Q & A with a Health Care Leader

William Vander Vliet, MD, is well known to many families in the Lakeshore area as a family physician with Lakewood Family Medicine, where he has practiced since 1986. In January, Dr. Vander Vliet took on a new role as Holland Hospital’s first Vice President of Medical Affairs. As a practicing physician (he will continue his practice part-time) and the hospital's former medical staff leader, he is uniquely qualified to fill the position. Dr. Vander Vliet discusses some aspects of the new job below.

William Vander Vliet, MD, is Holland Hospital’s first Vice President of Medical Affairs.

A. Our hospital leaders appreciate the central role physicians play in the long-term success of Holland Hospital. Recognizing the importance of listening to physicians, the board of directors and administration created the Vice President of Medical Affairs position as an additional way to welcome a physician voice to the administrative table. In this capacity, I will serve as a liaison between the medical staff and the administration, and an advisor to the administration on clinical matters.

Q. WHAT TYPES OF ISSUES OR GOALS DO YOU PLAN TO FOCUS ON?

A. In broad terms, the vision of the hospital board is that Holland Hospital be the pre-eminent, stand-alone hospital in the West Michigan Lakeshore region. Achieving this requires a common, shared vision on the part of the board, administration, hospital staff and medical staff, which can only be accomplished through open communication, evidence-based practices, meaningful measurements, and appropriate resources and manpower. In short, it requires physicians and the hospital to work together for the best interests of patients, and strong leadership from both areas. I hope to play a significant role in this hospital-physician collaboration.

Q. AN ISSUE THAT IS MOVING TO THE FOREFRONT FOR HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF "REGIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION ORGANIZATIONS," OR RHIOS, WHICH ARE SECURE SYSTEMS SET UP FOR THE ELECTRONIC EXCHANGE OF PATIENT HEALTH INFORMATION BETWEEN AREA DOCTORS, PHARMACISTS AND OTHER HEALTH PROVIDERS. WHAT STEPS ARE HOLLAND HOSPITAL AND AREA PHYSICIANS TAKING TOWARD STARTING A LAKESHORE-AREA RHIO?

A. Through the initiative of the Principal Health Physician Hospital Organization (PHO), physicians in the community and Holland Hospital are partnering to explore the feasibility of establishing the area's first RHIO, to be called "Lakeshore Health Connect." The PHO has brought the various stakeholders to the discussion table, investigated the required technology and looked at financial projections for the project.

Holland Hospital and area physicians are significantly ahead of the curve in the adoption of electronic medical record technology. Holland Hospital was an early adopter of electronic medical records and has been online for more than a decade; nearly 75 percent of area physicians have either implemented electronic medical records in their offices or have plans to do so in the near future. A single-hospital city like Holland, in which both physicians and the hospital place a high value on technology, is an ideal environment in which to develop a RHIO such as Lakeshore Health Connect. In the final analysis, however, to be successful, a RHIO needs to be affordable, user friendly, of value to physicians and, most important, of benefit to patients.

Q. WHAT BENEFIT WOULD LAKESHORE HEALTH CONNECT HAVE FOR PATIENTS?

A. A RHIO is about serving patients better. Currently, patient medical information is fragmented. By developing electronic bridges between health care providers for the sharing of patient health data, Lakeshore Health Connect would enhance efficiency and reduce errors and redundancy of services – translating into improved quality of care. Another clear benefit is that patients would have access to their own electronic health records through the Web, empowering them to make more informed decisions and better manage their own health.

RHIOs have been successful in other communities throughout the nation. Here in West Michigan, under the leadership of Medical Director Dale Dykema, MD, and Executive Director Stephen Romanella, the Principal Health PHO is continuing to explore whether the benefits are worth the significant startup and maintenance costs.

Q. WILL THIS EXCHANGE OF HEALTH INFORMATION BE SECURE, PROTECTING PATIENT PRIVACY?

A. Patient privacy is our first and foremost consideration. Health information held in a RHIO's data repository is encrypted and protected with several layers of password protection to ensure that only specified health care providers authorized to the information have access. Then, the software can track who accesses the data, some of which is accessible in a read-only format so that the information cannot be altered, copied or downloaded. Antivirus software, firewalls, intrusion detection systems and backup systems are critical components of any data security system.

Q. YOU'VE BEEN A FAMILY PHYSICIAN AT LAKEWOOD FAMILY MEDICINE FOR 20 YEARS. HAS IT BEEN A REWARDING PROFESSION?

A. From a relational standpoint, it is difficult to imagine a more rewarding profession. As physicians, we serve at various times as healers, advisors, teachers, counselors, pastors and friends. We are allowed to continually learn and work as a team with highly trained colleagues. Not only has my practice of medicine spanned a generation, but I have at times been privileged as a family physician to be with patients at the beginning, when they have taken their first breath, and with other patients at the end, when they have taken their final breath. With our patients, we as physicians experience much of the essence of humanity.

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