HJNO Jul/Aug 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2019 25 and every organization should embrace that change and try to get ahead of it to stay rel- evant. I don’t think size matters as much as having executive buy-in, strong physician support, and a dedicated team. At Ochsner, we are fortunate that we have the full sup- port of our board of directors and executive leadership team, and we are part of a physi- cian group practice that has demonstrated a history of commitment to innovation. We also have been able to assemble a talented team whose full-time focus is innovation, and who are action-oriented, agile, and have a relentless refusal to accept the status quo. Overall, I think the key to success is being part of an organization that sees the pos- sibilities from new technology, new ideas and new thinking, and is willing to invest in innovation because it is the right thing to do to improve health and healthcare for all. What are some of the best success stories? Our best successes come from our patients. There are countless patient suc- cess stories, but there are consistent themes we hear. Patients in our Digital Medicine programs say that they feel like they are truly part of a team, and that makes them feel empowered. They tell us that their Digi- tal Medicine care team members are their guardian angels, a phrase we hear pretty regularly, which I love. They say our team is there just when they need them to provide support, encouragement and accountabil- ity, and ultimately, to help them take charge of their health. We are really proud of that. Another success I’m really proud of is our team’s work using artificial intelligence (AI) andmachine learning to predict adverse events before they happen—allowing our care teams to intervene proactively and pre- vent setbacks. There is a lot of hype around AI right now, but we have actually put it into practice in the real world to improve access and to improve health outcomes. For example, one of our predictive models used by our hospital teams has resulted in a 44 percent reduction in codes—things like car- diac arrest and respiratory failure, which is excellent for patients. What are some unexpected challenges you’ve faced? Innovation is by definition a challenge because it necessarily involves change, and we all know that change, and espe- cially scaling it, is hard. That is the biggest challenge we face, though I can’t say it is unexpected. What are some of the interesting things you’ve learned since taking this role? One of the great things about what we do is that we learn new things every single day. One thing we’ve learned through our work in digital health is that as important as the technology is—and it is very important to enable consistent communication and collection, and storage and management of information—the human part of care is still absolutely critical. We are fortunate to have such talented and compassionate caregivers. Also, while we knew that the non-clinical determinants of health are important to health outcomes, we are seeing through our experience in Digital Medicine just how profound of an influence they are. We will continue to invest in more interven- tions and support in those areas. Can you share some insight into the future of this innovation company, and the work you expect the team to focus on? We will continue to grow and scale our Digital Medicine programs and partner with more employers and payors to serve more and more patients, which is exciting because we know it improves health outcomes and reduces healthcare costs. We are also scal- ing other existing initiatives, whether it is our Optimal Hospital work to improve the experience of hospital care, or our work to use machine learning to predict adverse events in the hospital, and intervene to pre- vent them. These ongoing, proven initiatives are becoming part of Ochsner’s standard opera- tions, which is a testament to our organiza- tion’s longstanding commitment to taking a leadership role in shaping the future of healthcare. This allows iO to keep our pri- mary focus on designing and implementing new solutions based on new breakthroughs. You will continue to see iO develop new products and programs that improve health outcomes and reduce costs, with the patient at the center. That means more applications of artificial intelligence to help us intervene earlier to prevent health setbacks, more ways to support patients and their fami- lies on their health journey in their homes and on their schedules, and more ways we can improve health by addressing the fac- tors that impact health, including genetics, diet, and environmental factors. This is an exciting time to be a part of healthcare, as the industry is undergoing so much change, and the opportunities to make a difference are endless. We are ultimately trying to help our patients and this community live their healthiest and best lives. n “Patients in our Digital Medicine programs say that they feel like they are truly part of a team, and that makes them feel empowered. They tell us that their Digital Medicine care team members are their guardian angels, a phrase we hear pretty regularly, which I love.”