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Transforming Access and Virtual Care at Virtua Health · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

0:00
This is Laura Doodel with the Becker's Healthcare
0:02
podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
0:04
Malik Behar, AVP of the access center and
0:08
loyalty at Virtua Health, and Erica Carney, director
0:11
of virtual care transformation integration of strategic operations
0:14
at Virtua.
0:15
Malik, Erica, thank you so much for joining
0:17
us today. Thanks for having us. Thank you.
0:19
Thank you for having us. Absolutely. Now I'm
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excited for our conversation because I know there's
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so much happening around access to care as
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well as looking at, virtual care, how we
0:29
can really,
0:30
expand the health care outside of the four
0:32
walls of the hospital. So I'm looking forward
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to learning more about what you're doing at
0:35
virtual health. But before we dig in, I'm
0:37
wondering, could you both briefly introduce yourself and
0:40
tell us a bit about your background? And,
0:41
Malik, we'll start with you.
0:43
Okay. So my name is Malik Bahar.
0:46
As mentioned,
0:47
I'm the AVP of Access Center and Loyalty
0:50
for Virtual Health System,
0:51
coming up on my eleven year anniversary in
0:54
just five days from now with Virtual Health.
0:56
And really my journey is one
0:58
of that's really people and human centric.
1:02
In my previous stops, because health care was
1:04
not my first,
1:05
my first area as a profession,
1:07
whether it be hospitality
1:09
or whether it be wellness as a trainer
1:11
for many years, Ultimately, it was about connecting
1:13
with people and finding ways to improve outcomes
1:16
to to help their experience be a bit
1:18
better. And the best part about my virtual
1:20
experience is that we've really been leaning into
1:23
that and seeing,
1:25
seeing really good results as a byproduct. So,
1:28
that's a bit about me.
1:29
Fantastic. And, Erica, could you tell us a
1:31
bit about yourself as well?
1:33
Absolutely. So, again, my name is Erica Carney,
1:36
and
1:37
I oversee Virtua's virtual care strategy that leverages
1:41
some really neat advanced technologies such as optical
1:44
cameras and ambient sensors.
1:46
But before stepping into my current role as
1:49
director of virtual care transformation,
1:52
I spent nearly a decade leading our accountable
1:55
care organization's
1:56
provider relations team. So I had the opportunity
1:59
to work side by side with primary and
2:02
specialty care clinicians
2:04
to really transform the way that medicine was
2:06
being provided through a population health based approach.
2:10
And it was an eye opening and, quite
2:13
invigorating
2:14
experience. So when the opportunity presented itself to
2:17
lead Virtua's virtual care strategy,
2:19
I knew this was going to be the
2:21
way that I could contribute to the bigger
2:23
movement occurring in health care and really utilize
2:27
some of those same transformational
2:29
practices. So today, I have the privilege of
2:32
collaborating
2:33
with operational leaders around the system like Malik
2:36
to really bring innovative virtual care use cases
2:39
to life. So these can range from appointment
2:42
navigation
2:43
to discharge coordination
2:44
to overnight
2:45
clinical support within our ICUs.
2:48
But our aim here is really to
2:51
revolutionize care delivery
2:52
through seamlessly integrating some of those advanced technologies
2:56
that I had recently referenced
2:58
to really enhance both the patient and clinician
3:01
experience,
3:02
all while improving quality of care and driving
3:05
operational efficiencies along the way.
3:08
And that's amazing to hear. You know? And
3:10
what a great, journey you've been on in
3:11
terms of just being able to, both of
3:14
you, experience
3:15
how health care is touching so many different
3:17
folks in the community. And then through this
3:19
digital transformation we've had over the last several
3:21
years, it's just really incredible.
3:23
Now I am curious. What are some of
3:25
the opportunities and headwinds that you have your
3:27
eye on right now? And from this one,
3:28
let's start with you, Erica.
3:30
Thanks, Laura. So I think that there's a
3:33
really pivotal moment occurring in health care right
3:36
now. You know, there's the shortage of health
3:38
care professionals, and we're seeing a rise in
3:40
patients requiring care due to either aging populations
3:44
or the prevalence of chronic diseases.
3:47
So in order to deliver a really meaningful
3:50
experience to patients,
3:52
you know, it's important that we're identifying ways
3:54
to
3:55
prioritize face time with them and provide that
3:58
clear communication and dedicated attention to each individual
4:02
patient. That is so critical.
4:04
And I know some are going to ask,
4:05
you know, with what time, with what resources,
4:08
and I think those are good questions to
4:09
ask. But it's also important for us to
4:12
be mindful of
4:13
how we are attracting and retaining top talent
4:17
in such competitive markets.
4:19
So, you know, are we looking at how
4:21
we are thoughtfully developing a culture that embraces
4:25
work life harmony. So could alternative or hybrid
4:28
work arrangements help achieve this goal? So at
4:31
Virtua, through the use of these advanced technologies,
4:35
our teams now have the ability to reimagine
4:39
elements of care without sacrificing
4:42
traditional delivery of services. So as the needs
4:45
of our communities and our workforce evolves, so
4:49
must we.
4:50
That makes a lot of sense. You know,
4:52
it really hits on so much of what
4:53
we're hearing today from leaders across the board
4:55
in trying to figure out how to deliver
4:57
more care, expand capacity, and, create a better
5:00
experience for patients. Malik, would you have anything
5:03
to add? Absolutely. So I think Erica laid
5:06
it out perfectly in regards to how we
5:08
see things from a system approach.
5:10
When it comes to
5:11
opportunities,
5:12
a a bit of background about what my
5:14
day to day looks like. So I oversee
5:16
our contact center.
5:18
Our contact center is a 200 FTE team,
5:21
about 92%
5:22
remote,
5:23
and, ultimately,
5:25
we are a midsize contact center, 2,600,000
5:28
interactions. We have centralized primary care, centralized,
5:31
insurance referrals, centralized,
5:34
OB GYN radiology scheduling, GI, and many, many
5:37
others. And one of the things that we've
5:40
really focused on, as Erica mentioned, is that
5:42
work life harmony,
5:44
really creating an environment and a space where
5:46
we've been able to boast a ninety two
5:49
percent retention rate since 02/2018,
5:52
and that 8% churn year over year is
5:54
normally largely positive.
5:56
Now, how does this tie into opportunity?
5:59
It ties into opportunity because we're really at
6:02
a crossroads
6:03
with what is presented in front of us
6:06
with,
6:07
with really making sure that the experience that
6:10
people
6:11
have when they reach out to to when
6:13
they reach out to any of us in
6:14
health care is comprehensive,
6:16
that there's interoperability,
6:18
and really that it's simple and easy. One
6:20
of the key things we've been talking about
6:22
internally is that when you think about headwinds,
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it's just kind of the evolving demands.
6:27
Patients are no longer comparing us to necessarily
6:31
our regional or national competitors. They are ultimately
6:34
comparing their experience with virtual health to their
6:37
less less last greatest experience
6:40
in general. So whether it be the experience
6:42
they felt sitting in the line at Chick
6:44
fil A or their experience with Southwest Airlines
6:46
or Disney,
6:47
We really are looking to make sure that
6:49
we provide the best experience possible.
6:52
And how do we do that? The the
6:54
opportunities to leverage the technology,
6:56
many of the things that Erica oversees, but
6:58
also things such as agentic AI to really
7:02
simplify the overall experience is is really key,
7:05
because the consumer base in our patient populations
7:07
are only go only going to continue to
7:10
improve
7:11
and heighten their level of expectation about what
7:13
is the standard.
7:15
You know, we were talking
7:17
recently about how gen x at the top
7:19
end of their scale are now 28 years
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old. And with that,
7:23
they are just two years from becoming 30
7:26
and in many cases, beginning families becoming the
7:28
caretakers of tomorrow and really prioritizing
7:31
their sense of wellness and well-being.
7:33
So with that, there's also an understanding
7:35
that regardless of labels, that the upcoming generations
7:39
have had immediate,
7:41
answers and solutions at their fingertips, and that's
7:44
the expectation that they make that they carry
7:46
with them. So how do we as health
7:48
care providers and practitioners
7:50
really make sure that we meet that expectation
7:53
by simplifying
7:55
the road map to access, by simplifying
7:58
the,
7:59
the access to care, and by simplifying the
8:01
communications that happen throughout the process to keep
8:04
them up to speed, abreast of what's going
8:06
on, and really make sure that the experience
8:08
overall is a favorable one.
8:11
That's such a fascinating point. And, you know,
8:12
really to think about generationally that gen z
8:15
coming into the space where they're becoming parents
8:17
and really expecting different things than previous generations
8:20
from their health care experience comparing it to
8:22
other industries, and, it is just really fascinating
8:25
to think about. Wanted to stay there for
8:27
just one minute. When you look ahead, how
8:29
are you thinking about growth and adding value
8:31
to your organization? And what does that look
8:32
like for you, Molly?
8:34
So for me, it's, really playing a key
8:36
role, along with other colleagues system wide to
8:39
make sure that we identify
8:41
the best way to align our agentic journey
8:44
to really do all the things that I've
8:46
mentioned previously regarding the experience that is provided.
8:49
So that way, when a patient, whether they're
8:50
leveraging their MyChart,
8:52
their portal, regardless of the modality with which
8:54
they choose to connect to virtual health, that
8:56
when they are speaking to the front desk,
8:58
that conversation
8:59
is that conversation is made available so that
9:03
same way the outreach from the marketing department
9:05
or a conversation with a provider is a
9:07
single source of truth so that our care
9:09
teams and our and our clinical colleagues have
9:12
the opportunity to really take a look at
9:14
what the patient is experiencing and provide that
9:17
personalized care that they're going to expect.
9:20
Where the rubber meets the meets the road
9:21
is really our ability to provide that, And
9:24
I am part of a team that is
9:25
working,
9:26
diligently to make sure that we are positioned
9:29
to deliver that through 2025 and beyond.
9:32
That's fascinating to hear. That makes a lot
9:34
of sense. You know, really is critical,
9:36
in order to keep the health care organization
9:38
modernized and and moving forward. Erica, from your
9:41
perspective, what are you seeing with virtual care
9:43
and some of the transformational efforts you're working
9:45
on?
9:46
Yeah. So the value proposition for the use
9:50
of virtual and smart care technologies
9:53
really continues to to grow each day to
9:55
Malik's point. You know, we've only uncovered, I
9:57
think, the tip of the iceberg size impact
10:00
that's really occurring around our system through the
10:03
hard work of so many dedicated teams.
10:06
So since much of our, you know, virtual
10:08
care work here at Virtua is additive in
10:10
nature, you know, we have clinicians who are
10:13
reporting
10:14
burnout reduction and greater bandwidth at the bedside
10:17
and just an overall, you know, enhanced feeling
10:20
of teamwork.
10:21
We are proactively
10:23
detecting potential safety risks earlier. We've seen expedited
10:27
consults and cross campus travel elimination.
10:31
You know, many of these virtual care use
10:33
cases have a direct impact on patient throughput
10:36
efficiencies and readmission reduction efforts, you know, which
10:39
are large focuses for so many organizations right
10:42
now across the the country.
10:45
You know, one of my personal favorite value
10:47
adds that I have observed since we have
10:49
gone live on some of these advanced technologies
10:52
is the ability to virtually include family members
10:56
and loved ones in the patient's care journey
10:59
here at Virtua.
11:00
So how often do loved ones wish they
11:03
could be by the patient's side, but they're
11:06
stuck at work or they're caring for small
11:08
children or they live multiple states away?
11:11
That is bear that's a barrier that has
11:13
now been lifted, and patients now have the
11:16
comfort of that familiar face during potentially some
11:19
of their most vulnerable moments. And I think
11:22
that's a testament to the virtual care impact.
11:25
Absolutely. I think that's spot on and and
11:27
certainly
11:28
a huge impact that's been having and will
11:30
continue to have for years to come. I
11:31
think, you know, there's so many opportunities, so
11:33
many cool things are happening in health care.
11:35
It's just amazing to think about the future,
11:37
but I know there's also risks involved. So
11:40
what could you tell me, Erica, first,
11:43
from your perspective, what is one risk or
11:45
investment that's still worth taking this year even
11:47
given some of the challenges,
11:49
you know, with with
11:51
financially and otherwise for many hospitals and health
11:53
systems are facing?
11:55
So, I'll I'll take a different spin on
11:57
this. I think
11:58
one investment
11:59
that I believe to be quite fruitful is
12:03
the power of storytelling.
12:04
So that might not be a groundbreaking revelation,
12:07
but I think it can be a game
12:09
changer, especially when navigating,
12:11
some of the challenges of change management around
12:14
a new venture.
12:15
So there is, you know, no shortage of
12:17
books or podcast on the subject, but a
12:19
quote that has really stuck with me that
12:21
Robert McKee once shared is that storytelling is
12:25
the most powerful way to put ideas
12:27
into the world today. So there is, a
12:30
place for pie charts. Don't get me wrong.
12:32
Conversations related to ROI and length of state
12:35
figures, but stories will stick. Stories speak to
12:39
people. It's what connects us all as humans.
12:42
So,
12:42
my recommendation would be invest in the storytellers
12:46
of your organization
12:47
as they are really going to help craft
12:49
the narrative of the future.
12:51
I love that. It's such a important aspect
12:54
of health care and how organizations are moving
12:56
forward is to have those folks who are
12:58
really strongly sharing the message and have an
13:00
understanding of where you're trying to go. Malik,
13:02
what are your thoughts? What do you see
13:03
as being still important aspects of the organization
13:06
to really double down on for the next
13:07
year?
13:08
No. I think Erica laid it out perfectly.
13:11
I'll kind of expound on her point and
13:12
then bring up what I was thinking about
13:15
as she was answering.
13:17
So the power of storytelling is absolutely integral,
13:20
to change management. I'm really kind of providing
13:23
the overarching why behind
13:26
so that colleagues and all who are impacted
13:28
have that narrative.
13:30
One thing that really stands out to me
13:32
is that within our world of customer service,
13:36
and one of the things that we always
13:37
focus on is that, you know, it's the
13:39
Chick fil A model with an inside out
13:41
approach focusing on people and growing and evolving
13:44
great teams with the understanding
13:46
that
13:47
the patients or the community at at large
13:50
will never be as big as a fan
13:51
of your brand as your own as your
13:54
own employees are. And because of that, the
13:56
storytelling aspect of it and really connecting people
13:59
to each other to provide a deeper understanding
14:01
is is okay. But when it comes to,
14:05
investment,
14:06
from my perspective, it was really about the
14:08
agentic AI journey, really
14:11
finding ways to implement it to simplify,
14:14
workflows and really provide additional efficiency that pay
14:17
off in regards to patient experience.
14:19
You know, when patients have the understanding, you
14:22
know, and this is happening across industries, across
14:24
service industries,
14:26
you know, whether it be banking
14:28
or different financial institutions, credit card companies, or
14:32
so on and so forth. When you're contacting
14:34
through one modality, right away, the AI is
14:37
being leveraged to simplify
14:39
and make sure that you are not only
14:41
connecting with it that information in a safe
14:43
and consistent manner, but also that it's taking
14:45
the burden off of you and becomes ultimately
14:47
one less thing in your day. So for
14:50
us,
14:51
through my lens, the investment into the AI
14:53
space,
14:54
and really finding ways to enhance the experience
14:58
that all patients will have because people are
15:00
gonna go
15:01
to any institution,
15:03
through any through any industry where the process
15:06
is simple,
15:08
favorable, and repeatable.
15:10
So because of that, AI is something that
15:12
plays a huge role in making that happen.
15:14
And in in in conjunction with Erica's point
15:18
about storytelling and investing in the people so
15:21
that the community understands that it's not simply
15:23
leveraging AI as a to supplant the human
15:26
interaction, but to enhance and to complement it.
15:29
And at its best, we are now enabled,
15:31
just like we all do with our smartphones,
15:34
to do more, to provide greater simplicity
15:36
because of that partnership, because of that synergy
15:39
between the two.
15:40
I love that. One important
15:42
impact that you're having on the organization when
15:44
you're using technology and and using,
15:47
all the different tools that you have to
15:49
really care for patients to become smarter about
15:52
it and then,
15:53
truly, you know, extend that out to the
15:55
community as well.
15:56
Before we wrap up here, I wanted to
15:58
ask you both, where do you see some
16:00
of the best opportunities for growth in the
16:02
future? And, Malik, we'd love to start with
16:04
you on this one.
16:05
Absolutely. So I'm gonna stay on on on
16:08
narrative for me, and that being the technology
16:10
aspect of it, really, because
16:12
it's taking the workflow of today across all
16:15
aspects of what health systems offer and simplifying
16:18
it. So I'll use an example or, for
16:21
instance, in our world of contact center operations,
16:24
we are an epic shop for those who
16:26
are listening and familiar.
16:28
We utilize Cheer CRM and then Acdium Health
16:31
CRM, Calabrio
16:32
for workforce management
16:34
and quality management, Harland's IVR, LUMA for SMS,
16:38
and LOYO for online chatbot.
16:40
So ultimately, we have a great deal of
16:42
technology at our fingerprint at our fingertips, and
16:44
that was the point of me sharing that.
16:46
But really, it's how do we pull all
16:48
those together to provide that comprehensive
16:51
view of the patient
16:52
That organizations that do that the best are
16:54
going to be the ones that are chosen
16:56
consistently,
16:57
and to me, that's really the growth that
16:58
we all wanna see. We want our organization,
17:01
we want virtual health to be that preferred
17:04
premier choice in in our in our region,
17:07
and then ultimately to grow from a brand
17:09
recognition perspective
17:10
nationally,
17:11
as a place that cares for people, that
17:13
helps you get well, be well, and stay
17:15
well. And because of that, that's the growth
17:18
that we wanna see, and AI and leveraging
17:20
the technology is really key.
17:23
That makes a lot of sense. You know?
17:24
What a a cool future that will be
17:26
when everything comes together and and you're seeing
17:29
so much of that work together.
17:31
Erica,
17:31
what would you add?
17:33
Yeah. Building off of some of Malik's comments
17:35
regarding technology, I believe we're gonna see continuous
17:39
growth through the smart care facility lens. So
17:42
organizations
17:43
will be faced with identifying real time solutions
17:46
for many of those challenges that we previously
17:49
discussed, and tapping into smart technology
17:52
is an approach to overcoming some of those
17:54
hurdles.
17:55
So if I was a betting woman, new
17:58
technologies with promises of added efficiencies and cost
18:02
benefits
18:02
will continue to come to the market, and
18:05
systems
18:06
will really need to prioritize the opportunities that
18:08
are most befitting
18:10
further organization.
18:11
So do you prioritize
18:13
digital interfaces,
18:14
or is it use of artificial intelligence, EMR
18:17
integrations?
18:18
I don't think it's a one size fits
18:20
all answer. And I also see this as
18:23
an evolution and not something that can necessarily
18:26
be turned on overnight.
18:28
So the same way that, you know, every
18:30
new construction project starts with a solid foundation
18:33
before
18:34
moving on to building floors and installing windows
18:37
and adding paint. That's the same way Vertu
18:39
is really approaching our smart care journey because
18:43
without that solid foundation,
18:45
that's where the potential for risk really creeps
18:47
in.
18:49
Absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. Erica,
18:52
Molly, thank you so much for joining us
18:53
on the podcast today. This has been such
18:54
a fascinating conversation, and I look forward to
18:56
connecting with you both again soon. Absolutely. Thank
18:59
you.