EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 8/11/22

One of my clients reached out to me for assistance adding information on monkeypox and smallpox vaccines to their EHR. I no longer support systems for the vendor she’s on, but was happy to connect her with another consulting company who can assist.

It brings up a good point, though. In cities across the US, patients who have been exposed are receiving these vaccines. Not only is there sometimes low clinician awareness about the diseases, but also organizations need to think through how to incorporate exposure and vaccine data into their workflows. Fortunately, my EHR has been sending regular updates as the outbreak evolves so I know what to do, but smaller organizations with fewer resources are likely to be struggling.

Governmental organizations are also having to keep up. CMS just issued new CPT codes effective July 26 which will need to be updated in EHRs and billing systems across the country. Hopefully the COVID pandemic led to organizations creating policies and procedures for these kinds of quick changes. I wonder how vaccine registries are handling this and whether they’re keeping current or lagging. If anyone is involved in statewide registries, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

News of the weird. Now that I’m back in the air doing a fair amount of travel, travel stories always catch my eye. I’m glad I wasn’t caught in the holdup at the Springfield, MO airport when a suspicious carry-on item triggered a TSA response. When scanned, the item appeared concerning in that it contained wires and liquid, which can be characteristic of explosive devices. It turns out that the item in question was a urine warmer, which is typically used when trying to falsify a urine drug test. Since my last urgent care role also included occupational health duties, I’ve heard plenty of stories about the things they do when they have “dirty” urine and need to pass a test, but flying with your accessories probably isn’t the best idea.

I had a great lunchtime Zoom with a longstanding colleague yesterday. It’s always good to have those relationships where you can feel instantly connected even though it may have been years. We hit a number of topics about remote work during our chat that were timely. One was “the etiquette of eating on Zoom” and how people feel about eating on camera. Both of us come from backgrounds where we attended working lunches or lunch meetings all the time, and where no one ever questioned whether you should eat in front of others. There’s something about being on camera and watching yourself eating, though, that seems to have made people reluctant to do it.

I noted that there’s also a difference between randomly eating on a call and it being advertised as a lunch meeting or “brown bag” session where people are encouraged to eat their lunches. We both agreed that ultimately each team needs to address the topic as part of a team operating agreement exercise to make sure that no one is surprised one way or another. I’m a big fan of team operating agreements in general, because they help set guidelines for productive work and may be even more important in the virtual world than they were when we were in-person.

Another big topic was “Will you ever go back to in-person?” My colleague comes from an organization that actively terminated leases once they came to the conclusion that COVID was here to stay, and which has significantly reduced its office space expenditures. They have had some increases in stipends for home office – internet, phone, printers, and comfortable desk chairs – but overall, it’s a fraction of what they were spending on rent, utilities, and insurance. Her team has been informed that they will remain 100% virtual and they’re excited about it. Several employees have moved to locations they’ve always dreamed about because they’re no longer tethered to an office.

We also talked about how we see relationships among teams and colleagues when you’re in a virtual company. She noted that she thinks relationships are deeper because there has to be increased communication for teams to be successful. I agreed and added that I think it’s easier to get to know people on a personal level when you get to meet their pets or children on conference calls and can get a sense of who they are in their own environment versus whether they’re adopting a certain kind of persona because they’re going to work in an office setting. It’s also easier and more accepted to share pictures of pets and outside activities, which helps deepen those relationships.

Both of us agreed that remote workers can be more productive. There are also different levels of communication that happen when you’re remote including increased reliance on instant messaging and chat platforms. There is also increased speed of communication. Rather than having to leave my cube, walk around to a couple of people and get opinions, then make a decision, I can simultaneously ask everyone for an opinion and quickly hash out a scenario when it might have taken the better part of an afternoon to solve in person.

Of course, there are challenges with remote work, including rampant multitasking which can lead to inattentiveness and lack of focus. For every person who is energized by the ability to take frequent productive breaks to do things like starting laundry or grabbing a package off the porch, there are also people who become distracted by household responsibilities and family members. Being a successful remote worker involves a certain level of compartmentalization and time management skills that not everyone has.

We also talked about the perils of the hybrid workplace, where some employees are on site and others are either remote or commute intermittently. Not all organizations are good at this. I’ve had exposures to those who had developed a bit of a caste system where workers were treated differently based on the percentage of time in the office. Sometimes it is obvious, such as access to reduced-cost meals and free snacks and beverages for those who are in-person. One company I worked for had a keg of craft beer delivered on Fridays. Other times, hybrid workplace issues are subtle, including concerns about preferential access to mentoring and staff development resources based on work location. Being completely remote can help level this playing field, but companies vary in the strategies they use to mitigate this.

I once consulted for a company that was excellent at this. They deliberately crafted a strategy for their remote workers to mirror what was happening in the office. When it was time for flu vaccines, those in the office could receive a free one over lunch. The remote workers received CVS or other pharmacy gift cards so they could have the same benefit. On days where there was an office party or celebration, remote workers were included with a meal delivery gift card so they could feel like they weren’t being left out. Rather than using the company gym, remote workers could receive stipends to subsidize memberships to their local YMCA or gym.

Of course, there are organizations that don’t see a need to provide parity and will instead spin the office-based perks as something that rewards people who work in person. Especially for a hybrid workplace, a better stance might be defining what perks you think all your employees should have access to and coming up with creative solutions to ensure everyone feels like the company is looking after them.

What do you think about the hybrid workplace? Does your company manage it well or are their opportunities for improvement? Leave a comment or email me.

Email Dr. Jayne.