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The Changing Healthcare Environment: An Interview with Kim Bradley, Nurse Executive of Sentara Enterprises

Dec 14, 2017 11:23:21 AM / by ACHC

On Behalf of ACHC, the Remington Report interviewed Kim Bradley, Sentara Enterprises, to get insights into the changing healthcare environment and how her organization is handling the challenges. For more than a decade, Sentara has been ranked as one of the nation's top integrated healthcare systems.  Their not-for-profit system includes advanced imaging centers, nursing and assisted-living centers, outpatient campuses, physical therapy and rehabilitation services, home health and hospice agency, a 3,800-provider medical staff and four medical groups.

 

Remington Report: The move toward value-based care and a rapidly changing healthcare delivery system are just a few of the challenges weighing heavily on the minds of today’s healthcare executives. Explain your organization’s five top challenges.

Bradley: You have accurately identified one of the greatest challenges that we face at Sentara, as in many organizations – and that is, transitioning to a value based mindset while continuing to live, largely, in a fee for service reimbursement environment.  We view this as both a challenge and an opportunity because as patients move through the continuum at a faster pace, we have the opportunity to touch more patients.  Patients come to us earlier and with higher acuities than we’ve seen in the past.

This leads to additional challenges – recruiting, retaining, and training top talent to care for our growing patient population.  Another challenge that we balance is timely and effective communication among multiple business lines in an integrated delivery network.

Remington Report: If you take one of your challenges, what solution (s) would make it possible to make a difference?

Bradley: I believe that tight processes, efficient workflows, evidenced based care protocols, reliable technology that support the clinicians in the field that avoids duplicative documentation are critical. That is a tremendous amount of work that we have committed to performing which allows us to provide excellent care to our high acuity patient population.

Remington Report: In the midst of change, explain the ways your organization is pushing innovation.

Bradley: We are seeking efficient ways to utilize our EMRs.  We are also seeking enhanced and innovative ways to utilize telehealth and virtual visits.

Remington Report: Explain how ACHC's partnership is providing solutions to your organization.

Bradley: ACHC has proven to be a wonderful partner to Sentara Enterprises throughout our accreditation journey as well as through opening new providers for home health.  They have offered to assist us with review of new policies and procedures for the upcoming CoPs as well as the new Emergency Preparedness guidelines that impact all of our business lines.

ACHC has partnered with us to identify and share best practices.  By doing so, it not only elevates our organization but our industry as a whole.

Topics: ACHC Today, Home Health, Uncategorized

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