Healthcare Executive Dishes Out Strategies for Enhancing Patient Care Availability – Sentara CMO Reveals Secrets
Sentara Health, a leading healthcare provider with 12 hospitals across Virginia and North Carolina, is making strides in enhancing patient care through various initiatives. The organisation is actively exploring ways to maximise the use of advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and care managers in both ambulatory and hospital settings.
In the Williamsburg, Virginia area, Sentara Health has appointed Dr. Shreya Aggarwal as the academic director for the internist program. Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Hooper, MD, MSc, serves as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and is also involved in an initiative to double the number of residents at Sentara Health.
Sentara Health is leveraging population health tools to close preventive care gaps for patients. Embedded screening processes in the health system's electronic medical record are being utilised to identify and address these gaps. The system also has processes in place to alert physicians and other care team members about care gaps, and resources such as care managers and automatic scheduling tools to close those gaps.
To improve access to care, Sentara Health is redesigning care models and incorporating telehealth into hospital-based care, emergency medicine, and ambulatory care. This move aims to increase access to care and make interactions more convenient and efficient.
Sentara Health is also focusing on timely stroke care, where positive clinical outcomes are essential. They are using AI to expand stroke services, ensuring swift and effective care for patients.
In addition, Sentara Health is expanding the rural track primary care program at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in North Carolina. The organisation is also working on several specialty programs and primary care programs, including a neurology program at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and a cardiology fellowship program at the same hospital.
AI tools are being embedded in clinical workflows to see more patients without straining the workforce. Sentara Health is using AI tools such as telenursing for medication reconciliation and patient education at discharge.
Sentara Health has residency partnerships with Virginia Health Sciences and Old Dominion University in Virginia. At Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, they have received approval to start an internal medicine residency program and hope to start other residency programs. The organisation is seeking to double its number of residents to help address physician shortages.
Furthermore, Sentara Health is recruiting for an internal medicine program director to create an internal medicine program in the Williamsburg, Virginia, area. They have seen significant improvement from a population health standpoint in areas such as hypertension screening, hypertension control, A1C checks, and colon cancer screening.
These initiatives demonstrate Sentara Health's commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to improve patient care, access, and outcomes.
Read also:
- Nightly sweat episodes linked to GERD: Crucial insights explained
- Antitussives: List of Examples, Functions, Adverse Reactions, and Additional Details
- Asthma Diagnosis: Exploring FeNO Tests and Related Treatments
- Unfortunate Financial Disarray for a Family from California After an Expensive Emergency Room Visit with Their Burned Infant