1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,680 Would you like to exchange best practices and ideas to improve care, 2 00:00:03,830 --> 00:00:05,600 enhance operational efficiency, 3 00:00:05,660 --> 00:00:08,000 and address financial challenges with your peers? 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:12,320 Becker's Healthcare is facilitating these conversations at their eighth annual 5 00:00:12,620 --> 00:00:15,400 health IT digital health and RCM meeting. 6 00:00:15,820 --> 00:00:19,120 You can check your eligibility for complimentary attendance at the Lincoln, 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,120 the description. We are excited to welcome you in October. 8 00:00:23,550 --> 00:00:25,880 This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 9 00:00:26,540 --> 00:00:29,280 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Sh Aja, 10 00:00:30,380 --> 00:00:33,940 director of ambulatory E m r and portals at Stanford Medicine Children's Health. 11 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,300 Dr. Aja is a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 12 00:00:37,170 --> 00:00:41,150 Thanks for having me. I'm, I'm very, um, excited to be here. 13 00:00:42,220 --> 00:00:44,460 Excellent. Well, I know we've got a lot to talk about and, you know, 14 00:00:44,460 --> 00:00:47,980 it's definitely, um, such an important, interesting time in healthcare today, 15 00:00:47,980 --> 00:00:50,340 and especially thinking about children's health and, 16 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,180 and the real needs for pediatric healthcare in this country. 17 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,860 But before we dive into my questions, 18 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,340 can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and your background? 19 00:00:59,310 --> 00:01:03,200 Sure. Um, again, my name is John and I am, uh, 20 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:08,320 director over ambulatory and portal at the Stanford Stanford Medicine Children's 21 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:11,040 Health. And, um, I oversee, um, 22 00:01:11,260 --> 00:01:15,560 all our ambulatory clinics, workflows, special primary care, 23 00:01:16,650 --> 00:01:19,140 and, uh, patient portals, 24 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,620 as well as some health information exchange across the organization. 25 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:28,620 And, uh, from a background perspective, I, um, I've been with Stanford, uh, 26 00:01:28,740 --> 00:01:33,620 children's for the past, um, eight years in this current role. Um, 27 00:01:33,770 --> 00:01:36,260 from a background perspective, I'm a physician. 28 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,180 My background a foreign graduate, originally from Turkey. And, uh, 29 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:42,780 I'm working in the healthcare IT industry. 30 00:01:43,540 --> 00:01:44,880 That's fantastic to hear, 31 00:01:44,900 --> 00:01:48,920 and I'm excited that you'll be able to bring this very unique perspective to our 32 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,480 conversation because I think, you know, you, I can imagine, see a lot in our, 33 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:58,280 a very important connector within the organization from the E M R and portals 34 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,920 through the h I e and all of that. So, you know, given your role in, 35 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,480 in everything that you oversee, 36 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,800 what are some of the opportunities that you really are, 37 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,640 are looking forward to at Stanford Medicine Children's and, uh, 38 00:02:09,640 --> 00:02:11,280 the headwinds that you have your eye on as well? 39 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,090 Sure. Um, 40 00:02:14,310 --> 00:02:18,610 so I think we are in a unique time and space in healthcare, in, in this country, 41 00:02:18,610 --> 00:02:21,850 especially post pandemic. There is a lot of, um, 42 00:02:22,020 --> 00:02:26,370 focus on digital patient experience and also digital healthcare worker and 43 00:02:26,610 --> 00:02:27,490 provider experience. 44 00:02:27,950 --> 00:02:32,490 So some of the things that we're working on is to how to make the patient 45 00:02:32,580 --> 00:02:37,410 experience more streamlined and flawless while using digital tools. 46 00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:40,570 Um, especially as an organization who's in Silicon Valley, 47 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:44,210 that is a very big priority for us because, um, 48 00:02:44,370 --> 00:02:47,890 a lot of our patient population is very used to use digital tools in, 49 00:02:47,890 --> 00:02:52,010 in different things as well as our, um, workforce. So, um, 50 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,650 some of the things that are in our focus right now is that, um, 51 00:02:55,650 --> 00:03:00,040 definitely digital from a digital patient experience perspective, the use of, 52 00:03:00,140 --> 00:03:00,390 um, 53 00:03:00,390 --> 00:03:05,320 some language processing tools to be able to help patients to 54 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,840 navigate better, especially in the portals, uh, use. Um, 55 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:13,040 I oversee the portals team and, uh, we are trying to integrate some, um, 56 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:17,520 auto response and chat bot to our portals patients experience at the moment. 57 00:03:18,260 --> 00:03:20,840 Uh, one other thing that our team is, um, 58 00:03:20,870 --> 00:03:24,880 currently focused on is to improve some, uh, 59 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:30,120 workflows from patient, um, perspective. Like for, for example, in the past, 60 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,160 patients would fill questionnaires on papers when they come to the clinic and 61 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:38,760 someone would like manually enter them, but right now we are trying to get that, 62 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:42,320 um, in a more digital workflow format. So, um, it, 63 00:03:42,420 --> 00:03:45,560 it creates a better patient experience and better clinical, um, 64 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,080 patient reported outcome. Um, 65 00:03:48,260 --> 00:03:52,240 one other aspect is that especially with the changing, uh, 66 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:53,280 environment in healthcare, 67 00:03:53,660 --> 00:03:58,320 lot of organizations are now moving into eConsults or virtual visit workflows, 68 00:03:58,380 --> 00:04:03,160 and we are following the same, um, especially around, um, getting, 69 00:04:03,380 --> 00:04:07,320 uh, virtual visits and eConsults on, uh, electronically, uh, 70 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:09,000 is one of our top priorities. 71 00:04:09,740 --> 00:04:14,160 We are trying to roll out more electronic referrals. Um, the, it's, 72 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,720 it's a very challenging for a physician office to send referrals in different 73 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,880 ways to different places. Some of them are on paper, you know, 74 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,320 they're being faxed or some of them are via phone and and such. 75 00:04:24,380 --> 00:04:28,040 But we're trying to utilize the seamless EMR integrated, uh, 76 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:33,120 referral workflow so our team can resi receive the referrals with 77 00:04:33,130 --> 00:04:37,000 fully populated patient information on the EMR and can, um, 78 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,600 schedule patients with ease and, and more efficiently. Um, 79 00:04:42,150 --> 00:04:43,640 some of our other focus, 80 00:04:43,750 --> 00:04:47,440 because we are unique in Stanford Children's from a teen and uh, 81 00:04:47,740 --> 00:04:51,760 adults from care perspective is the teen and adult confidentiality. 82 00:04:52,340 --> 00:04:56,920 We also oversee ob ob gyn patients. So, um, for adult confidentiality, 83 00:04:57,030 --> 00:05:00,280 some wounds care issues is also, um, 84 00:05:00,820 --> 00:05:04,640 on our focus with the current developments in the, in the country. Um, 85 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,120 so my team is constantly working on how we can make the information shared 86 00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:13,960 across, uh, you know, between the patients and the caregivers appropriately, 87 00:05:14,010 --> 00:05:18,080 while we are also adhering to their confidentiality needs. Um, 88 00:05:18,140 --> 00:05:22,880 and also lastly, I would say, uh, we have a lot of focus on health equity, uh, 89 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:27,080 from a social determinants of health, uh, perspective. Mike team also oversees, 90 00:05:27,420 --> 00:05:30,600 uh, the infrastructure and workflows for our team band, 91 00:05:30,850 --> 00:05:35,800 which is an essentially a fully equipped clinic that is on RV and goes 92 00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:39,760 to, uh, underserved areas, uh, to help support, um, 93 00:05:39,870 --> 00:05:42,960 teen health in, in schools. So a lot of, 94 00:05:43,020 --> 00:05:46,640 lot of things exciting things are going on, and we're trying to, um, 95 00:05:46,790 --> 00:05:51,720 make sure that we evaluate new technology to make a difference for our patients 96 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,880 and our, uh, healthcare, uh, workers. 97 00:05:54,670 --> 00:05:56,490 That's amazing to hear. And you know, 98 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,600 that focus on making sure you've got the digital tools available and information 99 00:06:00,620 --> 00:06:03,560 that's shareable and easy for, like, as you said, 100 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,200 the healthcare workers as well as the patients and their families, and, 101 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,760 and improving that access to care I know is so, so critical, um, 102 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,360 and really makes an impact on the patients you're serving. Now, you know, 103 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,200 when you look at what's happening in healthcare today, are there any, uh, 104 00:06:17,370 --> 00:06:19,920 challenges or roadblocks as you, you know, are, 105 00:06:19,940 --> 00:06:24,320 are trying to deliver some of this great patient experience and additional, um, 106 00:06:24,470 --> 00:06:27,160 digital tools and technology and data? You know, 107 00:06:27,190 --> 00:06:28,960 what kind of challenges do you run up against? 108 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:34,060 I would say probably, uh, one of the biggest challenges is, uh, 109 00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:38,900 very complex regulations around patient data sharing that we're, um, 110 00:06:39,310 --> 00:06:42,180 we're, um, experiencing, you know, cures act, 111 00:06:42,350 --> 00:06:46,740 which we fully support empowers patients to have their own data at, at, 112 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:51,420 at their own, um, hands, uh, in a very, very timely manner. But then with that, 113 00:06:51,420 --> 00:06:55,820 there is also keen confidentiality in a very complex relationship between teens 114 00:06:55,820 --> 00:07:00,660 and guarantors and proxies and who can see what, um, so we are discovering, 115 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,420 um, that is one of the major challenges in, 116 00:07:03,420 --> 00:07:07,940 in our work to both empowering people with their own data on, uh, 117 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,300 on the right time, but also adhering to confidentiality. And, um, 118 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,060 our organization is actually leading in that space, our, uh, 119 00:07:16,380 --> 00:07:20,060 clinical teams and rci and we've had a lot of, um, 120 00:07:20,090 --> 00:07:23,820 work going on and published, um, articles and, and, uh, 121 00:07:24,060 --> 00:07:28,620 research on this about like how important it is to keep the teams empowered. Um, 122 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,420 so I would say that conflict between the, 123 00:07:31,610 --> 00:07:36,220 some of the rules and regulations are making our, our lives harder. 124 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:37,673 Um, 125 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:42,060 the other challenge that I would point out is that technology is growing really 126 00:07:42,210 --> 00:07:46,180 fast and, uh, moving, you know, at a fast speed, and it's, 127 00:07:46,250 --> 00:07:50,700 it's a challenge to keep up with all the new tools that are available and to be 128 00:07:50,700 --> 00:07:55,690 able to effectively choose from a large inventory of tools that does pretty 129 00:07:55,690 --> 00:07:59,210 much similar things, but have different potentials for the future. 130 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,970 That is another challenge. And I think the whole, like virtual, 131 00:08:04,950 --> 00:08:09,330 um, the whole like virtualization of workspaces and, uh, 132 00:08:09,650 --> 00:08:13,970 mobility of both the patients and providers are adding to another, uh, 133 00:08:13,970 --> 00:08:15,290 layer of challenge for us. 134 00:08:15,390 --> 00:08:19,650 In the past when everything was handled in a closed circuit health system, 135 00:08:20,030 --> 00:08:23,210 we had more control over infrastructure, for example, you know, 136 00:08:23,210 --> 00:08:28,050 which devices are used and which are, um, uh, which are, uh, 137 00:08:28,170 --> 00:08:33,130 utilized in a more efficient way. And, uh, but, but now with, 138 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,690 with everything being like more mobile and virtual, 139 00:08:36,470 --> 00:08:38,650 we are in a position where we have, 140 00:08:38,650 --> 00:08:43,130 like our providers and patients are connecting from different locations, 141 00:08:43,130 --> 00:08:46,530 from different, uh, infrastructures and different devices, 142 00:08:46,630 --> 00:08:51,610 and the solutions that we roll out should be uniformly applicable to 143 00:08:51,610 --> 00:08:54,250 all of these, um, use cases. Um, 144 00:08:54,310 --> 00:08:57,160 and that's one of the big challenges I think like with the, 145 00:08:57,260 --> 00:09:02,080 the whole digital health domain that we do not have to not only 146 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:07,080 make the, the tools and um, solutions available in our o own infrastructure, 147 00:09:07,180 --> 00:09:10,920 we should also think about the infrastructure of the person off the other end 148 00:09:10,940 --> 00:09:15,080 and where they're connecting with what, which is I think is a huge challenge. 149 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,450 Yeah, absolutely. I can imagine, you know, with just so many, um, 150 00:09:19,450 --> 00:09:23,450 different options available in, in devices and technology. So that's a really, 151 00:09:23,450 --> 00:09:25,730 really great point. Now, I, 152 00:09:25,810 --> 00:09:29,170 I know that right now as we've talked through a little bit, you know, 153 00:09:29,300 --> 00:09:33,210 healthcare is obviously evolving and changing and, um, you know, 154 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:34,810 growing all the time. 155 00:09:35,110 --> 00:09:39,730 So how do you think about growth from your perspective within the organization 156 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:43,770 and then adding value to Stanford Medicine Children's on, on a consistent basis? 157 00:09:45,010 --> 00:09:48,860 Sure. Um, so like you mentioned, I think the overall healthcare is in, 158 00:09:48,860 --> 00:09:51,620 in its transformation itself. And as an organization, 159 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:55,620 we are also constantly growing within the past eight to 10 years. 160 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:00,340 We went from like about a hundred thousand visits to, um, over 600, 700, 161 00:10:00,430 --> 00:10:03,660 close to 700,000 visits now. So, um, 162 00:10:03,690 --> 00:10:07,540 it's always a challenge to keep up with expanding patient population, 163 00:10:07,570 --> 00:10:08,820 expanding geography, 164 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,260 and also expanding services because we also continue to add, uh, 165 00:10:13,260 --> 00:10:16,620 new specialty services and very unique services for, um, 166 00:10:17,490 --> 00:10:21,700 specialty care, um, in our, in our organization. Um, 167 00:10:21,700 --> 00:10:26,100 there's also a growth from an increased demand perspective from patients. And, 168 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:29,740 um, they do want their needs to be addressed digitally, 169 00:10:29,740 --> 00:10:31,020 especially after pandemic. 170 00:10:31,260 --> 00:10:34,700 I think a lot of things converted to a ver being virtual, 171 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,740 and there's definitely an expectation both from our patients and from our 172 00:10:38,740 --> 00:10:40,420 workforce, um, to, um, 173 00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:45,060 keep things virtual and make it more efficient at the same time. So, um, 174 00:10:45,060 --> 00:10:49,020 that is something that we're also taking into account from a growth perspective. 175 00:10:50,010 --> 00:10:53,670 It, I, I already mentioned this, but I I think it's worth to call it out again. 176 00:10:53,890 --> 00:10:57,030 Um, the new rules and regulations are also, um, 177 00:10:57,540 --> 00:11:01,710 growing the need for being really mindful and, uh, 178 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,910 about the confidentiality. Um, so for example, 179 00:11:04,980 --> 00:11:07,550 some of the new tools that we're rolling out, 180 00:11:07,690 --> 00:11:11,790 if we don't think about from a confidential to lens, uh, they, 181 00:11:11,860 --> 00:11:14,230 they really easily can, um, 182 00:11:14,230 --> 00:11:17,150 compromise some of the confidentiality team confidentiality. 183 00:11:17,410 --> 00:11:20,070 So that is also one part of the, uh, 184 00:11:20,100 --> 00:11:24,750 work we're taking into account while we're growing. And, uh, 185 00:11:24,810 --> 00:11:28,270 lastly I would say there is a huge, um, 186 00:11:28,690 --> 00:11:33,670 transformation around the ai and every, every morning I wake up to news, 187 00:11:33,670 --> 00:11:38,390 like, check this and that, or AI is used in medicine in, in, 188 00:11:38,490 --> 00:11:41,630 in, in a different way than before. So, um, 189 00:11:41,790 --> 00:11:46,750 I think those are also the tools that we're trying to tap into and utilize 190 00:11:46,850 --> 00:11:50,510 to help with our growing patient population, growing geography, 191 00:11:50,570 --> 00:11:51,870 and growing digital needs. 192 00:11:53,090 --> 00:11:55,520 Absolutely. I think that's a great point. And you know, 193 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,440 we're definitely throwing in, um, 194 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,360 a lot of the new technologies with artificial intelligence, you know, 195 00:12:00,540 --> 00:12:04,000 is is constantly, um, offending the field and, and you know, 196 00:12:04,020 --> 00:12:05,520 coming out with new capabilities, 197 00:12:05,610 --> 00:12:09,440 which I'm sure in healthcare is in some ways is, you know, very helpful, 198 00:12:09,500 --> 00:12:13,160 but in other ways it can certainly be a challenge to just make sure, 199 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,480 as you were talking about, rules and regulations are followed, um, in and, uh, 200 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:22,120 on all fronts. So, um, that, that's so interesting to hear. Now, I know, um, 201 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,880 right now healthcare resources especially are scarce and valuable, 202 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:30,480 whether it's time or energy from healthcare providers and workers or, 203 00:12:30,860 --> 00:12:33,360 um, financial resources. So from your perspective, 204 00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:35,800 what do you see as being some of the most important, 205 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:38,320 either risks or investments that, um, 206 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:42,320 healthcare organizations should take to especially make sure that, um, you know, 207 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,840 they're, they're meeting their goals, whether it's on a clinical side or, 208 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:47,880 or some of the other operational things that they're trying to do? 209 00:12:49,090 --> 00:12:52,620 Sure. Um, I think one of the big focus areas should be, uh, 210 00:12:52,620 --> 00:12:56,740 focusing on patient experience, experience overall because, uh, 211 00:12:56,740 --> 00:12:58,620 now we are in a different ecosystem, 212 00:12:58,620 --> 00:13:01,820 especially with the rise of digital tools and also, um, 213 00:13:01,850 --> 00:13:06,620 digital literacy from a patient's perspective. Um, and, um, 214 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:08,500 you know, one of, one of those, 215 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,500 one of the most important things is to be able to utilize the tools 216 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:14,740 in a seamless way. 217 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:19,540 So actually the patient experience feels seamless from the patient 218 00:13:19,540 --> 00:13:23,740 perspective, which, which starts with like a digital front door and then, 219 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:28,020 you know, allowing patients to be able to self-schedule, um, 220 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:32,460 and then even like looking at their results and everything else online and 221 00:13:32,460 --> 00:13:36,740 having, having interactions with the, with their, uh, physicians or providers, 222 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:38,940 uh, online as well. Um, 223 00:13:39,260 --> 00:13:44,180 I would also say probably another investment or focus that should happen in this 224 00:13:44,330 --> 00:13:48,620 year and in the coming years is the whole digital transformation concept. Uh, 225 00:13:49,290 --> 00:13:53,780 many organizations are already, uh, in, in that transformation process. 226 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,010 And from a digital transformation, I think we should also, 227 00:13:58,150 --> 00:14:01,810 we should consider that it's not only moving things to digital because we are 228 00:14:01,810 --> 00:14:05,890 already there. I mean that's what the IS departments are it departments are for, 229 00:14:06,470 --> 00:14:10,410 but also looking at how we can transform the way we work, um, 230 00:14:10,420 --> 00:14:15,170 where we put our resources and how do we utilize our resources 231 00:14:15,170 --> 00:14:20,170 most effectively. One of the things that we're observing is, um, how we can, um, 232 00:14:20,890 --> 00:14:25,490 transform the work that is done in a repetitive fashion and automatize it 233 00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:29,010 while we are using our resources to do a deeper work and, 234 00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:32,050 and enhance the system further. Um, 235 00:14:32,190 --> 00:14:35,810 so probably patient experience and digital transformation is the top, um, 236 00:14:35,820 --> 00:14:37,770 priorities for us and, um, 237 00:14:37,890 --> 00:14:42,010 I think they're worth to make more investments than looking, um, 238 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:43,073 more into. 239 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,390 Absolutely. I love that. And I think that's such a great point in, 240 00:14:46,410 --> 00:14:49,830 in making sure the patient experience is seamless and easy and that digital 241 00:14:49,830 --> 00:14:54,120 transformation is possible. And I know it's easier said than done. So, you know, 242 00:14:54,750 --> 00:14:56,440 from your perspective, um, 243 00:14:56,540 --> 00:14:58,880 what's kind of the most important thing to keep in mind, 244 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,000 especially for organizations that might be early on in their digital 245 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,600 transformation journey, you know, 246 00:15:03,620 --> 00:15:07,960 to really build in that patient experience from the, um, early side of the, 247 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,280 the digital transformation versus trying to add it in after, you know, 248 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,240 you've got your platform set and those kinds of things. 249 00:15:14,570 --> 00:15:19,460 Sure. I would say like in our, uh, first assessments, what we found is that, um, 250 00:15:20,420 --> 00:15:24,100 workflow standardization is the key because unless the workflows are 251 00:15:24,260 --> 00:15:25,340 standardized, that, uh, 252 00:15:25,340 --> 00:15:29,740 the whole transformation to a digital experience is not really gonna work. And, 253 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:30,040 uh, 254 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:33,660 we are learning it from other healthcare systems going through a similar journey 255 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:38,460 and we're also observing it internally. Um, one, one example, 256 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:42,620 for example, we're trying to roll out like more and more virtual, um, 257 00:15:43,060 --> 00:15:46,180 patients have scheduling tools and, and virtual tools, 258 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,700 but if it's not standardized, um, 259 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:53,500 it becomes a very challenging task and the end users 260 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:55,820 and the patients do not, um, 261 00:15:56,570 --> 00:16:00,380 like the experience that they're going through and it becomes also a maintenance 262 00:16:00,380 --> 00:16:00,880 nightmare. 263 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:05,220 So I would say probably the workflow standardization is one of the key 264 00:16:05,550 --> 00:16:10,180 thing. And also looking at from a patient journey perspective, 265 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,700 for example, if you are rolling out something electronically, 266 00:16:14,110 --> 00:16:19,020 there should be a consensus across the organization to stop doing it in other 267 00:16:19,020 --> 00:16:22,060 ways. Because I'll give a very simple example. For example, 268 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,980 if you are rolling out your questionnaires electronically to a patient, 269 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,500 if I'm a patient and if I fill that questionnaire electronically at home on my 270 00:16:30,500 --> 00:16:33,100 mobile device and then I go to the clinic, 271 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:37,540 if I'm being giving the same questionnaire in the clinic on paper to fill it, 272 00:16:37,590 --> 00:16:40,620 again, that is a horrible patient experience for me as a patient. 273 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,660 So I think just to make sure that we are, 274 00:16:43,710 --> 00:16:46,060 while we're designing these digital workflows, 275 00:16:46,070 --> 00:16:48,660 we're also looking at their counterparts on, 276 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,500 on paper or manual counterparts and ensure that we don't end up 277 00:16:53,510 --> 00:16:58,020 doing duplicate work for ourselves or having patients to, 278 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:00,260 um, do duplicate work for us. 279 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:05,060 So I think that is one of the key points that we're discovering and trying to, 280 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,660 um, build workflows to accommodate that. 281 00:17:08,310 --> 00:17:11,450 That's great insight and definitely makes a lot of sense. Uh, 282 00:17:11,450 --> 00:17:14,970 thank you so much for sharing that. Now, before we wrap up our discussion, 283 00:17:15,370 --> 00:17:19,050 I wanted to ask you, taking a another look, um, through the future, 284 00:17:19,300 --> 00:17:22,170 where do you see some of the best opportunities for you and, 285 00:17:22,170 --> 00:17:23,690 and your teams to grow and develop? 286 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:29,340 Um, I think from a growth and future of healthcare, um, 287 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,180 the rise of AI is something that is already here and it's gonna 288 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,340 be, I mean, every day I'm seeing like some, you know, 289 00:17:39,220 --> 00:17:44,140 exciting news about the AI and that sounds scary news about AI and how it's 290 00:17:44,140 --> 00:17:47,060 kind of gonna be out of control and whatnot. But to me, 291 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:52,240 I do see this as a new tool to add to our inventory and I think it 292 00:17:52,260 --> 00:17:56,680 can have like huge implications to help us with documentation, 293 00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,840 which can be very heavy from time to time, patient engagement, you know, 294 00:18:00,890 --> 00:18:02,920 image interpretation, predictive analytics, 295 00:18:03,190 --> 00:18:07,680 like basically anything that we can um, integrate into successfully, 296 00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:09,160 we should look into it. 297 00:18:10,140 --> 00:18:15,080 And I think just to understand the benefits and limitations of this new 298 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,560 tool and how it can help us, um, 299 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,640 both from a patient perspective and our workforce perspective is gonna be very 300 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,760 important in the future. Um, 301 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:28,800 I would say the other one which we already talked about partially is the whole 302 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:33,640 like patient journey and medical life cycle from a patient's perspective. 303 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,600 I think with the new tools that we're integrating more workflows into each 304 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:43,280 other, uh, we're going from a fragmented patient experience to a full patient, 305 00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:47,160 um, journey, patient experience cycle, um, 306 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,280 starting with wellness and going into an acute care, 307 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,520 I think those are the areas, um, 308 00:18:52,550 --> 00:18:56,400 that we will have the most opportunities and growth in the future and make it, 309 00:18:56,540 --> 00:19:00,080 um, make it better for our patients and their families. Um, 310 00:19:00,190 --> 00:19:02,840 data sharing is another one, and with that, um, 311 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:06,600 comes not only data sharing to healthcare of the patients, 312 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:11,040 but also data sharing with the patient to empower them more, um, 313 00:19:11,250 --> 00:19:15,920 which is I something that is also, um, we need to consider. Um, 314 00:19:16,100 --> 00:19:20,720 and then I already mentioned that innovative technology to support model for 315 00:19:21,390 --> 00:19:25,080 both patients and workforce we're in a different world after the pandemic. 316 00:19:25,180 --> 00:19:27,120 And I think that, um, 317 00:19:27,660 --> 00:19:32,000 two or three years helped us to understand like some of the work can be done 318 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:33,640 anywhere in the world, um, 319 00:19:33,780 --> 00:19:38,520 and that is something we need to take into account and consider while we're, um, 320 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:40,360 building our strategies for the future. 321 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,570 What a great point. And Dr. Agen, 322 00:19:43,570 --> 00:19:45,610 thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. 323 00:19:45,610 --> 00:19:48,610 This has been a really fun and an interesting discussion and I look forward to 324 00:19:48,610 --> 00:19:49,730 connecting with you again soon. 325 00:19:51,830 --> 00:19:52,180 Thank.