Podcast Q&A with Dr. Bradley Crotty, Part 2: Digital Transformation “Is a Shared Accountability.”

During the past few years, a number of healthcare organizations have added digital titles to the C-suite, whether it’s a Chief Digital Officer, Chief Digital Information Officer, or, in Bradley Crotty’s case, Chief Digital Engagement Officer. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for the industry, which has notoriously been late the party. But what needs to happen along with assigning an individual to lead the charge, is acknowledging that digital transformation has to be a team effort.

For Crotty, that means it has to be treated as both a “key competency and an area of accountability” for team members. Recently, he spoke with healthsystemCIO about how Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin is working to instill that mindset across the organization. He also talked about why Inception Health, the hub that was created “as a vehicle to affect digital transformation,” remains a separate entity; the “low-hanging fruit” that leaders should be focused on when it comes to leveraging technology to improve care; and how Froedtert is partnering with nearby organizations to address social determinants of care.

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Key Takeaways



* “We don’t have a lot of tools that can help change behaviors,” Crotty said, adding that digital health can make a key impact in this area.

* By enabling remote monitoring, Froedtert’s virtual care team was able to reach 10,000 patients during Covid and offer a “really nice end-to-end digital experience.”

* Addressing social determinants of health means going beyond digital access and looking at broader issues, which Froedtert is doing by working with NowPow (and other healthcare organizations) to facilitate community-based prescribing.

* One of the critical components in advancing digital transformation is in building a culture around shared accountability, and never putting it on the shoulders of one individual or department.

* Above all else, the “north star” for Froedtert is to create “a much better, much more cost-effective patient experience.”





Q&A with Dr. Bradley Crotty, Part 2 [Click here to view Part 1]

Crotty: Another analogy I’ll use is that we have pharmaceuticals that are changing biology. We have medical devices that are changing physiology. We don’t have a lot of tools that can get in and help behavior. I think that’s a really core area for digital health to be an enabler and manage the behavior aspect.

A report on the county health rankings showed that clinical care — which is access to care and quality of care — accounts for about 20 percent of someone’s health needs.

When you look at the other 80 percent of those determinants, one of those is behavior. I think digital, because of its nature being in someone’s pocket, being able to reach into someone’s home, or being able to stay relevant and timely, can help with that.

We have a really important program around digital prescribing for social determinants. That’s another piece of being able to meet peoples’ needs. We’re trying to move beyond where healthcare has traditionally been in terms of brick and mortar — when you come see us, we’ll give you some guidance and see you back in six months — to something that’s more interactive and longitudinal.

 

Gamble:  Very interesting. It seems like mental health has risen to the forefront during Covid, and there’s been more discussion around the role digital health can play. What are your thoughts there?

Crotty:  We’ve seen an uptick in referrals to our mental health program, essentially starting last March.