Finding Opportunity in a Time of Crisis

Why did you decide to apply to this program?

When I was researching programs, I didn't find many that I thought would be helpful. I became interested in this program mostly because I thought it would, at the very least, be a great networking opportunity. Then, after several colleagues in and from outside the health system—including my twin brother, who is the COO and president of Boston Children's Hospital—told me about their past learning experiences at Harvard, I decided that I could benefit from spending a few days on campus.

Have you been able to apply any insights from the program to your work?

Yes, one very important message is that data is incredibly important. The cases we discussed focused on the need to lead with data and understand opportunities not only from a quality standpoint and a clinical standpoint but also from a financial standpoint. It's essential to lead with information and quality. I knew this going into the program, but our class discussions emphasized this and provided multiple germane examples where quality led to the development of programs and processes that had real impacts on patient care. Having previous ideas confirmed and reinforced in that way was very important. The other insight was that it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to achieve an institution's or program's overall goal while managing multiple individuals or groups who have their own agendas. The examples from the program brought home the fact that it's really important for institutions to define distinct pathways for delivering care, as long as they are pathways that can be measured.

What did you gain from interacting with other participants in the program?

My cohort shared enlightening stories about their own experiences. The roundtable discussions at breakfast and dinner were very helpful because everyone offered their own perspective on the sessions. We all benefitted from discussing the cases and reflecting on how they corresponded to the work that we were doing at our institutions.

Has the program helped you meet the challenges your organization is facing?

My answer is probably different now than it would have been a month ago. We're all facing an overwhelming challenge with COVID-19. It will be interesting to see how we get back to a plan that will make us clinically and financially solvent and whether some of the tenets we discussed in the program can be used to move us in that direction. But the landscape of health care delivery has changed rather dramatically, and I'm not even sure what the new normal is going to be. There will certainly be an increased emphasis on telehealth and how we interact with our patients effectively, because we're not going to want to throw away what we're installing now. In the end, the current crisis will have an impact on how we utilize resources and how we train medical students in the areas of telehealth and informatics resources. So, this is also an opportunity to learn how to do these things differently and effectively.

Was it beneficial to immerse yourself in the on-campus learning environment?

Yes, it was. The living environment was almost perfect. The rooms were comfortable, and having a space on each floor for people to congregate was fantastic. The classrooms were very well set up, even detailing where each participant sat, so it's obvious that a lot of thought went into the design. And the pace of the program made it possible to be fully engaged during the sessions and still have some time to reconnect with people and work back at the office. Everything was extremely well organized.

How would you describe the value of the program to someone who's considering it?

I can say without hesitation that it was extremely worthwhile. At least a few times each week, I still reflect on this learning experience and think about how to incorporate the program's ideas in my work. I've been in a significant transition over the past few months, going from senior vice president to chief operating officer of this health system. So, looking back, I now realize that it was very beneficial to spend time in this program thinking about tools that are going to help me become more successful.