Becker's Hospital Review

91 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Biggest clinical priorities within the next 3-5 years: 3 CCOs weigh in By Gabrielle Masson A s clinicians continue to work on the front lines of an ongo- ing pandemic, policies and protocols promoting efficient care delivery while supporting the well-being of providers and pa- tients is essential. Practices created amid "the new normal" may last years beyond the pandemic. During a Sept. 10 session at Becker's Clinical Leadership Virtual Event, a panel of chief clinical officers discussed the present and future of clinical leadership. Panelists included: • Michael Williams, MD, FACS, general surgeon and associate chief clinical officer for clinical integration at Charlottesville-based Uni- versity of Virginia Health System. • Ajay Kumar, MD, MBA, physician and chief clinical officer at Hart- ford (Conn.) HealthCare. • James Kravec, MD, chief clinical officer for Mercy Health-St. Eliza- beth Youngstown (Ohio) and medical director of graduate medical education at Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health. Here is an excerpt from the conversation, lightly edited for clarity. Question: What do you foresee your biggest clinical priorities be- ing over the next three to five years? Dr. Ajay Kumar: We're focusing on the wellness of clinicians and col- leagues across our system. We want to make sure they feel supported. ey're going through a really traumatic experience of COVID-19, so we're putting a lot of effort into preserving the health and resilience of the clinical teams. We have a wellness department, meetings and access to health, among other things. Beyond that, we're actually very optimistic for the new normal. We've learned a lot about virtual health and how to create new access points using telehealth. e platform has brought new patients to our ecosystem, along with new questions. How do we scale up? How do we create a system with easy access to top clinicians for all types of patients? We also must figure out how to de-risk our organization for the long-term future so we can better prepare for the next pandemic or similar challenge. Dr. James Kravec: One of my top clinical priorities is the growth of ambulatory sites and primary care. I really connect those to our grad- uate medical education programs. How do we grow physicians who will then stay in our communities and increase quality of care? I think that's probably one of the most important things I do — recruiting physicians and explaining from the beginning what our organization expects as far as quality, communication, behavior, etc. e second priority is preparing our organization locally and at the system level as ACO and clinically integrated networks grow. We must also recognize that inpatient management is migrating to outpatient surgery. Dr. Michael Williams: Our main clinical priorities are to drive health equity and health quality in parallel, as well as staying commercially viable. As an academic tier 1 research institution in a public universi- ty during COVID, the ability to expand care networks and education clinics will be a big part of the next few years. Not being able to teach in-person will mean redesigning an entire educational curriculum and platform. I think one of the other central priorities will be finding ways to connect patients who are living at the margins of society. It's institutions like the University of Virginia Health System that will be at ground zero in terms of public access to healthcare, clinical trials and eventual vaccines. Our other clinical priority is health equity. An email- or web-based platform is great for many, but there are a signif- icant number of patients that don't have access to those things on a regular basis, or would have to choose between that and eating. And that is a reality we all must face. n 5 nurse leadership styles to know By Mackenzie Bean A ll nurses are leaders, regardless of their title, and must identify the leadership style that works best for them, Kimberly Gibbons, DNP, RN, a nurse midwife and clinical instructor at Manchester-based Southern New Hampshire University, wrote in a Sept. 8 blog post. Dr. Gibbons outlined the following five leadership styles: 1. Transformational leadership. Leaders urge a shared vision among the team, using encouragement and inspira- tion to promote change. These leaders are often extrovert- ed, future-oriented and open to new experiences. Trans- formational leaders are most effective in leading health systems through larger changes or improvements. 2. Democratic leadership. Leaders rely on the group's participation to guide decision-making and management. These leaders are highly collaborative, empowering and mutually respectful. Democratic leaders can be useful when seeking to build new relationships between leader- ship and a group of nurses. 3. Laissez-faire leadership. Leaders take a hands-off ap- proach in which they encourage the group to make their own decisions and develop solutions for work-related issues. These leaders are trusting and tolerant of both innovations and error. 4. Autocratic leadership. Leaders implement rules and orders in a very authoritative and structured manner. This leadership style can be effective during emergency or trauma situations. 5. Servant leadership. Leaders give their team members the skills, tools and relationships needed to perform their best. These leaders share their power, actively listen to col- leagues and prioritize others over themselves. n

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