TDP 81: Catholic Health's Michael Mainiero: Using Trauma as Jet Fuel for Work, Establishing a Digital Culture, and the Importance of Empathetic Design

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On this episode of "The Digital Patient" podcast, hosts Alan Sardana & Dr. Joshua Liu speak with Michael Mainiero, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Catholic Health, about "Using Trauma as Jet Fuel for Work, Establishing a Digital Culture, and the Importance of Empathetic Design". Click the play button to listen or read the show notes below.
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Audio:

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Video:

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Guest(s):

• Michael Mainiero, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Catholic Health
• Dr. Joshua Liu (@joshuapliu), Co-founder & CEO at SeamlessMD

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‍Episode 81 - Show Notes:

[00:00] Introducing Michael Mainiero, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Catholic Health;

[2:24] How Mr. Mainiero’s affinity for biology and science was influenced by his father – a renowned high school biology teacher – and how, after a tragic accident rendered his father quadriplegic, Mr. Mainiero gained an appreciation for healthcare and the patient experience;

[3:50] How Mr. Mainiero immersed himself in tech during the dotcom boom, building dozens of projects including a successful auction website and an EHR, and was scooped up into healthcare by NYU Langone following the dotcom burst;

[6:40] How Mr. Mainiero was self-taught, learning technical skills prior to joining NYU Langone while at various startups;

[8:40] How NYU’s CIO was instrumental in building a ready infrastructure, enabling their team to build massive scale projects in-house, why Mr. Mainiero is most proud of their Find A Doctor application and its many iterations, which was ultimately copied over the years by other health systems, and how his experience with his Dad in the hospital propelled his persistence; 

[10:58] Why Mr. Mainiero believes it’s important to have clinicians on the team and to find product people who have empathy and who understand empathy-based design as a framework for understanding the problems users face and how they utilize the products they build;

[13:25] Why Mr. Mainiero believes smart people who have an open mindset and come into healthcare with humility excel, and how having a good mix of teammates who come from healthcare as well as “outsiders” lends itself to building the best products;

[15:30] Why Mr. Mainiero believes pouring money into a project doesn’t ensure its success, but rather having craft knowledge and the right perspectives (e.g. Clinicians and an empathy-led product team who acquire user feedback);

[18:50] Why Mr. Mainiero advocates for having humility and a good product team who can tell you when you’re wrong;

[20:15] Why Mr. Mainiero joined Catholic Health after meeting with their CEO, Dr. O'Shaughnessy, and how he is focused on building agile frameworks and culture;

[21:45] How Mr. Mainiero spent the first 90 days relationship building, listening, and asking questions to better understand the problems to solve, sketching out problem statements and working with Epic, internal stakeholders and vendors to identify viable solutions mapped on a value-complexity matrix;

[24:05] Why Mr. Mainiero appreciates working with a smaller team (compared to NYU) as it is cathartic to see your work play out, and how having deep technical knowledge allows him to find the right partners;

[26:55] How Mr. Mainiero views differing skill sets like a game of chess, where particular pieces can make specific moves, and how he uses this framework to determine pieces that their team needs;

[28:20] Why Mr. Mainiero is excited about digital patient identities and technologies to improve access such as no password tech, the disambiguation of data, and Remote Patient Monitoring coupled with telehealth as he knows firsthand how it has a positive impact on the patient and their family;

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Fast 5 / Lightning Round:

1. What is your favorite book or book you’ve gifted the most?
   Gifted the most: “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High” by Steven Covey
   Favorite book: “Shōgun” by James Clavell

2. Who is a person–dead or alive–you'd love to meet?
   “Marcus Aurelius or Miyamoto Musashi”
   

2. Would you rather have Super strength, super speed, or the ability to read people’s minds?
   “Super speed… Because Force = Mass times Acceleration, which would mean you could have super strength too.”
   

4. What is something in healthcare you believe that others might find insane?
   “The complexity”
   

5. COVID-19 lockdown related – what is 1 hobby or activity you’ve gotten into since the pandemic?
   “Started painting again for the first time in 20 years, and walks in nature with my family.”