From finding tools to empower providers to embracing cutting-edge digital innovations, David Herman, MD, CEO of Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health, is looking to 2025 as a defining year to drive meaningful change in healthcare.
Becker's connected with Dr. Herman to discuss the need for industry optimism and adaptability, encouraging healthcare leaders to see opportunities within challenges and to foster a culture that acknowledges and celebrates even "small successes."
Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What are your top three strategic priorities for Essentia Health in 2025?
Dr. David Herman: No. 1, [We plan to] continue to engage the staff in managing their practice. Giving our clinicians the information and the tools to be successful at the division and section level has empowered our staff to make decisions at that local level and provide them with autonomy and control over much of their clinical day, which reduces the symptoms of burnout.
No. 2: Implementation of digital tools to facilitate patient care. Using the tools to reduce administrative burdens for our clinicians and patients is key to physician well-being and patient wellness.
No. 3: Continuing to address health-related social factors that impede the health of the patients and communities we are privileged to serve. Removing the barriers to health assists our patients in achieving their best healthy selves and helps us keep care equitable and affordable.
Q: How are you navigating industry financial challenges while maintaining quality patient care?
DH: We are focusing on timely and appropriate patient access on a daily basis, which helps to achieve the health outcomes our patients desire and reduces the cost of service in health care, which has high fixed costs. Demonstrating that the right thing to do for our patients is also a great path to financial sustainability aligns our efforts to achieve our quality and financial goals through paths that are complementary and not divergent.
Q: What innovations are you most excited about implementing to enhance patient outcomes?
DH: I believe that healthcare is data-rich, yet insight-poor. We are learning to use the digital tools that we have and are developing, to better understand our patient's needs and the paths to provide better, more relevant care that leads to better health outcomes. The fusion of insights from our data and the digital tools to assist our engagement with our patients is leading to better health for our patients. We are just scratching the surface, and continued innovation in this space has tremendous opportunities to help achieve the goal of equitable and affordable health care that leads to the best health for our patients and communities.
Q: What leadership qualities do you believe are most critical in today's rapidly changing healthcare environment?
DH: These are challenging times. I believe that leaders must choose to be optimistic and be open to learning new ways to provide the care our patients' need. Continue to use asset framing in discussions and see the possibilities — not only the barriers — to a future that healthcare has been asked to develop and implement. Within each challenge there is opportunity, leaders today must help their teams recognize the opportunities and leverage their skills and passion to shape the future. The recognition and celebration of small successes, and the individuals who achieve that success, helps to sustain each of us in challenging times.