Carl S. Armato serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for Novant Health.
On April 12th, Carl will give a keynote presentation at Becker's Hospital Review 9th 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 April 11-14, 2018 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Carl's session, click here.
Question: When was the last time your organization responded to concerns or needs expressed by physicians? What unfolded?
Carl Armato: At [Winston-Salem, N.C.-based] Novant Health, it became clear that the increasing demand for physicians and higher rates of physician burnout threatened the organization's ability to consistently deliver quality care and maintain a healthy physician workforce. To address these concerns, in May 2013 we established a physician resiliency program, which helps physicians achieve better work-life balance, develop leadership skills, build up their engagement, resiliency and wellness, and find more fulfillment in their professional and personal lives. Since establishing this program, it has helped over 700 Novant Health physicians regain their commitment to the pursuit of medicine. In fact, in an employee engagement survey, the Novant Health medical group providers who have participated in the wellness program were at the 97th percentile in both engagement and alignment with the organization's mission, vision and values. This is a huge increase over the previous year, when providers scored in the 60th percentile. The program is also having a secondary impact on other clinical and acute care providers that work alongside those physician leaders who participated in the program — many of which have also identified ways to improve their overall wellness. Additionally, in May 2017, the American Hospital Association sponsored a number of participants at a Novant Health-led resiliency training program, which included 16 physicians from multiple healthcare systems from across the country. This was the first time we hosted other hospital systems that are interested in learning how our program works and what steps they could take to address burnout among their doctors and nurses. As hospital systems across the country overhaul their operations to meet the demands of a new healthcare landscape, physician burnout is an issue that cannot be ignored. With one of the largest medical groups in the United States, Novant Health is making strides to reduce the implications associated with physician burnout and establish a higher quality of care for patients.
Q: How do you see the barrier between competitors and collaborators changing?
CA: Healthcare in the U.S. has undergone a radical transformation from which hospital systems have not been immune. From changing payment models to the increasing demand for healthcare services, hospital systems now find themselves with their business models in question. To achieve financial stability, hospitals must operate more efficiently, eliminate redundancy and increase employee productivity while still meeting patients' needs for high-quality, personal care. Competition is the cornerstone of the U.S. economy — it fosters innovation while moderating prices to ensure affordability in the marketplace. Because every hospital is so similar, there are incredible redundancies and duplicative offerings between hospitals operating in the same communities. These redundancies and inefficiencies simply drive prices up. Imagine the possibilities in improved care and cost savings if competitors partnered on new programs and initiatives that build off each others' strengths and reduce operational redundancies. By partnering with competitors, we may be able to free up tens of millions of dollars to invest in programs that drive community health. One area for collaboration is in back-end infrastructure, such as billing and collections — these are essential services that are similar from one hospital to the next. We have saved more than $52 million in consolidating collections just at Novant Health alone, [but] imagine the savings we could achieve if we consolidated across organizations. A second area for potential collaboration with competitors is in health IT. If hospital systems shared the cost of IT solutions, it could save hundreds of millions of dollars and simplify the process for patients at both hospitals. Incremental collaboration among competitors has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars in our healthcare system and dramatically change the way we think about healthcare in the communities we serve.
Q: Describe one of your best colleagues. What it is that person does/brings that makes them indispensable to your organization?
CA: I am incredibly proud of the team at Novant Health. I write a weekly internal blog, and I often highlight some of our most remarkable people. Our nurses understand and deliver on the medical and emotional needs of our patients and are the heart of our organization, so they are often featured in the blog. Just one example is Monica Melvin. As nurse manager of Forsyth Connects, Monica touches the lives of new parents every day. Forsyth Connects, a new department of Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, provides free postpartum and newborn in-home visits to all Forsyth County residents. Monica's team is available to connect with every mom — and father — shortly after birth, when the baby is two to four weeks old. In the past year, Monica has worked diligently to develop a new team, create procedures and workflows, and build relationships within the community. She always has a smile on her face and treats people with compassion, honor and respect. She empowers new parents who appreciate her support and advice during a time that is both joyful and challenging. She represents the best of our organization, authentically, and I am honored to work with her.