Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1311160
24 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Patient experience in the age of COVID-19: Northwell Health's CXO on lessons learned & what lies ahead By Anuja Vaidya A er facing an onslaught of COVID-19 cases in the early months of the pandemic, hospitals in New York are now focused on what comes next. With flu season and the pan- demic raging on, hospitals in the state are trying to take what they learned from the first spike and put those lessons into action. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is especially focused on taking lessons learned and applying them to improve patient and caregiver experience. Sven Gierlinger, Northwell's chief experience officer, spoke with Becker's in September about how his organization plans to navigate the challenges ahead, while keeping the patient and caregiver at the center of every decision. Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. Question: What are the key lessons learned from the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic? Sven Gierlinger: As the largest health system in New York, North- well cared for more than 50,000 COVID-19 patients — more than any U.S. healthcare organization during the pandemic's initial surge. is health crisis has truly unified us in ways few would have imag- ined, and we continue to see the very best of humanity, from our heroic team members, to our brave patients and families, as well as an unwavering commitment from the communities we serve. From a patient experience perspective, we look at three key compo- nents that have helped us along the way. First, our commitment to maintaining the patient and family connection by any means neces- sary, as we know that preserving human connection and support is one of the most crucial components to the healing process and the overall provision of care. Second, it's supporting our people — our team members who humbly took on the valiant role of hero — many times placing themselves in the 'war zone,' to help others. Providing consistent emotional support, transparent communication and an optimistic and positive view was and still is the way we help to carry our teams through this journey. Finally, while many talk about innovation, we define it. We knew the rapid implementation of novel, technology-based solutions would play a critical role in our response to the pandemic. It became clear that it's not just about access to the technology when you are trying to deploy end-to-end solutions within a matter of days. It's about empowering the right mix of interdisciplinary team members to be creative and understand the impact of any solution on the surround- ing ecosystem of processes and workflows. Technology, in certain contexts, has earned a reputation for having a dehumanizing effect on social interactions. However, the social isolation factor brought on by the pandemic showed that technology can profoundly improve levels of connection between patients, families and providers through the establishment of digital communication pathways. Q: What new patient experience strategies is Northwell planning to implement based on those lessons? SG: We have prioritized the ways in which we facilitate communica- tion between providers and patients/families via extensive telehealth networks, virtual visitation platforms and innovative technology solutions. Given lessons learned, all patient journey maps now take into consid- eration infection control and social distancing, so touchless trans- action and digital communication may be deployed where possible. We are also looking to expand digital communication tools, with es- calations [to] live agents [when needed], as a means of more broadly setting expectations, managing concerns and taking care of tasks that previously required a phone call or in-person interaction. Given the likelihood of restrictive visitation policies for the foresee- able future, we are looking to expand digital communication tools at all hospitals. Playback Health, for example, is a HIPAA-secure mobile platform application that provides a wide menu of commu- nication tools as a means of promoting virtual clinician-to-clinician, patient-to-family and family-to-clinician interactions. at being said, we also recognize that technology is only one com- ponent of communication strategy. Simultaneously, robust education is being implemented to prepare providers and front-line teams with evidence-based empathetic communication skills training. Q: What strategies does Northwell have in place to man- age patient experience this fall, as the pandemic collides with flu season? SG: COVID-19 reinforced how important it is to remain flexible and optimistic, communicate oen and to keep patients at the center of everything we do. e reality of our systems and resources being stretched due to flu season and potential COVID surge is something we are actively planning for each and every day. From a digital patient experience perspective, we're strengthening our ability to communicate not only with patients, but also with loved ones who may be caring for them. We've expanded our tele- health offerings and are working to make it easy for people to book and launch virtual care for themselves and their family. We are also looking at how text messaging can help manage the flow of people coming into our clinics and doctors' offices to help maintain safe distancing. ere is also a lot of energy being placed into the thoughtful integra- tion of the digital communication, telehealth, engagement, self-ser- vice and artificial intelligence solutions mentioned above. It is vitally important that these solutions be complementary, not redundant, and deliver a frictionless and seamless experience to patients, fam- ilies, providers and care teams. We've stockpiled essential supplies, leadership teams have performed mock command center drills, tech- nology devices have been prepared for bedside utilization and staff have undergone cross-training so they can be quickly redeployed, if needed. [We] have been focusing on further refining and improving upon patient experience-based programs and processes we initially adopted at the height of the pandemic. Q: How is Northwell planning to ensure caregiver well-being over the next year? What did you glean from the initial surge? SG: Caring for our more than 70,000 healthcare professional caregiv- ers must remain top of mind. ey are the heartbeat of the organi- zation. As leaders, it is our profound responsibility that we prioritize