The pace of technological progress can make it seem like solutions to our health care problems are only a click away. Howard Weeks, Utah’s interim chief medical information officer, lauds the virtues of technology with this caveat: you can’t IT your way out of every problem.
Over two years ago, we launched Accelerate–University of Utah Health’s learning community. It has been rewarding, inspiring, and fun to share Utah’s work with nearly 50,000 readers, some of them from across the world. Everybody loves a year-end list, so here are Accelerate’s awards for 2018.
Revenue Cycle Support Services is the backbone of Utah’s financial system – from insurance prior authorizations to processing billions of dollars in claims and payments. Their leadership team, led by administrative director Kathy Delis, has been on a years-long journey to make this work better both for patients and employees. Here, she shares how she brought meaning, purpose, and a sense of community to the team.
Parkway medical director Brett Clayson leads one of the highest patient-rated clinics at U of U Health – but it wasn’t always that way. Here are the five leadership principles he used to transform his small, out-of-the-way clinic. Hint: Start with your strengths.
Surgeon Rob Glasgow reflects on the national conversation around physician burnout and calls for a connection to purpose. His advice: never stop asking what brings meaning to your life and your profession.
The Effective Communicator returns to settle the never-ending debate: which form of communication is the best?
For years, nurse manager Emily Baarz has mentored millennial nurses joining Neuro Critical Care (NCC). But new nurse graduates weren’t always prepared for the high-acuity setting. So Emily created the Axon/Dendrite program, a mentor-leader model to support her staff’s professional growth.
Kyle Bradford Jones returns with a review of “Quiet,” Susan Cain’s book about the power of introverted thinking. Although introversion is often viewed as a drawback — “a second-class personality trait,” Cain writes — Bradford Jones believes that reassessing his personality type has helped him better understand himself, his co-workers, and even his patients.
In her five years at University of Utah Health as hospitalist, educator, and medical director of AIM-A and WP5, Karli Edholm led amazing amounts of impactful work. She trained future leaders and improved the safety, experience, and cost of an inpatient stay. Here she shares her lessons for leading and staying focused on improvement: start with your own frustration.
Every Accelerate interview starts with “why” — what inspires and motivates us as individuals? Chief Medical Officer Tom Miller reflects on the touchstone that has guided him through his career in medicine: the ability to change someone’s life and make a difference.
Real teams are the antidote to the chaos of modern medicine. “Real teams know each other, feel loyalty to one another, trust one another, and would not want to disappoint one another” (Tom Lee, NEJM Catalyst 2016). Practicing are conversations between real team members about why the work matters. Our goal is to preserve and share the stories of the teams at University of Utah Health.
We were excited when Dr. Ruth Watkins made time on her first day as the University of Utah’s 16th President to address the leadership team of U of U Health. Her message: your work matters. She answers your questions about community, collaboration, and connection.
