Providing Healthcare in Rural Alaska
Guest: Laura Ballou, Family Nurse Practitioner, SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC)
Laura begins by describing her path into healthcare, explaining how her experience working with a neurologist inspired her to shift from medical school to becoming a nurse practitioner. While in nursing school, she also completed a graduate degree in social anthropology, which she says has enriched her perspective and career. She explains how she and her team came to work in Alaska, outlining the vast region their organization serves and the unique transportation and cost challenges that affect care delivery.
Laura discusses what it means to be an Alaska Native and part of the Indian Health Service, providing context for the population they serve. She shares her experience presenting at the MUSE Inspire conference, and explains how their organization reworked its referral process using MEDITECH Expanse. She emphasizes the importance of ensuring proper staffing and support before undertaking such large workflow changes.
Looking ahead, Laura says they plan to focus on data optimization, building registries, enhancing Business and Clinical Analytics (BCA), and leveraging patient connect tools to improve care and efficiency.
Show notes: