South Jersey BIZ - Issue #9 (September 2021)

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SJBiz_BusinessOfHealthcare_0921 - v2FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 9 / 17 / 21 4 : 27 PM Page 2 the outpatient setting , which lowers the telehealth for years , trying to get it widely cost and makes it more efficient . That’s adopted , but it was slow to evolve . Even a positive . ” though we promoted it , adoption was We need to be focused on getting low . Then the pandemic happened and patients to the right site of T H E N E W F R O N T I E R O F C A R E there was no choice but to embrace it . ” Along with telehealth , providers have John Matsinger , D.O . , chief operating service . We’ve seen that we found other ways to connect with patients officer of Virtua Health , says it felt like can do a lot of surgeries in the outside of the traditional walls with the implementing 10 years of innovation in “ outpatient setting , which lowers help of technology , many of which are 10 days . “ We had to switch to telehealth predicted to be the new norm among almost overnight . We relied on it heavily the cost and makes it more certain populations . during the pandemic and we continue efficient . That’s a positive . ” Within the industry , the term “ digital to rely on it . It’s here to stay , ” he says . front door ” aims to bring patients seam - Fear of change had potentially been — Brian Sweeney , lessly through their health care journey , holding both providers and patients back President and CEO , Jefferson Health – New Jersey beginning with scheduling an appoint - from embracing the technology . “ One of ment . Amy Mansue , Inspira Health’s the biggest lessons we and other health president and CEO , says , “ We know care organizations learned throughout limits on in - person meetings paved the ay for Zoom meetings . “ We have nine w that many people live their lives online , the pandemic was how quickly we hould — and could — change how we pro - locations and if we want to get together s so we have created a digital front door vide care to better serve our patients . for a meeting it would require a good that allows most health care conversations We learned that we could provide care deal of traveling , ” he says . “ But now , we to begin online . Whether it’s booking an Inspira Medical from within the home , using telemedicine realize we don’t need to do as much in an appointment with Group physician , asking your provider a or home care , ” says Mary Ann Yehl , D.O . , person . All we have to do is set up the question , getting appointment reminders medical director , telemedicine and am - technology and host our organizational on your phone or signing up for classes bulatory quality , AtlantiCare . “ We do not meetings in Zoom format and it saves on our website or app , we have made it foresee the industry going back to the stress , time and probably money too . ” quicker and easier to connect with us . ” ‘ old way . ’ Based on national trends and As much as the continuation of quality Online communication has become what we have experienced , we anticipate care has been emphasized in the past common in nearly every other industry , that telehealth will continue to be a vital 18 - plus months , from a business per - so why wouldn’t it be expected in health part of getting and giving care . ” spective , the pandemic has also revealed care , posits Matsinger . “ We want con - Any concerns about telehealth cre - certain risks for loss of revenue , namely venience in all aspects of our life and ating disconnect between patient and in emergency room visits . medicine is no different . In - person , virtual , doctor , or being a barrier for the older “ When you look at the ER , it went secure texting — I think all of those things generation , proved unfounded . As some - way down . People were not coming in have to come into the mix and make one who deals with patients at their end and that has rebounded in the past six to sure we’re meeting patients where they of life , Dr . Stephen Goldfine , chief medical months but it’s never going back where it was , ” Sweeney says . “ There want to be and when they want to be officer of Samaritan , remarks that he was have been permanent changes to the met , ” he says . skeptical about its success , but admits inhibit delivery system for those with lower Chirichella says the look of health that using the technology didn’t difficult conversations , and was actually acuity type complaints and they aren’t care will be influenced by the next gen - an aid in the process . coming back . ” erations . “ As baby boomers evolve out X and “ I had always heard telehealth Joseph Chirichella , president and of the health care system , Gen Millennials will redefine what bedside wouldn’t work with the elderly population . CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center , manner is . Boomers were a high - touch I found that not to be the case . It wasn’t recognizes this fact too . “ There are some generation that preferred shaking hands a barrier at all and actually created more opinions that ER visits in 2022 will get and hugging , and I’m not sure if the engagement with families and patients closer to the 2019 volume , and others other generations need that but they at a time when there could not be in - say no . I think they are gone forever and still want a connection , just not in the person visits , ” he says . “ Even now , we’re they have found a new home , whether conventional way , ” he says . “ There’s no still doing telehealth visits and I have they are being managed by telehealth , reason that patients shouldn’t be able been shocked at how we’re able to ambulatory centers or have opted for a to log onto an app and renew prescrip - maintain deep relationships . ” competitor that entered the market , ” tions or message their physician if there Virtual meetings have also been a he says . “ I think this would have happened is a change in symptoms and get feed - positive for leaders within an organization with or without COVID ; it was a natural back directly about a change in dosage who would have otherwise spent valuable evolution . ” or a request to come in for further testing . time and money traveling . Thomas A . For patients though , this isn’t bad … Providers need to adapt and it’s likely Dwyer , M.D . , is the president / CEO of for their health , Sweeney recognizes . they will be peers of those age groups Premier Orthopaedic Associates , with “ We need to be focused on getting pa - the right site of service . We’ve and comfortable with a reliance on elec - nine locations across four counties in tients to seen that we can do a lot of surgeries in tronic exchanges . ” South Jersey . He says the pandemic’s SouthJerseyBiz.net | VOLUME 11 ISSUE 9 | SOUTH JERSEY BIZ | 29

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SJBiz_BusinessOfHealthcare_0921 - v2FINAL.qxp_Layout 1 9 / 17 / 21 4 : 27 PM Page 3 healthy people , healthy business Deborah and other providers helped make the patient and the medical records . with the new patient pavilions are also entering a new frontier physician comfortable that a safe “ Everyone has a tool or app in Washington Township and of remote patient monitoring , recovery at home was possible . ” in health care , ” adds Sweeney , Cherry Hill , projects that kept which allows patients to use dif - Matsinger says this technol - “ so how do we reel it all in for a on pace and were completed ferent technologies and devices ogy was crucial in helping Virtua total view ? If a patient saw an on schedule and on budget in their own home to capture navigate the surges in COVID independent physician outside during the pandemic , ” he says . health metrics that are then patients . “ If we could send them of our network or went to urgent The organization has also transmitted to the health care home earlier with monitoring , care , how do we see that as committed to keeping patients provider . This technology is likely it freed up beds and helped us well ? We want to pull in the local , bringing more specialized to branch out to a wide range catch our breath . ” whole story [ to their EMR ] in a services to this side of the bridge , of patient populations . The prevalence of personal secure way . ” including recruiting physicians Inspira found it helpful for wearables like the Apple Watch for GI , ENT and neurosciences , C O M P E T I T I O N A N D treating patients with COVID - offers more opportunity to tap and opening the Sidney Kimmel C O N S O L I D A T I O N 19 . “ We began by offering [ re - into this technology , Chirichella Cancer Center in Washington The decades - long trend of con - mote patient monitoring ] to believes . “ Some Apple Watches Township . solidation and mergers is not people with chronic illnesses have been able to detect ar - Matsinger says Virtua’s merg - expected to change . such as diabetes and heart fail - rhythmias , but they are not con - er with Lourdes in 2019 was a Jefferson just marked the ure . Early in the pandemic we nected to a provider . That’s the pivotal moment in its history . fourth anniversary of its acqui - quickly pivoted to use this tech - Holy Grail , to have a provider “ It totally changed our organi - sition of Kennedy Health System . nology to help safely discharge monitoring you through the zation . Becoming a fully inte - Sweeney feels this brought a patients with COVID - 19 sooner , ” wearable and contact you directly grated health network made us host of benefits to South Jersey . Mansue says . “ With real - time when something is off . … I think stronger and better helped us “ We made promises and have monitoring , instant access to a in short order that will come to through the pandemic , ” he says . accomplished many things al - nurse and prescribed health ac - the market either for free or with “ Lourdes brought us tertiary ca - service . ” of which was building have . People ready , one tions ( e.g . , taking a pulse ox a subscription pabilities we didn’t The larger goal , Yehl says , is more advanced programs and needing life - saving measures reading ) we were able to send COVID - 19 integrating the information from services in New Jersey . We have who would have otherwise had some patients with home earlier . The technology these apps into EMRs , electronic made huge capital investments to go across the river were able 30 | SOUTH JERSEY BIZ | VOLUME 11 ISSUE 9 | SouthJerseyBiz.net

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