It was five years ago this week the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic as well as a national emergency, testing all parts of the healthcare industry as they'd never been tested.
Getting through it prompted many changes within organizations, so Modern Healthcare put a question to a dozen of the industry's CEOs.
What did you learn from running a business during the pandemic that you apply to your operations today?
Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.
The pandemic impacted both sides of our marketplace and reinforced our deep commitment to customers. We rapidly adapted to user preferences and needs, and continue to bring the same agility to our operations today, including introducing new AI features, expanding offerings to more healthcare professionals, reducing employers’ reliance on costly temporary labor and sharing a steady pulse on market trends.
We are reducing reliance on overseas manufacturing, especially in China, by investing in domestic production and strengthening supply chain redundancies. Our goal is to ensure that healthcare providers always have what they need, when they need it. But resilience isn’t just about stockpiling — it’s about intelligence. That’s why we’re doubling down on AI, machine learning and predictive analytics to anticipate demand, prevent shortages and streamline purchasing. By harnessing real-time data, we’re making the supply chain not just stronger, but smarter and faster.
COVID-19 forced us all in health care to think and act faster and bolder than ever. We had to respond to challenges, often in warp speed. This resulted in innovating and propelling discovery much quicker than we had previously thought possible.
For example, shortly into the onset of the pandemic, we identified that nasal swabs required for COVID-19 testing were in high demand and extremely limited in supply. To respond to the challenge, Tampa General quickly partnered with USF Health, Northwell Health, and Formlabs, and over one week in March 2020, we worked collaboratively to develop and test a 3D-printed swab prototype. Once clinical validation was complete, the design was shared at no cost with hospitals, health systems, the military and clinics around the globe, producing over 100 million swabs within several months. What would have previously taken years to develop and bring to market, took only a matter of weeks.
Realizing the impact and possibility of speeding up innovation is a lasting legacy of COVID-19. We think, innovate, act and respond more quickly than ever, knowing that we can meet challenges faster.
Quest played a critical role supporting the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic with our high-quality molecular diagnostic and serology antibody testing. While the team scaled COVID-19 testing capacity in record time, the experience revealed the value of partnerships with public health and other groups to anticipate and prepare for threats in advance. We recently put this lesson to work through a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preparedness arrangement, which enabled us to launch the nation’s first commercial H5 avian flu test late last year.
I saw the power of our team working together. While that time was incredibly challenging, there was camaraderie, leaning in and helping hands.
That spirit of collaboration combined with a healthy dissatisfaction with the status quo is so key to who we are today.
Amid the overwhelming scale of the pandemic, health systems had to focus on protecting their most valuable resource — their staff. Keeping staff inspired and engaged was crucial to the COVID response and its imperative that we continue to make their physical and emotional well-being a top priority.
As part of our multifaceted strategy, we stood up an employee wellness program to support our workforce and the program continues to expand. It takes a holistic approach to the health and well-being of our team members and includes robust programs focused on their physical, mental, social, spiritual and financial well-being.
One of the most critical lessons we learned was the necessity of agility and data-driven decision-making. Another key takeaway was the importance of workforce resilience. The pandemic highlighted the incredible dedication of our frontline teams but also underscored the need for long-term strategies to support and retain healthcare professionals. We've implemented innovative workforce development initiatives, including a streamlined, mobile-based employee referral program and targeted investments to reduce nursing vacancies.
We saw firsthand how financial sustainability and nonprofit, mission-driven care must go hand in hand. We’re focused on maintaining financial strength without losing sight of our commitment to patient care, health equity, and community partnerships.
Labcorp was the first company to receive FDA Emergency Use Authorization to launch several COVID-19 PCR tests and worked closely with our pharmaceutical partners to bring products to market. Our team nimbly deployed various methods to accommodate challenging supply conditions, and through automation, we rapidly scaled our testing operations from a few thousand tests a day to over 300,000. Today, these experiences enable us to respond to global health crises more effectively and accelerate our speed to market for life-saving new tests and solutions, helping us improve health and improve lives around the world.
The pandemic reinforced the strength of our integrated health system, enabling us to enhance care transitions, lead vaccination efforts and invest in our workforce. By aligning our services near Sanford Health locations, we’re ensuring seamless, high-quality care for our residents and communities. In partnership with Sanford providers, we’ve boosted vaccination uptake through trust, coordinated outreach and strong leadership. We’ve also launched SAFE, a systemwide initiative to improve safety and quality by creating a culture of trust. By prioritizing our people and leveraging our resources, we are well-positioned to serve our communities today and into the future.
Always put people first. The pandemic reinforced the importance of caring for our team’s whole health and well-being.
In healthcare we care for people through people, which means people must be at the center of every decision. The health of your team members is the health of your business.
Early in the pandemic, it became evident that COVID-19 patients suffering severe symptoms and extended hospitals stays could benefit from inpatient rehabilitation, where patients receive a hospital level of care combined with intense therapy. We were able to respond quickly thanks to effective communication between our home office and hospital teams, as well as infection control protocols and other policies we already had in place.
The pandemic brought to light the innovation that continues to redefine how we at Advocate provide access for all. That includes expanding our hospital-at-home program to become the largest in the nation, vastly increasing virtual care options and building an innovation district in Charlotte, North Carolina, called The Pearl, which will be the home of groundbreaking research and technology when it opens this summer.
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