Health systems have had to grow and develop in new ways in 2022 while dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply and staffing shortages nationwide. The American Medical Association has named 13 health systems and leaders that have made lasting impacts on innovation in 2022.
1. Hattiesburg (Miss.) Clinic researched the importance of physician-led medical teams and found that care provided by nonphysician providers was more expensive than care delivered by licensed physicians.
2. Baptist Health Kentucky (Lexington) has placed more resources into its telehealth program, focusing on refining telehealth for all populations so that telehealth does not worsen health inequalities.
3. Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.) has automated its process for ordering imaging and tests, speeding up and improving the process. The system also uses AI to detect abnormalities in imaging, moving them to the top of radiologist's lists.
4. Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.) has expanded its heart attack planning program to 45 Pennsylvania counties and 10 hospital campuses. Three of its hospitals have been recognized with Comprehensive Heart Attack Center certifications from The Joint Commission and AHA.
5. Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.) has struggled to recruit healthcare workers, but has focused on improving their community culture to make workers stay.
6. Nayan Kothari, MD, an internist, has worked on improving physician bedside manner. Dr. Kothari inspired the Institute for Bedside Medicine at Saint Peter's Simulation Center for Interprofessional Learning.
7. Bayhealth (Dover, Del.) piloted a program based on a cardiovascular service line that reduced readmission rates for patients with heart failure.
8. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Seattle) partnered with the Morehouse School of Medicine to enhance representation in the medical field. The partnership allows Black Morehouse physicians to do rotations in hospitals struggling with a lack of diverse employees.
9. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City) worked to foster equality by adding Black hair care products to patient rooms.
10. Philip Oravetz, MD, mentors other physicians on value-based contracts. He encourages getting a commitment from payers to provide claims data.
11. Sonal Patel, MD, encourages physicians to find outside help with managing business, connecting an IT system and ensuring legal compliance.
12. Henry Ford Health (Detroit) has piloted a community paramedic program where paramedics check in on patients in their homes and provide various levels of care, reducing hospitalizations.
13. Colin Cave, MD, has worked to add discussions about climate change into medical rhetoric, treating climate change as a public health crisis.