Becker's Hospital Review

30 CMO / CARE DELIVERY The top items on 5 chief medical officers' to-do lists By Bari Faye Dean C linical leaders across the country know employee burnout, medication shortages and respiratory infections, among a wealth of other challenges, have created the not-so-perfect storm in hospitals. Richard Shannon, MD, chief quality officer at Duke Health in Raleigh, N.C., told Becker's something has to give or clinicians will continue to react to overwhelming working conditions "with their feet," referring to the several recent nurses' strikes at New York hospitals. e main thing clinical leaders can do to help is to better understand the problems firsthand, Dr. Shannon said. He called on chief medical officers to "get out of their offices so they can see and understand the barriers to the work their people are facing. Zoom meetings and planning sessions are no substitute for a leader going to see the work in action." Dr. Shannon said it is up to clinical leaders to make changes in their own hospitals to address serious systemic issues. Along those lines, Becker's asked five chief medical officers to name the top items on their to-do lists: Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. John Heaton, MD. President and Chief Medical Officer of LCMC Health (New Orleans): Efficiency is at the top of my to-do list — making the most of the resources we have. is includes enabling doctors to work in a manner that makes better care possible by reducing waste and limiting burnout. On the patient flow side, helping the care team to expedite patient discharges and targeting the proper level of care is essential. Anything we can do to limit ER holds will materially improve the experience for patients and providers. Next, we must rethink our approach, and when needed, adjust processes. It's critical that we don't just do what we did before. In order to deliver the best service possible, we have to be more flexible and move patients through the system, from clinic visits to inpatient discharges to post- acute settings. Finally, collaboration is key. From day one of our partnership with Tulane University, we've been working to gain economies of scale and make the most of the assets we have. With this partnership we are growing capacity and capability, which will allow our system to accommodate more patients. is will ensure that we are increasing access and delivering the best quality of care to our patients at all times. Sunil Madan, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center (Goddard, Md.): We must address provider burnout caused by staffing challenges. But, also, to be able to 'Operation Nightingale': Feds charge 25 in sweeping nurse diploma scheme By Mackenzie Bean T wenty-five people have been charged for their alleged participation in a coordinated scheme to sell aspiring nurses thousands of fake nursing degree documents, the Justice Department said Jan. 25. The scheme involved selling more than 7,600 fraudulent diplomas and transcripts from three now shuttered nursing schools in Florida to aspiring nurses who had not actually completed the necessary coursework to graduate or sit for the National Council Licensure Examination. Aspiring nurses would allegedly pay $10,000 or more for the fake diplomas, which fast-tracked the process for them to take the NCLEX test. Applicants who passed the test and gained licensure then allegedly used the fake documents to secure employment "with unwitting healthcare providers throughout the country," officials said. "This is probably one of the most brazen schemes that I've seen. And it does shock the mind," Omar Perez Aybar, special agent in charge with HHS' Office of Inspector General, told ABC News. The inspector general's office, FBI and Justice Department launched "Operation Nightingale" — named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing — to take down the scheme after a Florida state audit identified poor NCLEX passing rates at the three nursing schools. In total, 25 people face criminal wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges in five states: Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Delaware. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail. Mr. Aybar said additional action may be taken against nursing applicants who allegedly purchased the fake diplomas. n "We must address provider burnout caused by staffing challenges. But, also, to be able to recruit and retain the best providers, we must also remain steadfast in our efforts toward financial recovery aer the pandemic." — Sunil Madan, MD, chief medical officer of Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center

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