Mr. Bruce J. Flanz, Chief Executive Officer of MediSys Health Network and Dr. Sabiha Raoof, Chair of Radiology and Chief Medical Officer at Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals were special guest presenters in a Physician Leadership Forum webinar sponsored by the American Hospital Association. This webinar was entitled “When the Radiologist Becomes the Patient: Radiologists as Hospital Change Agents”.
Mr. Flanz and Dr. Raoof spoke about the diversity of the patients that are seen at both Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals and how important it is to overcome challenges to meet their needs medically, culturally and linguistically. Dr. Raoof stated, “our strength lies in being able to offer culturally competent services through our diverse staff that understands the specific needs of our patients”.
Mr. Flanz expressed that cultural sensitivity is only one aspect of delivering high-quality care. He continued by stating “our network is transforming on several fronts. We are moving from quantity to quality, from inpatient to outpatient, from fee for service to value-based payment and from physician focused care to patient and family-centered engaged care”.
Dr. Raoof then spoke about how she learned first-hand what the patient experience is all about while she was a patient, and how important it is to communicate with the patient in order to make them feel comfortable and to become more participatory in their care. Her experience led her to the “Make A Difference (MAD)” program which focuses on communicating better with our patients.
Dr. Raoof also provided a departmental perspective on how she and her staff are following the American College of Radiology’s Imaging 3.0 roadmap to provide patient-focused high-quality care. Radiologists in her department are becoming more involved with patient care and seeking to improve the overall patient experience. This is being accomplished by being involved from the outset of the medical team’s plan of action.
Radiologists are no longer just interpreting scans and films. They are actually getting involved with the other clinicians who are consulting on which radiologic exams are necessary and how their results should be interpreted. Additionally, the Radiology Department uses an app called “Rate My Hospital” where patients are asked to provide feedback so that we can see how we are performing. All of these tools are focused on improving the patient’s experience and ultimately their care.
Mr. Flanz stated “Our greatest asset is our workforce. If we keep our workforce focused on three main priorities, taking care of their health, their families and then their work, they will perform very well. Transformational change at a safety net hospital will only take place if the workforce is reaching their individual potential. With continued hard work I have no doubt that we can reach our goal of becoming a high-reliability organization”.