Monthly Archives: August 2019

Never too busy to take care of ourselves

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I have been impressed with my University of Vermont Health Network colleagues this summer on many fronts. Not the least of which is their level of physical activity. All summer I’ve heard about long bike rides, YourHealthYourChoicehiking, kayaking, mountain climbing and even a relay race overnight through the woods, called Ragnar.

They have motivated me to get back into my own workout regimen. Something I put on the back burner for three months. The last time I’d been to the gym was the week before I started this interim engagement in late May. I’ve been walking every night for 20-30 minutes but that is not the same as cardio and weight training at the gym. Classic story – you get busy and something must give. In my case, it was my workout routine.

Happy to say I started back at the gym two weeks ago and have worked it into my weekend and weeknight routine. Does it mean a few emails might not get answered some evening? Yes. But it’s critical to maintain balance and take care of ourselves – especially during busy periods. And especially when you are away from home in a hotel room each night where it’s all too easy to work until you turn the lights out for the night.

If one of my busiest colleagues who is routinely doing email very late at night can get up early and do a 20 mile bike ride before work, then I can make time to get to the gym a few nights a week.

We are about 60 days from our big Epic go live on November 1. It will only get more stressful and busier from here on, not less. As a leader, helping others maintain balance is best done if we too maintain balance in our lives. Continue reading →

Press 1 for… Press 2 for…

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Does hearing this cause anxiety and impatience? Or do you think, great, I’ll soon be talking to the right person to help me? I am usually impatient when it comes to getting help with something. I find it frustrating canstockphoto20456258to listen to a long list of phone options, to wait for someone to be available, then get bounced around between call center staff and repeat my information multiple times.

But call centers and automated attendant systems are our new reality. There will be more use of artificial intelligence (AI) and Chatbots in the future. If designed properly, the customer experience can be a positive one.

I admit that I quickly forget the experiences that are smooth and positive. But I remember the ones that aren’t. I had one of those not so positive experiences this week.

While driving on the freeway last Friday, something flew off a truck and hit my windshield creating a crescent like crack the size of an orange. Not something to ignore and put off.

Making the call to my insurance company and being routed to the auto glass service they partner with involved getting redirected to different numbers, providing the same information multiple times, and still not getting the result I needed. In the end, I got it worked out when I contacted the service provider directly.

This not so positive experience reinforced how important it is for us to design the optimal flow and support structure for our command center (a call center on steroids) during our upcoming Epic go live at the University of Vermont Health Network. Customer service encounters in some form are an everyday experience. They should be easy, quick, and have a positive outcome. Continue reading →

What’s the why?

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Yet another best practice from my IT colleagues at the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN). We emphasize “the why” in all our work and communications. From the updates on our upcoming Epic go canstockphoto4362942 (1) the whylive to agenda topics to user communications about scheduled downtimes, explaining the why helps everyone understand the context and reasons for what we do.

Our University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) Chief Nursing Officer, Kate Fitzpatrick, reconnected us all to “the why” again at our IT All Staff meeting this week. With about 70 days left until go live, she spoke to the staff who are working long hours to implement a common, integrated EHR throughout the network.

She drew on the stories that were part of the Green Mountain Care Board Certificate of Need (CON) presentation when UVMHN first got the project approved.

Those stories were like those of every other healthcare system with a regional reach that cares for their patient population through integrated and coordinated services provided by an academic medical center and community hospitals. A common patient health record accessible by clinicians at all care locations.

I remember when my daughters were very young. Continue reading →

Hate has no place

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The most recent horrific mass shootings are not due to video games, the Internet, nor mental illness. There are more guns in the United States than people. Let that sink in.canstockphoto45815739 (1) no hate

Hate speech, racism, and white supremacy exist and are tolerated by some of our elected leaders who are supposed to keep us all safe. Let that sink in.

This is not who we want to be as a country. It is time for responsible, moral leaders to act.

I am saddened and outraged yet again by the mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton and Gilroy. We have seen hate target Jewish people at worship in Pittsburgh. We have now seen hate target Hispanic people shopping on a Saturday. These are people like you and me who go to stores, festivals, and churches like you and me.

I have no new messages. I have said it all before in one way or the other.

I wrote about every day racism last year after stories surfaced about incidents at a Starbucks, an Airbnb, a common dormitory room, and a college tour: Teaching moments – every day, everywhere

I wrote about the inhumane treatment of immigrants at the border: Heroes among us: pediatricians

I wrote about the strength and leadership of the Parkland students who started a national movement for gun reform after a mass shooting at their high school: What will you speak up for? and This can’t be the new normal

I wrote about gun control after the largest mass shooting in this country at a music concert in Las Vegas: When can we talk about it?

I wrote about the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub which targeted gay people: Who do we want to be?

I wrote about what I want for my grandchildren as I watched a gun control debate back in 2016: On being a grandparent

And I wrote about the need to build bridges as I listened with both sadness and fear to the divisive rhetoric during the 2016 presidential election: Build bridges, not walls

We must speak up for love and justice every chance we can. We must challenge those who hate and divide us as a people. And we must vote for the kind of leaders that we are willing to trust the future of our children and grandchildren to. Please join me.

IT takes a village

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GLRA is an acronym recognized by anyone who has been through a large-scale system implementation. Spelled out it is Go Live Readiness Assessment. It is typically done at the 90, 60, and 30-day mark before canstockphoto16594838 (1) hands puzzlea go live. At the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN), our 90-day GLRA for Epic Wave 1 was this week.

Dr. John Brumsted, UVMHN CEO, kicked the day off with a powerful message on how important the Epic project is to the network and our patients. He talked about why we are doing this for the region that includes six hospitals, a medical group, many ambulatory locations and home health and hospice in both Vermont and New York. He set realistic expectations saying it wouldn’t be perfect and there would be issues. But he expressed confidence in the project, and everyone involved in making it a success. His presence for a good portion of the morning spoke volumes about his support for this massive initiative and appreciation for all involved. The network CFO and the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) president, CNO, CMO and VP for Medical Group Operations were also there for a good portion of the morning.

Dr. Adam Buckley, UVMHN CIO, followed Dr. Brumsted by talking about how the journey to a common, fully integrated EHR began back in 2013.  A journey that included a Certificate of Need (CON) review and approval by the Green Mountain Care Board. He too set realistic expectations about how many tickets we’ll have at go live just like every other major EHR implementation around the country and thanked the interdisciplinary team involved.

Lori Boisjoli, UVMHN VP Application Portfolio, then framed the day for everyone. The morning would be focused on the UVMMC with revenue cycle and the full suite of specialty modules going live. The afternoon would be focused on the three affiliate sites where ambulatory clinical and revenue cycle are going live. She highlighted that GLRA is the time to raise any significant issues and risks so project leadership can capture them for follow-up. Continue reading →