Chinomnso Nnodum, MHA, Executive Director of Access at Stamford Health

Summary

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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode Summary: Chinomnso Nnodum, MHA – Executive Director of Access at Stamford Health

Date: November 17, 2025
Guest: Chinomnso Nnodum, MHA
Host: Scott Becker

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Main Theme / Purpose

This episode features Chinomnso Nnodum, Executive Director of Access at Stamford Health, discussing her role in optimizing patient access and virtual care, the ongoing digital transformation at Stamford Health, major trends impacting healthcare access (including AI and telehealth), and advice for emerging healthcare leaders, with a special focus on lifelong learning.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to Stamford Health and Role of the Guest

[00:21 – 01:00]

• Chinomnso Nnodum introduces herself as Executive Director of Access at Stamford Health, an independent hospital in Lower Fairfield County, Connecticut.
• She oversees all aspects of “access”—the experience as patients enter Stamford’s healthcare system, especially regarding virtual care.

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Defining and Improving Patient Access

[01:00 – 02:16]

• Scope of Access:
  • Begins the moment a patient seeks care, encompassing referral processes, referral management and coordination.
  • Includes appointment scheduling via centralized/decentralized call centers or online platforms.
  • Focuses on patient engagement through digital tools: patient portal, SMS, and more.
  • Covers the pre-care experience—all steps before meeting a provider.
• Notable Quote:

  “All of that happens before they're actually standing in front of a provider or nurse or anything like that is really access.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [01:53]

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Current Focus: EHR Optimization & Workflow Integration

[02:26 – 03:54]

• Stamford Health recently transitioned to EPIC as their new EHR (Electronic Health Record) system in March 2025.
• The organization’s current focus is “optimization”—leveraging EPIC’s features, redesigning workflows, breaking down departmental silos, and fostering shared patient experiences.
• Notable Quote:

  “…now that we're all in one system, now that we're all in one record, how do we get to a place where we are working together and thinking of our patients as shared patients with a shared registration, shared experience.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [03:19]

• This optimization is expected to be a major focus area through the next fiscal year.

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Key Trends in Healthcare: AI, Telehealth, Patient Empowerment

[04:03 – 06:09]

• AI (Artificial Intelligence):
  • Acknowledged as a major trend; Stamford Health is exploring its use, especially on the clinical side and beginning to look at non-clinical applications.
• Telehealth:
  • Remains a big priority, particularly for facilitating same-day access.
  • Current government shutdown has put funding in flux, but the commitment remains to expand telehealth offerings.
  • Expanding same-day telehealth to meet patient expectations is crucial.
• Online Scheduling & Patient as “Care Team Champion”:
  • Pushing to implement online scheduling across specialties and services.
  • Emphasis on patient self-service; empowering patients to be active collaborators in their care.
  • Notable Quote:

    “They are the largest, most untapped part of the care team. And so we want to make sure our patients feel as empowered as possible…”
    — Chinomnso Nnodum [05:43]

• Striving for Stamford to maintain its leadership and meet modern patient access standards.

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Leadership Advice for Emerging Healthcare Leaders

[06:18 – 08:08]

• Understand the US Healthcare System:
  • Importance of a strong foundational knowledge of the complex U.S. healthcare system, whether through formal learning or self-education.
• Skill: “Zoom In & Zoom Out”:
  • Leaders should be able to both focus on details (“explicit visit types and durations”) and maintain a broad perspective (“where's our organization going?”).
  • Notable Quote:

    “Being able to zoom in and zoom out I think is a special skill set that benefits leaders. And so as a young leader, I would emphasize that as a skill or quality to try to hone.”
    — Chinomnso Nnodum [07:43]

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The Value of Lifelong Learning in Healthcare Leadership

[08:30 – 11:45]

• Chinomnso emphasizes the necessity and value of continuous learning beyond formal education.
  • Stays connected to educational institutions, attends webinars, symposiums, and community events.
  • Healthcare information is constantly evolving (technology, policy, medicine, trends).
• Personal Habits:
  • Habitually keeps up with new research, reads medical journals, and participates in professional events.
  • Finds value in informal learning, such as reading articles or listening to industry podcasts.
• Career Philosophy:
  • Lifelong learning is “required” for healthcare leaders to stay aware of ongoing changes and patient needs.
  • Notable Quote:

    “Lifelong learning looks so different. It doesn’t necessarily mean going back to a formal education… it can just mean, like I said, reading an article... maybe listen to some podcast episodes like this and learning from other leaders...”
    — Chinomnso Nnodum [10:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Patient Access:
  “Access is really the experience of the patient as they're trying to enter the organization... All of that stuff that happens before they're actually standing in front of a provider or nurse... is really access.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [01:07, 01:53]

• On EHR Optimization:
  “... now that we're all in one record, how do we get to a place where we are working together and thinking of our patients as shared patients with a shared registration, shared experience.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [03:19]

• On AI in Healthcare:
  “We at Stamford just dipping our toes in trying to learn more, a lot more use cases. On the clinical side I think that we've already implemented and have been using and starting to explore the non clinical applications as well.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [04:13]

• On Patient Empowerment:
  “They are the largest, most untapped part of the care team. And so we want to make sure our patients feel as empowered as possible…”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [05:43]

• Advice for Emerging Leaders:
  “Being able to zoom in and zoom out I think is a special skill set that benefits leaders...”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [07:43]

• On Lifelong Learning:
  “Lifelong learning can mean a lot of different things. And it is, you know, something I very much believe in and feel that I am. Part of my work requires that—requires staying fresh and knowledgeable of what's happening around me.”
  — Chinomnso Nnodum [11:33]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:21 — Guest introduction & Stamford Health overview
• 01:00 — What “Access” means at Stamford Health
• 02:26 — Focus on EHR transition, optimization, and interdepartmental collaboration
• 04:03 — Trends: AI, telehealth, online scheduling
• 06:18 — Leadership advice for new/aspiring healthcare managers
• 08:30 — The importance and daily practice of lifelong learning in healthcare
• 11:45 — Episode conclusion

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Summary Takeaways

• Chinomnso Nnodum provides a comprehensive look into her role optimizing patient access at Stamford Health, especially through recent digital transformation initiatives.
• The discussion highlights ongoing sector trends, particularly the rising importance of AI, telehealth, and self-service patient tools.
• Nnodum stresses the dual necessity of granular process management and big-picture vision for healthcare leaders.
• The lasting message is the importance of lifelong learning, with Nnodum serving as a model through her continued engagement with education and curiosity about industry changes.

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Transcript

[A]

This is Scott Becker with the Becker's Healthcare podcast. We're thrilled today to be joined by a brilliant leader. We're joined today by Chinomso Notam. And Chinomso is going to talk to us about trends she's watching, where she's most focused, her organization, and a lot more. Chinomso, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and tell us about your system?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, Scott. Like you said, my name is Chinamso Nadum. I am the executive director of Access here at Stanford Hospital. Stanford is located in Lower Fairfield county in Connecticut. We are an independent hospital in this area focused on the Stanford and surrounding community. And here at Stanford, I oversee access and also with a focus on virtual care.

[A]

Thank you so much. Stanford Health in Connecticut's a great independent system. And talk to us a little bit about what Access looks like in focusing on Access and virtual care today.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. So access is really the experience of the patient as they're trying to enter the organization, meaning as they seek out care, what are all the steps that they need to follow or complete in order to actually get in front of a clinician? So from the very beginning, that includes being referred, right? Oftentimes patients are referred into the system. And so the process of referrals, referral management, referral coordination, and then, of course, scheduling. So the contact center is a big part of that. So the calls come in through our centralized call center or some of our decentralized call centers or the online scheduling through our website. Any of those experiences patients may go through to make an appointment, decide or determine which appointment or physician or provider they'd like to see, any of the engagement we might do with the patient after they have an appointment, meaning our patient portal and the various SMS text and fun digital tools we're engaging with our patients. Then, of course, when they come in, their experience, when they check in, all of that stuff that happens before they're actually standing in front of a provider or nurse or anything like that is really accessible.

[A]

Thank you so much. And take a moment. What are you most focused on and excited about as we head into the end of this year and the start of next year? Where are you most focused and excited?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. So Stanford has gone through the, let's say, exciting journey of transitioning to a new electronic health record. We switched to EPIC earlier this year in March. And so that has, as anyone who has ever made this transition knows, that has taken a great deal of our focus and energy. And so now that we're, you know, just past seven Months since our go live, our big focus is on optimization. Making sure we are leveraging all of the powerful features that this, this new product, this new software allows us, making sure that now that it's on, we can actually tweak it, improve it, make it work best for us. And we're learning and discovering a lot of about the system and also about our internal workflows. There's a lot of things that we were doing in our previous electronic health records that multiple There are a lot of things we were doing in those previous systems that we don't need to do anymore. And so we're discovering that we're having some cross department conversations, hoping to break down some silos to see now that we're all in one system, now that we're all in one record, how do we get to a place where we are working together and thinking of our patients as shared patients with a shared registration, shared experience. What happens in one area directly impacts another area. So we're having a lot of those conversations right now and probably will be focused on that for about the next fiscal year or so.

[A]

Oh fantastic. And Chimon, so tell us what trends you're watching in healthcare. Are there trends you're watching particularly?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean I guess we can't talk about trends in healthcare without mentioning everyone's favorite buzzword of AI. And of course artificial intelligence has so many applications across the system. We at Stanford just dipping our toes in trying to learn more, a lot more use cases. On the clinical side I think that we've already implemented and have been using and starting to explore the non clinical applications as well. So that's one I would say that I know where we're wrapping our minds around and moving forward within some areas. But also telehealth right now is very important. Of course in the midst of the timing where we're talking right now we're in the middle of a government shutdown and that's putting a little bit of focus on the funding around telehealth. But telehealth continues to be a priority for Stanford Health. Expanding the use case of telehealth specifically in same day in terms of same day access, providing patients that opportunity to get a provider, speak to a provider, same day telehealth, hoping the funding and all of that sorts itself out with the government. But that's of course a big focus for us this year. Like I mentioned, optimizing the tools and so the online scheduling really trying to be as pervasive and expansive with, with that across the Organization. So working with as many specialties as possible to get as much care as possible online. Because really the goal or the vision is self service, engaging our patients as champions of their own care. They are the largest, most untapped part of the care team. And so we want to make sure our patients feel as empowered as possible and that we engage as many tools as possible. And so this isn't new in the industry. A lot of these are things that hospitals and health systems across the country, really across the world, have been doing already. And so just ensuring that Stanford Health continues to be a leader in that space, continues to provide the services that patients expect to receive when managing their care.

[A]

No, thank you very, very much and talk for a second. You're having this great leadership career. What advice would you give to emerging leaders?

[B]

Oh, absolutely, yeah. So I am a tried and true healthcare administrator. I studied healthcare administration and that's what I've been doing since way back when. And so for anyone that's interested in health administration or looking to transition into this type of work, I think it's helpful to just have a good understanding of how the US Healthcare system works. It is not easy, it is not simple. I still learn new things about the healthcare industry in the United States every day. But if you're looking to work in this space, I think having getting that sort of baseline education and there's lots of ways to do that, whether it's formal education or just self educating through the Internet, there's lots of things you can read and lots of tools that help provide that education. Beckers, of course, being one of them, having a lot of resources online, I would say any young leader coming in should definitely get a base understanding of how the US Healthcare system works. Then beyond that being just willing and able to connect with people, knowing how to talk to people, knowing how to reach consensus. One of the things I talk about a lot with my mentees is the ability to zoom in and zoom out. I say that sometimes, especially in the world of access, you have to get really in the details. What are those explicit visit types and durations and how long is that appointment going to take and how are the templates built and all of those sort of details. But then you also have to zoom out and okay, where's our organization going and where is the footprint of Stanford Health growing and what does access mean to the community in the Stanford area? So being able to zoom in and zoom out I think is a special skill set that benefits leaders. And so as a young leader, I would emphasize that as a skill or quality to try to hone.

[A]

Let me ask you a follow up question to that because you've done this wonderful job of being a lifelong learner, both Cornell undergraduate, then a master's degree at Cornell, executive education at Harvard. Give us a sense of how important that commitment to lifelong and continued learning is. Can you give us a moment on that?

[B]

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. We can have a whole conversation on this. But yes, I am a big believer in lifelong learning. Yes, you've mentioned my formal education and I stay connected to those, those institutions. Honestly, they provide such rich resources and so continuing to, you know, there's always webinars being offered or sessions, symposiums. My graduate program has an annual symposium for alumni that we come back and we're constantly still talking, we're constantly still learning. You're constantly building on the education you received. Those programs, they're depending on which one, a four year degree or two year degree or a one year executive education program, they're amazing. But the learning continues after that. The conversation keeps going. And so that's one of the things I love to do just constantly look at, check my email, see what conversations are happening. Just jump into a panel session or webinar when available, attend on campus or local community events. There are things happening in the area. I think it's so important because the information is constantly changing, especially in healthcare. Healthcare. I mean, we always talk about healthcare being cyclical and there's things that, depending on what decade you're talking about, that we're seeing again happening today. But with that, there's always new technology that influences the conversation, there is new policy that influences the conversation. And there's new science. Of course, there's always new medicine that influences, there's new trends in disease progression. There are things that we are dealing with and treating in the hospital and the health System today that 30 years ago we wouldn't necessarily see as much. So you really have to be a lifelong learner and be comprehensive in your lifelong learning. I started out in patient experience and I'm now focused on access. But being in touch with clinical and the medical side of things is still something I am passionate about. I studied human biology in my undergrad and so I am known to read medical journals on occasion because like I said, the science is constantly changing and learning what our patients are looking for and are facing and dealing with is something that I think only benefits you as a leader. Even though I personally am not a clinician, I find that to be exciting and interesting. And so I will always be a proponent. And lifelong learning looks so different. It doesn't necessarily mean going. Going back to a formal education, although I think that's also wonderful to have that dedicated time. But it can just mean, like I said, reading an article, you know, spending a morning and hey, let's just read this article and see what's going on there. It means, you know, maybe listen to some podcast episodes like this and learning from other leaders, tapping into leaders across the organization and say, hey, how did you get there and what do you do and how, you know, what is your story? I constantly find that to be exciting to see someone that's in one position but knowing that they started in an entirely different place where that. How that that journey was for them. So lifelong learning can mean a lot of different things. And it is, you know, something I very much believe in and feel that I am. Part of my work requires. That requires staying fresh and knowledgeable of what's happening around me.

[A]

No, I love that. And certainly your work exemplifies that commitment. So it's really a fantastic thing. Again, Tenamso Nadam, I want to thank you so much for joining us today on Veterans Healthcare Podcast. It is just a pleasure to visit with you. Thank you very, very much.

[B]

Thank you guys for having.