Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Leading With Purpose in Pediatric Care with Dr. Naveen Mehrotra

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Leading With Purpose in Pediatric Care with Dr. Naveen Mehrotra · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - The strategic agenda facing hospital and health system
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  - leaders right now is not a short list.
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  - Growth in a consolidating market, sustainable margins in
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  - a tech investment cycle that demands both urgency
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  - and a workforce story that is still being
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  - written.
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  - Eker's fourteenth annual CEO CFO roundtable brings together
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  - more than 1,500 executive level attendees and nearly
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  - 400 speakers across four days of sessions that
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  - Not in the abstract, but against the real
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  - decisions they'll face heading into the next year.
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  - It's the kind of event you leave with
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  - a clear sense of where you stand and
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  - what comes next.
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  - So join us November second through the fifth
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  - at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago,
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  - and come ready to do the hard thinking.
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  - Register on our events page at beckershospitalreview.com
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  - by clicking on the events tab in the
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  - upper right.
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  - This is Scott Becker with the Becker's Healthcare
• 1:01
  - Podcast.
• 1:02
  - Thrilled today to visit with a brilliant physician
• 1:04
  - leader,
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  - doctor Navin
• 1:06
  - Mehrotra.
• 1:08
  - And doctor
• 1:09
  - Mehrotra
• 1:10
  - is is not just the
• 1:12
  - president of the medical staff at Saint Peter's
• 1:14
  - Health Care System.
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  - He's also
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  - the mentor and creator of a of a
• 1:20
  - portal and concept called My Whole Child. We
• 1:23
  - wanted to talk a little bit about both
• 1:24
  - those concepts today.
• 1:26
  - Doctor Roger, can you tell us a little
• 1:27
  - bit about your background
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  - and sort of the evolution of your career
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  - both in leading the medical staff, but also
• 1:34
  - in creating the My Whole Child portal and
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  - Facebook group?
• 1:39
  - Sure. Thank you so much, Scott, for inviting
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  - me,
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  - on this podcast
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  - and, you know, giving me a kind introduction.
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  - I've been a pediatrician for the last thirty
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  - years. I did my training at University of
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  - Chicago and came out as general pediatrician
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  - and,
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  - decided that that's what I love doing and
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  - started with one, pediatric center to now we
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  - are grown to over 10 different centers,
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  - across the state of New Jersey,
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  - providing,
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  - you know, just quality pediatric care. I think,
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  - you know, as
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  - we talk about children being our future,
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  - we really needed to streamline and ensure that
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  - the care that all of the kids get
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  - is the stellar care, the quality care, ensuring
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  - that we're meeting all the measures and the
• 2:27
  - quality standards that are required
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  - to,
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  - get the best for our kids.
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  - So with my interest there and my career
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  - path with my whole child,
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  - I've been also
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  - a a member of the Saint Peter's,
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  - University Hospital
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  - for the last thirty years since I started
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  - practice.
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  - Saint Peter's being one of the premier,
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  - maternal child health
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  - hospital institutions in the state of New Jersey
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  - and well known for its neonatal care,
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  - was just a natural attraction for me,
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  - to the point where, you know, the,
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  - the relationship grew to the last few years
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  - where I've, now become the president of the
• 3:09
  - medical staff at Saint Peter's, University Hospital.
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  - It's been an exciting time,
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  - because I get to wear multiple hats.
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  - I'm a community based
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  - physician,
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  - that is managing a large pediatric organization.
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  - I'm also
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  - doing a lot of,
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  - you know, work at the medical staff to
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  - try to
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  - be the voice for our physicians,
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  - at the hospital
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  - and trying to, you know, get them as,
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  - you know, as much of the reciprocation that
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  - is required
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  - to work
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  - with a hospital administration
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  - and physicians who are out on the field.
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  - Thank you. And and and and talk a
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  - little bit about
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  - your holistic view of pediatric care
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  - and the concept behind
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  - My Whole Child.
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  - Sure.
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  - You know, we as general physicians,
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  - we tend to look at all different aspects.
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  - And what's unique about pediatrics
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  - is that we grow with the patient. Right?
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  - So they come to us when they're newly
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  - you know, they're born as a baby,
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  - and then they evolve,
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  - to becoming a toddler, then becoming a school
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  - age child, then becoming an adolescent,
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  - to eventually becoming a young adult who migrates
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  - and graduates out of the practice.
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  - So each aspect
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  - of the care that you're giving has a
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  - different
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  - challenge, has a different,
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  - you know, approach to the patient and the
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  - family.
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  - A lot of us, you know, we shy
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  - away from pediatrics because we don't wanna necessarily
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  - deal with the family. But at this you
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  - know, with this specialty, you have to do
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  - a holistic approach
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  - where you're looking and interacting with the family.
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  - You're ensuring that they're being taken care of
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  - along
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  - with the child. So you're looking at the
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  - entire ecosystem
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  - for that child
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  - to ensure that they're thriving well
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  - and managing different aspects of their lives. So
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  - it's not necessarily here, you know, cut and
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  - dry that you're gonna go ahead and take
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  - care of one disease and you're done. And,
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  - you know, if something is causing a problem,
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  - you cut it out and it's gone. No.
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  - That's not how it works.
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  - It would be where we are
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  - actually,
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  - you know, taking issues like,
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  - you know, feeding or taking issues of sleep
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  - or taking issues at school or learning disabilities
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  - or taking care of adolescent, sex and drug
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  - abuse,
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  - looking at teenage pregnancy,
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  - getting into the career world, you know, getting
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  - into college. So there are so many different
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  - facets.
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  - And when we, you know, look at families
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  - and kids, we're looking at their culture
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  - in the family itself. You know, how is
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  - the interaction?
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  - Who are the people that are who are
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  - the stakeholders for that child, really?
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  - Is it, you know, their family? Is it
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  - their friends? Is it their school?
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  - And bringing all of that together for them
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  - and guiding the parents and really building that
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  - bond so, you know, these thousands and thousands
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  - of patients that we see are actually family
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  - members for us. And I think that is
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  - the best feeling and the best accomplishment
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  - for me being a pediatrician
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  - and being that holistic
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  - caretaker for these kids.
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  - Fantastic.
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  - And and talk about your work in leading
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  - the medical staff at at Saint Peter's.
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  - How did that evolve? How did you evolve
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  - into being the leader of the medical staff?
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  - And and do you enjoy it? Do you
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  - hate it? Does it depend on the day?
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  - I think wherever there is
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  - a a human interaction, I love it.
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  - And because St. Peter's is such a premier
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  - institution for child health, maternal child health, it
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  - was a natural fit for me. And I
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  - think the culture
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  - is so warm that you actually feel like
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  - you're, you know, you're not going to work.
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  - You're going to a family. And I think
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  - that is the best thing that I really
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  - liked and enjoyed.
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  - And every time I needed something, my chairman
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  - of the department at that time when I
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  - was a young physician
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  - was somebody
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  - who just would go ahead and embrace me
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  - and help me and guide me through any
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  - issues that I had or any any sort
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  - of a question I had,
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  - who is, you know, doctor Bipin Patel at
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  - that point who is no longer,
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  - on this earth,
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  - but was a wonderful person who who led
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  - me, to love my profession and love Saint
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  - Peter's for who they are. So there was
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  - never a question about, you know, is this
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  - the wrong question to ask? It was always,
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  - oh, okay. Let me help you with this.
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  - And I think that's the culture
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  - at Saint Peter's, which is amazing, and it's
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  - it's really very, very warm.
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  - So as that relationship built,
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  - and we both grew, right, we
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  - was growing alongside with my pediatric practice, and,
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  - you know, the hospital continues to provide that
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  - stellar service.
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  - They were looking for a physician who could
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  - understand what it's like to be on the
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  - ground
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  - and also to help the physicians
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  - sort of,
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  - come together and, you know, spearhead some of
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  - their issues and concerns and bring that fresh
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  - perspective in to the hospital.
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  - So it was a natural fit from the
• 8:29
  - administration
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  - side from for them to say, hey. You
• 8:33
  - would be a great person to be a
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  - medical staff president.
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  - And for me, it was like, okay. Well,
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  - I'm gonna, you know, bond with so many
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  - of my different colleagues
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  - and really become their voice
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  - and, you know, help them
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  - to see how the hospital and physician
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  - relationship doesn't have to be in any way,
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  - a sort of, negative relationship, but it should
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  - be a positive relationship,
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  - which both people work hand in hand. So
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  - I think that's what the administration saw. That's
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  - what I felt.
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  - And, really, it was just a a natural
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  - sort of a shoe in at that point.
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  - So, you know,
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  - that's that's where we are with with this,
• 9:15
  - situation here.
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  - That is fantastic.
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  - And you you've been
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  - this great leader in thinking about children and
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  - also leading the medical staff.
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  - Take a moment on what advice
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  - would you give to emerging leaders?
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  - So I would always say to anybody,
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  - don't underestimate yourself.
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  - Look for partners who are gonna help you
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  - to build yourself up and do what you
• 9:41
  - really need to. If you believe in something,
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  - find the right mentor who's gonna take it
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  - to completion with you. And I think that's
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  - the the best aspect of what I found
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  - at Saint Peter's
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  - where I had an absolutely wonderful mentor, doctor
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  - Patel,
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  - that he he was just so warm in
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  - terms of answering any question I had, be
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  - it for practice, be it for,
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  - you know, understanding a medical question, understanding a
• 10:07
  - pediatric issue,
• 10:08
  - or liaising with the state, or any other,
• 10:12
  - advocacy organization.
• 10:13
  - So
• 10:14
  - I think if you are an emerging person,
• 10:17
  - stay positive.
• 10:19
  - You need to go ahead and be forceful
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  - where it's required.
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  - Then you need to have that vigor and
• 10:26
  - energy
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  - to move up
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  - and to do what you really want to
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  - do.
• 10:31
  - No. I I I do love that. And
• 10:32
  - how do you protect that vigor and energy?
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  - Because
• 10:37
  - bringing that day in day out is so,
• 10:39
  - so important. How do you do that? Any
• 10:42
  - thoughts there?
• 10:44
  - Oh, sure. I I think if and for
• 10:46
  - me, I I can say that firsthand is
• 10:48
  - I don't see this as work.
• 10:50
  - I see this as an enjoyment.
• 10:52
  - So anytime
• 10:54
  - you feel that this is a burden, you're
• 10:56
  - not gonna thrive, you're not gonna succeed.
• 10:59
  - You have to enjoy what you're doing and
• 11:02
  - you have to go ahead and really explore
• 11:05
  - different aspects
• 11:07
  - of the of your work on a daily
• 11:09
  - basis
• 11:10
  - and constantly thrive and constantly strive to get
• 11:14
  - and achieve what you need to achieve. So
• 11:16
  - if, you know, people ask me, hey. Are
• 11:17
  - you gonna retire? I said, I'd be so
• 11:19
  - bored if I ever retired because I love
• 11:21
  - what I do. And they're like, oh, don't
• 11:23
  - you get tired? I said, no. Because when
• 11:25
  - I'm seeing patients or I might if I'm
• 11:28
  - doing some policy based work at the hospital,
• 11:31
  - I enjoy that. So any emerging leader, you
• 11:34
  - have to go ahead and really enjoy
• 11:37
  - what you're doing, and it'll all fall into
• 11:39
  - place.
• 11:41
  - I I love that. And and I've recently
• 11:43
  - seen this series of videos or on LinkedIn
• 11:47
  - where a person says
• 11:49
  - that the most common age of death is
• 11:52
  - the year that one retires.
• 11:55
  - And and I think the theory is I
• 11:57
  - don't know if there if it's research based
• 11:59
  - or correct or not, but I'm sure there's
• 12:00
  - directional correctness there.
• 12:03
  - The theory being that people need a purpose,
• 12:05
  - that they can't just do nothing.
• 12:07
  - And and that sort of glides into your
• 12:09
  - thoughts on, you know, would you wanna retire
• 12:13
  - and not so much because you're fearing death,
• 12:14
  - but because
• 12:16
  - you you enjoy it and you need that
• 12:18
  - purpose and something to do. Does that resonate
• 12:20
  - with you?
• 12:22
  - Of course. 100%.
• 12:23
  - My purpose is to ensure that I do
• 12:26
  - anything that I possibly can to improve child
• 12:29
  - health care in the state of New Jersey
• 12:31
  - and beyond.
• 12:32
  - Right? So I will do anything and everything
• 12:35
  - and work at any odd hours
• 12:38
  - to ensure that that happens.
• 12:40
  - So every minute of my time is constantly
• 12:42
  - thinking about that
• 12:44
  - and trying to achieve those goals for, you
• 12:47
  - know, getting to completion there.
• 12:49
  - So
• 12:50
  - you can't I think, you know, when you're
• 12:52
  - talking about
• 12:53
  - the person who's dying so early as soon
• 12:55
  - as they retire,
• 12:56
  - it's because
• 12:58
  - that purpose is not there. And if you
• 13:00
  - don't have purpose, you're gonna sit there and
• 13:02
  - feel kinda low. You're gonna feel depressed,
• 13:05
  - and it's really just gonna go ahead
• 13:07
  - and escalate and get your health down.
• 13:11
  - I I I love that, and I think
• 13:12
  - it's so true.
• 13:14
  - I I I see it so much in
• 13:16
  - in people as they age and need to
• 13:18
  - figure out what to do next so they
• 13:19
  - keep themselves active and with purpose. I just
• 13:22
  - love that line of thought.
• 13:23
  - Doctor Marotra, what a pleasure to visit with
• 13:26
  - you. What a remarkable career.
• 13:29
  - Thank you so much for taking the time
• 13:30
  - to join us today, in the Becker's healthcare
• 13:33
  - podcast. Really enjoyed visiting with you, and thank
• 13:35
  - you so much.
• 13:37
  - Thank you so much, Scott, for,
• 13:39
  - getting me on here. And, you know, lots
• 13:42
  - of power to you and lots of power
• 13:43
  - to all of the emerging,
• 13:45
  - physician leaders
• 13:47
  - to continue to to go ahead and strive
• 13:49
  - down that path that you're looking to achieve.
• 13:52
  - Thank you so much.