Becker's Hospital Review

23 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 23 CEO / STRATEGY The opportunities awaiting UPMC in China By Laura Dyrda W hen Randy Jernejcic, MD, heads to China later this year to lead UPMC's new 500-bed hospital in Chengdu, it will be more like a second home- coming than an entirely new adventure. Dr. Jernejcic first traveled to China in 1994 as a medical student and spent the summer at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan. He later returned to China as CMO of Beijing United Family Hospital from 2009-12. He'll take those expe- riences into his new role as CEO of Chengdu Wanda-UPMC International Hospital, which is set to open in March 2023. Before heading to China, Dr. Jernejcic will spend six months in Pittsburgh, where UPMC is headquartered, learning about the system's culture and inner workings while re- motely working on building and developing the team on the ground in China. "UPMC is an amazing organization, inter- nationally known for its commitment to quality, safety and patient experience," Dr. Jernejcic said. "If we start there and talk about bringing that over to China, we can't go wrong. If we do everything focused on quality, patient safety and patient focus, that is the true guiding star." One of the challenges Dr. Jernejcic faces in building the hospital is establishing a vision of high-quality care and delivering on it. e hospital can't be entirely American hospital or an entirely Chinese hospital but should in- stead bring the two together. "China has an amazing healthcare system as it is," Dr. Jernejcic said. "There are some fabulous physicians and nurses, so bringing the two together may not be as hard as one would imagine, because they already start off in a wonderful position. The manage- ment infrastructure in UPMC, the connec- tivity to the excellence of the people driving the vision in Pittsburgh, and having them help us with aligning the teams together and starting to build upon that vision of what is already here will be key for what we're trying to do." China's lack of primary care infrastructure will make strategic decisions a bit different than in the U.S. "Primary care as we see it here is the ability to rely on the family physician to help navigate your healthcare," Dr. Jernejcic said. "at is just starting to be recognized in China and is not very strong. Because of that, and a num- ber of other things including the large popu- lation, folks tend to go directly to the hospital to get their care in China. at starts to put a whole different pressure from a volume and care perspective on those hospitals because of the lack of the primary care infrastructure." But he does see key similarities between the two countries: e U.S. and Chinese health- care systems are ripe with opportunities to deliver higher-value care, create efficiencies and improve quality. "Both countries are really looking for reform, how to make healthcare more affordable, and how to improve not just the patient sitting in front of you, but the overall population of people we serve," Dr. Jernejcic said. He said he plans to partner with local governments, hospitals and training facilities to become part of the evolving healthcare ecosystem in the region. n 6 ways Generation Z interacts differently with the healthcare system By Kelly Gooch C ompared with older generations, members of Gen- eration Z were more likely to report feeling emotion- ally distressed during the COVID-19 pandemic but less likely to seek help for their behavioral health challeng- es, according to a report by management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The report, released Jan. 14, examined consumer surveys and interviews conducted by McKinsey. Some of the data was based on the firm's analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey as of November 2020. Other findings were based on the McKinsey Consumer Behavior- al Health Survey conducted in November and December 2020 — a nationally representative survey of about 1,500 responses, including an oversample of Gen Z respondents. Other findings from the report are from the McKinsey Con- sumer Health Insights Survey, conducted in June 2021 — a nationally representative survey of about 2,900 responses, including 316 Gen Z responses. Six findings from the report: 1. One-fourth of Gen Z respondents reported feeling more emotionally distressed amid the pandemic, compared to mil- lennials/Gen X (13 percent) and baby boomers (8 percent). 2. More than half (58 percent) of Gen Z respondents re- ported two or more unmet social needs, including income, employment, education, food, housing, transportation, so- cial support and safety. This compared with 16 percent of people from older generations. 3. Gen Z members are 1.6 to 1.8 times more likely to report not seeking treatment for a behavioral health condition than millennials. 4. One in 4 Gen Z respondents said they could not afford mental health services, which had the lowest perceived af- fordability of services surveyed, including health insurance and housing. 5. Compared with older generations, Gen Z respondents were up to four times more likely to report using the emer- gency room, and two to three times more likely to report using crisis services or behavioral health urgent care in the past 12 months. 6. To manage behavioral health challenges, many Gen Zers indicated they first go to TikTok or Reddit for advice from other young people; they also reported following thera- pists on Instagram or downloading relevant apps. n

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