Incisive Insights: Jesus Gonzalez
Our VP of Talent, Cara Hodgson, sat down with Senior Consultant, Jesus Gonzalez, to ask him about what keeps bringing him back to the Epic space year-over-year, how our clients can better partner with their consultants, and to learn a little more about what he likes to do when he steps away from the system.
About Jesus
Jesus Gonzalez is a Senior Consultant with Incisive who has dedicated his career to helping health systems optimize their health IT systems to better serve their patient population. Jesus started his Healthcare IT career as an Implementation project manager at Epic Systems and has since worked as both a full-time employee for a hospital and as a consultant. In each of his roles Jesus has built a reputation as a trusted strategic advisor for the health system. Our VP of Talent, Cara Hodgson, sat down with Jesus to ask him about what keeps bringing him back to the Epic space, how our clients can better partner with their consultants, and to learn a little more about what he likes to do when he steps away from the system.
Cara Hodgson: You’ve been in the Epic space for almost ten years. What continues to draw you to this type of work?
Jesus Gonzalez: Working in the Epic space has been a true blessing. It engages my technical, analytical, and people skills, regardless of the organization or project I’m assigned to. I’ve come to really appreciate how organizations do things differently in and around Epic. It’s this variability that keeps the work ‘fresh’ and exciting for me. Above all, I feel that the work I do is meaningful as it directly impacts the clinicians that use the system and their patients.
CH: What do you think are the most important things Epic imaging teams should focus on to improve patient care and increase provider efficiency?
JG: There’s a TON of functionality within Epic in general, making it easy for organizations to lose focus on what matters most. Whether an organization is adding-on Radiant or Cupid or implementing new functionality and/or workflows, the desired outcome, and the impact of achieving that outcome must guide all decisions. For example, an organization that is looking to implement Cupid to improve resulting workflows for providers can easily spend too much time on things that seem important but add relatively little to achieving that outcome. The focus should be given to hardware, content, functionality, workflows, etc. that directly impact the end goal. Does the imaging hardware (CPACS, hemodynamic machines, etc.) integrate with Epic in a way that makes it easy for clinicians to access results from studies? Are providers engaged in the review and validation of clinical content, including the review of tools, such as SmartForms, drawing tools, and reading macros, that streamline resulting workflows? Can technologists and/or nurses document findings that pre-populate physician result reports? Do physicians have easy access within Epic to the information they need without having to jump from activity to activity? Keep dialed into the things that are most impactful to your vision, and success will follow.
CH: What might surprise a health system about working with Epic Consultants?
JG: Not all Epic consultants are created equal, but most have certifications and experience in applications outside of their primary line of work. In a lot of cases, many have also worked in various roles (application analyst, PM, clinical informaticist, clinician, etc.) within the Epic and healthcare arena. Take time to know your consultants. Get to know their strengths and interests as you would any other employee. You’ll quickly find that you can leverage the skills and knowledge of your consultants to a greater degree, particularly with work peripheral to their primary assignment.
CH: How do you think our health system partners can better utilize their consultants?
JG: Organizations often underutilize their consultants. Adding a consultant to your team shouldn’t just be about getting an extra body to help with completing tasks. Engage with your consultant to define their work and set reasonable expectations for them. Make them an integral part of your team. Check-in with them regularly to ensure that they’re meeting or exceeding expectations. Challenge them to be mentors for your team, encourage them to speak up when they have questions or insights, and hold them accountable. Great consultants will do these things without prompting. Good consultants can become great with just a little guidance! It’s especially important to ask your consultants to put together documentation (workflow diagrams, build guides, etc.) for work they’ve completed. This documentation is particularly useful when your consultant is no longer with you.
CH: Why do you think clients should partner with Incisive for their consulting needs?
JG: When you partner with Incisive, you don’t just get a contractor. You get someone that has the full backing of the company. To start, you get to work with our amazing talent team and Account Managers. They work with you to understand what your needs are and present you with individuals that are well-equipped to fill those needs in addition to being a good fit for your team. Our Account Managers check in with you regularly throughout the assignment to make sure your needs are met. On top of that, each of our consultants is paired with a counselor that meets with them routinely to discuss how things are going and advise them on how to continue to deliver quality work. As a company, we keep up with trends in the industry, share interesting initiatives, discuss challenges/successes, and much more during our monthly ‘All Hands’ meeting. It’s a great way for all of us to collaborate and connect. It goes without saying that our consultants thrive with all of this support!
CH: What is your favorite way to spend time outside of work?
JG: I enjoy playing basketball, soccer, football, and various other outdoor activities with my four young boys and my beautiful wife. We watch a lot of sports and play video games on occasion. Sitting down for dinner as a family is my favorite part of the day as we get to slow things down for a moment and take in what everyone has to share. The conversations at the dinner table get more interesting and comical as my boys grow.
CH: What are you currently watching, listening to, or reading?
JG: I’ve been watching a lot of boxing matches lately. My dad used to watch boxing when I was a kid, and I couldn’t bear to watch it because it was so gruesome for me at the time. I started boxing a couple of years ago and came to appreciate how technical the sport is and how disciplined boxers are. Many people think boxers are aggressive and ill-tempered, but they tend to be the opposite. They have a tremendous amount of respect for each other, regardless of the trash-talking that occurs leading up to a match. The way some boxers move around the ring, landing punches and avoiding them is a thing of beauty. My favorite boxer at the moment is Canelo Álvarez. He fights with a lot of pride for self and country and doesn’t back down or give up.