --> 00:04:22,155 our physicians, that sort of stuff. 113 00:04:22,255 --> 00:04:24,195 And how we deploy technology, 114 00:04:24,295 --> 00:04:26,075 how we use technology is actually 115 00:04:26,335 --> 00:04:27,875 really snag dab in the middle of it. 116 00:04:27,875 --> 00:04:29,235 So, you know, our, our work 117 00:04:29,235 --> 00:04:31,475 and priority is to do the best we can for our people. 118 00:04:31,535 --> 00:04:32,675 And how do we do that? Well, 119 00:04:33,225 --> 00:04:35,275 some big things we've been working on is one standard 120 00:04:35,595 --> 00:04:37,755 platform across all of our, um, organizations. 121 00:04:37,775 --> 00:04:40,715 So we're almost there. Two is really advancing the 122 00:04:40,875 --> 00:04:42,235 communication tools that we have. 123 00:04:42,335 --> 00:04:46,515 So we've, um, standardized on a secure texting platform, um, 124 00:04:46,895 --> 00:04:48,995 and, uh, have been deploying that now, 125 00:04:48,995 --> 00:04:50,475 like you imagine an academic center 126 00:04:50,475 --> 00:04:52,395 that's been using pagers since the eighties. 127 00:04:52,815 --> 00:04:54,835 Um, it's a heck of a, uh, transformation. 128 00:04:54,855 --> 00:04:57,395 So we've, we've actually been able to do, uh, 129 00:04:57,395 --> 00:04:58,795 some work there to try to help that. 130 00:04:58,815 --> 00:05:01,435 And it's really enhanced the bidirectional communication, 131 00:05:02,015 --> 00:05:05,115 if you look at the errors that occur in health systems, 132 00:05:05,335 --> 00:05:06,755 and it's about the, 133 00:05:06,755 --> 00:05:09,075 the people in the process much more than it is about the 134 00:05:09,075 --> 00:05:11,795 technology, but the technology can enhance those, 135 00:05:11,925 --> 00:05:14,195 those gaps, uh, in systems. 136 00:05:14,775 --> 00:05:18,315 And so, uh, those are some big pieces we're, you know, 137 00:05:18,315 --> 00:05:20,915 moving away from old things, you know, getting rid of paper, 138 00:05:20,915 --> 00:05:24,035 getting rid of, um, dictations, uh, you know, 139 00:05:24,035 --> 00:05:26,355 and actually going to to front end, uh, 140 00:05:26,355 --> 00:05:27,795 voice recognition technologies 141 00:05:27,795 --> 00:05:30,635 that we have deployed across there, even dabbling in the, 142 00:05:30,635 --> 00:05:32,155 uh, generative AI space. 143 00:05:32,255 --> 00:05:34,075 And when it comes into those things. 144 00:05:34,215 --> 00:05:37,235 And, um, so those are the things that we're really looking 145 00:05:37,235 --> 00:05:40,235 to do, is to make things more eff effective and efficient. 146 00:05:40,255 --> 00:05:43,275 And, you know, as I tell my team, uh, 147 00:05:43,505 --> 00:05:45,035 there's a lot of technology out there. 148 00:05:45,035 --> 00:05:48,275 It's a lot of good stuff. Um, but it's how you deploy it 149 00:05:48,575 --> 00:05:50,075 and it's how you use it for outcomes. 150 00:05:50,655 --> 00:05:52,115 So I've challenged the team to say, 151 00:05:52,115 --> 00:05:54,795 if you're gonna do something, let's not do something else. 152 00:05:55,295 --> 00:05:59,485 So we've been on a big, uh, waste removal lean approach 153 00:05:59,545 --> 00:06:01,805 to our systems where we're going through 154 00:06:01,865 --> 00:06:04,725 and looking at the alert alerts and rules 155 00:06:04,945 --> 00:06:08,605 and things have been in place for a while, or unused orders 156 00:06:08,825 --> 00:06:12,805 or, uh, order sets that have been, you know, uh, 157 00:06:13,665 --> 00:06:16,045 not reviewed in the last year and, and, 158 00:06:16,045 --> 00:06:18,525 and really getting crisp on, um, 159 00:06:19,165 --> 00:06:20,845 becoming lean, uh, in an approach. 160 00:06:21,065 --> 00:06:24,605 And that takes a mindset change, uh, in some locations. 161 00:06:24,705 --> 00:06:28,605 And, you know, once people realize how you can help people 162 00:06:29,345 --> 00:06:30,365 to care for patients 163 00:06:30,365 --> 00:06:33,645 and how you can help patients directly, um, you know, 164 00:06:33,645 --> 00:06:36,125 that efficiency's there, I mean, you know, one thing 165 00:06:36,125 --> 00:06:40,185 that we've seen, like most places have seen is the, um, uh, 166 00:06:40,495 --> 00:06:44,905 texting and, um, messaging to, from patients to providers 167 00:06:45,005 --> 00:06:46,705 and, and that contributing to 168 00:06:47,495 --> 00:06:49,025 long work hours and things like that. 169 00:06:49,055 --> 00:06:51,745 Well, we've always had a sort of a, an approach where, 170 00:06:52,525 --> 00:06:53,945 you know, there are messages 171 00:06:53,965 --> 00:06:55,865 and patient's messages are important, 172 00:06:56,005 --> 00:06:58,025 but there's some things that aren't best cared for, 173 00:06:58,325 --> 00:06:59,505 you know, with patient messaging. 174 00:06:59,525 --> 00:07:02,385 So we did put some limits on the numbers of characters that, 175 00:07:02,385 --> 00:07:04,705 that, uh, patients, uh, can send at any given time 176 00:07:04,705 --> 00:07:07,585 and put some process and policy around, um, numbers 177 00:07:07,585 --> 00:07:09,305 of messages and how we can then 178 00:07:10,065 --> 00:07:12,945 redirect them towards a more efficient, uh, area 179 00:07:12,945 --> 00:07:15,465 of care rather than texting maybe that, uh, 180 00:07:15,465 --> 00:07:16,705 virtual visits will be there. 181 00:07:16,705 --> 00:07:19,185 So, we'll, you know, maybe hop in the EMR and, 182 00:07:19,245 --> 00:07:22,825 and do an ad hoc, uh, visit, uh, related to it. 183 00:07:22,825 --> 00:07:25,505 So it's things like that that I think, um, is 184 00:07:25,505 --> 00:07:26,705 where we've been spending our time 185 00:07:26,705 --> 00:07:29,065 and I think is gonna make a big difference, uh, in, 186 00:07:29,285 --> 00:07:31,465 in the healthcare delivery system as we move forward. 187 00:07:32,855 --> 00:07:34,185 - Well, that's fascinating to hear. 188 00:07:34,285 --> 00:07:36,865 And you know, I really love your emphasis on the person 189 00:07:36,865 --> 00:07:39,385 connection or that personal connection, just keeping that, 190 00:07:39,725 --> 00:07:42,345 um, you know, a, as a really important part 191 00:07:42,345 --> 00:07:44,025 of the way healthcare is delivered 192 00:07:44,025 --> 00:07:46,945 and continues to, um, you know, care for communities. 193 00:07:47,145 --> 00:07:49,465 I think you're definitely right in terms of, you know, 194 00:07:49,465 --> 00:07:52,585 technology can be really helpful to boost, especially some 195 00:07:52,585 --> 00:07:53,625 of the administrative tasks, 196 00:07:53,805 --> 00:07:54,825 but then, you know, 197 00:07:54,825 --> 00:07:56,705 having those relationships is so important. 198 00:07:56,845 --> 00:07:58,865 And too, when you're talking about the texting 199 00:07:58,925 --> 00:08:01,625 and messaging, I know that's something that so many, um, 200 00:08:01,875 --> 00:08:05,145 physicians, uh, nurses as well as health systems are trying 201 00:08:05,145 --> 00:08:08,065 to put those policies and procedures in place 202 00:08:08,165 --> 00:08:10,025 and, um, set the right boundaries 203 00:08:10,045 --> 00:08:11,425 or funneling systems there. 204 00:08:11,805 --> 00:08:15,945 Um, you know, were your teams pretty, um, pretty receptive 205 00:08:15,945 --> 00:08:18,705 to some of those changes in, in, you know, patients as well? 206 00:08:18,845 --> 00:08:21,305 How were you able to kind of navigate, um, some of 207 00:08:21,305 --> 00:08:23,185 that training when you think about, you know, wanting 208 00:08:23,185 --> 00:08:24,945 to make sure that patients have access to care, 209 00:08:24,945 --> 00:08:28,545 but then to, you know, not, um, overburdening the clinicians 210 00:08:28,575 --> 00:08:31,345 with, uh, some of the longer requests or, 211 00:08:31,405 --> 00:08:34,665 or things that are, um, you know, not best suited 212 00:08:34,665 --> 00:08:36,465 for a text chain and those kinds of things? 213 00:08:37,745 --> 00:08:40,355 - Yeah, I mean, it, it, at the end of the day, 214 00:08:40,355 --> 00:08:42,315 healthcare is about people taking care of people, right? 215 00:08:42,935 --> 00:08:45,275 And sometimes, you know, 216 00:08:45,275 --> 00:08:47,395 people are more comfortable in texting formats, 217 00:08:47,395 --> 00:08:49,755 sometimes they're more comfortable in video format, 218 00:08:49,755 --> 00:08:52,075 sometimes they're more comfortable in person formats. 219 00:08:52,185 --> 00:08:54,275 Sometimes they think they need to see a specialist 220 00:08:54,295 --> 00:08:56,405 for a primary type activities, 221 00:08:56,665 --> 00:08:57,965 and it's about the relationship 222 00:08:57,965 --> 00:08:59,485 and communication that you have with them. 223 00:08:59,585 --> 00:09:02,885 So it's, it's not say no, it's, geez, 224 00:09:02,945 --> 00:09:04,365 it seems you have a lot of, lot 225 00:09:04,365 --> 00:09:05,565 of information in this message. 226 00:09:05,725 --> 00:09:07,365 I don't wanna lose things in translation. 227 00:09:07,775 --> 00:09:12,135 Let's hop on a call. Um, and, and then we have policies 228 00:09:12,135 --> 00:09:16,135 and procedures that guide our staff to be able to, you know, 229 00:09:16,275 --> 00:09:19,615 um, direct the person to the type of care that they deserve. 230 00:09:20,235 --> 00:09:23,095 Not just because, you know, they want to, you know, 231 00:09:23,165 --> 00:09:24,535 text here or text there. 232 00:09:24,555 --> 00:09:26,455 And, and there is the technology as part of that, 233 00:09:26,515 --> 00:09:28,735 but it's really not necessarily the right thing to do. 234 00:09:28,855 --> 00:09:31,575 I mean, there's some great things that occur, you know, 235 00:09:31,795 --> 00:09:32,895 via telehealth, right? 236 00:09:32,995 --> 00:09:35,575 So, you know, we did lots of very creative things 237 00:09:35,575 --> 00:09:37,375 during the, during the pandemic with it, 238 00:09:37,555 --> 00:09:38,935 and we learned a ton. 239 00:09:38,955 --> 00:09:40,575 Now we're applying them in, in real time, 240 00:09:40,595 --> 00:09:43,095 and we know that some things you could do really, 241 00:09:43,095 --> 00:09:44,815 really well through a telehealth visit, 242 00:09:45,195 --> 00:09:47,815 but some things you need an in-person, uh, visit to do. 243 00:09:48,195 --> 00:09:50,215 So let's direct them in that scenario. 244 00:09:50,435 --> 00:09:51,495 Now we're gonna blur 245 00:09:51,495 --> 00:09:53,855 that line even further when we start using peripherals 246 00:09:54,185 --> 00:09:57,895 associated with, you know, different technologies to listen 247 00:09:57,915 --> 00:10:00,495 to the heartbeat or, you know, looking in the ear 248 00:10:00,755 --> 00:10:03,855 or even a retina scan, you know, that you can do remotely. 249 00:10:03,955 --> 00:10:06,095 And I think those things are gonna come up 250 00:10:06,115 --> 00:10:07,335 and be creative in here. 251 00:10:07,355 --> 00:10:10,335 But again, at the end of the day, it's about us taking care 252 00:10:10,335 --> 00:10:12,695 of our community people, taking care of people, 253 00:10:12,795 --> 00:10:16,055 and, you know, those of us who have the honor 254 00:10:16,075 --> 00:10:18,975 and privilege of, of leading healthcare organizations, 255 00:10:19,105 --> 00:10:20,775 especially those through technology, 256 00:10:21,365 --> 00:10:22,415 have to keep that in mind. 257 00:10:22,435 --> 00:10:23,415 And it's, that's really at the 258 00:10:23,415 --> 00:10:24,415 end of the day, that's why we're here. 259 00:10:25,985 --> 00:10:28,835 - That that's really amazing to hear and think about 260 00:10:28,855 --> 00:10:30,955 and certainly, you know, um, right. 261 00:10:31,045 --> 00:10:34,235 Makes a lot of sense. Now when you look at, um, the future 262 00:10:34,335 --> 00:10:36,795 as well, how do you see Penn State Health growing 263 00:10:36,795 --> 00:10:38,035 and evolving over the next two 264 00:10:38,035 --> 00:10:39,395 to three years from your vantage point, 265 00:10:39,455 --> 00:10:41,755 and especially that fascinating intersection 266 00:10:41,755 --> 00:10:43,395 between technology and clinical care? 267 00:10:43,765 --> 00:10:44,835 Where do you see it all headed? 268 00:10:46,725 --> 00:10:48,615 - Yeah, I, I, it's a great question. 269 00:10:48,795 --> 00:10:51,455 Um, you know, we're in a relatively competitive markets in, 270 00:10:51,515 --> 00:10:52,815 in, in the area here. 271 00:10:53,195 --> 00:10:56,615 Uh, and so, you know, we know that we've, you know, 272 00:10:57,075 --> 00:10:59,135 got the best outcomes for our heart transplants. 273 00:10:59,135 --> 00:11:02,055 We know that our, our, our cardiovascular services 274 00:11:02,155 --> 00:11:03,215 are the highest quality. 275 00:11:03,275 --> 00:11:05,095 We know the cancer services are highest quality. 276 00:11:05,235 --> 00:11:06,895 We think that, you know, that's really 277 00:11:06,895 --> 00:11:08,375 where we need to focus. 278 00:11:08,425 --> 00:11:09,935 Again, it's about the care of the people. 279 00:11:10,235 --> 00:11:11,495 You just have to demonstrate that 280 00:11:11,495 --> 00:11:13,735 and such so that, you know, the quality focus 281 00:11:13,915 --> 00:11:15,215 and, and those activity. 282 00:11:15,215 --> 00:11:16,855 And it goes back to some of the communication 283 00:11:16,855 --> 00:11:18,175 technologies that we use. 284 00:11:18,275 --> 00:11:21,215 It enhances that ability for us to interact here. 285 00:11:21,895 --> 00:11:26,455 I, I think it's, it's working, uh, more fluidly as a system. 286 00:11:26,915 --> 00:11:30,575 Um, when you acquire two, you know, two other health systems 287 00:11:30,635 --> 00:11:32,015 and hospitals and you acquire 288 00:11:32,035 --> 00:11:33,255 and you build new hospitals, 289 00:11:33,425 --> 00:11:35,335 there are cultural differences in between there. 290 00:11:35,335 --> 00:11:36,815 And, and we don't take those for granted. 291 00:11:36,915 --> 00:11:38,855 So the transformation of, you know, 292 00:11:38,855 --> 00:11:41,775 those different locations as part of our system, 293 00:11:41,775 --> 00:11:42,935 it's, it's gone really well. 294 00:11:43,235 --> 00:11:46,015 The service line development, this has been spectacular. 295 00:11:46,145 --> 00:11:49,335 We've got some great leaders inside of those service lines, 296 00:11:49,355 --> 00:11:52,775 but I could see our focus being very much in those, um, 297 00:11:53,415 --> 00:11:54,685 systemness developments. 298 00:11:55,065 --> 00:11:56,325 And that's, again, technologies, 299 00:11:56,665 --> 00:11:57,965 you know, part and parcel of that. 300 00:11:58,065 --> 00:12:01,805 So, you know, uh, consolidating, uh, order sets, 301 00:12:01,805 --> 00:12:05,245 power plans, uh, making documentation more efficient 302 00:12:05,265 --> 00:12:06,285 for everybody involved, 303 00:12:06,305 --> 00:12:08,285 but honor the differences that we have 304 00:12:08,285 --> 00:12:09,525 between our specialties. 305 00:12:09,705 --> 00:12:11,565 You know, I'm an emergency physician, 306 00:12:11,745 --> 00:12:14,045 I'm not an ophthalmologist, I'm not a dermatologist, 307 00:12:14,265 --> 00:12:16,045 I'm not a cardiac surgeon, right? 308 00:12:16,355 --> 00:12:17,485 Each of those specialties 309 00:12:17,485 --> 00:12:19,525 and all the other ones there have 310 00:12:19,525 --> 00:12:20,805 different things that we have to do. 311 00:12:20,905 --> 00:12:22,285 So we have to validate 312 00:12:22,505 --> 00:12:26,085 and provide the tools to allow those folks to be efficient 313 00:12:26,085 --> 00:12:28,205 and effective while keeping standards 314 00:12:28,205 --> 00:12:29,245 across the organization. 315 00:12:29,425 --> 00:12:33,965 So that is a, that is tough, um, uh, doable. 316 00:12:34,165 --> 00:12:36,045 'cause we've done it in a, in a number of different ways. 317 00:12:36,665 --> 00:12:39,485 Uh, but I think it's, again, it's about standards, 318 00:12:39,485 --> 00:12:40,765 efficiency and effectiveness. 319 00:12:40,825 --> 00:12:43,485 At the end of the day, all those docs 320 00:12:43,485 --> 00:12:44,845 and all those nurse practitioners 321 00:12:44,845 --> 00:12:46,085 and physician assistants just 322 00:12:46,085 --> 00:12:47,165 wanna take care of their patients. 323 00:12:47,715 --> 00:12:49,485 Same with our nurses, same with our staff. 324 00:12:50,025 --> 00:12:52,085 And I think if we can align the technologies 325 00:12:52,825 --> 00:12:55,525 and get rid of, you know, other technology, dudu, 326 00:12:55,635 --> 00:12:57,365 duplicity, you know, is a challenge. 327 00:12:57,825 --> 00:13:00,765 Um, variability is a challenge. 328 00:13:01,245 --> 00:13:02,805 Localization is really important. 329 00:13:02,905 --> 00:13:04,325 And the differences between all those 330 00:13:04,825 --> 00:13:07,525 and helping people understand that moving 331 00:13:07,605 --> 00:13:09,805 to a system is really, really a good thing. 332 00:13:11,705 --> 00:13:12,865 - I, I agree. You know, 333 00:13:12,885 --> 00:13:13,985 and having that system, 334 00:13:14,245 --> 00:13:17,665 it seems like it can be such a powerful tool, um, you know, 335 00:13:17,805 --> 00:13:20,425 for all organizations and really boost patients. 336 00:13:21,005 --> 00:13:23,905 And from your perspective, you know, um, I would love 337 00:13:23,905 --> 00:13:25,945 to hear what is one change 338 00:13:25,945 --> 00:13:28,785 or initiative that your team has made over the last year 339 00:13:28,785 --> 00:13:30,305 or two that's yielded some great results? 340 00:13:31,855 --> 00:13:33,945 - Yeah. Um, so we talked a little bit about, you know, 341 00:13:33,945 --> 00:13:36,785 converting to secure texting as a, as a primary platform. 342 00:13:36,785 --> 00:13:39,185 We talked about, you know, eliminating dictation, 343 00:13:39,285 --> 00:13:41,825 talked about, um, you know, deploying 344 00:13:42,485 --> 00:13:44,225 to opening two new hospitals 345 00:13:44,285 --> 00:13:47,145 and converting two other hospitals plus a hundred clinics 346 00:13:47,165 --> 00:13:48,185 all within a couple of years. 347 00:13:48,245 --> 00:13:50,585 That's incredible heavy lifting, right? 348 00:13:51,205 --> 00:13:53,305 And you can't do that without a great team. 349 00:13:53,605 --> 00:13:57,345 And so what we try to do, at least in our informatics team, 350 00:13:57,645 --> 00:14:00,665 uh, is to build a structure by which we can manage 351 00:14:00,685 --> 00:14:04,265 and handle change, do it with efficiency and effectiveness, 352 00:14:04,645 --> 00:14:06,025 but do it across the system. 353 00:14:06,125 --> 00:14:09,825 So we set forth on a structural design for informatics, 354 00:14:09,825 --> 00:14:12,465 that includes a number of informatics councils 355 00:14:12,695 --> 00:14:14,665 that focus in on functions. 356 00:14:15,445 --> 00:14:19,025 And we've, uh, had some, uh, local affinity groups 357 00:14:19,025 --> 00:14:20,065 that values the local. 358 00:14:20,205 --> 00:14:22,145 So we have a west shore 359 00:14:22,145 --> 00:14:24,985 and eastern region, the central region, the northern region. 360 00:14:25,445 --> 00:14:28,145 And each one of those groups have their own contingencies 361 00:14:28,205 --> 00:14:31,185 of, of informatic staffing, uh, all come 362 00:14:31,185 --> 00:14:32,625 to the system, I'll report up through me. 363 00:14:33,005 --> 00:14:35,705 Um, and so we've tried to set ourselves up 364 00:14:35,705 --> 00:14:37,625 for the requesters to be able 365 00:14:37,625 --> 00:14:39,945 to have their questions managed in a timely fashion 366 00:14:40,605 --> 00:14:44,425 and for changes to occur in the system, uh, that are, 367 00:14:44,445 --> 00:14:46,985 if they're, they're great ideas from someone, great, 368 00:14:47,195 --> 00:14:49,265 let's make that a a, a new system standard. 369 00:14:49,845 --> 00:14:52,165 And so, but you have to have the structure in place 370 00:14:52,185 --> 00:14:53,525 and you have to have the decision makers 371 00:14:53,525 --> 00:14:55,765 and empower those decision makers, um, 372 00:14:56,025 --> 00:14:57,325 to, to move that forward. 373 00:14:57,425 --> 00:14:58,725 So we built, if you will, 374 00:14:59,385 --> 00:15:02,845 the informatics governance structure, uh, for the, 375 00:15:02,845 --> 00:15:04,485 for the system that allows us to do that. 376 00:15:05,025 --> 00:15:06,125 Um, I'm lucky enough 377 00:15:06,125 --> 00:15:09,245 to recently have our medical records team start reporting 378 00:15:09,245 --> 00:15:13,085 to me that's a new, um, opportunity and, and, and task. 379 00:15:13,545 --> 00:15:15,965 And so we're looking at how can we make that all happen too, 380 00:15:16,505 --> 00:15:18,445 uh, with that, with that group of people. 381 00:15:18,665 --> 00:15:21,205 Um, again, really great folks 382 00:15:21,305 --> 00:15:23,605 and, you know, living in Hershey 383 00:15:23,605 --> 00:15:25,845 and working in central Pennsylvania 384 00:15:25,955 --> 00:15:27,245 with all the other things, just some, 385 00:15:27,245 --> 00:15:29,125 just people are, people are great here. 386 00:15:29,125 --> 00:15:30,845 I mean, they, they're, they're hard work 387 00:15:30,865 --> 00:15:32,325 and they really wanna do the right thing. 388 00:15:32,325 --> 00:15:35,125 And again, what they care about is, you know, 389 00:15:35,335 --> 00:15:36,965 their family and their patients. 390 00:15:36,965 --> 00:15:39,445 They care about Penn State and they care about their jobs 391 00:15:39,445 --> 00:15:41,405 because they know what they do affects 392 00:15:41,405 --> 00:15:42,445 the patients that we care for. 393 00:15:45,465 --> 00:15:47,625 - I love it. I, I think it's so important to remember 394 00:15:47,645 --> 00:15:48,865 and just to keep front 395 00:15:48,865 --> 00:15:50,465 and center as you were talking about, you know, 396 00:15:50,465 --> 00:15:52,025 the community that is within healthcare 397 00:15:52,025 --> 00:15:54,865 and the healthcare system, um, it, it's really cool to hear 398 00:15:54,865 --> 00:15:56,785 what you're doing at, uh, Penn State Health 399 00:15:56,885 --> 00:15:58,945 and continue to grow and develop 400 00:15:59,045 --> 00:16:00,985 and, um, provide additional services. 401 00:16:01,205 --> 00:16:03,265 So, um, thank you so much, uh, Chris, 402 00:16:03,265 --> 00:16:04,585 for joining us on the podcast today. 403 00:16:05,105 --> 00:16:07,385 I, I really appreciate your conversation. 404 00:16:07,705 --> 00:16:09,585 I think, you know, this is so cool to hear 405 00:16:09,645 --> 00:16:11,665 how things are going and definitely lots 406 00:16:11,665 --> 00:16:13,425 of great insights on where you're headed in the future. 407 00:16:14,855 --> 00:16:16,665 - Yeah. Well thanks. Thanks for you guys 408 00:16:16,725 --> 00:16:18,625 for having lots at Penn State Health. 409 00:16:19,015 --> 00:16:21,185 Just talk a little bit about, you know, the people 410 00:16:21,185 --> 00:16:24,465 that we work with and, uh, the, the people who we care for. 411 00:16:24,535 --> 00:16:27,665 It's, it's so important to, to who we are as a community 412 00:16:27,725 --> 00:16:29,665 and who Penn State Health is as a system. 413 00:16:29,845 --> 00:16:30,825 And, uh, we appreciate.