Modern Healthcare's Next Up

This past year has been one for the books, especially in the healthcare world. As health systems have faced persistent challenges from the pandemic, workforce changes, and ongoing shifts in our country, we reflect on how this past year has impacted our listeners. Joining us is Modern Healthcare's Aurora Aguilar, Editor-in-Chief, to discuss a recent survey taken by Next Up Listeners.

Patients are now finally being recognized as customers with the power to choose their providers. Health systems have responded to this by installing experience officers and investing in more patient-centered care delivery — but what about including patients in designing the services and programs on the front-end? Here's how health systems can think of patients as not only customers but as healthcare experts. Melinda Karp, Vice President of Consumer Centered Quality for Commonwealth Care Alliance and Executive Director for the Center to Advance Consumer Partnership shares her insight on centering patient experience.

Nurses have been the backbone of the pandemic response. Now, data shows they're exhausted and jumping ship, on top of a previously pending nursing shortage. As a result, long-term strategic planning for nursing care and nursing leaders may look different this time around. In this episode, we're talking to Kathleen Sanford, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of CommonSpirit Health. She is sharing her insights on how to strategically plan for the predicted nursing shortage.

COVID-19 has led a lot of people to re-evaluate life — especially when it comes to their careers. Workers in all fields are quitting their jobs in search of new roles, and healthcare professionals are no different. Due to burnout, some are leaving. A recent Modern Healthcare article reveals that women healthcare workers are leaving at a rapid pace. But thanks to new inspiration, more are on track to enter the field. Amidst it all, how should hiring decision-makers in health systems approach finding new candidates? Jason Hutton, Vice President of Human Resources at Access Community Health Network, offers his insights.

It's one thing to have a stellar bench of diverse executives on your board and senior leadership team. But it's quite another to also have an amazing lineup of diverse vendors who can create jobs because of opportunities with your healthcare organization. Entrepreneurs build communities, period. Joan Archie, Executive Director of Construction Compliance at the University of Chicago Medical Center, shares her insight on how health systems can make good on their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion through diverse vendors.

Whether you've found a mentor or you're committed to finding one, mentorship is critical for aspiring healthcare leaders. But how do you make this a productive relationship to gain the information and insight you need to grow in your career? Anthony Ashby, VP & COO of CHI Health, discusses cultivating a strong mentor/mentee relationship — and how to be a productive mentee. Also, listen to Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and her thoughts on the benefits of mentorship in Next Up's Transitioning Between Physician Roles.

Multigenerational workplaces offer diversity in viewpoints — but they pose challenges when managing a team. Cassandra Willis-Abner, Chief Human Resource Officer at Press Ganey, shares her insight on how to foster efficiency in a team of all ages. Read Modern Healthcare's article on Engaging Multiple Generations to Thrive to read more about multigenerational workplaces. We'll be expanding on this topic at the Modern Healthcare Women Leaders in Healthcare conference July 22-23. Register with the code (NextUp) to receive a 15% discount off the conference fee and any conference add-on opportunities. To register, go to women-leaders.modernhealthcare.com.

The time to build a career overlaps with the time most professionals are raising children. Many parents are juggling these priorities well — but others are robbing time from one to cultivate the other. According to this Modern Healthcare article, working mothers are more likely to be overlooked for promotions due to childcare demands compared to working fathers. Sally Deitch, Group CEO of Tenet Healthcare, shares the truth about being a dedicated parent and C-suite executive. We'll be expanding on this topic at the Modern Healthcare Women Leaders in Healthcare conference on July 22-23. To register, visit women-leaders.modernhealthcare.com.

With 2021 being viewed as a "reset year," people are reevaluating their priorities and making career changes. For seasoned physicians, this can mean anything from climbing the ranks to the C-suite to taking on an activist or political role beyond the realm of patient care. Such transitions can be stressful or scary for anyone, but they can be especially so for women, as females are underrepresented in these more senior roles. We"re talking with Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), on what it takes to move to the C-suite and beyond.

The COVID-19 vaccine promises light at the end of this long and arduous tunnel. However, vaccine rollout is also putting an extra burden on health systems that are doing their best to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. In this episode of Next Up, we're talking to Dr. Gary Little, Chief Medical Officer of Atrium Health, who shares his thoughts on how health systems can manage the influx of patients, coordinate communication, and be prepared for every aspect of vaccine rollout now and in the months to come.

Healthcare workers have been nothing short of heroic during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they aren't always treated as such — even by the healthcare organizations that employ them. This can leave them feeling disheartened, distrusting of leadership, or like they're no longer part of a team. Leaders have the ability to rebuild trust and foster the team spirit again — but they need to recognize the problems and take the right approach to solve them. Today, we're talking with Dr. Chris DeRienzo about finding that approach.

Succession planning is key to ensuring that hospital leadership transitions do not affect hospital operations or patient care. However, nearly half of hospital boards do not have a plan in place. Most do not have someone who could step in as CEO. This is especially concerning when there may be sudden departures in the midst of a healthcare crisis. Today, we're speaking with Susan DeVore and Michael Alkire of the healthcare improvement company, Premier, Inc. about emergency succession planning. Susan is the current CEO of Premier, and will be stepping down in May, when she will be succeeded by Michael.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the country, but the recent rollout of vaccinations has provided hope. However, mistrust and misinformation regarding the vaccine remain high, and healthcare organizations play an integral role in educating patients on the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Joseph Cacchione, Executive Vice President of Clinical & Network Services for Ascension, discusses how healthcare organizations can educate patients on the vaccine to help the nation combat the virus. Modern Healthcare reporter Maria Castelucci's story about leveraging marketing during COVID-19 was published on July 11, 2020. If you're a subscriber, please check it out on https://modernhealthcare.com/.