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December 19, 2024
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The Digital Patient, which tells the stories of leaders in Digital Health, is excited to highlight the accomplishments of 12 leaders driving transformative change in healthcare quality.
These 12 healthcare leaders are recognized for having demonstrated significant positive change in healthcare quality and patient outcomes using Digital Health.
Please join us in celebrating these incredible change makers:
Erin Landry (Oak Valley Health): Erin Landry is the acting Director of Surgical Services and now Oncology at Oak Valley Health. Across the length of our partnership with Oak Valley Health, Erin has acted as a true champion in helping to implement four orthopaedic programs, hip, knee, shoulder and spine as well as endoscopy. Under her leadership, an outcomes analysis was performed for the hip and knee programs demonstrating valuable decreases in LOS and readmissions. An additional analysis was performed for the endoscopy program showcasing a reduction in cancellation rates of 61%. Most recently, Erin championed the expansion to the oncology program, which is set to launch at the end of October 2024 to help support patients undergoing active systemic treatment at Oak Valley Health.
Dr. Friedrich Boettner (Hospital for Special Surgery): Dr. Friedrich Boettner is a specialist in minimally invasive total knee and hip replacements as well as complex primary and revision joint replacement surgery. Dr. Boettner led and championed the adoption of SeamlessMD for his hip and knee patients in 2020. Under his leadership and support, his patients’ experience and satisfaction have been enhanced with 97% of patients feeling more prepared for surgery with the use of SeamlessMD, 90% feeling more confident at home after surgery, and 48% saying that SeamlessMD helped them avoid 1 or more calls to the hospital after surgery.
Jennifer Sheils (Horizon Health Network): Jennifer Sheils is the Vice President Strategy, Transformation and Chief Innovation Officer at Horizon Health Network. Jennifer’s leadership and innovative approach have been instrumental in enhancing patient care via SeamlessMD. The implementation of our program has led to a 47% reduction in emergency department visits and a 16.67% reduction in the length of stay for cardiac patients. These results reflect Jennifer’s (and the entire Horizon Health Network team’s) commitment to leveraging technology to improve healthcare delivery. Jennifer’s vision extends beyond current successes, as she is actively exploring opportunities to expand the program to benefit even more patients. Her dedication to continuous improvement and her ability to drive transformative change make her a true champion in healthcare quality.
Jake Dixon (MultiCare Health System): Jake Dixon, the Chief Operating Officer of Rockwood Clinic (previously AVP of Surgical Specialties), has been a pivotal force in advancing healthcare quality through SeamlessMD and beyond. Under Jake’s leadership, the SeamlessMD program was successfully implemented across a number of specialities, including bariatrics, endoscopy, and most recently, a bariatrics pre-surgical program. His dedication to improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency has been instrumental in our successful partnership. By leveraging our platform for bariatrics, MultiCare has achieved impressive results, including a 67% reduction in readmission rates and a 22% reduction in the average length of stay. We are proud to celebrate Jake Dixon and MultiCare’s contributions during HealthCare Quality Week and look forward to continuing our journey together to enhance healthcare quality for all.
Dr. Bradley Davis (Advocate Health): Dr. Bradley Davis, Chief of the Division of General Surgery, Section Chief for Colon and Rectal Surgery, Professor and Vice Chair Surgery - Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, has been a driving force in improving patient outcomes. His leadership has been instrumental in the successful implementation of our digital care journeys to enhance Atrium’s Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. This initiative has led to remarkable improvements, including a 60% reduction in 30-day readmissions and a 31% decrease in emergency department visits for colorectal surgery patients. We are honored to celebrate Dr. Bradley Davis and the Atrium Health team during Healthcare Quality Week and look forward to continuing our partnership to further elevate the standards of surgical care.
Jaelynne Sonke (Niagara Health): Jaelynne Sonke, Director of Surgical Services at Niagara Health is a dedicated leader in healthcare quality, continuously working to enhance patient outcomes across surgical care. With her support, the SeamlessMD program has been able to expand to support patients in 7 different surgical areas. Under her leadership, the program has helped improve the quality of patient education and adherence to protocols, as well as ensuring that the most appropriate care after surgery is delivered through nurse monitoring to optimize and enhance the patient experience.
Cheryl Crisafi (Baystate Health): Cheryl Crisafi, MSN, RN, CNL, Cardiac Surgery Care Coordinator at Baystate Health, is a true champion for patient-centricity and whose unwavering commitment to patient care shines through in everything she does. Her dedication and compassion have been instrumental in improving patient education, including the addition of detailed pre-hab guidance to better prepare patients before surgery. It is under her leadership that the SeamlessMD program has evolved to better support patients in all phases, leading to a 23% reduction in LOS, a 65% reduction in readmissions, and a 44% reduction in ED visits.
Dr. Daniel Chu (UAB Medicine): Dr. Daniel Chu, division director of GI Surgery in the Department of Surgery, is a visionary leader in healthcare quality, championing Enhanced Recovery Programs (ERPs) to improve surgical outcomes and patient care. Since introducing ERPs at UAB in 2014, his dedication has reduced post-surgery pain, shortened hospital stays, and helped patients recover faster. Through innovative collaborations and the integration of patient engagement technologies like SeamlessMD, Dr. Chu has not only expanded the program's reach but also demonstrated its cost-effectiveness, making a lasting impact on both patient care and healthcare systems nationwide.
Jody Strik (Halton Healthcare): Jody Strik is the Interim Director of Surgical Services at Halton Healthcare. She has been a true leader in introducing innovative technology, including SeamlessMD, to improve patient care. Since the implementation of SeamlessMD for hip and knee replacement patients at Halton Healthcare, we’ve seen significant improvement in patient outcomes, including a 67% reduction in 30 day readmissions and 26% reduction in 30 day ED visits. These results reflect the dedication of Jody and her team to providing the highest quality care to their patients. Jody continues to champion innovations by initiating expansions to support additional patients through SeamlessMD’s shoulder and palliative care plans.
Dr. Jeffrey Blatnik (Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis): Dr. Jeffrey Blatnik, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Director of the Washington University Hernia Center specializes in minimally invasive surgery for abdominal wall hernia repairs. With a dedication to surgical innovation and achieving the best long term outcomes for his patients, he championed the implementation of SeamlessMD for his hernia patients in 2019. The program supports patient education and the collection of long-term patient reported outcomes, including quality of life, and has seen impressive results since the launch, including a 65% reduction in phone calls to the care team and a 50% reduction in ED visits.
Brian Brennan (Brant Community Healthcare System): Brian Brennan is the Clinical Director of Maternal Child, Peri-Operative, Medical Device Reprocessing and Diabetes Education at Brant Community Healthcare System. Brian has been instrumental in continuing to enhance patient care through SeamlessMD. The implementation of SeamlessMD has led to a 12% decrease in the average length of stay for hip and knee patients along with an increase of 2300% in the number of same day hip and knee procedures. These results reflect Brian’s, and the Brant Community Healthcare System’s team’s, efforts and dedication to providing their patients with exceptional care.
Noreen Chan (Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare): Noreen Chan is the Director of Community Collaboration and Diagnostics at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. Noreen has been a true champion in delivering the best patient care through SeamlessMD. Since the initial implementation of SeamlessMD, the program has grown to support general surgery, colorectal, hysterectomy, c-section, breast, urology, endoscopy, and mental health patients. Noreen played a key role in championing the more recent expansions to support urology and endoscopy patients. Noreen, and the team at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, continue to promote innovation and exceptional care and explore additional expansion opportunities to support more patients through SeamlessMD.
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