Inspira Health President Warren Moore on AI and partnerships

Warren Moore says he remains full of optimism, even at a time when hospital systems are facing headwinds.

Moore is the president and chief operating officer of Inspira Health, a system operating four hospitals and a number of clinics and outpatient facilities in southern New Jersey.

He tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that health systems must take new approaches, but he’s not about “doom and gloom.”

“Doing things the way we've been doing them is not going to give us the success they did in the past,” Moore says. “I believe that wholeheartedly, and we have to flex as leaders and lead in a different way.”

He’s very enthusiastic about the incorporation of AI more widely across Inspira Health.

“We are going to be full adopters of AI,” Moore says. “We believe we have to be.”

Inspira recently announced its move to Epic for its electronic health record system, including its full suite of AI products, which includes ambient documentation to record and summarize doctor-patient conversations. Moore says the plan is to go live in July.

Moore says he sees AI assisting doctors and staff, including reducing the amount of time they spend on documenting conversations with patients.

“It helps us be more accurate, it helps us be more efficient. And so blending that human touch and training our staff specifically on the applications of AI that are pertinent to them, and their work is a big part of our plan over the next 6-12 months, and it'll be ongoing,” he says.

Moore, who has spent more than three decades in the healthcare industry, is relishing the opportunity to embrace technology.

“I'm excited about it,” he says. “I think you have to be. And I think in health care, we've been so far behind in technology compared to other industries for at least my whole 35 years, that we really have a chance to accelerate growth here.”

Greater expectations

Inspira’s providers generally have a “pretty positive” attitude about using AI, Moore says.

“They don't see themselves being replaced,” he says. “They see this giving them actual time to get back to having human interaction with their patients, and less time documenting and/or researching.”

“They're all very excited about the ambient listening and what that brings to the table, for them to not have to be typing into a computer all day,” Moore says.

Inspira enjoys a healthy balance sheet for a smaller health system, Moore says.

Still, he says the system must be strategic and smart as it evaluates digital tools.

“We can't just be throwing millions and millions of dollars around and fail all the time,” he says. “We don't mind failing every now and then, as long as we fail forward, you know, and learn from it.”

Much of Inspira’s digital transformation is also designed to meet patient expectations. Patients want the convenience in online scheduling that they have in virtually all other industries, Moore says.

Patients don’t want to be asked to fill out information online before an appointment, and then get paperwork to fill out when they arrive.

“If I can go online and book flights, why can't I book an appointment? And I've been saying that for 20 years,” Moore says. “Well, you finally can book an appointment … we've been able to do that, but it'll be much better in July when we go live with Epic, because it's all integrated.”

Facing Medicaid cuts

Like other health systems, Inspira is bracing for cuts in Medicaid that will unfold in the coming years. Millions are expected to lose Medicaid coverage nationwide, and hospitals will likely see less aid.

Inspira will be looking to partner with federally qualified health centers and other area clinics to help those in need.

Still, the system will likely have bolster staffing in its emergency departments, as more uninsured patients will likely arrive at hospitals for care they can’t get elsewhere, Moore says.

States will face new rules on how they finance Medicaid programs and may have to make tough choices about what benefits are covered and if fewer people will be covered. New Jersey’s state government has always offered strong support for its Medicaid program, but Moore says he’s not sure what to expect.

“New Jersey has a pretty lean budget for this year, and I don't think it's going to be much better for next year,” Moore says. “So I’m not really sure where the resources come from.”

Embracing partnerships

Inspira operates in a region with plenty of competition, especially larger systems in Philadelphia that are about an hour away.

The system has formed a clinical partnership with Cooper University Health Care to offer more cardiac care at Inspira’s facilities. Since the partnership began several years ago, more than 1,500 cardiac surgeries have been performed.

“Folks in this area always had to travel either Philadelphia or New York to get that care,” Moore says. “And now they're getting great care here.”

Inspira also partners with Cooper in neuroscience care.

“You don't always have to compete,” Moore says. “We compete with Cooper on a lot of fronts, but in the right areas.”

Inspira is in a solid position financially, Moore says. The smaller system remains independent, and Moore says there are not any plans in place to join a larger health system.

He doesn’t discount the possibility of Inspira joining a larger system in the future, given the rapid changes in the industry. But he says it would have to be under the right circumstances.

“What would be really important to us is making sure that … if and when, whoever that partner is, has to really be committed to these communities,” he says.