8 SEPTEMBER 2024IN MY OPINIONIN MY OPINIONI've been in leadership roles in a variety of settings for more than twenty years. I've been an owner and partner in a private practice, a co-founder in another and served in corporate, community practice and academic healthcare systems. Efficiency and the bottom line were the only name of the game for years in a pre-pandemic healthcare environment. In the post-pandemic landscape, the added degree of difficulty comes in blending efficient, lean-based practices with a supportive, compassionate culture that emphasizes the team's work-life balance and overall well-being. Evolving with the changing needs of the workforce is critical to our department's long-term success. Leading an orthopedic practice comes with unique challenges, particularly in an era where efficiency, resourcefulness and data collection are paramount, while also trying to foster a supportive, compassionate culture for physicians and staff. Leaders need to address these twin elements, creating workflows and structures to streamline services and increase patient volume and throughput to optimize resource use. At the same time, they are charged with ensuring the highest levels of quality in care and service delivery.The first hurdle to tackle is data collection. An orthopedic practice has hundreds of data points that can be instrumental in improving the quality of care. Yet, gathering this data with minimal disruption to clinical workflow is a considerable task. The proper use of electronic health records (EHRs) and decision support systems, the move toward predictive analytics and AI, and digital patient interaction can make this activity easier and more efficient. The task for the leadership is to embrace these technologies with careful planning and training since the use of new systems could initially feel overwhelming to the care team. Clinically relevant data, including patient demographics, diagnoses, and treatment IMPROVING EFFICIENCY IN ORTHOPEDIC CAREBrad Johnson, Vice President, Orthopaedic Destination Service Line and Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, Stanford Health CareByBrad Johnson
< Page 7 | Page 9 >