An Appointment With: Joe Molloy, Vice President, Workforce Safety

As vice president of workforce safety, Joe Molloy is responsible for ensuring a safe work environment for our 76,000-strong Northwell employees. Joe started his career with Northwell in 2005 as corporate director of benefits with prior job experience in employee safety in hospital settings in addition to expertise in benefits and employee wellness. In 2014, Joe’s role and proficiency resulted in the creation of the workforce safety department that carries out Northwell’s commitment to safety in the workplace.

We spoke with Joe Molloy to learn more about how this department keeps safety a top priority.

What is the role of workforce safety at Northwell Health?

Workforce safety is committed to reinforcing a culture of safety for everyone from patients to team members, and ensuring that we are all advocates for a safe work environment as employees across the health system. Patient safety starts with team member safety, so our department has developed many programs and educational modules to reinforce the importance across the organization. As a result, we have award-winning programs that have been recognized by New York State and nationally for their success.

What are some of the different positions on the workforce safety team?

A few teams operate under the workforce safety umbrella. We have roles that include safety training, communications, programs and care coordination, OSHA compliance, workers’ compensation, and industrial hygiene.

We take our mission to enforce a safe environment for all very seriously and really appreciate the partnerships we have throughout the health system, including with the safety officers, the office of legal affairs, security, HR, risk, engineering and the organization as a whole. We couldn’t drive safety without everyone’s participation. Workforce safety’s efforts are made easier by the culture of Truly Together that permeates every corner of the health system.

How did your team make an impact during the pandemic?

Like many departments at Northwell, our team members were re-deployed around the health system to help with the COVID-19 response. In addition, we organized the re-fit testing of more than 40,000 employees to ensure proper safety, fit and use of PPE. Further, the team made yeoman’s efforts to support wherever there was a need.

What advice would you offer someone thinking of a career in workforce safety?

If you are the kind of person that enjoys taking care of fellow team members, or, you have an interest in how we keep our team members safe, you may want to consider a career in workforce safety.

An Appointment With: Dr. Jennifer Mieres, Senior Vice President, Center for Equity of Care

Jennifer Mieres, MD, FACC, MASNC, FAHA, started her career as a physician at Northwell Health. After a short time away, she returned to the health system in 2010 to establish the office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Literacy. In 2012, she assumed oversight for the Katz Institute for Women’s Health before establishing and leading the Center for Equity of Care (CEC).

Today Dr. Mieres is the senior vice president of the Center for Equity of Care and the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Northwell Health. In addition to her Northwell responsibilities, she is also a professor of Cardiology and associate dean of Faculty Affairs at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell..

We spoke with Dr. Mieres to discuss Northwell’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and the work of the Center for Equity of Care.

What does your role as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer entail?

As chief diversity and inclusion officer, my mission is to identify gaps resulting from disparities in healthcare and establish evidence-based strategies for eliminating them across our communities. For the past 10 years, I have spent most of my time on the design and implementation of programs dedicated to diversity, cultural and linguistic competency, health literacy, and the expanded model for women’s health with the Katz Institute for Women’s Health . Across the organization we have established several strategic partners to help advance our diversity , equity and inclusion agenda forward.

What role does the Center for Equity of Care play within Northwell Health?

Since being established in 2017, our mission has been to advance the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate health care in partnership with our communities with the goal of achieving health equity.

Northwell has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing healthcare disparities by making diversity, inclusion and health equity a priority in all areas. CEC serves as a resource for the health system and communities, focusing on diversity and inclusion, women’s health, health literacy, education, cultural and linguistic competency, community partnership and appropriate community-and gender-based research initiatives. The CEC defines diversity as the mosaic of people who bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values and beliefs as assets to the workplace. At Northwell, we believe that every team member deserves to feel welcomed, respected and supported, and that differences should be acknowledged and embraced.

You founded and oversee Northwell’s Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs). Why is this program so important?

The Center of Equity of Care founded BERGs in 2013 and they have been instrumental in advancing an inclusive culture at Northwell. The BERGs program was established to enhance employee engagement, innovation, talent development, and promote an inclusive culture ensuring the delivery of culturally sensitive, quality patient care. Our BERGs are integral to fulfilling our mission, serve an important role in building a diverse pipeline of talent at all levels and sustaining trusted partnerships with the communities we serve.

During the past year, how has the Center for Equity of Care team helped to foster an inclusive environment at Northwell and within our communities?

The foundation built by the CEC contributed to Northwell’s rapid response to addressing the health disparities unveiled by COVID-19. With the newly established Office of Community and Population Health lead by Dr. Debbie Salas – Lopez, a Health Equity task force was established with the faith-based organizations and community members in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island with a focus on testing and vaccinating members of underserved communities and vulnerable populations served by Northwell.

During this challenging year, our clinical leadership has also created initiatives in response to racial injustice. Recognizing the connections between racism and mental health, Northwell’s behavioral health services works to empower employees to become active participants in dismantling racist structures that contribute to inequity and injustice.

Other anti-racism efforts include roundtable discussions with team members, inclusive leadership training, a Grand Rounds series on health equity, diversity and inclusion, and a Psychology Diversity Training Council. The Department of Medicine also established a Racial Equity Task Force to bring awareness of structural racism within health care and develop anti-racism initiatives and strategies.

What are some of the initiatives your team has planned for 2021?

Overall, we are aiming to advance the link with quality and equity, address healthcare delivery disparities, expanding cultural competency education for the Northwell workforce and to amplify and expand our community partnerships. Working with the Health Equity Task Force, we will continue to invest and partner with our vulnerable and underserved communities.

Additionally, a priority is to foster a culturally responsive workforce to support the mission of the health system. We are evolving Northwell’s Inclusion Academy in alignment with our Center of Learning & Innovation to build team member skill, knowledge and abilities in diversity, inclusion and health equity. We are also developing and implementing programming to build awareness of racism as a public health crisis.

An appointment with: Dr. Lily Thomas, VP, System Nursing Research

When Lily Thomas, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, started her career as a nurse educator in nephrology at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in 1983, she hadn’t expected that her career journey would lead to her dream job in nursing research.

“At the time there were no formal positions assigned to nursing research,” says Dr. Thomas. “However, that never stopped me from my vision of creating a foundation for developing nursing research. I felt confident that I could seek mentorship from faculty and experts in the field.”

While working as a nurse educator, Dr. Thomas joined a Ph.D. program, eventually assuming the role of Chair of the Nursing Research Council at NSUH, and later was appointed as Chair of System Nursing Research Council. These roles helped her to build the nursing research capacity across the health system and  provided the foundation she needed to take on the inaugural role of vice president, system nursing research.

Read our discussion with Dr. Thomas below to learn about the important role of nursing research and its focus on care delivery and patient outcomes.

Can you tell us a little bit about the work of the nursing research team?

As nursing research and evidence-based practice continues to evolve across the health system, we are focusing on three key areas: Creating new knowledge through research; facilitating evidence-based practice (EBP), and building capacity and competency for research and EBP at the system’s sites. The overarching goal of research and EBP projects are to enhance patient care and outcomes. Our studies focus on patient safety, the impact of nursing interventions, symptom management, identifying and validating observed phenomenon and response to illness and treatment. Currently we are also working on some studies related to COVID-19.

What are some of the nursing research studies focusing on COVID-19?

Our team completed three studies after the initial surge in early 2020 and other studies are in progress. The research team at Northwell’s Institute for Nursing (IFN) and two of our hospitals conducted studies to understand the experiences of nurses and nurse leaders during the pandemic, impact of their deployment, as well as nurses coping during the pandemic.

Studies showed that nurses were motivated to work during the crisis because of their commitment to nursing and overall belief that nursing was a calling. Nurses never felt like they were doing enough for patients especially because they saw little recovery. Fortunately, the front line nurses used different coping mechanisms to remain resilient, and peer and team support mitigated feelings of being overwhelmed and powerless. Most nurses looking back on the care they provided during this period, described ways they had grown both personally and professionally. Quantitative studies are planned to utilize these results to explore programs that will ensure the physical and mental health of nurses.

How is research-based practice benefitting our nurses across Northwell Health?

Nursing research builds the knowledge base and science for practice, promotes excellence in nursing care, and impacts quality health outcomes. Our practice has evolved from a research-based practice to evidence-based practice (EBP). EBP combines the best evidence from research, the tacit knowledge successfully utilized in practice (clinician expertise) and patient values, and is utilized for problem-solving and clinical decision making.

We also have several sites that have Magnet Designation® (Magnet Designation is awarded by the American Nursing Credentialing Center in recognition of nursing excellence); and all the health system sites are on a journey to obtain the Magnet designation or re-designation. Meeting the Magnet criteria for Nursing Research and EBP are essential for this designation; the research team continues to prepare and partner with the sites to meet the criteria.

How can someone get into a nursing research career?

Gaining the appropriate knowledge and experience for nursing research will help in preparing for the role. That may include joining research teams as research nurses to becoming a nurse researcher/scientist, an EBP mentor or research faculty. My recommendation is to start participating in research-related activities as soon as your interest arises. At Northwell, this can be done by reaching out to site nursing research and EBP council members or nurse scientists/researchers. Nursing students can seek the mentorship of their faculty as well. Participating in research activities will give you an opportunity to understand research and assess if the role is right for you. Along with the experience it is essential to complete doctoral preparation for nurse researcher/scientist roles.

Why should nurses want to work at Northwell Health?

Northwell Health provides limitless opportunities for a rewarding career and personal and professional growth. The culture at Northwell is inspiring and empowering with unlimited opportunities for career changes or advancement. There are tremendous learning opportunities at Northwell provided through our IFN, Center for Learning and Innovation, and support for obtaining academic degrees through tuition reimbursement or for mentorship from nursing peers and leaders. My career is an exemplar ­­—in 2013, I was inducted as a Fellow to the American Academy of Nursing because the work at Northwell qualified me to obtain this honor.

What career advice do you have for nurses?

Follow your heart! It is important to find meaning in your work and enjoy what you do. Identify what you want and the preparation you would need to reach your goal. Your dream will help you stay the course. Seek mentorship and create a plan to work toward your goal; however, be open to different paths that could lead you there. Learn to persevere! Never lose sight of your goal and celebrate what you achieve!

An Appointment With: Michael Dowling, Northwell Health President and CEO

As the new year begins, it’s important to reflect on the lessons we learned and how we can move forward to an even better future. This is especially true this year as we transition together into a new normal of life post-COVID-19. We spoke with Northwell Health’s President and CEO, Michael Dowling, to hear his thoughts on what 2021 has in store for the health care industry.

Despite everything 2020 brought, what is the 2021 outlook?

Next year will undoubtedly be a year of transition. We will still be in the COVID world, but we should have a different attitude about it and be realistic with expectations. The first part of the year will focus on managing the situation; two situations actually.

First, COVID cases will continue to increase at this pace unless we do our part — wearing masks, social distancing and proper hand washing — to minimize the spread. We will also be managing the delivery of the vaccines.

The rollout will not be quick. It is a marathon. And when you consider that there are 70 million people working in essential jobs — teachers, day care staff, corrections officers, US postal workers and public transit workers — we may be looking at June before the vaccine is available to the general public and we start to see some sense of normalcy.

You always have an optimistic view. Will there be a new “normal”?

When I think of 2021, I think of opportunity — to reimagine what we want our lives and professions to be — not just as a result of what happened to us, but of how we reacted to it.

We can all make this change. Ask yourself, what do you want to be? How do you want it organized? What kind of structural changes will you make? What do you want to focus on?

Regardless of your answers, the key is to forget what your pre-COVID world was and focus on your future.

What will factor into advancing health care?

For health care, these areas will have most precedence in 2021.

1. Enhance productivity and become more efficient: It’s tremendously awkward to say, but one of the “best” things to come out of COVID has been our ability to accelerate productivity, be more efficient and adaptable. Next year, most health systems will still be recovering from the pandemic’s financial impacts, especially the safety-net hospitals. We need to build on the lessons we have learned.
2. Accelerate the digital age: COVID has changed our relationships with technology. Ninety-percent of the meetings I have today are through Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The amazing thing is most of us had never used Zoom before COVID. And the convenience offered by telemedicine and virtual care has improved our customer focus and quality. This will be a big arm of care delivery from now on.
3. Identify what quality means and seek it: It’s time to reassess. Health care delivery is going to be different. If you talk to providers, they will equate quality primarily with clinical outcomes. But for consumers, it’s service and convenience. There needs to be a balance.
4. Accommodate the remote workforce: Speaking of technology, I believe 10-15 percent of our workforce will be remote, even after COVID. A large portion already is right now. I did not expect this months ago. The main issue will be to decide what part of your workforce should be remote, as well as identify ways to manage and monitor it. What does a remote workforce do to your real estate? You have to look at everything. At Northwell, we manage buildings that accommodated thousands of people and they are now mostly empty with team members working at home. It’s a big part of our assessment process for the post-pandemic situation.
5. Culturally, become as innovative as we were pre-COVID: Moving forward, we need to incentivize the innovative DNA within our organizations that was obvious during COVID. Do not lose steam and maintain a positive, team-oriented culture, which is very important in the midst of all this change, especially as we go remote. We can’t lose that perspective. A hybrid of in-person and remote can lend itself to much-needed balance.
6. Deal with inequities of care: We must go upstream. New partnerships are changing the way we operate. And our expanded focus on healing our most vulnerable communities will continue in 2021, and well beyond. We need to get our employees, doctors and other team members to commit to this agenda, then develop long-term reasonable strategies.

What’s in store for health care as a profession?

Health care is always a rewarding field to get into. But the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted just how critical these jobs are.

Doctors, nurses, environmental services, respiratory therapists, security workers and all healthcare heroes were celebrated for working the front lines. Their sacrifices, dedication and compassion are truly what makes them remarkable as individuals, as well as the work they do. I’m very proud of all of them.

Building off of that momentum, this remains an exciting time to join health care, especially at Northwell Health, where we were recently ranked No. 65 on Glassdoor’s 100 best places to work list (Northwell is also one of Fortune‘s 100 Best Companies to Work For). Our team members are engaged and eager to help lead us out of this crisis.

An Appointment With: Brian Krebs, AVP Rehab Service Line & STARS

Since starting his career in 1997, Brian Krebs, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, Cert. MDT, has grown his career through Northwell Health’s rehabilitation services. Beginning with the Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) team as a physical therapist, Brian has developed his PT and business skills alike, holding positions there such as supervisor, manager, director, and senior director. Today as the AVP of the Rehab Service Line and STARS, Brian exemplifies the growth possible within Northwell.
We sat down with Brian to discuss the opportunities available at STARS.

How has STARS grown over the past year?

Though the past year has been tough for all healthcare professionals, the team members at STARS have stepped up to develop new ways to deliver exceptional and safe care to our patients. We have started exploring new territories like telehealth to deliver care virtually as well as taken measures to reconfigure physical space in the offices and clinical schedules to allow for social distancing. During the COVID pandemic, many of our team members found themselves developing new skills, with many volunteering to participate in Northwell’s Reassignment Reserves to be temporarily reassigned to COVID testing centers or being trained to work as safety monitors.
Additionally, the rehabilitation specialties we offer have continued to grow. Along with our focus on orthopedic and musculoskeletal rehabilitation therapy, our team members have worked hard to develop specialty services such as pelvic floor, pediatrics, neurological and wheelchair clinics, hand therapy, lymphedema/oncology, and vestibular programs to name just a few.

How has the work of our rehabilitation team members been vital to our organization and communities during the COVID pandemic?

Though we offer physical therapy in many specialties, traditionally most of our clinical team members have been working with musculoskeletal cases. With the COVID pandemic creating an increased need for additional services, the team at STARS has further expanded their skills to align with the principles of pulmonary therapy to assist in the treatment of recovering patients. One physical therapist in particular, Michael Kamme, had the idea for the program and worked closely with the STARS leadership and the Northwell Pulmonary physicians to develop the INSPIRE Program. We’re proud to say we now have physical therapists trained to deliver pulmonary rehab at every location and have seen 56 patients to date.

What are some of the careers available within STARS?

Between our rehab sites and within the hospital outpatient departments, we have a variety of careers available for anyone interested in joining the STARS team. On the clinical side, we have opportunities for physical and occupational therapists and assistants, speech therapists, neuropsychologists and rehab aides. For those with a non-clinical background, we have positions available from working at the front desk or in operations, to joining our support services or revenue cycle teams.
Opportunities aren’t just limited to our Rehab Centers and hospitals however. STARS also hires athletic trainers who work directly in practices physician extenders or in schools across Long Island. STARS also has physical therapists at Hofstra University working in their training room with their athletes. We also have the exciting opportunity to work with some professional sports team, such as the New York Islanders and the New York Lizards.  Aside from just treating patients, many of our therapists also provide community and professional lectures as well as are adjunct or assistant faculty at local institutions including the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

What makes working at STARS unique?

The culture in the STARS workplace is one where we value every member. Along with making STARS a fun place to work, we’re committed to developing the talent of the members of our STARS family throughout every step of their career. We encourage our team members to let us know if there are new skills they’d like to develop, including additional certifications or shadowing other departments if they would like to make a transition to the non-clinical side. We also love hearing ideas from our team members and strive to create an environment where everyone feels their voice can be heard and their ideas and input make a difference to influence changes in the organization.
Another thing that makes us unique is that our leadership team all continues to be treating clinicians. I myself still see patients generally two mornings a week, and I feel that it’s an important way to ensure that team members at all levels do not lose touch with the day to day workflows and changes related to regulatory/compliance, etc.  By continuing to treat patients, we are better aware and equipped to responds to any challenges that our team may be facing and can then move together to come to the best solution for all.
Interested in a rehabilitation services career? Get moving and apply today!

Appointment With: Joseph Castagnaro, VP, Lab Services Integration and Operations

Joseph Castagnaro has grown in his laboratory services career at Northwell Health from being the laboratory administrative director at Southside Hospital (soon to be South Shore University Hospital). From overseeing the pre-surgical testing and patient experience departments at Southside to being promoted to senior lab administrative director and overseeing all of our community hospital labs, Joseph’s well-rounded experience has given him the skills he needs to be successful. Today as vice president, of Lab Services Integration and Operation, he is responsible for all hospital lab operations, including our health system owned labs and non-system labs we manage in other local communities. We sat down with Joseph to discuss the variety of careers in clinical laboratory and what makes working in Northwell’s labs so unique.

How has the work of our laboratory team members been vital to our organization and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and as we recover?

This past year has been one of the biggest challenges the laboratory services teams have ever seen. The COVID-19 pandemic was, and continues to be, at the forefront of every person and patient in every community nationwide. Luckily we had the fortune of building a brand-new, state-of-the-art lab a year earlier in Lake Success, NY, which ultimately gave us the ability to enhance and expand our molecular department this year in order to meet the COVID-19 testing demands in our area. Our health system has always had a great lab team and has always worked well together. This past year we had to work together in a fashion unlike ever before. The pandemic brought out the best in all of our laboratory healthcare heroes. The resiliency and teamwork of our lab staff across the health system was unprecedented.

What are some of the careers for laboratory professionals within our hospitals and Northwell Health Labs?

We have a variety of clinical labs in Long Island, New York City, Staten Island and the Westchester areas that range in size and scope and we operate 24/7 across 365 days a year. Whatever type of lab or shift you’re looking for, we have it available. Aside from the MDs, pathologists, pathology assistants, cytotechnologists, PhDs, laboratory technologists, technicians and phlebotomists, we have many other types of positions from entry level to very specialized areas which include:

• Lab Accessioner
• Data Analysts
• Lab Information System Specialists
• Lab Informatics
• HR Specialists
• Project Managers
• Quality Managers and Specialists
• Lab Support Associates
• Route Service Drivers
• Materials Management
• Finance
• Medical Billing
• Medical Coder

What makes working at Northwell Health unique?

Working at Northwell is unique in so many ways:

• Our health system laboratories handle EVERY aspect of lab services and testing.
• We are the largest, not-for-profit health system reference lab in the region.
• We’ve developed a partnership with the NYC Health + Hospitals lab services and created the largest joint venture lab in the country.
• We have two core lab facilities, our automated lab and our microbiology lab that specializes in infectious disease.
• We also have careers in tertiary care hospitals, small community hospitals, physician offices, cancer centers and other ambulatory settings. Whatever kind of lab you would like to work in, we have it for you!

The most important and unique thing that we do is to work as “one” lab amidst many locations. One way we did this was by establishing joint standards/methods committees. This is where we bring the experts within each lab discipline together on a regular monthly basis to network, brainstorm and determine best practices within their respective areas. This is then shared among all of our sites.

Our employee development programs are second to none. Our Center for Learning and Innovation teaches project management courses such as, LEAN and Six Sigma and basic leadership essentials classes for those looking to enhance their leadership skills. We also have an established High Potential and Lead Next program for staff already in leadership positions and our lab created a leadership development program, L-Lead (Laboratory Leadership), which is designed for new, current and future lab leaders.

Are there any exciting initiatives on the horizon for our laboratories?

We are in the process of developing a Medical Technology program with Hofstra University. Recruiting and finding laboratory staff has been difficult industry wide across the nation so we decided to grow our own. We’re also constantly upgrading our lab equipment system wide. This coming year we’ve selected new blood gas analyzers to roll out across our entire health system.  The remainder of this year and well into next year, we will be addressing the probable collision of influenza and COVID-19 and how we will best be prepared to ensure we meet all of the clinical care patient needs related to laboratory testing.

Interested in joining our laboratory team? Get moving and explore clinical laboratory career opportunities today.

Appointment With: Abdo Nahmod, AVP, CEMS Operations

Northwell Health’s Center for Emergency Medical Services (CEMS) team members often provide the first line of care to patients in the neighborhoods and communities we serve. Abdo Nahmod, assistant vice president of CEMS Operations, has helped to lead the team through both rewarding and challenging times since starting five years ago.

We sat down with Abdo to talk about CEMS initiatives on the horizon and the exciting job opportunities within the team:

How has CEMS grown over the past year?

CEMS has been progressively growing in providing quality pre-hospital care to more of the communities we serve. Over the past year we have expanded our services in Nassau and Suffolk counties and New York City, as well as added a Northwell Health Centralized Transfer Center to manage inter-facility patient transfers through the CEMS Communication Center.

We have also collaborated with Northwell’s Center for Learning and Innovation (CLI) to provide our team members with paramedic training opportunities. This is an investment in our team members, as we promote from within emergency medical technicians to paramedics, providing career opportunities for advancement and retention. This past year we also supported many team members who choose to further their clinical and post-graduate education with Northwell’s tuition reimbursement program.

How has the work of CEMS been vital to our organizations and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic?

During COVID-19,  CEMS has provided emergency medical care throughout the seven counties we serve. We have seen a surge in EMS call volume for critically ill patients, providing life-saving treatments and transportation to many hospitals. CEMS had transferred over 900 COVID -19 patients throughout Northwell for continued care in March and April. We are also working with Northern Westchester Hospital’s community services team to be part of the COVID -19 testing at faith-based venues, and we will be collaborating with the FDNY for 311 and 911 telemedicine services in the near future.

What exciting initiatives are on the horizon for CEMS?

We are looking forward to the expansion of our Centralized Transfer Center, collaborating with FDNY in New York City for 311 & 911 Telemedicine services. CEMS continues to be a highly engaged workforce with a culture of teamwork and recognition.  We view every challenge as an opportunity, and seek feedback while relentlessly pursuing what is best. We prize curiosity, creativity and innovation.

What careers exist within the CEMS team?

We have over a dozen job titles within CEMS such as, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, communications specialists, ambulance supply associates, flight paramedics, flight nurses, ambulance record associates, staffing schedule associates and various supervisory and leadership titles.

Our team continues to be a highly engaged workforce with a culture of teamwork and recognition. We view every challenge as an opportunity, and seek feedback while relentlessly pursuing what is best. We prize curiosity, creativity and innovation. The expectation is everyone learns, develops and becomes better. Our culture promotes self-development, ongoing education and career growth and advancement. Our reputation is everyone’s responsibility.

What career advice do you have for those looking to get into Emergency Medicine Services (EMS)?

My best advice is to volunteer in EMS in your community and see if this is something you enjoy enough to pursue as a career. EMS may be a gateway to opportunities within healthcare to other clinical and non-clinical opportunities.

An Appointment With: Ryon Andersen, AED, Finance, North Shore University Hospital

Over the course of his career at Northwell Health, Ryon Andersen has worked in a variety of positions, from his start as a physical therapy aide to his current role as associate executive director at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH). His unique path from clinical to non-clinical professional equipped Ryon with the skills he needed to help him positively impact the financial and clinical operations of the hospital as an AED. Ryon’s career is also proof that there is not one straight career path to working in finance and operations within the healthcare industry.

Learn more about Ryon’s career path and how Northwell’s helping other professionals pursue non-clinical careers at Northwell in this month’s Appointment With.

What inspired you to move from pursuing a clinical career to a non-clinical career within healthcare?

I’ve always had an interest in community and public service which was reinforced when I joined my local fire department. While volunteering as a firefighter and EMT, I had the opportunity to assist Glen Cove Hospital with a disaster drill that was being run by their emergency department. This provided me with a small observation window into how a hospital operates.  At the time my only knowledge was based on prehospital ambulance care.  Further intrigued by the dynamics of providing care in a hospital setting, I decided to pursue a job as a physical therapy aide in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Glen Cove. I truly enjoyed working alongside the clinical teams and helping patients learn to ambulate after injury or surgery. As time progressed and college commitments increased, I transferred to work as a unit support associate for the critical care and telemetry units. This opportunity gave me good insight into hospital flow, nursing unit dynamics, and the admission/registration process. This transition was especially important because it was a clear indication of how NorthShoreLIJ (at the time) supported development. My managers worked with my schedule so I could attend classes while maintaining employment. Upon finishing my degree, I decided to apply the skills I learned from my science classes to a new role at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Working in the department of experimental immunology as a research assistant, I was responsible for laboratory benchwork and quantitative data analysis.

These three experiences allowed me to gain unique skills and insights while learning about the culture of the organization, they strengthened my desire to continue to grow within the system. Over the course of this circuitous pathway, I met many mentors who pushed me explore all facets of the system and to not solely focus on clinical opportunities. Because we are a healthcare organization, I believe early careerists generally assume the only career pathways are clinical, but that’s not true. Being exposed to the broader landscape of opportunities led me to pursue a role as a project coordinator in hospital administration at NSUH. This allowed me to combine my clinical operations experience and my analytical skills within a hospital. Settled into my new position over the last 9 nine years at NSUH, I’ve grown into the role I am currently in as Associate Executive Director.

What is it like to work in finance and operations within a large tertiary hospital? What role does an administrator in finance/ops play?

Working in financial operations in any facility is quite dynamic and different every day. Hospitals are a 24/7 operation, and the NSUH campus is a bustling city. Whether it’s developing strategic business plans and investment opportunities, revamping processes to increase efficiency, creating a culture of teamwork, or constructing a new building, the push and pull of competing priorities makes the day go quickly. Specifically, a business operations administrator should create strong partnerships with clinical leaders and help support them and enhance decision making. They should utilize their business/analytical skills to help set and inform strategy. That said, the number one job of all hospital administrators should always be patient safety, to provide as safe an environment for patients and providers as possible.

Can you talk a little bit about the creation of the HMP and MAP programs and why is it important to mentor young professionals?

The Healthcare Management Program (HMP) and the Management Associate Program (MAP) were created to expand the talent onramps into healthcare business operations.  These programs give us the opportunity to amplify the boarder healthcare career opportunities message and further compete for top talent. Central to every organization, regardless of size or industry, is its dependence on attracting and training a capable workforce. People are at the heart of every company and the quality and engagement of these individuals dramatically impact the overall success of an organization. The programs are structured to give associates a holistic understanding of the business as well as the overall mission of Northwell Health.

Through project work, they have a chance to explore finance, operations, clinical partnerships, quality management, human resources, and patient experience.  Additionally, the programs naturally foster great mentorship opportunities.  Mentorship is a core component of MAP.  It is one of the most important attributes of a successful leader, cultivating talent and growing others is essential for both the mentor and mentee.

What is one piece of advice for someone looking to get into finance and ops in healthcare?

There is no one point of entry into the field, healthcare finance and operations takes on many forms. Whether you are working in revenue cycle and corporate finance or procurement and facilities management, you’re on the playing field. Every career experience you have and opportunity you gain will shape who you become as a leader. Continue to value the skills developed and lessons learned until you ultimately attain your career goals.

An Appointment With: David Gill, AVP, Experience Strategy

Since David Gill, PHD joined Northwell Health in 2012, he’s been committed to making Northwell a great place to work by listening to our team members and ensuring they feel supported both professionally and personally.

Roles he has held during his tenure at Northwell include manager of Workforce and Patient Engagement, director of Talent Management and Engagement, and most recently, AVP of Experience Strategy, which he became in 2017.  In this role, he is responsible for informing, designing and shaping a holistic experience for everyone in our organization.

David and his team’s efforts have helped elevate Northwell’s employee engagement, and today the organization is a Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®.

We sat down with David to discuss the vital work of our Experience Strategy team.

What is the Experience Strategy team?

The Experience Strategy team is focused on creating the best team member experience from hire to retire. Our team’s goal is to deliver a world-renowned team member experience by driving a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and well-being to empower our team members to redefine the future of healthcare.

There are three interconnected groups within the Experience Strategy team that bring the vision to life.

• Listening and Insights is the team solely focused on always listening to team members by obtaining their feedback whether it is through an annual workforce and physician engagement survey, targeted listening sessions or even social media.
• Strategic design is the team that leverages the results from our listening methods to build tools and resources for our leaders and team members to help create an environment that fosters engagement. An example of their work is the development and implementation of our Employee Promise, Made for this^™. This group had responsibility for rolling out the activities that exemplified what it is like to work at Northwell.
• Awards and Recognition is the team that builds monumental experiences that reconnects team members to purpose while recognizing, and celebrating team members by telling their story. This group oversees our recognition programs like the President’s Award, the Innovation Challenge, the Truly awards, as well as Northwell’s myRecognition platform. They have the responsibility of infusing recognition within every stage of the team member’s career journey. Additionally this team manages our application process for Fortune 100 Best Companies to work for.

Why is employee experience vital to Northwell as an organization?

In 2013 Northwell established a goal of becoming a best place to work on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list as well as being at the 90th percentile for team member and physician engagement and patient experience based on third party measurement from Press Ganey. For us to achieve those goals, employee experience had to become a strategic imperative. We had to look at how we were understanding our team members’ needs and how we were providing them with the resources for them to be most successful in their career and then importantly, how we were recognizing them for all of the great work that they did on a day-to-day basis. It is essential to create an environment for employees/team members to feel that they contribute to something greater than themselves, have an opportunity to grow within their career, and feel like a valued member of the organization.

For Northwell, it is critically important to create an exceptional experience for our team members, because we want them to create exceptional experiences for our patients and customers.

In this critical time, what extra steps are your team and Northwell taking to make sure that our healthcare heroes on the front lines are feeling appreciated and recognized?

Amid COVID-19 at Northwell, we were hyper-focused on ensuring that our team members had what they needed. Specifically, we were focused on ensuring that our team members were aware of the bountiful resources available to them to support their holistic well-being. For example, the Emotional Resource Call Center, which was recently implemented by Total Rewards, provides one telephone number for team members to call to meet their well-being needs. If a team member would like to speak with a chaplain, a member of the wellness team, an employee and family assistance program counselor, or other behavioral health practitioners from the Stress Trauma centers, they can reach them through that call center. In partnership with many groups across the organization such as the Office for Patient and Customer Experience, Total Rewards, and Behavioral Health, we stood up Tranquility spaces at many of our facilities. These spaces were designed to build awareness, provide team members with an opportunity to receive a light refreshment, as well as a place of respite activities which are critical during this period.

Lastly, we cannot forget recognizing our team members for their bravery, for their compassion, and for the focus on making our communities well. The recognition efforts were done in strong partnership with the marketing and communications team, the Office and Patient and Customer Experience, the Employee Experience team and HR to provide collateral and support in the form of what we call clap in and clap outs—which are a show of appreciation for team members during shift changes.

What is on the horizon for employee experience at Northwell?

When I look to the future of employee experience and even specifically the work our team is doing, I look toward four focus areas, listening, growth and empowerment, well-being, and life-long affinity. By focusing on always listening to our team members and partnering to build a simple, transparent work environment, this creates trust in leaders and the organization. The employee experience team will capture feedback more frequently from team members, through other methods of listening, not just an annual survey. Genuine engagement can not occur without a focus on growth and empowering team members to be their best selves. The employee experience team will focus on education and hands-on experiences that provide leaders with the necessary skills to foster an environment where team members feel empowered to own their careers and feel psychologically safe to share their innovative ideas.  Team members should feel that working at Northwell Health helps them be well. Well-being is the responsibility of all teams. The employee experience team will work on training leaders on how to engage their teams through recognition and appreciation. Lastly, the focus on lifelong affinity is building pride for Northwell, and the work that we do even after a team member’s career journey has ended. Specifically, the employee experience team will develop an alumni program that will keep former team members engaged and lifelong promoters of Northwell’s team member experience.

An Appointment With: Emily Kagan-Trenchard, VP, Digital & Innovation Strategy

When Emily Kagan-Trenchard started her career at Lenox Hill Hospital in 2007, she was responsible for overseeing and modernizing their website with a new look and feel. She quickly saw the critical role that our digital tools play in the way we deliver care to our patients. From there, Emily embraced the opportunity to continue to expand Northwell’s digital footprint, eventually joining our corporate digital marketing team.

Today as vice president of digital and innovation strategy, Emily helps to lead the Digital Patient Experience (DPX) team who are setting the vision for our patient-facing digital tools to enhance their overall experience.

We sat down with Emily to discuss the innovative work of our DPX team.

Tell us about the Digital Patient Experience team and how they impact the organization.

We know that our patients want to access tools and services from Northwell in the same ways they manage the rest of their life – through simple, seamless apps and websites. The DPX team is focused on innovations that help us care for patients in this brave new digital world. We’re a group of architects, engineers, designers, researchers, analysts, strategists and more, all dedicated to building a connected digital experience for Northwell, especially within the ambulatory experience. From booking online to digitizing forms, paying a bill to reaching customer support, we’re making it possible for patients to easily complete these tasks online, and manage their care all in one place.

What are some innovative projects you are currently working on?

We recently launched the Northwell app, which allows patients to manage their personal information, book appointments online with a growing list of doctors, see past and upcoming appointments, pay bills, find care, connect to Follow My Health and more. While this app unlocks essential features for our patients, it’s really just the start of what will be possible.

A few other innovative initiatives include:

• Developing a completely virtual check-in process, and already have a pilot program where you can complete your doctor’s office forms digitally at home.
• Testing several kinds of biometric identification tools so that one day patients can check into a doctor’s visit with nothing but a selfie – the same way Face ID technology opens our phones.
• Developing tools that will help personalize a patient’s visit such as nicknames, hobbies or interests – so they are remembered wherever they go at Northwell.

Why is having a team like this important to Northwell and our patients?

Technology has the potential to make so many complex things simple, understandable and stress-free. The DPX team identifies new technologies and trends, evaluates how technology could help us better care for our patients, and then drives the development of solutions. A critical part of what we do is make sure that patients’ feedback is incorporated every step of the way, and patient feedback is one of our most important measures of success. The DPX team keeps the patient voice at the table, shaping every part of how we care for the patient in the digital world.

What attributes do you look for in your team members?

Our team is a great place for people who like to solve puzzles. There are no easy answers in the work we do, and we are challenged to find clever solutions. Our team looks like many modern software development teams. We have IT roles such as software engineers, architects, systems analysts and QA testers. We have a strong user experience practice that keeps human-centered design at the heart of all our products. These include roles like visual and interface designers, user research and testing. We have analytics and strategy roles such as business and data analysts, who work at understanding how our products perform and identify where we have opportunities to improve or develop new features. And then we have a whole group of team members who ensure that we provide new products and features on a regular basis; these roles include product owners, project managers, and scrum masters.

What is your advice for someone looking for a career at Northwell?

My advice for someone looking for a career at Northwell is that just about anything it possible here. People sometimes think of healthcare as just what takes place in a hospital or doctor’s office but, there is so much that happens behind the scenes both before and after those moments of care, to make it all possible. And because healthcare is at a really dynamic point in its evolution, people who have skills and perspectives from other industries have a real opportunity to bring fresh thinking to the work. I will also say, as a person who has had a long tenure with Northwell, it’s a great place to grow your career. I get to do work that makes a meaningful impact on our communities, and within an organization that’s always looking to be better tomorrow than it was yesterday.

An Appointment With: Michael Dowling, Northwell Health President and CEO

What does the 2020 vision for Northwell Health look like?

Northwell Health will measure success in 2020 on our ability to maintain a strong financial footing while preserving our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. Achieving that is a significant challenge in the midst of the dynamic, ever-changing environment in which health care providers operate.

There’s growing competition among both traditional providers and new entrants trying to break into the market such as Google, Amazon and CVS, to name a few. Government intervention looms over the horizon. No matter what others are doing, delivering great care should always be our first priority. Our patients are why we’re here.

Taking a stance on issues we believe in is another area we won’t shy away from, whether it’s immigration reform or common-sense gun legislation. We’ll stand up for our beliefs, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. We need to be a voice for the disenfranchised in the communities we serve.

Explain why the year ahead is a crucial one for Northwell’s capital investments.

Beyond preserving our mission in the year ahead, we look to:

• increase our investments in basic infrastructure, technology and people;
• expand inpatient bed capacity at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University, Staten Island University Hospital and Southside hospitals, which are routinely at or over capacity;
• target continued ambulatory growth;
• try to maintain a good payer-mix balance; and
• achieve a higher operating margin, which would strengthen the health system’s credit rating, enabling us to borrow at lower interest rates as we continue to invest in our future.

I’m excited about the transformation at hospitals happening throughout the health system, from the new Corey Critical Care Pavilion at Peconic Bay Medical Center opening this month to the planned groundbreaking of the Petrocelli Advanced Surgical Pavilion at North Shore University Hospital this spring and the ongoing transformation of Southside Hospital into a regional destination for top-notch care on the south shore. We will continue to work with our Upper East Side neighbors and city agencies to develop a plan that will enable us to move forward with the redevelopment of Lenox Hill Hospital.

In what ways will ambulatory care fuel future growth?

At Northwell, we are well positioned for success in 2020 and beyond, based on the continued maturation of the clinical, academic and research enterprise the health system has built over its 28-year history. Beyond our 23 hospitals, the health system now has 744 outpatient locations – and we’ll have 786 by the end of this year, including:

• 21 additional primary care practices (increasing the number of practices to 239);
• 23 additional specialty centers, including seven more kidney dialysis centers (increasing the number of centers to 18);
• two additional outpatient cancer centers, including one in Eastern Long Island and another on Staten Island;
• three additional urgent care centers (increasing the number of urgent care centers to 55); and
• two additional ambulatory surgery centers (increasing the number of ambulatory surgery centers to 18).

Due to our ambulatory patient expansion, it’s noteworthy that Northwell’s revenues, projected at $13.5 billion in 2020, will be a 50-50 split between inpatient and outpatient. By comparison, the inpatient/outpatient revenue split was 70-30 percent in 2005.

The recent addition of Concorde Medical Group in Manhattan and its 23 physicians) and clinical affiliations with two large private physician practices, CareMount Medical and AdvantageCare Physicians, further expands our reach into the communities we serve.

How will the Presidential election impact health care?

If the last decade of health care reform and regulation are any guide, then the outcome of the 2020 President race promises to bring more changes to the industry in the coming years. Regardless of what party controls the White House and Congress, health care will receive more than its share of government scrutiny.

Meeting our patients’ needs poses a whole other set of challenges in this uncertain regulatory environment. On the business side, providers are relying to a much greater degree on government payers like Medicare and Medicaid, as relationships with commercial payers continue to become more complex. On top of all that, there’s a growing push from the federal government for increased transparency, with a push toward greater value, cost containment and increased access to care.

Most importantly, we’ll continue to stand by our values. While it may be coincidental, one week after hosting our first Northwell Health Gun Violence Prevention Forum in December and pledging $1 million toward research, prevention, education and advocacy efforts to combat gun violence, Congress approved $25 million in funding for gun safety research – the first time in a quarter century that it has allocated funds for that purpose.

Why is developing and retaining talented employees important to the health of the organization?

To succeed in this environment requires providers to be adaptable, flexible and entrepreneurial. You need to be comfortable dealing with ambiguity, while relying on a progressive culture and a strong talent base. Educating and empowering our employees along their professional journey is personally important to me, but also essential for the long-term success of the health system.

That’s why Northwell created the Center for Learning and Innovation, rebuilt the foundation of the health system upon its own medical school, the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, as well as the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. These and other educational opportunities allow Northwell and its workforce to grow and stay ahead of the competition in a fast-moving industry.

As health care providers, we also have an obligation to not only treat people when they’re sick or injured, but to promote healthy lifestyles and help people avoid getting sick in the first place.  We’ve made concerted efforts to think about the communities we serve in a holistic way. That means gaining a better understanding of the social determinants of health that have caused significant disparities in life expectancy in our most-vulnerable communities, where chronic disease is prevalent. We’re responding to those needs by pursuing problem-solving solutions, whether it’s providing access to fresh produce and nutritious meals through our hospital-based “Food as Health” program, educating people about the importance of HIV testing and Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication for at-risk populations, or training community-based health workers to help local residents adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. It’s all part of our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve.

An Appointment With: Patti Drolet, VP, Revenue Cycle

While Patti Drolet’s career in healthcare may have started in an entry-level clerical role, today she is the vice president of Revenue Cycle Operations at Northwell Health. Her experience at every level allowed her to gain well-rounded knowledge in all areas of revenue cycle. She accepted a leadership position at Northwell Health in 2004, where she has been using her strengths and history to help elevate the department’s performance and outcomes.

“As a leader, I take great pride in the role I have at Northwell,” says Patti. “To strategize and lead in the transformation of a business at this level requires commitment, passion, and authenticity in order to drive high-performing initiatives and teams.”

We sat down with Patti to discuss Revenue Cycle and why it’s an exciting career to join at Northwell in this month’s Appointment With.

What is revenue cycle and why is it important to Northwell Health?

Revenue cycle represents the business side of a health system and is responsible for billing and collecting all hospital receivables – a monumental task in today’s ever-changing healthcare environment.

Our role is to secure financial strength, enabling the health system to provide extraordinary quality of care in modern facilities by our clinicians.  We have an impact on patient care and the patient experience, and we take pride in knowing that our efforts help Northwell succeed in its mission.

What career opportunities are available in revenue cycle?

In revenue cycle, roles and skill sets range from entry-level clerical to leadership positions. Someone can begin in patient-facing areas, such as patient registration in our hospitals, patient financial counseling and customer service. Revenue cycle is also in non-patient-facing areas, such as insurance verification/scheduling, accounts receivable billing and follow-up, and in Health Information Management (HIM) documentation management.  Additionally, there are clinicians on our team who specialize in medical billing appeal writing, the Clinical Documentation Initiative (CDI) that validates the quality of our patients’ medical records, and in the Denial Prevention Unit (DPU) which helps us secure authorizations from our patients’ insurers for emergent admissions.

There is a very broad assortment of fulfilling careers available within the department.  And we are always looking for talented people!

What are four fun facts about working in revenue cycle at Northwell Health?

1. We have a unique opportunity to touch upon many different areas within the health system, such as patient experience, clinical departments and hospital executive leadership, among others.
2. Most of our leadership team began their careers in entry-level clerical positions.
3. We have a fun committee! We provide interactive activities for our team members throughout the year to engage in the community and the areas we serve.
4. We have a mentoring program for team members in addition to Northwell’s development opportunities at the Center for Learning and Innovation

What is your career advice to candidates looking for a career in revenue cycle?

If you have the passion and desire to work in a fast-paced, challenging and dynamic business environment, with a mission to improve the health system’s financial viability, this department is for you. Understanding all aspects of revenue cycle and learning the intricacies of this business makes for an exciting career.  Having experienced this firsthand, the opportunities available within revenue cycle and meeting the challenges of our ever-evolving health care system can be very rewarding.

An Appointment With: Dr. Dwayne Breining, Executive Director, Northwell Health Labs

Starting his Northwell Health career as the director of Lab/Pathology at LIJ Valley Stream Hospital 13 years ago, Dr. Dwanye Breining held that title at multiple Northwell hospitals before coming to our Core Laboratory. Now as executive director of the Northwell Laboratories, he leads the talented team that coordinates laboratory testing for our new Core Laboratory at the Center for Advanced Medicine (CFAM), the new Core Microbiology Laboratory at Little Neck Parkway, and the 43 hospital laboratories that rely on our laboratories for reference testing. Northwell Labs is also responsible for testing for physician offices, nursing homes, the Department of Health, clinical trials, urgent care centers and more.

We sat down with Dr. Breining to discuss the growth of careers within Northwell Labs.

What types of careers are available within Northwell Labs?

While I think everyone is aware that we employ many MD & DO pathologists, as well as PhDs, laboratory technologists, and phlebotomists, not everyone knows that we also have people in sales and finance, as well as numerous IT specialists, data analysts, customer service representatives, materials management personnel and many delivery vehicle operators, and even a pharmacist. It is indeed a very big department, and we are a 24/7/365 operation – laboratory services never stop.

What makes our Labs at Northwell unique?

I like to think that we combine the best of both worlds: the high-efficiency of a commercial lab-type setting with the personal touch and hands-on engagement of your local hospital lab that knows you as a patient, and your physician as a colleague. As the largest nonprofit health system lab in the country, we have access to the most advanced medical testing technology available, including the largest Roche chemistry automation line in North America at the CFAM lab and the largest Kiestra automated microbiology system at the Little Neck Lab.

We are recognized internationally as an innovator in the laboratory industry, not just on the technology side but also in the business arena through forming unique partnerships with other health systems such as the one we formed with NYC Health & Hospitals, in which we also serve as the Core Laboratory for their 18 hospitals and affiliated clinics. Another unique innovation we just launched, and are especially proud of, is LabFly. This is an Uber-like app, available for both iOS and Android devices, to have our phlebotomy services come to you, in your home or office at whatever time is convenient, for a low convenience fee. We are seeing rapidly growing interest in this type of service.

Why should Bio/Chem students who are unsure of what they want to do as a career explore the clinical lab field?

The level of fulfillment and sense of purpose one derives from working within healthcare in general, and knowing that the work you do directly affects the well-being of our community, is second to none, as any healthcare professional can attest. In the lab tech arena specifically, you will never be bored, as there are over 30 different tech sub-specialty areas in which to train, which creates many opportunities for career advancement. There is regular interaction with colleagues from all aspects of the lab, and also with physicians, office and hospital staff, and even school students and the general public at times.  In addition, many of our Laboratory Information System computer specialists started out as lab techs, and are now trained and regularly installing and troubleshooting the highly advanced medical information systems that make modern healthcare run.

Why is Northwell an employer of choice for lab professionals?

Because of our demanding position within a large, leading healthcare system, we will always be at the cutting edge of clinical laboratory medicine. There are abundant opportunities for career evolution and advancement, and our staff can choose to partake in as much as they like. We work hard to create a comfortable and collegial work environment (after all, we all spend almost half our waking hours at work) because we want to attract and retain the best of the best.

Where do you see the future of clinical laboratory sciences evolving?

The future of the lab industry is incredibly bright. New testing technology keeps coming along faster than we can automate the simpler testing, and it is always a challenge to have enough techs coming on-board to keep up with it. In addition, we are already seeing opportunities for the lab to step more forward in healthcare, and participate in things like patient risk assessment, care coordination and escalation, and population health, especially given  an aging population., We expect these trends to continue well into the future.

An Appointment With: Iris Berman, VP, Telehealth Services

From the time she was a little girl, Iris Berman knew she wanted to become a nurse. Helping to care for her friend’s playground scrapes since she was six years old, Iris couldn’t have imagined that one day she would actually be a nurse with a bright future in medicine.

Starting her career as a registered nurse at Glen Cove Hospital more than 30 years ago, Iris worked per diem in a variety of environments before transitioning to culinary care. Discovering her passion for critical care, Iris eventually became a critical care nurse educator. It was as an educator working in stroke improvement where she first learned how Telestroke’s outcomes were bringing advanced care to patients through the power of technology in a way that wasn’t possible before. With this growing interest in Telemedicine, Iris jumped at the opportunity to apply for a job working in Telehealth within Northwell.

Today, Iris is the vice president of Telehealth Services at Northwell Health. “Telehealth highlights the opportunities and ability of our health system to be progressive, agile, and welcoming all at once,” says Iris. “I am one of the fortunate who truly loves going to work every day.”

We sat down with Iris to learn more about Telehealth Services at Northwell Health and how it’s an exciting career opportunity.

What are the benefits of Telehealth?

Telehealth uses technology (two-way audiovisual equipment) that enables patients and care providers to connect across distances, such as a hospital, clinic, office or home.

At Northwell, telehealth has grown monumentally in both acute inpatient, outpatient and direct to consumer (DTC) care. We have coverage of nearly 200 critical care beds in our Tele-ICU environment and use that platform to add other specialty care such as intensivist consultation to EDs, Tele-Neuro Critical Care, Telestroke Care, Teletrauma, Telepeds, Telehospitalists, Remote care to Skilled Nursing Facilities (TeleSNF) and the list will continue to grow. In addition we have a number of DTC programs (currently approaching nearly 30 programs) enabling patients to get care and consultation in their home, clinic, hospital and doctor’s office. Some examples include Tobacco Cessation support, Telegenetics consults, Neurology for movement disorders, Coumadin Clinic and more.  These programs are helping to expedite time to expert opinion and mitigate complications that come from delays in care.

Why is Telehealth the future of healthcare?

As more people become accustomed to the digital world, they also become used to technology when they purchase services and encounter healthcare. In addition, the advent of improved technology makes this a more convenient way for everyone to access care on the go with a known provider no matter where they are. I believe care and outcomes will improve as we become more efficient in our access and consumption of that care. Telehealth also leverages nursing expertise in a technology-driven environment that is not as physically demanding, which is appealing for many nurses as well.

How can someone build a career in Telehealth?

There are a number of jobs in Telehealth and at Northwell we are continuing to expand our reach. Jobs will continue to grow and will rely a great deal on gaining experience at the bedside. If you like to mentor, Tele-ICU is for you.  As we grow, jobs will continue to expand into areas that may include triaging of calls, training, project management and business analytics. NPs and PAs are especially gaining in popularity as part of a remote Telehealth team.

What is the best career advice you have for those looking to get into TeleHealth?

First and foremost it’s important for nurses to get bedside experience. This is necessary in order to become an expert in the field before transitioning into a Telehealth role. If you are interested in informatics and process design, find a way to thread it through your clinical experience. More and more jobs will look somewhat hybrid as we continue to evolve. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. And lastly, be sure that you are comfortable with being on camera if you are looking to be in the patient care arena of Telehealth.