Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Josh Liu, MD, co-founder of SeamlessMD, a technology platform designed to digitize patient care journeys. Their conversation centers around Dr. Liu’s background, his completion of medical school but not residency, and how he got bit by the startup bug. They also discuss the importance of clinician buy-in, the power of simple solutions, and the secret sauce to create engaging social media content. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:49] Dr. Liu’s background[06:55] How he got bit by the startup bug[11:35] The goal of SeamlessMD[21:55] Gaining insights by simply walking around a hospital[23:34] The value of harnessing real-world experience in design. [31:50] Clinician input on Seamless implementation[34:54] Secrets of social media success[39:32] Dr. Liu’s favorite well-designed things[44:04] OutrosFor more information, including a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Susan Snedaker, Chief Information Officer at El Rio Health and author of Renovating Healthcare IT: Building the Foundation for Digital Transformation. They discuss her work at El Rio Health, the challenges of implementing features like single sign-on, and designing technologies for a wide gamut of users. They also chat about the importance of clarifying language when working with others, training teams to identify problems rather than just deliver ticket requests, and the importance of leaving one’s comfort zone to get a new perspective.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:05] Susan’s background in healthcare[06:33] Unexpected roadblocks in implementing new features[13:40] Clarifying language in team problem solving[21:48] Training problem solvers, not ticket-takers[37:19] Leaving comfort zones to gain perspectiveFor more information, including a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, associate chief medical information officer for pediatric research at Michigan Medicine. They discuss how a sabbatical spent in Silicon Valley shaped Dr. Lee’s thoughts on the intersection of design and medicine, the value of a physician-builder program for health systems, and her experiences running patient-centered design workshops. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:47] Dr. Lee’s background and sabbatical research[07:45] What systems design means[11:40] The parallels between quality improvement and design[15:43] Physician-builder programs[24:12] Patient-centered design workshops[29:11] Dr. Joseph’s background in design thinking [37:29] Well-designed things that bring Dr. Lee joyFor more information, including a transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, talks with Founder of Health Collaboratory and Executive Director at Cancer 101, Sarah Krüg. They discuss Sarah’s work on things such as The Magic Wand Project, designing in the healthcare space to improve trust, and doing the “Patient-Doctor Tango.”Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:15] Sarah Krüg’s background in healthcare[02:08] The Magic Wand Project[13:07] The patient shark tank[20:56] Performing the Patient-Doctor Tango[22:27] Design fails[28:47] Developing Healthcare ConfessionsFor more information, including a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Bon Secours Mercy Health Executive in Residence Mark Townsend, MD. They discuss Dr. Townsend’s path from internal medicine and cardiology to his current role as a health system administrator, as well as his work with emerging healthcare startups, balancing cybersecurity and customization within the electronic health record, and what it means to “fail forward.”Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[00:53] Dr. Townsend’s background[06:29] Working on Mobilizing a Million Hearts[13:32] Challenging assumptions in product development[16:29] Offering constructive feedback[24:36] Innovating while respecting governance[37:59] Things so well designed, they bring Dr. Townsend joyFor more information, including a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Gary Kaplan, MD, CEO emeritus of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. They discuss how Dr. Kaplan spearheaded a revolution in the patient experience at Virginia Mason, how a car company headquartered on the other side of the world inspired transformational change, and how his organization gained from openness and honesty in the face of adversity. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:40] Dr. Kaplan’s early years as CEO of Virginia Mason[07:18] Pivoting from a physician-centered organization to a patient-centered organization[13:30] Learning from the Toyota Production System[27:29] Overcoming and growing from tragedy[33:38] Implementing the Virginia Mason Production System[40:25] Continued partnership with Toyota[45:08] Dr. Kaplan’s favorite well-designed thingsFor a full transcript and more information, click here.To learn more about Dr. Kaplan and Virginia Mason's journey, check out the book Transforming Health Care - Virginia Mason Medical Center's Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience by Charles Kenney. Click here to find out more

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with David K Butler, MD, interim CMIO at KeyCare and founder of Calyx Partners. They discuss the history of early electronic health record (EHR) implementations, Dr. Butler’s journey from physician to clinical informaticist, and how to win over skeptical clinicians during implementations. They also talk about taking inspiration from other industries for future transformation, striking the balance between customization and control, and building trust within digital solutions. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[02:11] Dr. Butler’s background[03:42] Internal medicine vs pediatrics[05:36] Going from paper to pixels[10:20] Dr. Butler’s “aha” moment[15:38] Gamification of the EHR[19:20] Balancing standardization and customization [31:05] What it means to be a virtualist[36:50] Handling change within the EHR[39:55] Dr. Butler’s favorite well-designed thingsFor more details, including a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with two doctors from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, neonatologist and biomedical informaticist Kevin Dufendach, MD, and CMIO Andy Spooner, MD. Their discussion centers around their early days in the NICU, why so many pediatricians end up also working as informaticists, and the role of AI in reducing documentation.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[05:30] The early days of clinical informatics[09:02] The exhaustion discount[16:20] The future of progress notes[21:32] The promise and perils of AI in healthcare[32:36] The differences between informatics specialists and generalists[39:14] Why pediatricians think like informaticians[40:48] Well-designed things that bring Dr. Dufendach and Dr. Spooner joyFor a full transcript and more info, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Lalita Abhyankar, MD, family physician and clinic medical director at Carbon Health. They discuss her medical background, the evolving mission of Carbon Health, and her journey in understanding change management. They also discuss the emotions behind clinical care, the similarities and differences between primary care and urgent care, and how doctors can think more like engineers while still maintaining and growing relationships with their patients. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:25] Dr. Abhyankar’s background[07:05] The mission of Carbon Health[08:45] The overlaps between primary and urgent care[14:05] Working with software developers and engineers in healthcare[21:20] Learning about change management[24:18] Drinking from the firehose of data and technology[28:06] Relationship building[33:10] Things that are so well designed, they bring Dr. Abhyankar joyFor the full transcript and more info, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Billy Nicolich, healthcare product manager at Press Ganey. They discuss Billy’s background in healthcare and experience design, the legacy and impact of nudge units, and why he sees history as being divided into “pre-manifesto” and “post-manifesto.” They also discuss the scientific study of “stupidity,” how bad decisions create real pain points for users, and in what ways human-centered design can remediate some of that pain and stupidity.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:02] Billy Nicolich’s background[06:45] The history and impact of nudge units[15:22] A manifesto for applying behavioral science[22:02] Studying “stupidity”[28:11] Dealing with pain pointsFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, chats with Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, chief health informatics officer for Novant Health. They discuss Dr. Lozovatsky’s background as a pediatrician, how that led her to becoming a CHIO, and what’s she’s learned working on either side of the EHR. They also discuss structuring governance to drive best practices, having a continuous improvement mindset after implementation, and the dangers of being too clever in the design process.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[03:59] Leading a GROSS program[09:38] Having a continuous improvement mindset[15:29] Structuring governance to drive best practices in the EHR[18:28] When designs become too clever[25:25] Reducing clicks with We Matter[28:41] Things so well designed, they bring Dr. Lozovatsky joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, and Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, are joined by Deepti Pandita, MD, chief medical informatics officer and associate professor of medicine at UCI Health. They discuss her background as both an internist and clinical informaticist, and the principles of design that lead to successful implementations. Additionally, they talk about the importance of including the voice of the patient when making technological advancements, how to avoid decision paralysis, and how health equity and design go hand in hand. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:13] Dr. Pandita’s background[07:27] The inherent challenges of EHR go-lives[10:11] Design principles in implementations[13:04] Balancing needs of different stakeholders[15:55] Preventing health inequities in new designs[19:55] Designing with patient populations in mind[22:21] Best practices for soliciting patient feedback[24:08] The value of simply walking around and observing[25:36] Patient feedback at different stages of design[27:33] Real-world applications of human-centered design[28:51] Things that are so well designed they bring Dr. Pandita joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, sits down with three leaders at Nordic: Kevin Erdal, Andy Splitz, and Michelle Wiginton. They discuss LIS, how data coming from labs are different from other health related data types, and the similarities and differences between EHR and LIS upgrades. They also discuss the factors one should consider in implementing or upgrading LIS, utilizing it for personalizing individual care, and what the immediate future of lab technology means for clinical teams and workflows.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:50] How data coming in from labs are different from other health related data types[06:11] The similarities and differences between LIS and EHR evolution[07:48] Factors to consider in implementing or upgrading LIS[20:44] Personalizing the individual care journey through LIS[28:52] Immediate next steps for the LIS[33:01] How these next steps will impact clinical teams and workflowsFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, and Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, are joined by Bre Loughlin, CEO and founder of Nurse Disrupted, Inc. They discuss how technology and new workflows can enable health systems to do more with fewer resources while retaining experienced staff and providing flexibility that helps to combat burnout. They also talk about Bre’s background as an EHR executive, how she discovered a passion for product design, and the importance of simplicity when it comes to new innovations. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:10] Bre’s background[08:24] Value of real-world observations in design work[09:28] The origins of Nurse Disrupted[14:24] The principle of simplification[16:00] Scaling up Nurse Disrupted[18:39] Balancing software configurations with hardware[20:37] The factors behind the ongoing nursing shortage[25:22] The role of virtual care in alleviating nurse turnover[30:46] Understanding the problem before designing[31:52] Adding versus subtracting complexity[34:35] The human should be at the center of design[36:28] Balancing functionality and simplicity[37:41] Well-designed things that bring Bre joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, and Head of Thought Leadership, Jerome Pagani, PhD, chat with Evan Heigert, creative director at Wolters Kluwer Health. They discuss his work on Emmi, an interactive patient engagement tool, and how it was developed to reach real humans in their actual context. They also discuss the lessons Evan has learned from his experience in journalism and advertising and how he is using them to fill gaps in healthcare using thoughtful, human-centered design.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:11] Evan’s background[04:21] Wolters Kluwer’s mission and strategy[09:44] How Emmi reaches patients in their context[21:47] Team decision making at Emmi[25:07] Deciding what content to make interactive[31:08] Keeping data adequate and up to date[35:26] Creating accessible content and building human connection[38:20] Things so well designed, they bring Evan joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, sits down with Digital Health Practice Leader Kevin Erdal and Head of EHR Implementation Services Andy Splitz. They discuss the hard work of EHR implementation, the global landscape where organizations are only starting to move to digitization, and how imperative it is that data management is done well and with real end-users in mind.Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:39] EHR implementation and data management[08:10] EHR implementation globally versus in the U.S.[15:43] The vision for how data will be used both inside and outside the EHR[24:02] Managing data infrastructure and BI modernization in tandem[29:02] Designing data management systems with the end user in mindFor a full transcript, click here.

Vice President of Care Coordination at Corewell Health West, Tricia Baird, MD, sits down with Nordic Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, and Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, to share her perspective and ethos on whole-person design. They also discuss the importance of incorporating empathy into hiring practices and how creating a better health experience is a moral imperative. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:35] Dr. Baird’s Background[06:37] Whole-person design[10:18] LACE+ Scores and reducing hospital readmissions[14:52] Keeping the work timely, targeted, and actionable[19:19] Hiring for empathy and training for clinical skills[28:02] Adapting value-based care models to fee-for-service[29:50] Pairing clinical care with behavioral health[34:08] Designing a better health experience as a matter of morality[40:49] Things so well designed, they bring Dr. Baird joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, sits down with cloud solution experts from both Nordic and Amazon Web Services (AWS). From Nordic, Digital Health Cloud Practice Lead Saran Sonaisamy and Principal Architect Brijeet Akula; from AWS, EHR Leader Mike Hegyi and Global Epic Leader Matt Dinger. They chat about cloud infrastructure, the benefits of moving the EHR to the cloud, and the key points any healthcare system should consider when transitioning its IT infrastructure to a cloud-based platform. Show notes: [00:00] Intros[01:35] Benefits of moving the EHR to the cloud[05:43] Current advancements in cloud-based EHR capabilities[11:30] Integration of data from different sources[15:35] Matt’s personal healthcare journey[17:55] Real-world use cases for cloud-based EHRs[25:02] Financial opportunities with the cloud[28:46] The rapid uptake of cloud adoption [31:38] Concrete first steps in a cloud journey[35:01] Outros For a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, and Head of Thought Leadership Jerome Pagani, PhD, chat with UCHealth CMIO CT Lin, MD, Director of Communications and Patient Initiatives at OpenNotes Liz Salmi, and postdoctoral research fellow at the Vanderbilt Clinical Informatics Center Bryan Steitz, PhD. They discuss their recent study regarding patient attitudes and perspectives related to immediate viewing of test results via the online patient portal. Stay tuned for a special musical performance from one of our guests. This conversation was recorded live at the 2023 Nordic Summer Social in Madison, WI. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[07:54] The effect of the 21st Century Cures Act on medical transparency [12:47] If patients want to see their results earlier[14:36] The importance of speed of test result delivery [16:20] How the open notes process is changing care [20:10] If pre-counseling and patient anxiety are linked [24:20] Patients and progress notes [24:54] Liz’s personal journey in patient advocacy[31:16] A special musical performance[34:31] What well-designed things bring Liz, Bryan, and CT joyFor a full transcript, click here.

Nordic Chief Medical Officer Craig Joseph, MD, and Head of Thought Leadership, Jerome Pagani, PhD, chat with Matt Sakumoto, MD, a virtual primary care physician and a chief medical information officer at Sutter Health. They discuss advances in virtual and telehealth, and what the future of primary care looks like five to 10 years from now. They also touch on the growing prevalence of team-based care, the power of digital empathy, and building understanding between physicians and patients. Show Notes:[00:00] Intros[01:06] Dr. Sakumoto’s background [06:45] Digital empathy in healthcare[08:01] The role of AI in the future of medicine[13:21] Primary care informatics and the science behind implementation[16:05] What primary care will look like in five to 10 years[18:13] The importance of team-based care [27:37] Embracing the inbox [35:58] How health systems can compete with new micro-efficient services [38:03] Things so well designed, they bring Dr. Sakumoto joy For a full transcript, click here.