← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Advancing Pediatric Care Through Smarter Informatics with Diane Constantine of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
00:13:44
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- [00:02]
A
@ Athenahealth, we know your ambulatory practice wants healthier a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier patients. But the complexities of modern healthcare tech make it hard for you and your care teams to focus on what matters most. That's where athenahealth can help our AI native all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens, streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights when clinicians need it most. That means fewer clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice can be that much simpler. With Athenahealth, see how simpler is healthier at athenahealth.com.
- [00:44]
B
This is Laura Dardo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Diane Constantine, Senior Director of Enterprise Health Informatics at Children's Hospital Philadelphia. Diane, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- [00:56]
C
Thank you. Yeah, I'm glad to be here.
- [00:59]
B
Absolutely. Now I'm excited to learn a little bit more about some of the cool things that you're doing there at chop, and then you know your perspective on the future. But before we dive in, can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background?
- [01:12]
C
Yeah, of course. So I'm currently the Senior Director of Enterprise Health Informatics. As you shared, I've literally been in this position for four weeks. So brand new to the Children's Hospital, but my background spans more than three decades in health care. I began as a critical care transplant pediatric nurse and really evolved into leadership roles in informatics, those roles that bridge technology, operations and patient care. Before joining chop, I served as Director of Clinical Informatics and Interim Chief of Informatics at the University of Maryland Medical System. And in those roles I oversaw Enterprise epic implementations at 11 different hospitals. We did a lot of work through advancing efficiency for providers and nurses and then also led a lot of well being initiatives there. I'm board certified in Nursing Informatics as well as Nurse Executive Advanced and have served as Adjunct faculty for the University of Maryland School of Nursing. So my career is really centered around creating a bridge between people, process and technology.
- [02:31]
B
Well, it's great to hear and it's an important place to sit in because I know it sounds simple to integrate those all together, but very much easier said than done. So from your vantage point, what are some of the opportunities and headwinds you have your eye on right now?
- [02:45]
C
So I think informatics sits at a fascinating crossroads right now. One major opportunity, and I think probably everyone mentions this, is the evolution of artificial intelligence or augmented intelligence and ambient technologies. You know, the tools that truly give back time to clinicians. And you know, we are looking at really how to integrate those solutions safely and responsibly because ultimately we want to reduce cognitive load, we want to improve documentation and ultimately I think strengthen clinician and patient connection. But with that, with those opportunities, I think there are some headwinds. We need to ensure that we maintain strong data governance, interoperability and really trust in how the data and AI are used. You know, I think for health care those considerations are really magnified because, you know, we have to protect privacy, we have to ensure ethical use of the data and then maintain transparency really with every digital decision we make. I think the other thing that I would add is I see a continued need to, to address digital fatigue. It's that growing sense among the clinicians that technology is adding more friction than it removes. And you know, we have healthcare has in general given care teams an incredible amount of digital tools, but too often they operate in silos or they add steps. And I think the goal right now isn't necessarily more technology. I think it's better technology, like integrating it more seamlessly into the natural rhythm of care. And that means designing workflows that truly fit how clinicians think and work. Whether it's documentation or alerts, or trying to surface information when it's needed most. I think it's, we have to pay close attention to the relationship between how we're designing the technology and then clinician well being. And I know at the children's hospital, you know, we're tracking usability time and chart, you know, cognitive load along with safety and quality outcomes. So I think informatics leaders have a unique role in balancing that innovation with empathy. Right. Making sure that we are advancing digitally, but that it's enhancing the human side of care, not encumbering it. So I'd like to think that when technology becomes a true partner in care, not an obstacle, we can improve efficiency, but also bring still that sense of purpose and joy back to practice. It's why people go into healthcare. And I think that's where informatics can have its greatest and really most lasting impact.
- [05:52]
B
I love that. I think it makes a lot of sense and certainly has a very, very important role in maintaining that provider satisfaction, giving time back in the day and having that ability to work wonders within documentation space now. How are you looking at growth and adding value to the organization overall in the future? I think hearing very strongly obviously that AI, augmented intelligence, as well as some of the ambient technologies, you know, will be super important for providers heading into the future. But what else do you see as being top of mind or exciting opportunities going forward?
- [06:29]
C
Yeah, for me growth and value are I think are really around measurable impact. Improving outcomes for patients, efficiency for our healthcare providers and clinicians, and then sustainability for the organization. So that means using informatics as a strategic enabler for operational performance. I think we really need to and we as in healthcare, we need to align our digital strategies directly with the clinical and operational priorities. I think every initiative, whether you're redesigning a workflow, creating data visualization, or optimizing EPIC or the ehr, it should be grounded in a clear purpose and outcome. For example, where I had worked previously, we had implemented a workload scoring tool with assignment nursing assignment functionality. And we were able to demonstrate that we could balance the nurses workload really effectively. And at the same time the tools gave leaders better insight into like workload trends and into capacity. So I think by marrying those things together, I think that really adds value to the organization. The other thing, and maybe even more important, is the growth about growth is developing our people. So informatics thrives on collaboration, whether it's between nurses, physicians, you have your technology team, you have your vendors. You know, I'm really invested in building teams that are high performing and purpose driven. And that means mentoring like that next generation of informatics leader, really promoting learning and fostering a culture where people have the opportunity to be curious and be innovative, like where we can encourage that. So in the end, I guess I think value comes from the impact. And I think anytime we can help the clinicians work more efficiently, patients and families can have smoother care. You know, I think that's where the value comes in. I think growth should be defined not only by the projects we complete, but by the difference that we make in implementing them.
- [08:54]
B
Absolutely. You know, in that value is so critical right now, especially thinking through some of the challenges that are coming ahead for health care and hospitals and systems across the country. I think one of the things we hear often from leaders is talking through just the financial stress that many organizations are under right now. Even if their balance sheet looks good now, they foresee with some of the policy changes coming up, just a little bit more margin compression than they had anticipated. The beginning of the year. So you know, when you think about resources in healthcare, and especially financial resources being precious, what are some of the best investments or risks that are still worth making over the next 12 months or so? Even knowing just how challenging it could be for some organizations to prioritize the Right. Things for their dollars and cents.
- [09:43]
C
Yeah. So I think from my standpoint in informatics, I think one of the most worthwhile investments right now is really focusing on people centered innovation. You know, specifically investing in clinical clinician engagement and workflow redesign like, along with the technology adoption. I think it's easy to focus on software and platforms, but the real transformation happens when clinicians are part of the design and in the decision making. So I think investing time and resources in change management and usability and training, I think that ensures that technology becomes an enabler and not a barrier. I think we need to be really intentional about piloting technologies that support clinical decision making and documentation reduction while measuring that impact on burnout and satisfaction. I think those investments in both technology and the people who use it are the ones I think that are going to pay off in the long run.
- [10:51]
B
Absolutely. I love that. And I think having that type of critical eye in terms of selecting the right technologies to invest in and then bringing the team on board to make that change and have it be easy and simple for the clinicians who are using it makes a lot of sense. Now, before we wrap up here, I'm curious, where do you see some of the best opportunities for growth in the future?
- [11:14]
C
So, looking ahead, I see the greatest opportunity in technology adoption and optimization, like ensuring that what we've invested in that we are fully realizing it and continuously improving it, like within our digital ecosystem. I think the focus needs to be on maximizing adoption really across all disciplines, helping teams to leverage the tools to their fullest potential and then creating a feedback loop between users and the developers. Right. So you can drive meaningful change. I just don't think growth is all about introducing new tech. I think it's ensuring that the existing systems that we're using are refined, that people are embracing them and that they're embedded in daily practice. The other opportunity, we are really looking at our cross organizational collaboration, partnering with other pediatric academic centers to share best practices, design, standards and innovation frameworks, and even the technology that we use. So I think when we work collectively, we can move faster and achieve better outcomes for the communities that we serve. I think the future of informatics really lies in sustainable adoption. When the technology becomes intuitive, supportive, it's integrated. We're not just modernizing healthcare, we can transform it and we can elevate it.
- [12:47]
B
I love it. Diane, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been a really fun conversation, inspirational to see what you're really looking at in the future. And I am excited to connect with you again in the next year.
- [12:59]
C
Yeah, thank you for having me.
- [13:03]
A
At athenahealth, we know your ambulatory practice wants healthier a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier patients. But the complexities of modern healthcare tech make it hard for you and your care teams to focus on what matters most. That's where athenahealth can help our AI native all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens, streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights when clinicians need it most. That means fewer clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom line lines. Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice can be that much simpler with athenahealth. See how simpler is healthier at athenahealth. Com.