Blog

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a collaborative strategic development conference for service line development of new technology within our institution. I was skeptical to say the least, to see the span of attendees that would be joining from my institution. OR leadership, surgeons, pharma reps and leadership, and surgeons. Yikes, is this a recipe for conflict?

Through our daylong event, I was consistently wowed by not only our team, but other institutions in attendance, who worked through a myriad of development sessions and would re-group and debrief. The perspectives of each side voiced, heard, questions asked, plans developed! What an efficient day that I left from, buzzing with new ideas that would not have ever been possible without the joint work of all involved.

Strategic plan development for service lines consists of the “big picture”, goals, obstacles, details and of course a timeline. The discussions and collaboration that took place led to the outcome of setting 30, 60 and 90-day goals, a task we continued to struggle with for several months. Getting these players in the room together, and mapping out the individual wants and needs fed the discussion and ultimately, the plan development.

We never know what we don’t know, but through inclusion and breaking down silos, we will continue to be successful in the ever-changing healthcare landscape we are a part of. Don’t be afraid to welcome new faces to the table, don’t hesitate to ask the questions you don’t know the answer to and never let your assumptions drive the greater plan.

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work ~Peter F. Drucker

Jennifer Pendleton, MS
WHCM Chairwoman

Our spring forum team put together an engaging and topical panel discussion this past April.  Moderator Claudine Swartz, a WHCM steering committee member, did a fantastic job moderating for a second year in a row; asking thoughtful questions, and playing off the conversation to keep each panelist engaged.  As a marketing manager for a health system, the most interesting part to me was the discussion around encouraging patients to take control of their health, but concurrently how difficult it is to navigate the health system.  How can we help patients to stay well given these complexities?  Of particular interest was VAL Health’s VP of Business Development Georgia Buck and her discussion of Behavioral Economics – what makes people take an action?  One concept we’ve tried to employ at my organization is that of the “tribe” mentality; meaning if you see that others

(neighbors, friends) are doing something, you are more likely to do it too.  We recently launched an ad campaign that had real community members (not actors) in it who were actually coming to us for their primary care, to create that tribe familiarity.

Others in our steering committee discussed with me their favorite takeaways – Jen Pendleton, our WHCM Chairwoman, mentioned what she enjoyed most and really resonated from the panel was identifying the New World order we are participating in within healthcare, i.e. consumerism. “I truly enjoyed all the work by each of the panelists… going into identifying transparency and pricing as well as choices of healthcare. Each panelist could define in their own business how they are wading the waters [of] this new business model of patients being customers.”  Kristina Phillipson, a WHCM membership committee member, was also intrigued as I was by how behavioral economics can be applied to affect healthcare consumer behavior. “I heard in the panel discussion a real shift in perspective to seeing patients as consumers. Healthcare is going beyond seeing patients as just Medicare vs Commercial and paying more attention to the diverse needs of multiple consumer segments. The speakers did a great job explaining how healthcare organizations must respond to market segments while also trying to pivot some towards healthier behaviors.”

We hope to see you at our next forum or networking event!

Submitted by WHCM Steering Committee Member  Rachel Renaux

There is nothing like ringing in the first month of the New Year with fellow women in healthcare. It is always an honor for me to meet our member and non-member attendees at these casual events, and January 29th’s event at Joe’s in Dedham did not disappoint! What a great group of 20+ guests sharing ideas and goals for 2019!

The message was clear, that healthcare, no matter how vast an institution – is a small world, it was great to see so many “I haven’t seen you in forever! Are you still working at ____?”

Thank you for those able to attend, and not getting scared by the “snowy” forecast.
We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Spring Forum event April 3!

Jennifer Pendleton, MS
WHCM Chairwoman

On Monday, November 5, a group of about 30 women descended on the town of Woburn, north of Boston, to network, share ideas and get to know each other. The food was fantastic! The intensity of the discussion around the room was palpable, as well as the excitement. Connections were made and overall the event was an absolute success! A huge thank you to all who were able to attend, and those that coordinated the evening!

Blog post by WHCM Steering Committee Member Jennifer Pendleton

We haven’t had a summer networking event in Boston in several years, so we decided to bring it back – Boston is so fun in the summer! Unfortunately, the torrential rains kept us from enjoying the outdoor patio, but close to 40 women showed up to network, and I was so happy to see new faces and meet a dozen new members, or ladies who were thinking about membership. One new member said she was “impressed by the caliber of professionals in attendance (even on a rainy day) and how open people were to offering career advice to others.”

What sets WHCM apart is that we are an organization run by women, with the purpose of helping other women in the industry. I am consistently proud of our membership, and their willingness to lift other women up – regardless of their position in the workplace or status. An interesting conversation theme I took part in at the event was discussing what other professional organizations our members belong to – one common theme is they were all were open to both men and women. But, many were involved with professional organizations specific to their field – healthcare finance or medical devices, for example. It seems like a good idea to join one general networking organization, like ours or perhaps the Boston Young Healthcare Professionals, and then one specific to your area of focus. And get involved! It’s a great way to meet people. Hope to see all my new connections (and more!) on October 3 at our Fall Forum.

Blog post by WHCM Chairwoman Rachel Labas

Just like that, my son Dhruv has turned 1! As of this writing, he is almost 14 months. Wow!

I am trying to find a good metaphor for the last 11 months of being a full-time employee and full- time mom. A Roller Coaster ride seems appropriate, so does a stretched elastic band and being lost on an island. But I digress. Here, I reflect on my motherhood journey in the past 11 months.

First and foremost, it does take a village. I am forever indebted to my army of advisors (yoga teacher, doula, lactation consultant) and my girlfriends who helped me have child birth, breastfeeding and early parenting experiences I dreamt of. It was incredibly hard, both physically and emotionally, but having my village made me not quit. Paradoxically, being an immigrant living miles away from my real family and old friends by choice, I constantly question my choices and the implication of my choices on me and my husband as parents, and on my son. Questioning yourself becomes an intrinsic and unavoidable part of parenting. Goes something like this- Is he happy at day care? Should he be in daycare? Should I reduce my hours at work and stay home with him longer? You get the picture. It ebbs and flows – it has taken me some quiet time to realize that there is no absolute and there is no one right way of parenting and by extension of living life. I’ve also learned babies are amazingly malleable and resilient, and transitions are much harder on me as an adult than they are on him as a baby.

Welcoming the unsure messy parts is what makes parenting such a learning experience. I struggled less with the significantly increased volume of work (chores etc.) but rather with the unpredictability of a baby’s schedule. Learning to give up control is probably my biggest learning.

On its heels follows learning to compromise. It took me some time to be okay with not being able to “do it all”. I have reduced time for my spouse, family and friends, to exercise, to read, to focus on my career- to do all the things that I did before I had an infant. However, by not doing one thing also means I am choosing to do something, often related to the baby. And in the grand scheme of things, I am glad I made those choices. I chose to spend the time with my infant, because he is already a toddler!

Lastly, I’ve learned to ask for help. I’ve learned to champion for myself. In sleep deprived, guilt- laced moments, it is easy to get delusional about one’s own capacity and not pause to get a reality check. That is a dangerous slippery slope that I often remind myself to not get on. Having honest conversations with my spouse, my nanny, my manager at work has (I hope) helped them help me.

Motherhood is messy and magical. I am grateful to have had this wonderful experience and this adorable child that I call mine!

Blog post by WHCM Steering Committee Member Dhana Kotwal

Recently, our institution began a “Positive Pause” initiative. Our Provider Wellness Oversight team has been working hard to narrow their focus on wins that will provide a more mindful, healthy environment for colleagues within the institution, focused on clinical providers.

Positive Pause entails opening meetings with a positive story. These have ranged from positive patient interactions, positive interactions with colleagues both within and outside of the organization and (what I find most important) interactions with support staff team members. Most recently, a surgeon had really edified a front desk coordinator who went above and beyond to ensure coordination of care for one of their patients. This was talked about at the beginning of a large board meeting with many top executives in attendance. The coordinator was overjoyed to hear praises from these leaders! To be recognized for hard work is a huge factor in our employee engagement, across the full spectrum of the organization.

This pause should be just that, a two-minute account of a great experience ~ make the time purposeful, help others to see the “great” in what we do each day- even when it all seems to be sliding (quickly) downhill. I can assure you that this technique sets a different tone for the meeting, and can really make a difference!

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” ~ John Quincy Adams

Blog post by WHCM Steering Committee Member Jennifer Pendleton

There was a record turnout at WHCM’s Spring Event March 28, 2018, as nearly 100 women from a variety of health care sectors attended for what was clearly an important and timely topic “Health Care Innovation: How Market Players are Shaking Things Up and the Impact on Your Career.”

The dynamic and engaging panel featured Beth Roberts, Senior Vice President, Regional Markets, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; Christina Severin, President and CEO, Community Care Cooperative; Sonia Millson, Senior Vice President, Iora Health and Lauren Peters, Undersecretary for Health Policy, Executive Office of Health & Human Services. Led by moderator Claudine Swartz of Strategic Policy Solutions, LLC the panelists discussed innovations in their respective organizations as well as their predictions for the future, particularly as it relates to women in the changing health care market.

Ms. Swartz and Kathy Keough, Director of Government Relations for Atrius Health, who served as co-chairs for the Spring event, selected the panelists for their cutting edge strategies and philosophies to “no longer accept the status quo” in health care. From a payer, provider and policy perspective, the panelists were all in agreement that innovations in Massachusetts are happening at a rapid pace, perhaps more than any place else in the country and it is a great place for women no matter where in their careers they may be to work.

There were an amazing amount of take-aways offered by each of the panelists including: the importance of carving out – even scheduling – time to learn what others are doing and thinking about outside of your organization, to taking risks, and not accepting the “status quo” all of which resonated with attendees who peppered the panelists with questions.

WHCM volunteers heard incredible feedback from all in attendance, as well as the panelists themselves, who all appeared to enjoy the opportunity to network with others, but also learn about some of the many perspectives in health care.

A special thank you to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, for hosting the location of the event! We look forward to seeing everyone at our next networking event scheduled for May 1 in Dedham, and our next Forum event on October 3.

Blog post by WHCM Steering Committee Member Kathy Keough