Relationships matter, partnerships matter and people matter.

Compassion is critical to delivering care and promoting health. Compassion allows us to see and alleviate suffering in others. It drives us to find new and better ways of caring for one another. It’s at the root of much of what we do at Spectrum Health—in our facilities, our communities, and now, for some of us, in our home offices.

In the era of COVID, there is no such thing as “business as usual.” This pandemic is not only altering our daily routines; it’s acting as a catalyst for more significant change. Many experts have commented on the rapid pace of the information revolution over the last few decades. I believe that we will see more change in the next 5-10 years than in the previous 25.

After having tools like webchat, video conferencing and telemedicine for years, we are now seeing widespread adoption and use, due to the need for social distancing. During April, May and June of this year, our web traffic increased 47% compared to prior year. The number of user accounts in our MyHealth app (now Spectrum Health app) increased 200%. And the number of virtual visits conducted on our telemedicine platforms increased 3,455%.

These increases are due to behavioral changes rather than technological changes, but they are spurring investments in more leading-edge technologies. Using predictive analytics, Priority Health identified which of our health plan members were at greater risk for contracting and having severe complications from COVID-19, and then delivered custom messaging to those members to help keep them healthy and safe. This same approach can be used to provide better insight and outcomes for countless health conditions. 

Predictive analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence can be fantastic tools that we use to extend our ability to provide life-saving and life-enhancing interventions to those that need them. But these tools are only helpful if we intentionally combine information with compassion.

Health care is about people. It has always been a people-centered business. To provide the best care and coverage to our patients and members, we need to make decisions that align not just with our algorithms but with our values. Compassion will only grow in importance in this era of digitization.

As I recently shared in an interview with Boston Consulting Group, compassion is one of our core values at Spectrum Health. Early on in this pandemic, yes, we needed to make tough decisions and yes, we needed to restrict hospital visitors. But with help from our communities, we still found ways for patients to maintain contact with their loved ones through technology, through donated iPads and power adaptors, even baby monitors.

For patients who we knew were dying and would not be going home to their families, we put a program in place where we would transport them to a separate area, so that their loved ones could say goodbye to them safely. This wasn’t something an algorithm told us to do; it was something compassion prompted us to do. And it made a profound difference.

I am so proud of our teams for the compassionate care and coverage they provide to our patients and members, and for their ability to adopt the perspective of others. As we work to combat problems like health disparities and loneliness, being able to see things through another’s eyes is an incredible asset. A warm smile or caring demeanor can change a person’s day, or sometimes, their life. In order to make a positive difference in people’s health, we must recognize the power of human connection. We must continue to double down on compassion.