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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Qualenta Kivett, Executive Vice President and Chief People and Talent Officer at Tampa General Hospital
00:17:05
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- [00:01]
A
This is Laura Dirdo with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Falenta Kibbet, Executive Vice President and Chief People and Talent Officer at Tampa General Hospital Valenta. It's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today, Lara.
- [00:13]
B
Thank you so much for your time. I'm happy to be here.
- [00:16]
A
Absolutely. Now I'm excited for our conversation because I know Tampa General is such a unique organization, a lot of innovative things happening, as well as a place where so many people love to work and be so excited to talk with you. But before we dive into the broader discussion, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself as well as Tampa General?
- [00:35]
B
Absolutely. So Tampa General is our region's only academic medical center. As you can imagine, we are very busy with a lot of specialties and the healthcare that's provided here is high quality, safe and innovative. And I think those together with the deep passion and dedication of our team members is what really is our differentiator. So, so we have specialty subspecialties, but our growth in not only the Tampa Bay area, but throughout the state of Florida and our partnerships not only nationally but internationally have really enabled us to approach some really cutting edge and leading edge healthcare and care for our patients. So I know that was all about Tampa General, but that's why I'm here is the work that we do each and every day that we're able to do. And my role really focuses on our team members and ensuring that we're keeping our team members as well as supporting that patient focus as we continue to grow and provide the safest, most innovative healthcare.
- [01:42]
A
I love that. I think it's so critical to have that type of background and culture within the organization that truly cares about the community and the people they're serving as well as the people within the organization. So I'm curious from your perspective and where you sit as Chief People and Talent Office Officer, what are some of the trends that you're watching currently? What's top of mind for you?
- [02:03]
B
There's so many things, but I'll try to boil them down. One of the focus that we have is really understanding what enables our team members to show up each and every day, show up as their authentic self, and provide the safest and best care not only to our patients, the families, the visitors and each other. What we try to do is take a step back and understand what gets in the way of that. One of those things that we're watching. I don't think this is a new trend, but we do have some new trends that are influencing this. So one of the things that we are watching is how can we ensure that our team members are able to work at the top of their license and or skill set. What that means is what's getting in their way, whether it's a process, whether it's a technology, whatever that is that's getting in their way. What we're doing about that is really focusing on what are the barriers and how do we remove those. So a good example of this is ambient listening. For our physicians in our clinics, we have now ambient listening, where a patient can come in, the physician can look at, be with the patient, because that's why they got into this industry. And the ambient listening device will pull out the key pieces of their discussion. Obviously, the patient consents, and then they're able to upload that directly into our electronic medical record. The physician gets to be present with the team member or present with the patient. Excuse me. And after the patient visit, they're not spending multiple hours trying to take down all of the notes. What they're doing is looking at the notes, ensuring accuracy, and being able to complete those in a much more timely manner. So that is one of the things that we're doing. But we are also looking at how does AI complement the work that we're doing, whether administratively or in the patient care setting. And these are things that we're willing to try and fail fast. The other I'll pivot. The other pieces that we're looking at is how can we support our team members also in their development and growth. That continues to be an area that has a lot of interest of our team members is how do they continue to develop in not only patient care, but in current technologies. And so we have multiple ways that team members can, whether it's tuition, reimbursement skills, reimbursement classes, through our USF and TGH People Development Institute, which is a partnership that we have that allow them to continue to develop in a way that is most meaningful for them. So I'll stop there. But those are just a couple of the trends that we're watching, is that we're seeing that appetite for education continue to grow, and we're strengthening those partnerships with the schools that are around us in our programs. And then the other example being what is the influence of AI to help our team members show up and really be present with the patient, which is how and why they got into the business to begin with.
- [05:12]
A
I love that. And I think both of those elements that you talked about Whether it's that career development and hunger for additional knowledge and continued learning or AI and how that integrates into the workflow and workforce is really critical today. I'm curious, you know, when you look at that idea of that continued upskilling and what skills are going to be needed for the future plus AI in how that is going to be ever present as we move forward, is there anything that you're doing to prepare or equip the team to have additional knowledge in AI or where do you see some of the areas that really are spaces you want the team to continue to lean into even more, more as they're having additional professional development at Grilled,
- [05:57]
B
I have to start by saying that our leader that really leads our AI component, Dr. Nish Patel and our Chief Information and Technology Officer, Scott Arnold, have set up a really robust governance around AI to make sure that we are looking at any type of technology, but specifically AI, the efficacy and ethics of what we're using. So I think that's number one, is that there has to be confidence in the approach that we're using. So that's number one. The second piece is inviting our team members in to bring some of this technology. Our team members, we have, through our innovation and other avenues, ways for our team members to bring up what is a challenge to them. And then most of times, many times they're involved in the solutioning of that. And so when we involve the experts at the bedside or, you know, at the computer screen, whatever their expertise is, that is going to bring us closer to resolutions and solutions that are going to be beneficial for them. And that allows us to really sit in the seat of is this something that we can do? And if we can, how do we get it done? We, we are leaning on the team member or the person that brought it up to figure out, is this the solution that would be helpful for them. So I would say for us, those are the two ways we're getting our team members ready and we're celebrating. I know that that may sound a little soft, but in celebrating those that are coming up with different ways of doing things, it doesn't always have to be technology, but it's the celebration of doing something different is something we have to embrace. The world is changing around us. Healthcare has to change too. So reminding people that it's okay to disrupt and celebrating those disruptions,
- [07:53]
A
that makes a lot of sense. I appreciate you digging a little bit deeper there. Now. What are you focused on and excited about right now? Could you tell me a little bit about Some of the things that are really exciting and motivating for you.
- [08:06]
B
Absolutely. So I think a lot of the pieces of what we've done over the last several years, obviously you see the awards that we have gotten in recognition from a patient care perspective, and I see us leaning a lot more, continuing to lead in that. So getting more research and growing our research, growing our partnerships across the state. So when you ask me what am I excited about, there's so many things, but it comes back to our ability to care for the communities in which we serve. And so as we care for the communities in which we serve, we're also providing those opportunities for team members to grow across the state where they are, and also think about how they are leading in the functions in which they're performing. So I would say there are two things that I'm really excited about. Number one is the work that we're continuing to do in quality with our leader, Dr. Peggy Duggan, our chief medical executive. Under Dr. Duggan's leadership, we are really continuing to advance in our quality and bringing on partnerships that are allowing our team members to understand the behaviors that really do influence that patient care and safety and quality. So it's such a tight partnership that we have that we're continuing to grow together in developing competencies. So that's one of the big ones that's coming up are the core competencies and behaviors that we can point to that really lead to that enhanced quality and. And engagement. So that's one. The other that I'm really excited about, I would say, is continuing to celebrate our team members. And that, from a chief people and talent officer I know, seems a little bit typical, but the reason that is something that is important to me is because as things get more complex, we as humans tend to forget to celebrate, forget to uplift, forget to acknowledge and recognize those that are doing great work around us. We get there's a lot of pressures around us. If we can continue to keep our team members motivated, recognizing their good work, despite everything that's happening around us, that is really going to bring us back to our core of why we're here. We are people first, and we have to keep people at the center. Whatever the business is, it's not just healthcare, but it's necessary. So we're actually bringing on a platform that we are excited about, that not only will patients be able to recognize our team members, but that's something that doesn't exist in our platform today. We can make a phone call, we can go to the desk, but this will actually be an electronic platform where our patients and our visitors will be able to acknowledge our team members, the great work that they're doing, and we will continue to have a platform. We're actually moving our platform for team member recognition into the same platform so it's one single place that people can go and celebrate the great work they're doing, despite the hard day that they may have, whether it's work related or not. So for me, those are two of the things again, the second one seems soft, but when we look at business models, at what creates a successful business, when we put our team members first, when we celebrate them, they are more likely to stay. They're more likely to provide that excellent customer care at the front lines of our team members, our customers, our patients, our visitors. And that's something that I'm really excited that we have not lost sight of. And we're actually pouring more into that.
- [11:48]
A
That's really cool to hear. And it seems like such a great way to build the kind of culture that you're looking for in terms of having, you know, a team that really cares about each other and cares about the patients too. And I'm curious, when you talk about having that type of recognition or making sure you're celebrating the wins, what are some of the ways that you're able to do that? What has been most effective in making sure that the team feels recognized and feels seen and feels like they're actually their accomplishments are celebrated in the right way?
- [12:18]
B
We, I would say, like any other organization, I have to start off with saying I think we can always get better. Which is what excites me about bringing on this platform, is that I do think it will add an enhanced today. The way that we do this, I'll provide a couple of examples. We start all of our meetings with Items of quality, whether it's department divisional, our leadership meetings, which are all, all of our leaders through the system. And Items of Quality really focuses on celebrating the contributions of individuals. So I can stand up and share an item of quality for anyone within the organization. So that's one. It is a cultural practice that's embedded with us. We also have something called a shout out site that was built internally. That's what's part of what's moving to our new platform with the patient recognition. But people can go there and also highlight anyone across the system and a contribution that they've made. We have Daisy Awards, which is our patients recognizing our nursing teams. We have awards in different for our PCTs as well. Our patient Care tech. So we have a lot of different ways that we do this, and we just want to hear what's working from our team and continue to get better. And so that's what this evolution is to the new platform
- [13:40]
A
that makes a ton of sense and is really cool to hear about. Now, I'm wondering, before we wrap up here, what advice would you give to evolving leaders today? What do you really see as being essential for leaders in health care and really in general?
- [13:56]
B
I would say that there are three pieces that I would really encourage and that I focus on as well for leaders to think about. It's number one, curiosity, leading with curiosity, asking questions and ensuring that we understand and we seek to understand before we get into problem solving. And I think that's something that as leaders move through their careers, we a lot of times move because we were really good at that front line, right? And now we're at a different place in our careers and it's so easy to go back to that. But starting with that curiosity, just regardless of where you are in your career, I think it's number one. The second one is being open, and I hate to overuse the word innovation, but being open to different ways of doing things. I've said this during this conversation and I will say it in many conversations. Things are changing around us rapidly. We also have to be open to change. And we cannot continue to do the things the way that we are doing them today. With that said, we have to be willing to get curious and be innovative and really pull on the voices of those around us to make sure that we're not just coming up with bright ideas, but we're falling in love with that problem and we're solving the problem. And then the last thing that I would say, and these are in no particular order, is as we are being curious, as we're being innovative, is really that human centric function. One of the things that AI cannot do yet is be trained with that level of empathy that a human can provide. And when we think about the business that we're in, it's not a business, it's a passion, right? It's a vocation. And so how do we ensure that we are still available to provide human to human connection? And I think that's something that we're going to see a lot. AI can do a lot of the work that we're doing. It can do a lot of analysis, it can pull together PowerPoints. It can't replace the connection of an individual and with loneliness and the need to connect that every human has. That's going to be the third one that I think it will be developing. If others aren't already looking at that, that's something that we cannot underestimate. The importance of that.
- [16:26]
A
I love it. Kuala, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been such a fun conversation. Truly learned a lot from you about how you're thinking about things and some of the exciting things ahead of our Tampa General. So I appreciate that and I know we'll continue the conversation as well, the annual meeting in a few weeks. It's just such a pleasure to have you there and see you and to be part of those conversations. So thank you.
- [16:49]
B
Thank you. I really appreciate it.