Houston Methodist Physician Organization: Building for the Future
Following are insights about evolving technologies that are setting the stage for continued growth of Houston Methodist’s Physician Organization. This article was previously published in Houston Methodist’s digital innovation newsletter on LinkedIn by Stephen Spielman, senior vice president, Houston Methodist Physician Organization and president, Methodist Primary Group, and Aroub Khleif, PhD, senior director, innovation and IT access, revenue cycle and ambulatory clinical systems.
Over the next five years, our Houston Methodist Physician Organization (PO) is preparing for exciting growth across Greater Houston. This includes expanding our clinic footprint, welcoming more employees and supporting higher patient volumes and referrals. With this growth comes a core commitment: keeping both our patients and providers at the center of everything we do.
Supporting a Sustainable Workforce
One of the core priorities in our strategy is addressing workforce sustainability to support providers while also engaging with patients. As health care demands evolve, so must our workflows and technologies. We are proactively redesigning processes and integrating innovative solutions that allow our providers to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks. For example, automation in areas for InBasket management and medication refill requests has already shown promise in saving providers’ valuable time. By standardizing refill protocols within our EHR (electronic health record), we’ve saved an estimated 10,000 provider labor hours and more than 78% of refills are now completed within 24 hours.
Equally important is ensuring a robust onboarding experience for new providers. Building strong connections early through a collaborative and cross-departmental approach helps mitigate some of the pressures that providers often face downstream. Once new providers “go live,” we continue to focus on keeping them connected, supported and equipped with the right resources to succeed.
Leveraging Technology for Smarter Care
We’re also taking a holistic look at the entire ambulatory care journey to identify where technology can create smoother experiences for both patients and care teams. This includes automating pre-arrival tasks, simplifying visit-specific workflows and streamlining post-visit follow-up care. The goal is to optimize every touchpoint for both patients and providers. We’re also leveraging self-service tools that help drive patient engagement at each touchpoint during their journey. One example of this is through ticket scheduling, which gives patients the ability to book certain appointments without requiring additional staff intervention. This not only allows patients the autonomy to schedule appointments at their convenience, but more importantly, it allows the patient to book the right appointment, with the right provider or facility, the very first time.
Ambient listening (AL) technology is also gaining momentum. Houston Methodist currently has more than 500 users using AL across 23 different specialties. In the last year alone, more than 360,000 notes were created using AL technology, and 90% of physicians say the technology has allowed them to spend more time with patients, all while saving time charting and closing their encounters within the EHR.
As the PO continues to grow, these initiatives ensure we’re not just expanding, but rather we’re enhancing quality, efficiency and innovation. By thoughtfully balancing provider support with patient-centered care, we are building a stronger, more sustainable health care organization — one that meets today’s challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities.