MAINTAINING MOMENTUM
For many organizations, the pandemic jumpstarted productivity in an unmatched way. HealthPartners is no exception – the advanced pace of innovation and adaptability synonymous with the early stages of the pandemic is a silver lining in the crisis. “One of the bright spots for us is [learning] we can move fast and take bold steps forward. That it’s possible – and still occurring,” revealed Walsh. HealthPartners is maintaining the momentum to make changes and meet needs as urgently and quickly as possible. “I see that showing up today in the work we’re doing around vaccination,” she shares. ‘‘ We believe that health is built on trusted relationships, and technology is an important part of that.” To reach patients of color and ensure vaccine equity exists across the population, HealthPartners is scrutinizing and pivoting communication efforts. “As we started to send out invitations for vaccinations via email, we noticed that our Hispanic members and patients weren’t scheduling appointments,” explained Walsh. “We shifted to text and sent out 700 messages to English-speaking Hispanic patients – within two hours, eighty people responded to schedule an appointment. It’s a great example of meeting people where they are and using technology to solve a problem,” she says. Now HealthPartners has translated texts into Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. “Pre-COVID, we might have taken that step, but over the course of several months. Our mindset now is [focused on] when we get our vaccine; we
HealthPartners recognizes the vital role technology plays in achieving its very mission. “We believe that health is built on trusted relationships, and technology is an important part of that,” asserted Walsh. The IT department is in lock-step with the rest of the organization every step of the way – a seemingly rare quality in larger organizations. It’s not always easy to foster a collaborative culture, especially when there are historical barriers between business and IT. “The clarity around our purpose, our priorities, and why we do what we do creates alignment,” described Walsh. “I feel really good about the interaction across our organization and the partnership between our information technology teams and the connections with the rest of the organization. We are one HealthPartners,” she elaborates Trust is the foundation of collaboration at HealthPartners. “We really focus on every single interaction. Each gives you the opportunity to build trust or break it,” declares Walsh. “Building trust involves knowing and caring about the people you’re working with and the problems you’re looking to solve,” she adds. So often in healthcare, workers are deeply entrenched in the day-to-day and possess a career of healthcare knowledge. Looking at problems from the consumer side can be challenging. “It’s easy when you’re sitting in a health system to assume you know the problem someone is trying to solve because you think you’ve seen it before. If you don’t take the time to really listen and understand someone – you may solve a problem; it just may not be the problem most relevant to the health care consumer,” Walsh explained.
want to get shots in arms within three days of our shipment. COVID created urgency and a need for speed,” Walsh expressed. The next challenge is making the pace of change sustainable going forward. “We’re going to need to move faster than we’ve moved historically,” Walsh shares; however, “Some of the paces of change needs to slow up so people can catch their breath and we can find a new normal.” Employee burnout is a particular consideration. “We’re really conscious of that. We’re doing a lot of checking in with colleagues,” asserted Walsh. Across the organization, caregivers and office workers alike faced a tough year. To combat employee fatigue, HealthPartners unveiled many new web and mobile tools to help support colleagues. Wellbeats, for example, is an online and mobile fitness platform that offers 500+ classes ranging from yoga and mindfulness to biking and strength training. “We moved what would have formerly been outside […] onto screens,” she says. Studies show there is power in connection at work, and these tools offer another form of support for coworkers. Taking care of mental and physical health at work is key to avoiding burnout. “We need to be in for a marathon, not a sprint. You can run a series of sprints for so long – it creates muscle and strength – but rest is important,” acknowledged Walsh.
THE DYNAMICS OF TECHNOLOGY
Technology underpins nearly every pivot HealthPartners made through the pandemic. “Over the past year, technology has given us important tools to stay safe and stay connected,” voiced Walsh.
14 | Maintaining Momentum
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