Experts of Experience: Redefining Care - How Northwell Health Is Redefining Care For Both Patients & Providers

Hosted by Lauren Wood | Presented by Salesforce Customer Success | Release Date: January 22, 2025

Introduction

In the latest episode of Experts of Experience, host Lauren Wood engages in an insightful conversation with Alyssa Scully, the Assistant Vice President of Operations at Northwell Health, New York's largest healthcare provider. The discussion delves into how Northwell Health is pioneering innovative strategies to enhance both patient and physician experiences through data-driven metrics, personalized care programs, and the integration of emerging technologies like AI and GPT.

Patient-Centric Approach

Alyssa Scully opens the conversation by highlighting Northwell Health's shift from disease-specific care to a more holistic, patient-centric model. This approach emphasizes understanding what matters most to each individual patient, thereby embedding these priorities into their personalized care plans.

Alyssa Scully [00:00]: "It's less about the disease and it's more about the fulfillment and the care for that patient in whatever problem that means the most to them."

Northwell's strategy involves asking patients what would make their lives easier and ensuring these insights are integrated into their treatment plans. This fundamental shift ensures that operational improvements are always aligned with enhancing the patient experience.

Balancing Patient Experience with Operational Complexity

Lauren Wood raises a crucial question about maintaining a high-quality patient experience amidst the inherent complexities of running a vast healthcare system.

Lauren Wood [01:40]: "How do you approach balancing the patient experience with the operational complexity of running a hospital?"

Alyssa responds by emphasizing the importance of keeping the patient at the center of all operational strategies. By fostering a culture where every operational improvement activity is designed to enhance the patient journey, Northwell ensures that complexity does not overshadow the quality of care.

Alyssa Scully [01:58]: "We always take a patient-centric approach to what we do... it's built around the patient experience for us."

Empowering and Supporting Physicians

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the challenges physicians face and how Northwell Health supports them to deliver exceptional patient care. Alyssa shares insights into the administrative burdens that physicians endure, which often detract from patient interactions.

Alyssa Scully [04:45]: "For every one hour of patient care provided by a doctor, there's truly two hours of administrative work tied to that for a physician."

To mitigate these challenges, Northwell is actively integrating AI tools and products into their Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems to reduce administrative tasks. Initiatives like ambient listening are being deployed to enable physicians to spend more time with patients rather than on paperwork.

Alyssa Scully [05:46]: "We're actively pursuing ambient listening... reducing that burden for the physician."

Digital Transformation and Technological Integration

Northwell Health is undergoing a comprehensive digital transformation to modernize its IT infrastructure. This includes transitioning to the Epic EHR platform and implementing Salesforce to enhance both patient and provider relationship management.

Alyssa Scully [07:53]: "We are currently undergoing a major digital transformation at Northwell, moving over to Epic... optimizing the provider's experience and our clinical practice workflows."

The adoption of Salesforce's Provider Network (ProvideNet) aims to consolidate provider data, streamline referrals, and enhance the overall personalization of care. This integration ensures that patients can easily find and connect with the right specialists based on their specific needs.

Alyssa Scully [35:22]: "Provider 360 and Patient 360 will allow us to connect the two in a meaningful way and enable more to be done as self-service."

Physician Wellness Programs

Recognizing the high levels of stress and burnout among physicians, Northwell Health has developed the TeamWell Physicians program. This initiative comprises seven pillars addressing various aspects of physician well-being, including environmental, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social health.

Alyssa Scully [12:40]: "TeamWell Physicians is an infrastructure of seven pillars, each representing different resources tied to key drivers of stress and burnout."

The program not only provides resources to mitigate stressors but also fosters a culture that prioritizes mental and emotional well-being. This holistic approach ensures that physicians remain engaged, motivated, and able to deliver compassionate care.

Alyssa Scully [14:20]: "Our goal is to make Northwell Health the best place to work for doctors... it's tied to creating a positive experience for the doctor."

Recognition and Awards for Physicians

Northwell Health places significant emphasis on recognizing and celebrating physician excellence. The organization has established annual awards such as the Patient's Choice Award and a peer-nominated recognition program that honors physicians who receive exceptional patient feedback.

Alyssa Scully [19:22]: "We have a Patient's Choice Award where physicians rated 5 out of 5 stars by patients are honored annually."

These initiatives not only acknowledge outstanding care but also motivate physicians to maintain high standards, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

Training and Empowering Front-Line Employees

Ensuring a superior patient experience extends beyond physicians to include nurses, front desk staff, and other team members. Northwell Health has implemented comprehensive training programs grounded in the Culture of Care, which stands for Connectedness, Awareness, Respect, and Empathy.

Alyssa Scully [21:24]: "Our Culture of Care leaders have extra training to support and improve patient experiences across all our sites."

The training incorporates methodologies inspired by the Ritz-Carlton's customer service excellence, emphasizing proactive and reactive support to empower employees in delivering exceptional care.

Alyssa Scully [27:03]: "Our Chief Experience Officer, Sven Gerlinger, brought a tremendous standard of excellence from Ritz-Carlton into our training experiences."

Creating a Third Place for Physicians

Alyssa discusses the innovative concept of establishing "third places" for physicians, akin to the welcoming environment of a Starbucks coffee shop. These spaces are designed to foster connections, provide a sense of community, and offer a respite from the high-stress demands of medical practice.

Alyssa Scully [39:39]: "We want to emulate the Starbucks environment... Creating a third place for physicians to guide the culture and connections we want to establish."

By creating these welcoming environments, Northwell Health aims to enhance physician satisfaction and collaboration, ultimately translating into better patient care.

Implementing Salesforce for Personalized Care

Northwell Health's partnership with Salesforce is pivotal in elevating personalized patient care. The ProvideNet system consolidates provider data, enabling accurate and efficient referrals based on patient needs and provider specialties.

Alyssa Scully [35:22]: "ProvideNet allows us to get to a place where we can connect the two in a meaningful way and enable more to be done as self-service."

This system not only streamlines administrative processes but also enhances the patient experience by making it easier to find the right specialist, thus fostering lifelong patient loyalty.

Key Takeaways and Final Advice

As the conversation wraps up, Alyssa offers invaluable advice for customer experience leaders:

Alyssa Scully [42:04]: "Obsess over every detail and think of it as a full patient experience... think about every detail, not just one."

Her emphasis on meticulous attention to detail and a holistic view of the patient journey underscores the essence of delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Conclusion

Northwell Health exemplifies how a large healthcare organization can successfully integrate patient-centric strategies, physician support programs, and advanced technologies to redefine care. By focusing on every aspect of the patient and provider experience, Northwell Health not only meets but exceeds the high expectations of today's healthcare landscape. Alyssa Scully's insights provide a roadmap for other organizations aiming to elevate their customer experience to new heights.

Notable Quotes:

• Alyssa Scully [00:00]: "It's less about the disease and it's more about the fulfillment and the care for that patient in whatever problem that means the most to them."
• Alyssa Scully [04:45]: "For every one hour of patient care provided by a doctor, there's truly two hours of administrative work tied to that for a physician."
• Alyssa Scully [12:40]: "TeamWell Physicians is an infrastructure of seven pillars, each representing different resources tied to key drivers of stress and burnout."
• Alyssa Scully [39:39]: "We want to emulate the Starbucks environment... Creating a third place for physicians to guide the culture and connections we want to establish."
• Alyssa Scully [42:04]: "Obsess over every detail and think of it as a full patient experience... think about every detail, not just one."

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and innovative strategies shared by Alyssa Scully on Experts of Experience, providing valuable takeaways for healthcare professionals and customer experience leaders alike.