Devi Nampiaparampil, MD, is the president and CEO of Metropolis Pain Medicine in New York City.
Dr. Nampiaparampil will serve on the panel “The Easy Way ASCs Can Become Patient-centric in the Digital Age” at Becker’s ASC Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference on Oct. 27-29 in Chicago.
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Question: What are you most excited about right now and what makes you nervous?
Devi Nampiaparampil: Patients' expectations of the healthcare system have changed. Health literacy has increased. Patients more critically evaluate what healthcare professionals say. People have greater demands for high-quality accessible medical care around the clock. This is exciting and nerve racking at the same time.
Q: How are you thinking about growth over the next 12 months?
DN: Most people have put off elective procedures since COVID began. Now they are experiencing more signs of symptoms of illnesses and injuries that were left untreated or partially treated during the pandemic. The next 12 months have the potential to be a period of significant growth. The challenge will be easing patients back. Most people are not psychologically ready to return to the pre-pandemic way of doing things.
Q: What is your strategy for recruiting and retaining great teams?
DN: Finding capable, effective and motivated staff is the hardest part of running an effective practice. I invest the most time at the start — during the hiring and onboarding process. I listen carefully to the words people use when they interview. Do they mention how they can contribute to the team? If they only focus on what we can offer them in their own career paths, then perhaps the relationship will turn out to be relatively one-sided. I build the team with people who come ready to work as a team. Doing that often creates a positive culture where people enjoy coming to work. If people are happy, they are also highly productive and very adaptable. I have previously noticed that conflicts within the team can disrupt the entire work environment, alienate patients and poison referral sources, so there are tangible benefits as well.