No machine, no matter how advanced, will improve the patient experience alone, says Umesh Gidwani, MD, director of the cardiac intensive care unit at New York City-based Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Gidwani recently joined Becker's cardiology podcast to discuss advice for cardiac physician leaders, health equity in cardiology and more.
Here is an excerpt from the podcast. Click here to download the full episode.
Editor's note: This response was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: Can you share three pieces of advice for emerging physician leaders today?
Dr. Umesh Gidwani: Data and technology — This is just going to progress exponentially by leaps and bounds. So one, invest in data because it is the only way to improve quality, to improve value, and to some extent, really build out your platforms from which you can launch novel interventions that will improve patient outcomes.
The next thing would be to invest in your teams, build your teams … because that's really the only way to improve the patient experience. No machine is going to improve the patient experience. The patient experience even today is how you talk to the patient. Were you attentive to the patient? Were you able to understand their fears, their concerns? Were you able to allay those? Were you able to make sure that the patient understood that on discharge, these are the things that need to get done? Were they able to understand that this is how easily they can reach you or your team to invest in your team?
Invest in your team members, be empathetic and be the quote unquote "servant leader," because really they're the ones that make you the leaders, and leaders with high IQ will know that the team drives everything, drives outcomes, drives experiences.
And then finally invest in yourself. It's really the only way to be an effective leader. Do all the things that you advise people. Spend some some quiet time in reflection, some busy time in catching up with what's going on in other parts of not only cardiology and healthcare, but also in society and the community. Get eight hours of sleep. Eat well. Exercise your mind [with] things like yoga and meditation. So, I think invest in data, invest in your team and invest in yourself … those are some of the characteristics of a good physician leader.