Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1541770
25 INNOVATION Health system CEOs turn anxiety into innovation By Laura Dyrda T here is a lot of anxiety in healthcare right now as many health system executives expect slim margins to tighten in the next few years amid increasing need for organizational transformation. Expenses are expected to increase across the board – labor, supply and drug–while reimbursements flatten and many will see their premiums skyrocket. Hospitals are figuring out how to incorporate artificial intelligence into operational workflows while alleviating capacity to bridge access to care gaps and elevate the patient experience. Leaders are also concerned with improving quality care metrics, security and transforming the workforce. Some C-suite leaders are tackling these issues by rebooting their operating model around innovation. "Healthcare doesn't need more initiatives; it needs a better operating system – an enterprise way of running care that performs every hour of every day," said Michael Chalrton, president and CEO of AtlantiCare in Atlantic City, N.J. "e next five years will test the resilience of every health system. Policy will swing. Technology will accelerate. Workforce stamina will be strained. e organizations that thrive won't be the ones chasing the most pilots; they'll be the ones that can absorb disruption and keep delivering consistent, high-quality care. In other words: they won't out-innovate; they will out-operate" AtlantiCare has developed the Health System Operating Model 2.0 as the backbone of its Vision 2030 strategy for success. Mr. Charlton said aligning the people, pathways and platforms is important so C-suites can build systems that optimize time for clinicians and outcomes for patients. "Talk is abundant in healthcare; commitment is scarce," he said. "Our field needs fewer secrets and more standards. Innovation isn't skunkworks. It's the operating system. e C-suite's job in the next five years is to build it, run it and scale it so that excellence is not episodic, but every day." Renton, Wash.-based Providence also rolled out its 2030 strategic direction earlier this year with a focus on being the best place to give and receive care. In the next five years, President and CEO Erik Wexler said the organization will take "bold steps" to adapt to the changing environment while staying true to the mission of serving everyone in the community, especially the poor and vulnerable. "We're navigating what I call a polycrisis, a convergence of economic, policy, technical and societal challenges that are reshaping the landscape," said Mr. Wexler. "As health system leaders face these complexities and look to the future, fostering innovation, building resilience and leading with values has never been more essential." But that's easier said than done and takes incredible leadership to achieve results. Providence has a digital innovation group and, being located near the tech hubs in Seattle and California, the expertise and relationships to leverage technology in a more meaningful way. Health systems in middle-America and rural communities are relying on the ingenuity of internal teams to spark innovation. Derek Goebel, CFO of Altru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D., is one of those leaders. "Health system C-suites will continue to experience a pace of change unlike any other five-year period in the past," he said. "Leaders will need to look at care delivery in a new light, creating access in new ways that lean into innovation and meeting patients where and when they want care with a growing patient need and a challenged healthcare workforce to add pressure. To thrive, this needs to occur with a close eye on maintaining liquidity and investing in new models at the right time." His team is prioritizing care access and equity while making sure it's easy for patients to navigate the healthcare system in the coming years. Technology will make it easier to innovate, but raises new issues and disparities between the large, well-resourced systems and the small community hospitals. "Technology will continue to advance at lightning pace making it nearly impossible to be on the front edge of investment through a necessity to accept AI integration and tools like ambient listening or predictive analytics will become commonplace in health systems, requiring not only financial capacity to make up front investments but there will also be a need to recruit and retain technology professionals in spaces previously not common in healthcare," said Mr. Goebel. Deborah Visconi, president and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., takes a similar approach. She said health systems that will thrive in the next five years will have courageous, collaborative and curious leaders. "e pace of change in healthcare — from technology and workforce shis to payer models and community needs — demands leaders who are bold enough to challenge the status quo, partner beyond traditional boundaries, and remain relentlessly curious about what's next," she said. "At Bergen New Bridge, we've learned that innovation doesn't come from comfort; it comes from listening deeply, embracing complexity, and staying mission-focused on equitable access and community well-being." n West Virginia system launches mobile medical unit By Ella Jeffries H untington, W.Va.-based Marshall Health Network and the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University have launched a 38-foot mobile medical unit to expand care across the system's 40-county service area. The "Marco" unit debuted Nov. 10 and houses two fully equipped exam rooms, a blood draw station and waiting area, as well as telehealth capabilities, according to a news release. It will provide services such as cardiology, women's health, cancer screenings, occupational medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics and trauma-informed child advocacy. Leaders said the unit is designed to fill gaps in care based on local needs and input, and to address transportation barriers to improve early detection and chronic disease management in rural areas. The unit will also serve as a training site for resident physicians, fellows and students. n