Jeffrey L. Cohen, MD, FACS, FASCRS, CPE, serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Operating Officer for Hartford HealthCare.
On May 24th, Dr. Cohen will serve on the panel "Key Strategies to Improve Your Health System’s Culture: How Do You Improve Culture, What Difference Does It Make, and What Steps Can You Take Now?" at Becker's Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place on May 24-26, 2021 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Cohen's session, click here.
Question: How can hospitals reconcile the need to maintain inpatient volumes with the mission to keep people healthier and out of the hospital?
Jeffrey Cohen: It is important to treat the patient in the most appropriate setting — whether it be hospital-based or ambulatory — and to keep individuals healthy so they do not require any hospital based-intervention.
Building an extensive primary care base is the most effective approach to preserve inpatient volumes, even as more care is delivered in the ambulatory setting. Successful strategies must take into account consumerism and the need for convenience. By creating immediate access and the ability to see patients where and when they want to be seen, this expands the opportunity to increase the population receiving care by the healthcare system, which ultimately leads to more inpatient activities. Furthermore, leveraging the primary care base with digital technology, including telehealth and mobile applications, broadens the entry points for inpatient activities.
Lastly, identifying high-acuity specialty areas that require a hospital setting, such as cardiac surgery and complex neurosurgery, and investing in the entire service line to deliver comprehensive, coordinated care supports the growth of hospital-based inpatient volume.
Q: What's one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?
JC: I learned the value of listening and to be curious rather than judgmental. It is amazing how much information can be obtained just by giving voice to those on your team and to recognize them for their insights and opinions. Once I understood that oftentimes I wasn’t nearly the smartest person in the room and developed the discipline to remain quiet while others brainstormed ideas, I became much more effective in leading teams to their highest potential.
Q: What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now?
JC: The explosion of technology to facilitate an outstanding patient/consumer experience which can match that delivered by many other industries is what excites me. Facilitating delivering the right care in the best setting when, where and how the patient/consumer desires is a differentiator for any healthcare system that can deliver on that promise. And to use technological advances to coordinate patient care between specialists and care settings (e.g. oncology with multidisciplinary approaches including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) enhances the patient experience while helping to ensure that the patient receives the best possible care. Adding to that the promise of AI/machine learning to better direct the best clinical approach while decreasing unexplained variation and human error drives the achievement of the quadruple aim with zero harm.
Q: Healthcare has had calls for disruption, innovation and transformation for years now. Do you feel we are seeing that change? Why or why not?
JC: It has taken the entry of tech companies and consumer-focused delivery systems, as well as private equity and venture capitalists, to light a fire under the healthcare industry. And make no mistake about it, this is a good thing for healthcare — and, most importantly, our patients as consumers of healthcare. Not a week goes by where we are not highlighting the latest investment by Amazon, Google, Microsoft or Apple in the healthcare space, either for their employees or in partnership with health systems or payers. Not only are these disruptors introducing consumer-friendly, convenient healthcare approaches, they are also stimulating traditional healthcare organizations like us to become more focused on the patient experience while eliminating barriers to care as well as waste in the system.