4 Questions To Ask Before Investing In Healthcare Technology — Afterthoughts From Google’s Chief Health Officer Dr. Karen DeSalvo
For many healthcare organizations, July 1 will mark the beginning of a new fiscal year. As this year comes to a close, leaders at these organizations are putting together their next yearly budget — and a major part of that is deciding which healthcare technology solutions to invest in.
I recently spoke with Dr. Karen DeSalvo on Modern Healthcare’s “Next Up” podcast about vetting these investments.
Dr. DeSalvo is a guru when it comes to technological investments. After serving in Health and Human Services under the Obama Administration, she led the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Currently, she is the first Chief Health Officer at Google.
In our conversation, Dr. DeSalvo discussed four questions that organizations need to ask themselves before making investments.
For any type of healthcare technology investment — whether it’s buying a new ultrasound machine, updating your telehealth system, or revamping content on your website — it’s critical to answer these questions before deciding where your technology dollars will be going.
1. Does this fit with our strategic priorities?
Don’t get distracted by the shiny new object. Only make an investment if what you’re investing in really says, “This is what our organization is all about.”
This is particularly important if you’re investing in something like an electronic health record system that will require an ongoing partnership with an outside company. You don’t just want to think about your own strategic priorities — you want to think about theirs, too.
If your priorities align, it’s much easier to come to an agreed understanding of the definition of the success. It’s also a lot easier to work through roadblocks and make sure you still reach success in the end.
“… a lot of our partners when they come to us is, what is the future going to look like? And how can we help not just get there, but build it? What does it mean, if we want to think about building artificial intelligence models to identify breast cancer? How can we do that together in a way that is not just bringing great engineering capabilities to bear but doing it in a way that respects patient autonomy and privacy and has a fairness in the models in mind? These are all things that when you build that future, you want to know, with your partner, yeah, what we want is to eliminate disparities. And we want to make care less costly, so that we’re pulling savings out of the system. And if you can be aligned into that future, then you can kind of back into, ‘What are the steps that we need to take together to build that?’”
2. Will it help our patients?
When we say “technology,” we’re not just talking about equipment or patient data systems. We’re also talking about a piece of technology that patients are using every day: your website.
Whether you’re working with an outside organization or paying someone in your organization to write it, be selective about the type of content you’re paying for.
Healthcare 101s should be close to the bottom of your list. Do those FAQ pages that go into detail about the symptoms and causes of a disease help patients? Sure. Does having those pages on your own site help them? Probably not.
By the time patients get to your site, they want to make an appointment. They want to know what types of treatments are available at your facility and who will be treating them. They’ve already consulted Dr. Google.
Don’t waste your money on reinventing the wheel. A quick explanation of a condition on a page is fine, but you don’t need to write your own Wikipedia article. Provide links to reputable sources, like the CDC or NIH. Use your money to invest in the unique content your patients want, like what to expect when they receive care in your brand new dialysis center, or original advice on parenting a child who has ADHD. Invest in content that speaks to your patient populations’ cultural and socioeconomic needs.
“… healthcare systems don’t need to think that they have to create all that content because there’s already good content out there from places like the American Diabetes Association or NAMI or the CDC. I think it’s helpful for consumers that they can be pointed to some of that existing good content.”
“… what I hear from consumers and patients is, they want to make sure that the healthcare system is getting the healthcare part right. And the messaging part, sometimes they can find from other sources. Perhaps that’s the most succinct way to sometimes say it. It’s that we don’t have to be all things to all people.”
3. Will it help our providers help our patients?
4. What problem does this solve for us?
Questions 3 and 4 go hand-in-hand.
That new cutting-edge imaging equipment might be really tempting. But is it actually going to improve the quality of care your clinicians can provide — or is it just a really expensive new coat of paint? And how complex is it? Is taking the time to learn the new technology going to be worth the results?
If it’s not going to help providers, ask yourself if it’s going to solve any other problems that your organization or patients are facing. If there’s no problem, then you don’t need to spend time and money on a solution.
“Is it going to solve some important problems that our providers have, whether that’s our nurses or social workers or doctors? And really to stay focused in all those areas as much as possible on what are the problems we’re trying to solve? And is this a solution that meets it? I think it’s very easy to get enamored with solutions and cool, interesting technology that really doesn’t solve a problem that might actually add more layers of complexity or create more problems.”
The Takeaway
It’s easy to get caught up with wanting the latest and greatest, or to partner with a company because you enjoy working with the people there. Unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of wasted time and money in technology solutions that you don’t actually need or that are premature investments. But by asking the right questions, you can make investments that are best for your organization and won’t unnecessarily eat up your budget.
If one of your upcoming technology needs is a website or content overhaul, we’d love to work with you. Contact CareContent.
Podcasting Part 2: 10 Must-Have Team Members For Your Podcast Production Team
Over fifteen years ago, Apple offered more than 3,000 free podcasts on iTunes. Now, the medium is one of the most popular ways to consume information — and everyone wants in on the action.
Currently, there are nearly 2 million podcasts and over 47 million podcast episodes.
Source: PodcastInsights.com
However, producing a podcast is no easy feat. It requires a team that works together seamlessly.
The podcasting world is not just vast — it’s also diverse. Some podcasts release episodes every day and are backed by a large production team. Others are made in a basement and run by a couple of hardworking individuals.
CareContent produces Modern Healthcare’s Next Up, a twice-monthly podcast that empowers aspiring women healthcare leaders to reach new levels of success. We leverage our team members’ skills in order to produce engaging and inspiring content for healthcare leaders.
Whether you’re in the beginning stages of dreaming up your podcast, or you’re a little farther along, here’s who you need on your podcast production team.
If you want to start your own healthcare podcast but don’t know how, let us help!
Afterthoughts On ACHE: How To Get Honest Feedback From Your Team
You might look around at your team and your organization and think that everything is perfect. Spoiler alert: It’s probably not.
Or, you might look at them and see lots of areas for improvement, but feel like it’s a lost cause. Second spoiler alert: It’s probably not.
Even the seemingly most well-oiled organizations have room for improvement. The trick is using the right tools. Your team’s feedback is one of the greatest.
This past March, I hosted several panels for the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) virtual conference. Several of the panelists discussed not only the importance of receiving feedback, but also the best approach for getting it.
Here are three of the methods that stuck out to me as some of the most constructive tools for getting honest feedback from your team.
1. Conducting Rounds
Healthcare providers have been conducting daily patient rounds since the late 1880s. Rounds are used to ensure that patients and all members of their care team are on the same page, and to educate young providers. Ultimately, rounds have been shown to improve patient outcomes, and satisfaction for patients, providers, and employees alike.
So, instead of reinventing the wheel, why not take advantage of a model that’s been working for over a century?
Start conducting regular well-being rounds to check in with your employees and simply see how they’re doing. Make it clear that it’s an agendaless meeting. It’s a safe place to vent, ask questions, get reassurance, etc. Also, since employees might be a bit anxious knowing that senior leadership is in on the rounds, reassure them that this isn’t a “gotcha” meeting.
Well-being rounds help you learn by observation. Just like with medical rounds, you can make sure that everyone is on the same page about which tactics that you’ve put in place are or are not working.
Just be sure that you’re not getting in their way. They are incredibly busy trying to save lives. Don’t make well-being rounds just another burdensome task. Schedule a 15-minute Zoom call for those working remotely, or set aside a day where they can initiate a meeting with you.
2. Distributing Surveys
Another tried-and-true method for getting feedback is pulse-surveys.
Remember: Your employees are busy. They don’t want to spend more than a few minutes doing surveys.
Make surveys short — 3 to 5 questions max — via email or text. Send them at a regular cadence, like at 3 p.m. on Fridays, for example. That way employees know it’s coming. And if they miss it, they know it’s coming again.
Setting up a good system for surveys is a great initiative for an internal communications team to take on. It’s all about determining who should be involved in developing the questions, how frequently surveys should be sent, and what senior leadership really wants to take a pulse on.
3. Eliminating Implicit Bias
Workplace discrimination isn’t always visible. In many cases, if not most, it’s also not intentional. This is implicit bias — subconsciously stereotyping or having an attitude toward a group of people. Implicit bias has led to discrimination toward certain ethnic groups, genders, sexualities, abilities, and more in the workplace.
- More than 60% of employees feel that bias is present in their workplace.
- 84% of these employees say that bias has negatively affected their well-being, happiness, and confidence.
- 83% of employees who have witnessed workplace bias say that the bias is subtle or indirect.
Source: Deloitte
Nipping implicit bias in the bud is especially important in a healthcare organization. The 2019 “Bias Barrier” survey from Deloitte found that 70% of employees who have experienced or witnessed workplace bias feel that they are less engaged in their work. And what happens when healthcare providers are disengaged? Higher rates of hospital-acquired infections, longer patient stays, more readmissions, and lower patient safety scores.
This training can lead to hard conversations, but it’s important to cultivate transparency. Don’t get defensive — really listen to them, take in what they’re saying, and make a commitment to change.
There are many organizations that can help. For example, the Perception Institute provides solutions from simple needs assessments to workshops on recognizing and correcting implicit bias.
Making an open and sincere effort to eliminate implicit bias — as well as conducting rounds or distributing surveys — have an added bonus. It shows your employees that you value what they have to say and that their well-being is a company priority.
Making improvements doesn’t start and stop with receiving employee feedback. Contact CareContent to learn more about content-based solutions to meet your improvement goals.
Podcasting Part 1: 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Podcast
Two decades — that’s how long podcasts have been around. But in the last five years, the industry has skyrocketed and become one of the most popular ways to consume information out there, making it a $1 billion industry this year.
Nearly 78 million people in the US listen to a podcast at least once a week — a number that has more than doubled since 2016.
Source: Business Insider
Recognizing podcasts as an in-demand medium, in May 2020 CareContent became the producer of Modern Healthcare’s Next Up, a podcast that aims to inspire the next generation of women executives and innovators in healthcare.
This isn’t our first time producing a podcast. However, it’s my first time hosting, and it’s been a success. Though Next Up is still new, our average downloads are on par with healthcare podcasts that are older, more established, and have more promotional dollars behind them.
Next Up is clearly resonating with its audience. But this isn’t because of luck or fate or even money — it’s because of a solid content strategy and plenty of hard work.
If you’re looking to jump onto the podcast train, here are ten questions to ask yourself before you get started.
1. Who is the audience of your podcast?
Audience drives everything in the digital experience — including podcasting.
In general, a niche audience will be easier to reach.
The majority of new podcast listeners are women, and the median age of listeners is 34.
Source: Forbes
Once you identify a target audience, figure out what topics they care about. Just like content strategy, creation, and marketing, this podcast is about them — not you. Build your editorial calendar around your listeners.
On Next Up, our audience is aspiring healthcare leaders, with a particular spotlight on women. It’s our job to keep a pulse on what’s new and relevant in healthcare, what our listeners want to hear, and what will actually benefit them in their careers.
2. What are the goals of your podcast?
Starting a podcast without a goal is like driving to a new spot with no GPS.
What are you trying to do with your podcast? Maybe you want to raise awareness about your brand, drive listeners to attend an event, or encourage them to subscribe to a newsletter.
Figure out that overarching call to action (CTA) and use that to drive everything you do, including individual CTAs for each episode.
3. What is the tone of your podcast?
Tone matters. Your tone should remain consistent throughout the life of your podcast.
Decide whether you’re going to be formal and authoritative, causal and comedic, or somewhere in between.
If possible, adopt a tone that stands out from the typical voice of your audience. For instance, if your audience is used to formal, stuffy content, try using a more relaxed and colloquial tone (as long as it’s not offensive to your topic).
4. Who is going to do what?
At CareContent, we’ve learned a lot about the importance of a team effort in producing a podcast. It’s like a factory handoff, moving from one team member to the next. If one handoff isn’t successful, or one team member doesn’t understand their role, the whole thing can fall apart.
Determine beforehand who is going to do what, and make sure everyone understands their responsibilities. That way, you can rely on your team for efficiency and success.
5. What is the length of your podcast?
This decision is huge — but often undervalued. The length of your podcast will have a ton of implications, like how long interviews will be and how much time it will take to transcribe them. Not to mention, the length of your podcast will determine who will press play.
Decide the length of your podcast on the front-end to avoid problems down the line.
In March 2017, the average length of podcasts played in the US was between 15 and 30 minutes.
Source: Statista
Keep in mind — there’s no perfect length of a podcast. Some podcasts are 5 minutes, while others are 90. If you have a solid 20 minutes of good content, then 20 minutes it is. Don’t stretch out a podcast or cut it down to meet some imaginary standard.
6. What is the format of your podcast?
Though the podcast is a pretty straightforward concept, it’s extremely versatile. There are a ton of ways you can use this medium, and you need to decide what format you want before getting started.
Examples of different podcast formats include:
- Interviewer and guest
- Solo podcast, where one expert shares their thoughts
- A conversation among co-hosts
- A panel or roundtable discussion
- A compilation of audio snippets from guests who are not present
- Answering listeners’ questions
You can also opt for a combination of formats. However, playing around with the format too often might be off-putting to listeners, not to mention require more time and equipment.
7. How often do you want to produce your podcast?
The frequency of your podcast needs to be decided at the outset. If you go out the door producing too frequently — and then can’t maintain that — it’ll look tacky.
Determine what cadence you can realistically maintain to gather enough data. Pro tip: Don’t go with a daily podcast, unless you have a ton of resources available at your disposal.
If once a week is a bit of a crunch, go with twice a month or every 10 days. Down the road, if you have enough justification to increase the frequency, do it.
8. What do you want your audience to get from your podcast?
Considering your audience’s takeaways is key to determining everything from guests to questions to CTAs to sponsorship.
What do you want your audience to walk away with once they’ve listened to your podcast? Maybe it’s how to do something, inspiration, or knowledge they need for their career development.
Whatever the takeaway is, make sure it’s beneficial to your audience, so it’s worth their time to listen in.
9. Who is the competition for your podcast?
Currently, there are an estimated 1.9 million podcasts — and 47 million individual episodes. Needless to say, you’ll have some competition.
Before you begin, check out the landscape, and research who is talking to your audience about a similar topic. Look at what’s getting high levels of interaction and what’s working. Find topics you can provide a different perspective on.
You’ll always have competition, which is why you need to set your podcast up for success. Assessing that competition is key in the process.
10. How will you promote your podcast?
“If you build it, they will come” does not apply in the podcast world. Just because you put your podcast on some podcatchers and your website, you aren’t guaranteed listeners.
A robust promotional plan for each episode is a must for it to be worth producing a podcast.
Ready to start your own podcast? We can help with strategy, production, or both.
Afterthoughts On Tanya Andreadis And Educating Patients On The COVID-19 Vaccine
Just a year ago, a COVID-19 vaccine seemed like a distant promise. Now, vaccination efforts are ramping up across the country, and eligibility is expanding.
In some states, COVID-19 vaccination eligibility is already open to anyone over 16 years old. By the end of April, at least 36 states plan to be at that stage.
As of April 6, 2021, 32.4% of the US population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Experts believe that anywhere from 70 to 90% of the population must be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity.
Sources: Our World in Data, The New York Times
As eligibility expands, health systems shoulder the responsibility to reach more and more people — many of whom remain hesitant. Factors like social media, anti-vaccination groups, religious objections, the lack of long-term data, and our country’s history of racist experimentation in medical care and research are the root of this uncertainty.
Meanwhile, health systems must make sure vaccines aren’t going to waste, unlike the nearly 4,500 doses that were ruined in Tennessee in February alone.
On a recent episode of Modern Healthcare’s Next Up, we spoke with Tanya Andreadis, Chief Marketing Officer at UCLA Health. She has navigated the pandemic in one of the most hard-hit counties in the US — LA County. This also happens to be one of the most diverse counties in race, language, socioeconomic status, and mindsets about healthcare and the vaccine.
Here are three takeaways from Tanya that certainly apply as vaccine eligibility is expected to broaden this summer.
1. Get Feedback Quickly
“We have a report that we send every day to core groups of people in the organization that collectively brings together all the feedback that we’ve received that day on social media channels, in the form of emails, [and] from our web forms,” Tanya says.
When the messaging is not crystal clear, fix it. For instance, vaccine eligibility is changing rapidly — and health systems must ensure their patient population knows exactly when they can make an appointment.
“We had worked so hard to refine [the messaging], and we thought, ‘This is crystal clear, and this is so helpful.’ And it wasn’t actually because we’re so in our own worlds with the language we use and the understanding that we have,” she explains.
One solution? “Simplify, simplify, simplify — four or five levels of simplification,” Tanya says.
2. Bring In Community Support
Tanya’s COVID-19 initiative, TeamLA, brought together major institutions throughout Los Angeles to combat the virus together. It generated more than 12 million unique impressions in its first three months alone.
“We are embedded with these partnerships with really highly acclaimed sports teams, people that Los Angeles adores — the Dodgers and the Lakers and even our own Bruins at UCLA. We thought we would ride that energy around sports and try to appeal to our community, regarding COVID-19 as a team sport: ‘Let’s fight this together,’” Tanya explains.
Whether it’s about vaccine hesitancy or finally snagging a vaccine appointment, community efforts can be a game-changer.
Keep in mind — community partnerships are not limited to marquee names. Reach out to your donors, your alumni, local membership organizations, and others who have an engaged captive audience. “It’s partnering with those community organizations, like Boys and Girls Clubs [and] churches,” says Tanya.
3. Be Ready To Pivot
People are sick of hearing about masks and social distancing. It’s sad — but true. So, Tanya’s team shifted their messaging.
“We pivoted. Our new platform for messaging is not so much on citizen action, team sport, or unhealthy behaviors. Now, it’s a responsibility to seek information — to get the facts, and to look to science,” Tanya says.
If your health system’s message is around seeking information about the vaccine, hopefully your website supports that. It should be the place people are turning to for reliable information.
The shift will depend on your community’s sentiment as the vaccine rollout expands. “Being really in touch with public sentiment is one way to do that. Think about, ‘What are people wanting to hear right now? How can we add value, how can we contribute?’” she explains.
The role of healthcare organizations in the COVID-19 pandemic is nowhere near over. As vaccinations ramp up and new guidance is developed, patients need accurate and trustworthy information — and that starts with their local healthcare organizations.
Check out more episodes of Modern Healthcare’s Next Up, or subscribe at Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcatcher.
3 Afterthoughts On Google’s Advice For Healthcare Digital Content
I admit, I am one of THOSE patients. I feel something’s wrong. I Google it. I diagnose myself. When I involve my doctor, it’s to confirm the diagnosis and my treatment plan. Fortunately, my doctors know my personality, my background, and what I do for a living.
But Google has made it much easier for patients like me, and making it harder for hospitals to keep up.
Google’s Stealing Our Health System’s Traffic
Back in 2012, Google started displaying knowledge panels on the right side of the search engine results page. For health-related searches, these panels answer basic questions about symptoms, conditions, and treatments before we make an appointment. They also link to medical entities that Google deems trustworthy.
I’ve heard some people in the healthcare content space worry that Google is keeping users from the healthcare organization’s page where they should be getting these answers. And with more than 1 billion health questions about everything from conditions to medications to insurance, there probably are a lot of users who aren’t making it past the results page, because they don’t have to.
That is going to get even stricter. Google is taking more liberty to elevate credible content and eliminate what’s not. We can thank all the myths around COVID-19 and the vaccination for this step towards curation.
They also came out with this announcement:
“YouTube is partnering with a number of expert health organizations including the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, the National Academy of Health and Harvard’s school of public health to produce the content,” according to a January 2021 article from Fierce Healthcare. They recently brought on Dr. Garth Graham, former CVS chief community health officer and president of the Aetna Foundation, to lead the charge.
On January 23, 2021, we produced an episode of Modern Healthcare’s Next Up podcast with Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Google’s first Chief Health Officer.
Here are some key takeaways from our discussion.
1. Health Systems Will Have to Step It Up On Web Content
Don’t write medical condition 101 content. It’s not worth it, and you won’t win.
Google has officially taken care of the healthcare 101 content. That knowledge panel comes from a team of expert medical illustrators and marquee names in healthcare, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Mayo Clinic.
Then, Google promises that the content has been reviewed by a team of medical professionals.
Instead, your health system’s web content should:
- Direct patients to content from national trusted sources. “That’s maybe a timesaver but also a way that there’s a consistency of information and drumbeat that people can get across the country to hear the same messages from those same trusted, unbiased authorities. So many people are asking us questions, and now our job is to help them get the best information,” explains Dr. DeSalvo.
- Invest in content that matters to your specific patient population, like:
- The journey they can expect for treatment
- How you’ll approach their treatment and recovery
- The depression and other psychosocial issues that can come with the condition, especially if it requires a long recovery
- Bios on your providers (not just the doctors)
- Other support services, like nutrition, child care, transportation, events, etc.
- Support for spouses, children, etc.
Your content should talk about the patient’s journey and how your health system can help. Our team’s analytics have consistently found that people don’t want 101 content when they come to a health system website. They’ve already gotten that from Google.
2. Create Content For Your Patients — Not The Doctors
“Healthcare systems sometimes need to go a layer deeper and not just put up the thing that seems to resonate with the administrative team or the clinical team,” Dr. DeSalvo explains. She suggests healthcare organizations ask themselves, “Does this meet these expectations of our community population?”
One way to achieve this is to go straight to the source, such as a community or patient advisory board. I promise, getting feedback from even 3 people who match the target audience, can ensure you’re hitting the mark with your content.
The other way of knowing whether your content is resonating is having the right questions to ask your analytics.
I love working with smaller healthcare organizations that are either independent or couched within larger systems. But I’m always amazed at how many can’t remember the last time they’d seen an analytics report. If they are getting regular analytics from their digital partner or team, it’s a data dump.
No insight telling them to do this, not that. Your website’s data is one of the best sources to understand what questions your users are asking and what tasks they want to complete.
3. Put On Your Equity Filter
I believe healthcare organizations have a responsibility to provide equitable access to not only services, but also information. This takes extra effort if your digital marketing team does not look as diverse as your community.
“We’ve learned that there are ways that the healthcare system can very quickly shift its strategies and its tactics so that it can be more accessible to consumers and patients in the ways that they want them to be.”
— Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Chief Health Officer at Google
True equity must consider four areas, and each of these trickles into your health system’s content and messaging.
Finances
Cost is a barrier to accessing care. We know that. But your content can do its part to alleviate that if people can easily find information on paying bills, insurance questions, and financial help.
Geography
One study in January 2019 found that convenience was the number one factor that influences consumers on which provider to choose.
Now, Dr. DeSalvo says that’s even more important during the pandemic. Compared to 2019, telehealth usage in October 2020 was up more than 3,000%.
Kicking telehealth into the mainstream has helped with geographic barriers, but for people who still need to drive in, do the basic stuff.
Make sure your directory has accurate information both on the search engine results page and on your website. If you don’t, your content is contributing to a potential barrier.
Ability
This refers to reaching people who have hearing, visual, literacy and developmental differences. People with different ability levels should be able to access content that answers their questions.
If your content creates issues for people with hearing and visual impairments, or developmental differences, you are demonstrating bias and potentially subjecting yourself to a violation of the American Disabilities Act.
Culture
I’m not an expert, so I’m not going to attempt a fancy definition of culture. To me, cultural differences mean, you belong to a different group than I belong to.
That group could be based on race or ethnicity, gender, language, sexual orientation, whatever.
If I haven’t learned how to communicate with your group, I’m probably not doing it well. Worst-case scenario is I’m offending you and creating another barrier for you to get care.
If you want your content to be useful, your team should have some standards or best practices in these areas as needed.
Digital Content Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic
Healthcare digital content has transformed in the past year, and it will continue to do so. As Dr. DeSalvo explains, “When we come out of this pandemic, we’re going to have big health challenges down the road. We’re going to have a pent-up demand for chronic disease, around substance use disorder, as well as other mental health challenges.”
Moving forward, adaptability, recognition of consumer needs, and quality digital content will continue to be essential for healthcare organizations.
Just as Google stands ready to continue to play its important part in the public health ecosystem, so should healthcare organizations — and how you approach your digital content will be a significant factor.
Are you looking to improve your healthcare organization’s digital content strategy? We can help.
Happy Holidays From CareContent!
The CareContent Team had a great, physically distanced holiday party via everyone’s favorite communication tool this year. There was a lot of laughter, as we competed in some fun games! It was what everyone needed as we look to put 2020 in the rearview mirror.
Happy Holidays, and see you in 2021!
Top 10 Take-Home Messages From Modern Healthcare’s Next Up
One of the highlights of this crazy year for me has been producing and hosting a podcast for Modern Healthcare called Next Up. It’s a twice-monthly podcast for emerging healthcare executives.
Next Up came right on time — a year in which healthcare has been on the front and center of everyone’s mind. I was able to talk to several of our nation’s healthcare leaders about diversity in healthcare leadership, how to actually lead, and of course, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next Up’s 3 Most Popular Episodes
- Dealing with Two Crises: COVID-19 and Civil Unrest with Dr. Carladenise Edwards
- You Said What? How Women Healthcare Leaders Can Communicate More Effectively with Dr. Joanne Conroy
- Gender Equity During COVID-19 with Dr. Rosemary Morgan
Here are 10 key takeaways from Modern Healthcare’s Next Up during 2020.
1. On the implications of lacking female representation in healthcare leadership:
“The percentage of women in the health workforce worldwide — it’s 75%. But women only make up 25% of the global health or health workforce decision-making roles or leadership roles, which is a huge discrepancy…So, if these task forces are all made up of men, what does that mean for [women’s] needs?”
–Dr. Rosemary Morgan, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, on Next Up’s COVID-19’s Gender Gap, May 30, 2020
2. On going beyond filling the diversity grid in healthcare leadership:
“The next step is actual inclusion, where now that you’ve brought the people into the organization or you’ve given them a seat at the table, are you taking the right steps for them to be included and to actually feel included? What you need is diversity of thought and opinion, so that you can make business decisions, clinical decisions, scientific decisions, based on the knowledge that that person is bringing to the conversation.”
–Dr. Carladenise Edwards, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Henry Ford Health System, on Next Up’s Dealing with Two Crises, June 24, 2020
3. On the power of silence:
“Women often fill up the space, but silence can actually be very powerful, even though it may feel a little uncomfortable. If you’ve said something important, a little silence after it is okay.”
–Joanne Conroy, President and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock on Next Up’s You Said What? How Women Healthcare Leaders Can Communicate More Effectively, July 11, 2020
4. On how to make sure you’re considered for a C-suite role in healthcare:
“Some people have their eyes so much on the next job, they’re not really doing the current one to its full capacity. Sometimes, it’s going outside the traditional lines of the job — offering yourself for a complex project, taking on something that no one else wants to do. Those are the things that often really have people stand out.”
–Nancy Schlichting, former CEO of Henry Ford Health System, on Next Up’s Finding Your Place in Line, July 25, 2020
5. On having what it takes to move up the ranks in healthcare:
“…Get into the trenches. Walk the floors, meet the workforce, understand what are the pressures, the concerns, the highs and lows of your clinical staff. Understand the pressures and highs and lows of your non-patient-facing workforce. And start to make some determinations on where you fit in …”
–Darci Hall, Chief Learning Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health, on Next Up’s Are You Ready to Lead a Hospital?, September 5, 2020
6. On making sure you’re always growing in your healthcare career:
“I would tell myself to be more open to opportunities as they come up…I talk about self-confidence, but I always add the additional admonition — self-confidence without arrogance. We just can’t afford to move in these positions and be arrogant in them, because how will we help others coming behind us if we’re experiencing the queen bee situation?”
–Dr. Vivian Pinn, first full-time Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health, on Next Up’s What Would I Tell My 40-Year Old Self?, September 19, 2020
7. On what it takes for hospitals to be prepared for the next pandemic:
“Don’t ever try to fix the roof when there is a storm. You fix the roof when the sun is shining… You should become unbelievably familiar with all the other parts of your organization and become not only familiar, but develop relationships with the leaders and all of the other components. Because that level of trust, and that integration of relationship, is imperative during any kind of a crisis. It’s, in fact, imperative to make sure the system actually works even in normal times.”
–Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, on Next Up’s Leading Through a Pandemic, October 17, 2020
8. On what to anticipate in healthcare during the Biden-Harris administration:
“I think that this team has been not only monitoring, but preparing for more testing and tracing [of COVID-19], and a much clearer, singular message around the types of sensible public health measures that everyone can and should be taking. That’s the social distancing, the handwashing, the mask-wearing …”
–Ceci Connolly, President and CEO at Alliance of Community Health Plans, on Next Up’s How to Navigate the Murky Post-Election Waters, November 11, 2020 (Bonus Election Episode)
9. On possible solutions for obstacles rural healthcare organizations are facing:
“It’s been a continued goal of a lot of these standalone hospitals to try to find partners through some sort of merger or acquisition. A lot of times they have more resources and can offer better deals, higher salaries to doctors, specialists, nurses, even administrative staff. That goes a long way.”
–Alex Kacik, Hospital Operations Reporter for Modern Healthcare, on Next Up’s Saving Rural Health, November 11, 2020
10. On how healthcare systems can actually impact public health:
“It’s not about patients — it’s about populations, it’s about policy. We need to lean on healthcare for their power. Take something like asthma, and you have kids who are coming into the ER. If the reason they’re coming in is because of something in the apartment building that they live in, then there’s no clinical remedy to that. You have to actually change the environment. So, there is a real argument for healthcare putting low-interest loans on the street, to that property owner, so they can change out the HVAC. The hospital makes its money back on the loan, and all of a sudden, we resolve the issue that was driving the children into the ER with asthma.”
–Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, on Next Up’s COVID-19, Social Determinants Highlight Health Inequities — What Next?, November 28, 2020
Check out our latest episode with Carter Dredge, Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at SSM Health, about what aspiring leaders need to know about the role of disruption and innovation in healthcare.
At CareContent, we create and promote quality healthcare content. Let us help your organization.
Happy Thanksgiving From Our Team To Yours
It’s the season of giving thanks, and this year, practicing gratitude has been a little more challenging than most. By now, it goes without saying that 2020 has thrown countless curveballs, hurdles, and obstacles our way.
In the midst of it all, expressing appreciation remains crucial in order to stay positive, spread kindness, and focus on the good in the world.
Kadesha — Founder and CEO
I am grateful for so much. Despite the hardship of this season, there have been so many blessings. My husband and I were able to complete the renovation of our building just before the pandemic. Having a safe, peaceful, kid-friendly environment has made this pandemic much more bearable. I’m so thankful for my health and my family’s. I was fortunate enough to have a mild bout of COVID-19. Considering our national death toll is above 250,000, I have to thank God for that. I’m also grateful to have such an amazing team working at CareContent. Being a Black woman entrepreneur is not easy, but they make it a pleasure.
Crystal — Operations and Project Manager
So many things I’m grateful for this year. I’m grateful for the health of my family. I’m grateful that my kids still find joy in little things like digging holes in the dirt and popping bubbles. Super grateful that laughing brings instant relief and relaxation. Very grateful that someone had the genius idea to combine three of my most favorite leisure activities into one: Tig Notaro, documentaries, and podcast (see Tig and Cheryl True Story Podcast). And lastly, grateful for mornings when I get to start the day with a hot cup of coffee and quiet time in prayer and meditation.
Lynette — Content Director
I am even more grateful than ever for family and friends and their well-being (and mine) during this unbelievable year. I am also more grateful for those things that we often take for granted like companionship, human touch, dining out, traveling. Lastly, I’m grateful for the small things, such as cheesy holiday movies and my favorite go-to snack during this pandemic: garlic and onion pistachios from Trader Joe’s. I won’t tell you how many bags of these delicious pistachios I’ve eaten over the last several months.
Nicole — Multimedia Content Designer
I am definitely grateful for living in a place — city, dwelling, and all — that takes health and safety seriously, and that my family members are trying their best to safeguard themselves. Those things alone have given me peace of mind during this time. Also grateful for memes, nature walks, stand-up comedy specials, newly discovered podcasts, and nightly glasses of wine. All have been greatly needed while trying to keep up with the news, work, and manage virtual school with two young children!
Sammi — Lead Content Specialist
This Thanksgiving, I am incredibly grateful for my health, the health of my friends and family, and to be surrounded by people who value their loved ones’ health. Almost everyone I know is vigilant about wearing masks, social distancing, etc. I’m especially grateful that my immediate family all lives in the same area so we can be in a bubble, and that we have a new addition to our family: my troublemaker cat, Twyla. Oh. And let’s not forget online trivia, game nights, and Schitt’s Creek marathons.
Natalie — Web Content Specialist
This year, I’m beyond grateful for the health of my family and friends. I’m also grateful I got to marry the man I love this year, despite every obstacle up against us (and I’m also thankful that we still love each other despite working from home and being cooped up in our condo together). I’m grateful for learning to appreciate the little things, like sitting by my fireplace with a book, the feeling of fresh air during a run, or the way my dog puts her paws on her face when she sleeps. It’s really quite adorable.
From our grateful team to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! We wish you all the best as you celebrate this holiday season safely.
Fight Bias With Content Strategy [Webinar]
Shortcuts get us through the day and are usually harmless or helpful. But when they are built on bias — even unintentionally — they can become the exact opposite.
The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, forced Americans to take a close look at how racism is deeply ingrained into our culture. Protests erupted overnight and showed no signs of stopping. One of the themes that came up throughout the protests was implicit bias and those shortcuts that our minds take every day.
In this August 2020 webinar that I co-hosted, content strategy expert David Dylan Thomas used real-life examples to identify some particularly nasty biases that can lead website users to make poor decisions. He addressed how content creators and designers can use content strategy and design choices in apps, designs, and platforms to redirect or eliminate the impact of cognitive bias. We also explored our own biases as content strategists and some methods to prevent blind spots from misdirecting or even hurting our users.
David’s presentation is followed by an informative Q&A session.
Get David’s Design for Cognitive Bias Resources Sheet
Hosts
Chris Hester, Content Strategy Consultant
Jen O’Brien, Content Strategy Consultant
Kadesha Thomas Smith, Founder/CEO, CareContent
Guest Presenter
David Dylan Thomas
Content Strategy Advocate
Think Company
Watch: “Fight Bias with Content Strategy”
Watch below or view on YouTube.
