February 5, 2024

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CHALLENGES, AND FOCUS AREAS

Last Week’s Accomplishments:

  • Operations
    • Helped advance the delivery of life-altering care for ~8,760 people last week!
    • Patients helped came in 2% above plan
    • Team 13 maintained their negative backlog
    • Moved Inova, Advocate and Oschner to Team 3, allowing for Operations to utilize global team members on the Northwestern account in the future
    • Successfully met Stanford and Mount Sinai TAT SLAs. City of Hope SLA was waived for January 2024 due to incoming volume coming in higher than forecasted by the customer.
  • Customer Success
    • Held remote quarterly business reviews with St. Lukes Transplant and UC Davis Neurology
    • Held onsite quarterly business reviews with Northwestern Oncology, Neurosurgery and Bluhm Cardiovascular
    • Launched NYP Melanoma
    • Completed reach out to eHealth Technologies detractors
    • Relaunched Henry Ford Vascular Surgery
  • Technology
    • Overall system uptime came in at 99.995% against a plan of 99.995% with 1 minor outage from hardware failure. The team was able to failover quickly keep Operations platforms online during the event, the Ops team had their best performance day of the week.
  • Product Management
    • Conducting an assessment of the Allstacks platform (Jellyfish competitor)
    • Progressed expedited records with networks
      • Portal access for City of Hope granted and installed
      • Completed production certification of API management system
      • Published XML to PDF conversion functionality to production
    • Progressed expedited records with Release of Information (ROI) vendors
      • Began MRO portal pilot
      • Internal meeting to discuss MRO API next steps
    • Request API – discussed timeline and approach of go live with Sales
      • AccessHope SOW agreement has been completed and sales is progressing
    • Clinical Workflow Integration (Referral ID) project
      • SOW for project signed by Stanford
  • Sales
    • Closed / Won Opportunity at UVA Health – Committed Volume Agreement
    • Closed / Won SOW at Stanford Health – To accommodate the utilization of the Referral / Encounter # and to deliver records into the Clinical Workflow within EPIC
    • Finalized Frenova Agreement – processing for signatures
  • Human Resources
    • Finalized vendor selection for learning management system and content provider and moving to next step for security reviews.
    • Drafted calendars operations and soft skills/leadership training.
    • Finalized action plans for India team members requests
  • Executive Leadership Team
    • Aligned on strategic plan that allows eHealth Technologies to deliver in the short and long-term
    • Objectives and Key Results
    • Enterprise Risk Management
    • Competitive Analysis
    • Product Roadmap
    • Training Roadmap
    • Office Roadmap

Last Week’s Challenges:

  • Operations
    • Patient volume came in 7% above plan
    • Closed locations / person / day came in at 7 compared to a forecast of 9.9
    • Turnaround time decreased to 7.16 days
    • Operations Backlog increased by 400 cases but most of the backlog is within a handful of teams. City of Hope (across 12a,b,c makes up 28% of the overall backlog).  Escalation has taken place and City of Hope has acknowledged that they are the problem and have committed to provide accurate forecasts moving forward. Backlog is now sitting at 6,000 cases. Below is where the current backlog is located:

ALL 18 TEAMS

TEAMS CONSOLIDATED BY CUSTOMER

  • Sales
    • Did not close Frenova Renal Research as expected. Expect to close ASAP.  Planning Kick off Call in conjunction with Implementations / Customer Success.
  • Technology
    • Our primary storage array experienced a hardware failure, the team was able to failover quickly and address the issue allowing operations to continue working (Ops achieved their best close day of the week).

This Week’s Focus: 

  • Operations
    • Continue to keep urgency up on closing cases to decrease excess backlog and get turnaround time down
    • Continue to meet Team based CL/D/P goals each day
    • Review candidates for Manager openings
    • Investigate pros and cons to stand alone Indexing team and decide on a path forward
  • Sales
    • Attending Association for Cancer Executives annual conference.
      • 2/4 Speaking Event in conjunction with Blake Herring, UVA
      • Host Customer / Prospect Dinner 2/4
    • Finalize negotiations with City of Hope
    • Close SOW for Request API at both Johns Hopkins and AccessHope
    • Meet with Beckers to plan for “Pannel Hosting” at HIM / CIO Event in Fall 2024 and Beckers Webinar.
  • Customer Success Management
    • Hold remote Quarterly Business Reviews with Thomas Jefferson Transplant, Virginia Mason Transplant, Duke Neurosurgery, NYP Weill Cornell Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Brain Tumor, Mount Sinai Oncology, UC Davis Transplant, UC Davis Neurosurgery and UCSD Cardiology
    • Product Management
    • Continue to focus on and progress expedited records projects (with networks and with ROI vendors)
    • Review and plan institutionalization of proper product governance
  • Technology
    • Focus and accelerate technical aspects of the Expedite Records with Networks and MRO pilots, and RMS to cloud project
    • Continue portfolio management to determine Q3/Q4 product development projects
  • Human Resources
    • Continue to update job descriptions for all roles across the organization
    • Complete security compliance review for learning management system.
    • Communicate action plans for India team action items

Begin creation of course catalogs for operations, leadership, and soft skills training.

WELLABLE WELLNESS PROGRAM COMING SOON!

On February 14th, 2024, at 12:30pm EST/11:00pm IST we will host the first wellness sessions presented by Wellable.  Our first session will focus on Aromatherapy.  Please watch your email for an invite and more details for participation!

This class explores the therapeutic benefits and application of essential oils, offering hands-on experiences such as massage, topical application, and inhalation to improve health and mood. You will discover the holistic benefits of aromatic plant extracts and craft your own blends using a variety of common essential oils.​

THIS WEEK’S OBSERVANCES

February 10 – Lunar New Year

This signifies the first new moon of the lunar calendar. It’s a time rich in traditions and cultural festivities, often featuring family gatherings, special foods and diverse cultural rituals that differ from country to country, including performances, special decorations, and the giving of good-luck gifts.

February 10 – Tết

Vietnamese New Year, also known as Tet Festival, is the most important festival of the year in Vietnam. Its name, Tet, is an abbreviation for Tet Nguyen Dan, which is Vietnamese for the feast of the first morning of the first day of their calendar. Tet is based on the lunar calendar, and generally celebrated on the same day as the Chinese New Year. The date changes annually but falls between mid-January and late February. In 2024, Tet falls on February 10th (Saturday). It is the Year of the Dragon.

Many might recall the 1968 Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. Tet Nguyen Dan, shortened to Tet, is Vietnam’s Lunar New Year and is the most important annual celebration and public holiday in Vietnam spanning 5-7 days.

Tet celebrates the beginning of a new year as well as the coming of spring. Exuberant festivities are held — traditional food, music and dragon dancing performed along the streets. Celebrated as a time of renewal, Tet serves as an opportunity for Vietnamese people to pay homage to their ancestors and have family reunions.

Preparations usually begin a week before Tet, as people start to return home, clean their family graves, worship at their family altars and decorate their homes with apricot blossoms, peach blossoms and kumquat trees, symbolizing the hope of prosperity and well-being.

7 LIFE LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN AT WORK

Your career can provide you with far more than a steady income, benefits, and on-the-job experience. Many people also learn some great life lessons in the workplace. Being open and willing to learn these lessons and grow from them can be key to both personal and professional development.  This article, adapted from 7 Life Lessons You Can Learn at Work | Indeed.com, explores common life lessons that can be learned at work.

What is a life lesson?

A life lesson is a situation or event in which you can learn new principles or useful knowledge related to life. For example, you may try to do something the “easier” way only to realize that the results are not what you were hoping for. If you would’ve taken the time and performed the task in the perceived “harder” way, your results would have been more satisfactory. In this situation, the life lesson would be that “easier is not always better.” Being open to life lessons can help you be more successful in both your professional and personal life and provide you with the tools needed to grow as a person.

Life lessons can be difficult to learn, and they may require acceptance and change. The life lessons we learn from work can be used not only to improve our professional lives but our personal ones as well.

The most effective life lessons are learned through experience rather than reading or being told about them. Whether you’re working in your first job or you are years into a career, each life lesson learned along the way is an immensely important one.

Here are some of the life lessons that you may learn in the workplace:

  1. Always strive to avoid stagnation

Stagnation is often an unavoidable part of a job, and it can affect even the hardest-working individuals. Times of stagnation can happen for several reasons, such as becoming too comfortable with a situation or giving up on a challenging problem. A valuable life lesson you can learn from work is that those who always strive to learn more and continue to progress through times of stagnation are those who succeed.

You should always be learning and bettering yourself as a person. Just because you’ve succeeded doesn’t mean you should stop trying to improve as a person and an employee. Furthermore, being in a challenging situation doesn’t mean you should be resigned to your fate.

As you try new things to fight off stagnation, you may make mistakes or come up against challenges. It’s important to remember to view each misstep as a learning opportunity and to remember that even experts make mistakes.

How you should combat stagnation depends on you. For example, you could learn a new skill that’s always interested you. The key is to constantly be working to improve your job performance as well as your personal development. Work hard to get that promotion just as hard as you would on your passion project at home. With hard work both at work and in life, your days will be happier and each will have more significance.

  1. Make connecting with others a priority

Another important lesson you may learn at work is how valuable connections with other people are. Whether it’s with a professional colleague, friend or family member, each relationship you build with another person adds another beam of support to what you’re building for yourself.

Though there’s much you can create by working alone, the greatest success often comes when you create and work with a network of friends and colleagues. Think about your personal life—would it be where it is today without the connections and relationships you’ve built with the people you love the most? Each person in your network is a valuable member of your team and adds invaluable quality to your life.

Ask questions, listen to people’s opinions and stories, use your own strengths to help them with their projects and problems and don’t be afraid to open up to your work network. Plus, you may be surprised to realize that what makes a great professional team can also be implemented to foster your relationships with friends and family. Making connections with others a priority is an important lesson that can improve every aspect of your life both in and out of work.

  1. Remember to look on the bright side

Every day isn’t going to be the best day and some days can be downright challenging. However, if you can remember to look on the bright side, the difficult days can be just another way to grow in both your career and life in general.

This life lesson is an important one when you’re in a job you don’t like. This situation can be especially challenging and, when left unchecked, can negatively impact not only your work life but your life outside of work as well. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative can help turn the situation around. For example, enjoying a project you do well may seem small in the grand scheme of things but are ways in which you can look on the bright side and remain positive.

Being able to remain positive and look at things with optimism is an invaluable life lesson. The more you can improve your outlook and the less the small things affect you, the better you’ll be able to handle challenges in both your professional and personal life. As a result, you’ll find yourself happier and more content no matter the situation.

  1. Focus on developing and using your strengths

Finding out what you enjoy doing and what you’re truly good at as well as how to develop those areas is an important lesson you can learn at work. While it may take time, determining where you excel in your career can be one of the most rewarding gifts of having a job and something you can’t learn outside the workforce.

Find what you enjoy doing the most and work to develop your strength in that area. Keep in mind that no one is an overnight expert and that you’ll have to work hard to get to where you want to be. While anyone can be good at something with enough hard work, those who find pride and enjoyment in their work will succeed more than those who don’t.

Realizing where your strengths and passions lie enables you to set concrete goals in your professional life and gives you an actionable plan to achieve them. Focus on whatever it is that makes you feel like you’re doing the best work you can and develop those skills to create the best world for yourself. With enough endurance, motivation and commitment, you’ll find that you truly enjoy honing your workplace strengths.

  1. Work until the work is done

One of the first lessons you may learn when starting to work is what happens when you procrastinate. Procrastination has clear repercussions in the workplace and can result in challenges such as falling behind with your tasks. Committing yourself to work until your work is done is a valuable life lesson that can prevent hardships and increase your overall productivity and success.

This lesson doesn’t have to be limited to your professional work. When translated to your personal life, it’s just as applicable. For instance, think about a project you decided to start but didn’t finish. Think about a goal you thought you might want to work toward, but didn’t for some reason, whether it be lack of time, will or energy. Just like you don’t stop working until you’ve done your job at work, you shouldn’t stop working for yourself at home. Dedicate time to learn that new skill you’ve been wanting to learn, complete those projects or reach out to someone you’ve been meaning to. The more time you invest in doing the things you set out to do, the more accomplished and satisfied you will feel.

Even if you limit your at-home work to the weekends, you should be dedicating some hours to your personal progress. Whether it’s finally starting a project with the kids, working on your car, learning Spanish or developing a new skill for your career, you shouldn’t let the habit of procrastination keep you from reaching your goals. The more you resist the urge to procrastinate, the easier it becomes to work until your work is done—whether it be in the office or your personal development.

  1. Trust in the power of failure

As you work toward your professional goals, you will inevitably experience challenges and make mistakes. Not everything you do will be successful. But don’t stress about these failures. With no mistakes, there would be no opportunity to learn.

Every failure gives you the chance to grow both personally and professionally. There is no better way to know what works than knowing what doesn’t.

The life lesson here is that without taking risks and making mistakes, you run into the first problem discussed in this article: stagnation. Playing it safe may allow you to slide by, but more often than not you’ll plateau in your journey while the risk-takers keep climbing up. In work, taking a risk may be asking for a raise, suggesting a change to the status quo or starting a new career.

Remember that everything is a learning experience, failures and successes alike. What you take away from failure is up to you. In a situation where you experience failure, you can either see it as a challenge or use it as a learning experience to know how to better navigate your next endeavor. The choice is up to you.

  1. Learn how to change the situation, not the person

Learning to focus on changing a situation rather than trying to change a person or group of people is a valuable lesson you can learn at work.

Sometimes the problem is not the people involved but rather the way the situation is handled. Listen to others’ opinions on how to improve the situation. Take a step back and look at the situation to see if it’s being handled in a way that keeps everyone’s interests in mind. The most important thing to remember here is that people generally don’t respond well when you try to change them, but will often respond positively to situational changes that increase their ability to be productive.

This lesson translates well to many aspects of life. Instead of trying to change the people you love or even the people you don’t love, try to first change the situation or the way you view the situation. The more you’re able to focus on contributing to an improvement in a situation rather than trying to change a person, the more success you’ll have in work and life.

FOCUS ON HEART HEALTH

You have the power to take action to protect yourself against heart disease. Small heart-healthy actions like adding more movement to our day or choosing healthy foods, can have a big impact on protecting your heart.  This week we’ll focus on high blood pressure.

High blood pressure affects a lot more than just your heart — it can impact your whole body, head to toe. The good news is there are lots of things you can do to keep it in a healthy range. And if you get started now, your heart will thank you later.

High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death for Americans. High blood pressure is also very common. Tens of millions of adults have high blood pressure, and many do not have it under control.

What is blood pressure?

When the heart pumps blood through the arteries, the blood puts pressure on the artery walls. This is known as blood pressure. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. Your blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day.

Normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg. No matter your age, you can take steps each day to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure measures consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure (or hypertension).

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Your health care team can diagnose high blood pressure and make treatment decisions by reviewing your systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and comparing them to levels found in certain guidelines.

High blood pressure usually develops over time. It can happen because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not getting enough regular physical activity. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes and having obesity, can also increase the risk for developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also happen during pregnancy.

There’s only one way to know if you have high blood pressure: Have a doctor or other health professional measure it. Measuring your blood pressure is quick and painless.

Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure into a healthy range or keep their numbers in a healthy range by making lifestyle changes. Talk with your health care team about:

  • Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week (about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)
  • Not smoking
  • Eating a healthy diet, including limiting sodium (salt) and alcohol
  • Keeping a healthy weight
  • Managing stress

Talk with your health care team right away if you think you have high blood pressure or if you’ve been told you have high blood pressure but do not have it under control.

By taking action to lower your blood pressure, you can help protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, also sometimes called cardiovascular disease (CVD).  Check out this helpful tool to learn more: Live to the Beat | Take Charge!