There's another incentive at play too, Andrulis adds. The workforce is becoming more diverse, and that's going to place increasing pressure on providers to provide services that keep that workforce productive and healthy. With a little bit of internal reconfiguring and a little bit of educating those potential new members on how to use the system efficiently, Andrulis recommends. The mission must reflect a dedication to cultural competency, where the workforce understands that that's the mission and is given the tools to work with and the financial support to develop them. And everybody needs to be on board, he emphasizes.
Somebody comes up with a good idea, but nobody else pays much attention to it.
They think, 'Give it to that department. Give it to Dr. Smith. And then when Dr. Smith goes, it withers. Doctors also need to work with a diverse patient base to make sure everyone uses the network in the same way, he continues. And while plans can't expect those efforts to pay off immediately, they need to approach cultural diversity with a longer view.