Apple of Health Care

Those who know me, know I am a fan of Apple—the company and their line of products. Like most people, I find their devices highly intuitive, user friendly, fun and engaging. I love that they offer a complete portfolio of technology that meets all my needs. But most importantly, I admire how their products are completely integrated—my phone syncs with my watch/personal fitness monitor which talks to my iPad which then backs up to my personal computer—allowing all of my information to be accessed from one device. When you purchase an Apple product you step into a complete and closed system of technology and entertainment and rarely need or want to leave. In the business world, this is known as vertical integration. Whatever you call it—it’s a savvy strategy for developing loyal, lifelong customers.

At Jupiter Medical Center, we are striving to be the Apple of health care right here in Palm Beach County. By that I mean, our goal is to provide our patients with services at every point along their health care journey and do our best to make sure the care is seamlessly integrated along the way—decreasing time and costs while improving outcomes and value. We want our patients to be able to step into the Jupiter Medical Center system and get all the things they could possibly need from a flu shot, to maternity and pediatric care, to imaging and diagnostics or world-class oncology treatment, should they need it. Beyond building a robust set of services for patients, each time they come in contact with Jupiter Medical Center at any entry point, their health information is captured, electronic medical records sync, and this essential data can be accessed by members of the care team everywhere up and down the line.

In technology, Apple has championed vertical integration. Applying this model to health care will not only help remedy the sometimes fragmented and dysfunctional way care is currently delivered, it will ensure a more satisfying "user experience."

The High Price of Dying

My father passed away last year. A vibrant and healthy man through out his life, he was now suffering from cancer and experiencing the early signs of dementia. As I prepared to go home to Boston to be with him, I consulted a former colleague and renowned physician, who laid out for me what I could expect for my father moving forward: He would become weak and sick from chemo, would soon have a compromised immune system and become unable to fight an infection or common cold. As a result, he would most likely and ultimately end up in the ICU of a hospital battling pneumonia (a fight he would soon lose). And at the end of all of this, he would be reliant on machines to keep him alive for some indeterminate amount of time.

I knew this was not what I wanted for my father and more importantly, I knew this was not what he would want either. And so my family and I chose to move him to a wonderful hospice facility, where he peacefully spent his last few days free of machines, comfortable and surrounded by family in a beautiful and calm setting. While it was an incredibly difficult time, I was comforted in the choice we were able to make regarding my father’s end-of-life care.

As health care professionals, we are focused on patient outcomes and restoring their health. As an industry, what we sometimes fail to realize is that the best outcome can sometimes be dying. Each year, it is estimated that 30% of Medicare expenditures (over 50 billion dollars) are attributed to the 5% of patients that will die that year with one-third of those costs occurring in the last month of life.  Furthermore, most studies show that if the person is sick enough, this type of medical intervention does not have a positive impact. In fact, it can make those last days and months of life worse.

I believe that we need to not only provide opportunities to openly discuss end of life options with patients before it is too late, but also devote resources to offering patients and their families the kind of services and space they need in those final difficult days. It was what I was able to provide my father and what I think all families deserve. Don’t you agree?

Quality: Top of Mind in Healthcare

If there is one topic on the minds of healthcare providers these days, it is the radical shift from volume to value. By this I mean, moving from a fee-for-service model based on the volume of treatment toward alternative payment models that reward value, improve outcomes, and reduce costs.

And while the industry struggles on a daily basis with the practical realities of this shift—the conundrum of waiting for the practices of our industry to catch up to the aspirations that this shift aims for—I am at my core committed to working each day to fostering an environment that provides world class care.

Over the last several years, I, along with my team, have put improving quality and safety at the forefront of our mission. Patient safety, quality, and clinical outcomes is our number one priority. We have developed protocols, procedures and harnessed technology to keep our patients and team members healthy as well as prevent the risk of infection and reduce complications. This work has paid off in both improved outcomes and recognition in our sector.

Jupiter Medical Center recently received an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog, ranking it among the safest hospitals in South Florida as well as the United States. Jupiter Medical Center is one of only two hospitals in Palm Beach County to receive the highest level of rating.  And just last year, Consumer Reports recognized us for our low rates of C. diff and MRSA.

Finally, we have been recognized in several practice areas by the Joint Commission, which is seen as a national symbol of quality that indicates we have met or exceeded certain performance standards.

A key factor contributing to our high ratings and quality recognition is our implementation of technology in order to keep our hospital clean and our patients safe. For example, most recently, we began using the Tru-D SmartUVC. Tru-D is a robot that utilizes an ultraviolet light to disinfect rooms after a patient’s stay.

And while use of cutting-edge technology is critical, old fashion communication plays an integral role in our success. This means we work to ensure that everyone—doctor, patent, and family—receive all necessary information and are on the same page. We even implement a safety checklist to confirm that all protocols and practices have been met so as to reduce the occurrence of potential mistakes and improve results for our patients.

As healthcare becomes more and more a consumer driven business, we must be even more responsive to the specific needs of all types of patients—from the chronically ill to those with manageable health challenges to those young families or healthy older adults. The last mentioned group will be especially important to keep an eye on as they are now integrating technology and outside resources into caring for their health and have more of an opportunity for choice. And at the same time, we must continue to improve our ability to offer the highest quality of care while balancing cost and a shifting payment model. There is a lot to think about and I plan on unpacking some of these ideas further in posts in the coming weeks. I hope you will stay tuned.