For the past year and a half, the world has been at war with an invisible enemy. Although there are still many uncertainties, providers already know some things that can help them move forward.
Give a virtual keynote speech at the following locations HIMSS 21 numberMichael Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health in New York City, detailed some of the key knowledge he has gathered in the past 15 months or so.
Here are five lessons he shared:
The importance of agility
The emergence of Covid-19 requires healthcare providers to act quickly. Dowling said that in just a few days or weeks, the health system had to reconfigure their facilities to accommodate hordes of Covid-19 patients seeking care, redirect and retrain staff, and work out A plan to care for non-Covid patients. As the pandemic enters a new phase, agility will remain essential, which means that the health system must strive to maintain the level of flexibility demonstrated so far.
Benefits of an integrated health system
Dowling said that a health system with multiple hospitals, outpatient care sites and after-emergency services can effectively respond to the Covid-19 crisis. In April last year, when New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic, Northwell Health took care of more than 3,000 Covid patients every day, and Dowling believed that having multiple care locations would help them survive.
“it [is] It’s hard for me to imagine how an independent, unique, and independent hospital would respond to the crisis without the support of a large integrated system,” he said. “I know that many people now criticize [and asking] Does the large-scale system work? Well, if you want to find evidence…Look at the Covid experience. “
The importance of taking care of employees
With the overwhelming scale of the pandemic, the health system must focus on protecting its most precious resource: its employees. Dowling said that keeping employees inspired is critical to Covid’s response. Once the crisis is over, the health system cannot lose its commitment to employees.
Urgent need for technology
Dowling said that the public health crisis has forever changed the relationship between the healthcare industry and technology. Technology has helped health systems quickly change the way they provide care, manage resources, and maintain communications inside and outside the facility.
“If we don’t have the technology [or] We can’t use [it], We will not be able to deal with crises as we did before,” he said. “Our technology contracts are now very different.The question will be, as we move forward, how do we expand the use of technology to increase access to care [and] Quality of care. “
Entrepreneurial potential
With the surge of Covid-19 cases in the United States, the federal and state governments have relaxed healthcare regulations to achieve an effective response. Dowling said that with the relaxation of restrictions, innovation and entrepreneurship in the healthcare industry have flourished.For example, the adoption and use of telemedicine can accelerate as quickly as they are because there are several Federal and state rules Very relaxing.
He said that policymakers now have the opportunity to review regulations and modify them to allow continued innovation.
Although the pandemic is not over, the healthcare industry now knows more than it did in March 2020. As the healthcare system implements the lessons learned so far, the landscape of the industry may undergo major and minor changes.
“In my opinion, this is a new beginning,” Dowling said. “We must create a better future now.”
Photo: xavierarnau, Getty Images
