Redefining the Workplace
Left to right: Amit Saindane and Marta Heilbrun
Immediately transitioning to remote working and learning not only limited virus transmission, it also freed space to be reconfigured as needed for COVID care. Emory Radiology redefined the workplace to maintain productivity, connectivity, and the highest quality patient care.
Offsite Imaging Interpretation: Vice Chair for Imaging Informatics Dr. Nabile Safdar and his team deployed over 40 PACS workstations, plus 24 for faculty serving Grady and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, so faculty, especially cardiothoracic and emergency & trauma imaging specialists, could interpret imaging studies offsite 24/7. Residents and fellows benefitted educationally by connecting to virtual readout sessions conducted by on-site faculty.
Distanced Onsite Workspaces: The department decreased workstation density and improved ventilation in reading rooms to reduce virus transmission.
Centralized COVID Communications: The Communications and Creative Services team, led by Camille Dingle, MBA, produced and maintained an online hub for COVID-related resources and information. The team also maintained a strong social media presence while producing email updates that were distributed daily during the spring surge and weekly over the summer regarding the status of departmental and enterprise-wide operations.
Weekly Town Halls: Weekly presentations by department Chair Dr. Carolyn Meltzer via Zoom of the latest COVID information and news helped unite the department’s 1,000-plus members in health and hope.
Daily Leadership Huddles: Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs Dr. Amit Saindane and Vice Chair for Quality Marta Heilbrun, MD, MS, turned the daily huddle structure into an online daily meeting of department leaders via Microsoft Teams. This 15- to 30-minute check-in facilitated collaborative problem-solving and planning using huddle boards to track progress and document process improvements.
Offsite Imaging Interpretation: Vice Chair for Imaging Informatics Dr. Nabile Safdar and his team deployed over 40 PACS workstations, plus 24 for faculty serving Grady and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, so faculty, especially cardiothoracic and emergency & trauma imaging specialists, could interpret imaging studies offsite 24/7. Residents and fellows benefitted educationally by connecting to virtual readout sessions conducted by on-site faculty.
Distanced Onsite Workspaces: The department decreased workstation density and improved ventilation in reading rooms to reduce virus transmission.
Centralized COVID Communications: The Communications and Creative Services team, led by Camille Dingle, MBA, produced and maintained an online hub for COVID-related resources and information. The team also maintained a strong social media presence while producing email updates that were distributed daily during the spring surge and weekly over the summer regarding the status of departmental and enterprise-wide operations.
Weekly Town Halls: Weekly presentations by department Chair Dr. Carolyn Meltzer via Zoom of the latest COVID information and news helped unite the department’s 1,000-plus members in health and hope.
Daily Leadership Huddles: Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs Dr. Amit Saindane and Vice Chair for Quality Marta Heilbrun, MD, MS, turned the daily huddle structure into an online daily meeting of department leaders via Microsoft Teams. This 15- to 30-minute check-in facilitated collaborative problem-solving and planning using huddle boards to track progress and document process improvements.