The following is a guest article by Lori Smith, Senior Vice President of Talent at hc1.
Improving Care Means Better Representing Everyone We Ultimately Serve
As the medical community continues to develop value-based care models and focuses more on care coordination, healthcare organizations must also strive to become even more patient-centered, promoting improved care across the continuum.
It’s imperative to take into account that innovation thrives when different experiences and perspectives come together. In the healthcare technology sector, that means a variety of diverse voices need to play a significant role in developing solutions.
Creating and cultivating diverse teams is likely to lead to solutions that target a wider consumer base and the needs and preferences of diverse populations. Bolstering diversity and inclusion efforts can provide better service to every patient.
As the U.S. becomes a more diverse nation, it only makes sense that those providing care throughout the healthcare spectrum should be represented more broadly. Research has shown that diversity among health professionals leads diverse patients to be more likely to trust their healthcare provider.
Despite working to address diversity issues over the past few years, women and people of color still remain underrepresented. Women account for about 32% of the tech industry’s workers while Black workers hold about 9% of U.S. science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) jobs, despite representing 11% of the country’s workforce, according to the Pew Research Center.
Health conditions can affect individuals differently and disproportionately and therefore it’s important for providers across the spectrum to have the ability to evaluate a variety of data to assess an individual patient’s level of health risk and choose the right screening tests to mitigate risks. Increasing the number of diverse voices with authority over how that data is collected, analyzed, evaluated and ultimately how care is delivered, can result in markedly better outcomes that don’t operate under a one-size-fits-all, trial-and-error model.
In addition, various populations are impacted differently by disease and medications; making the importance of informing individual patient care decisions with as much knowledge as possible even greater. As technology in the healthcare arena continues to advance at a rapid pace, the volume of data we are now able to procure provides specific insights to achieve enhanced clinical outcomes for each patient. Making a concerted effort to improve representation for those pursuing careers in healthcare tech not only creates a more inclusive healthcare system, but in turn provides organizations with the opportunity to make an equitable impact on understanding health conditions and provide better patient care as a whole because of their diverse perspectives.
Organizations that include a multitude of voices reflective of the tapestry of the communities they serve can have a direct, positive impact on patient health outcomes. Ultimately, this leads to more effective and efficient delivery of healthcare centered on the patient.
About Lori Smith
As the SVP of Talent at hc1, Lori is responsible for revolutionizing how human resources supports the hc1 team through leadership, attracting and developing top talent and building a culture of innovation and engagement. Prior to hc1, Lori was the Director of Finance for Bostech Corporation, responsible for a variety of accounting and finance activities where she prepared financial statements, reports and projections in compliance with success metrics. Lori earned a B.A. in Organizational Communications with a minor in Economics from Indiana University. Additionally, she has a B.S. in Accounting from Indiana Wesleyan. Lori is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and is a member of Society for Human Resource Management.
