Amid an evolving healthcare environment, one thing remains constant: Healthcare only works when caregivers can focus on patients, Eduardo Conrado, president and CEO of St. Louis-based Ascension, wrote in an April 1 article.
Care teams are central to healthcare’s future as the healthcare industry changes quickly — with rising hospital acuity, patients living longer with more advanced conditions and care moving into ambulatory and community settings.
“If healthcare is going to be sustainable, the experience of caregivers must be designed as intentionally as the experience of patients,” he said. “When caregivers are supported, they are able to be present where and when patients need them most.”
The role of healthcare leaders is not just to operate hospitals but to create systems that allow caregivers to spend more time on patient care, Mr. Conrado said.
As healthcare moves toward settings beyond the hospital, coordination is becoming more important. Caregivers who are connected across settings can make the patient experience less complicated and support quicker decision-making. Expanding access to care through greater coordination and supporting those delivering care go hand in hand, he added.
Workplace safety is a key aspect of supporting caregivers.
“Workplace violence remains a concern across hospitals and outpatient settings. Protecting caregivers cannot be optional. It must be part of how healthcare operates,” Mr. Conrado said. “Strong organizations are not defined by the absence of issues, but by how they respond to them. That means creating environments where caregivers feel safe speaking up and supported when challenges occur.”
Ascension’s recent clinician experience survey showed gains in reducing administrative and documentation burden, but clinicians said they still need more time for patient care. Using survey data, the system identified key priorities to boost physician well-being, including investing in streamlined workflows and greater support.
Moving forward, care will continue to shift beyond the hospital setting, and expectations around access and affordability will grow.
“The strength of our care teams will determine the strength of our healthcare system,” Mr. Conrado said. “Workforce sustainability is now at the center of the national conversation. Questions about training capacity, team structure, and reimbursement are being debated across the country. Those discussions matter.”
However, health systems cannot wait for policy alone to address these challenges — they must lead.
“That means protecting today’s caregivers and strengthening the pipeline for tomorrow,” he said. “Healthcare’s future will not be defined only by scale, technology, or facilities. It will be defined by whether the people delivering care feel supported in doing the work they were called to do.”
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