Our April Health TechNet meeting was a joint Zoom meeting with GMU’s Department of Health Administration and Policy. The topic of the meeting was Solving the Nursing Shortage with Technology - Innovative Solutions to Redesigning Inpatient Clinical Care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented numbers of inpatient hospital nurses either retiring earlier than originally planned, choosing to work in a less stressful environment, or taking advantage of the nursing shortage to work as travel nurses at other hospitals, leaving hospitals to find creative ways to provide high quality inpatient nursing care. Nursing leaders have implemented retention, recognition, and recruitment bonuses, and significantly adjusted pay ranges upward in an attempt to retain and recruit sufficient numbers of qualified, experienced professional nurses to provide direct patient care. Additionally, many organizations are exploring how technology could be leveraged to augment and support inpatient care teams while retaining highly experienced and knowledgeable nurses.
While most telemedicine models have focused on connecting patients with the ambulatory side of the healthcare system, the virtual nursing model supports bedside staff in a host of different ways.
Speakers for the event included:
- Sandra Myerson, BSN, RN, MBA, MS who leads the Hospital Performance Improvement team at ECG Management Consultants, LLC. A former CNO and hospital executive with more than 30 years of experience, Sandy is known for delivering innovative and strategic approaches in workforce optimization, clinical quality and patient safety improvements, and enhancing the care experience for patients and providers alike. Prior to joining ECG, Sandy served as the inaugural chief patient experience officer for Mount Sinai Health System in New York, where she led the innovation, implementation, and evaluation of transformational programs that enhanced the delivery of compassionate, coordinated care for patients and their families across the care continuum. Her extensive knowledge of healthcare operations, clinical background, and Lean Six Sigma approach to patient flow optimization help her identify the sweet spot where provider engagement, employee engagement, and patient experience intersect.
- Onur Torusoglu, a Digital Health leader at ECG Management Consultants, LLC is a seasoned healthcare executive with extensive digital transformation and analytics experience. As demand from consumers and the industry for advancement in the care continuum reaches unparalleled levels, Onur delivers cutting-edge capabilities in digital care experiences and AI for the organizations he supports. Utilizing new capabilities in digital health, Onur assists clients in achieving national and international recognition in variation reduction, care coordination, and operational efficiency gains. Prior to joining ECG, Onur served as the chief digital and analytics officer for St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, where he “transformed in place” existing digital capabilities to better serve the organization’s digital and analytic needs.
A recording of the meeting can be found here:
https://youtu.be/sLMcDvDP2-s