Improving Transitions of Care in Dermatology - a Collaborative effort

December 6th, 2022

Stanford Dermatology manages >1500 inpatient consults every year with nearly 40% of those patients requiring outpatient follow-up. Timely care transitions from the inpatient to outpatient setting in dermatology are critical to ensuring patient safety. Unfortunately, workflows can be complicated and susceptible to error contributing to patients being lost to follow-up and suffering adverse effects, including readmission. Our interdisciplinary team conducted a two-phase, mixed-methods evaluation focusing on the impact of the implementation of (1) virtual care visits and (2) SMART phrase integration into each referral on timely patient scheduling and follow-up. Additionally, given pervasive physician burnout, with inbox use commonly described as a contributory factor, we also sought to investigate the impact of SMART phrase utilization on staff messaging. In this lecture, we will share our findings, key lessons, and future directions.

Maria Aleshin

Maria Aleshin, M.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology. Dr. Aleshin received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009. She received her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed her dermatology residency at UCLA, where she also served as Chief Resident in her final year. Her clinical interests include general dermatology and inpatient dermatology.

Justin Ko

Justin Ko, M.D. joined Stanford Medicine in 2012 and serves as Director and Chief of Medical Dermatology for Stanford Health
Care (SHC) while also spearheading the dermatology department’s efforts around network development, digital health, quality/safety/performance improvement, and value-based care. He is also an Associate Chief Quality Officer and physician dyadic partner to the Chief Experience Officer. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and worked in investment banking; mergers and acquisitions at JP Morgan before earning a combined medical and business degree at Tufts University. During medical school, he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. Dr. Ko completed his residency at the Harvard Dermatology Residency Training Program where he served as Chief Resident.