Launching its own Mission Control left CHI Franciscan well-prepared for COVID-19

Without realizing it, an investment that CHI Franciscan CEO Ketul J. Patel made last year delivered huge dividends almost immediately. Washington state, where the system is located, is among the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. But because of Patel’s decisive action, it was also well-prepared for a surge.

What was your riskiest decision? Last year, CHI Franciscan was the fifth globally and the first health system in Washington state to launch an artificial intelligence-powered “mission control center.”

Why was it risky? At a time when we were facing capital constraints and occupancy at record levels, we looked at our resources and determined that building additional brick-and-mortar locations wasn’t the smartest solution given time-to-market and capital capacity consumption. We needed to be both bold and innovative in our approach to expand capacity, which meant taking a risk on a relatively new technology. Our chief operating officer, Ian Worden, led efforts to adopt the AI platform. It was a future-focused solution that will benefit our health system by enhancing operations and creating efficiencies, in turn increasing our capacity and improving the experience of our patients.

was the outcome? When we launched Mission Control last August, we never imagined it would become the vital center of our response to the coronavirus. We can receive real-time, objective and scientific data on key aspects of patient care such as expediting suspected COVID-19 cases to negative airflow rooms, tracking the number of intensive-care beds available, monitoring care progression, and immediately alerting staff regarding a patient’s status. The system is also tracking World Health Organization infection growth rates, the percentage of patients requiring ventilation, and COVID-19 mortality rates to predict future demands of care.

What was the response from those involved? Our team members are relying on the Mission Control Center every day. We have fast-tracked the implementation of the system across the entire health network, and we are experiencing firsthand what the benefits of predictive analytics and AI mean for the strength of our health system during this unprecedented time. While we knew this technology would provide powerful tools to optimize care, we never could have predicted the breadth and depth of its value until this pandemic unfolded.

Advice to executives in similar positions: We are once again reminded as an industry that the only constant is change. As this global pandemic has demonstrated—we must be nimble, open to innovative ideas, and willing to take risks to advance the safety and well-being of the communities we serve. The decision to invest in Mission Control was made with a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach and included individuals across our health system to ensure we understood all perspectives of care. It also required me to clearly articulate that solutions to next-generation problems would not come from yesterday’s successes, but rather a completely new vantage point. The early results have been tremendous.

Describe your leadership style: In many ways, I am informal and lead with an “open-door” policy. I think an environment that fosters constant collaboration and discussion creates transparency and strengthens your team. I cannot overemphasize how inspired and proud I am of our team and the selfless dedication of our healthcare providers. They are the true leaders navigating us through this pandemic.

How would others describe it? I hope that my peers and colleagues would describe me as a thoughtful, calm and measured leader, especially during this unprecedented time of global crisis.