Zameer Rizvi of Odesso on 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Patient Outcomes for Underrepresented Populations
“A healthy person has a thousand wishes, but a sick person has only one”. I heard this Indian Proverb from a yoga instructor during a class and it really resonated with me. Especially since I had just recovered from an illness that prevented me from enjoying activities like yoga. This quote shines light on the negative impact inefficient healthcare can have on our livelihoods. The quote gives me a little extra excitement to get out of bed every morning and share the gift of Gen AI with clinicians and patients.
Healthcare disparities continue to affect underrepresented populations, leading to unequal patient outcomes. Social, economic, and cultural barriers often hinder access to care, appropriate treatments, and equitable health services. How can we bridge these gaps and ensure that all patients, regardless of background, receive the highest standard of care? In this interview series, we are talking to healthcare providers, policy makers, community leaders, researchers, and anyone who is an authority about “How We Can Improve Patient Outcomes for Underrepresented Populations”. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Zameer Rizvi.
Zameer Rizvi is the creative mind behind Odesso, the platform that powers some of the most notable players across North America’s healthcare industry today. As CEO and Founder, he is the driving force behind Odesso’s AI-driven, HIPAA-compliant, low-code automation platform, designed to tackle healthcare’s most complex operational challenges.
Zameer is deeply committed to industry innovation and is focused on providing scalable solutions that solve today’s challenges and prepare clients for the future. He believes that integrating modern technology into healthcare operations is not an option, but a must, in order to improve patient outcomes and the healthcare ecosystem at-large.
Odesso’s goal is to optimize efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure compliance while collaborating closely with healthcare leaders to positively impact the bottom line and the quality of care.
Zameer has over 20 years of institutional and professional experience with notable companies such as Amazon, VMware, Amgen, Citrix, and Blackberry.
Outside of Odesso, Zameer is passionate about how emerging technologies can reshape industries and enjoy connecting with others to share his insights and explore innovative collaborations that push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share the most interesting/exciting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When sitting at the dinner table with my family of four doctors, I’d often feel like their line of work was so much more fulfilling than mine. After all, they made such an impact on peoples’ livelihoods. And here I was coming off a 10 hour desk job writing software code to maximize profits of a financial company by 2%. I admire the work healthcare professionals do and see them akin to heroes. The most exciting thing that’s happened to me since starting my career is that I too ended up in the healthcare space… improving patient outcomes. Albeit untraditionally using AI. But now I can sit at the dinner table with my head a few millimeters higher than it used to be.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“A healthy person has a thousand wishes, but a sick person has only one”. I heard this Indian Proverb from a yoga instructor during a class and it really resonated with me. Especially since I had just recovered from an illness that prevented me from enjoying activities like yoga. This quote shines light on the negative impact inefficient healthcare can have on our livelihoods. The quote gives me a little extra excitement to get out of bed every morning and share the gift of Gen AI with clinicians and patients.
How would you define an “excellent healthcare provider”?
WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, yet we approach health through the practice of conventional medicine the other way around. It is no fault of the provider but rather the system the provider falls under, which undoubtedly, is overburdened and underfunded. In fact, despite having the most expensive healthcare system, the US ranks last overall compared with the six other industrialized countries — Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — on measures of quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and the ability to lead long healthy lives etc. For the provider to be excellent, the system they fall under must be excellent. They need adequate resources, less strain and access to tools that can help aid in the provisioning of optimal patient care. The easiest fix? To replace the legacy technology still used today by healthcare systems with advanced technology. This is what’s needed to not only alleviate the pressure placed on providers but also to serve a growing population in a timely manner.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better healthcare leader? Can you explain why you like them?
The books that resonate with me have secondary or tertiary relation to Healthcare. My reading interests are piqued by topics related to creating positive change using agents such as AI. Some books include:
- “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel
- ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari
- “Hit Refresh” by Satya Nadella
- “Big Data” by Viktor Mayer
- “Algorithms to Live By” by Brian Christian
- “Bold” by Steven Kotler
Being a better leader requires me to focus on the wellbeing of my family and I. Some books I like on that topic are:
- “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass
- “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle
- “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters” by Meg Meeker
- “Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child” by John Gottman
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
Not too long ago we launched our Clinical Data Connector (CDC), an artificial intelligence (AI) software that automates Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). The CDC automates everything from chart review to data extraction, and writing of key quality measures for EMRs/Electronic Health Records. This really is a game-changer for healthcare operations as it greatly reduces time spent and inaccuracies made while also offering a fail-safe in moments when mistakes are made. As mentioned above, with value based care being what more healthcare providers are striving to offer today, the tracking of metrics like BMI, blood sugar and blood pressure are non-negotiable. What the Odesso does is use AI and machine learning to improve data quality, eliminate manual data entry and reduce costs for value-based care contracts. The platform can be found on the Athenahealth Marketplace and the Appian Community AppMarket.
This will definitely help providers improve the quality of care they provide to patients. By providing the industry with what it needs to alleviate its challenges, through technology, we are empowering providers to re-shift focus from internal problems back to the reason the industry exists in the first place — to serve those in need of care, to serve patients.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. What are the primary barriers that underrepresented populations face when seeking healthcare?
Health insurance coverage and language barriers are two of the top two barriers underrepresented populations face today. These barriers have a substantial impact on an individual’s standard of living. Health insurance coverage is expensive in the US and without being able to speak to someone about the illnesses you may be facing, in your primary language, you may not get the care you actually needed. These obstacles can force underrepresented populations to turn away and avoid the system rather than use it, leaving them with minimal care especially in urgent and critical situations.
How can healthcare providers build trust with patients from diverse backgrounds, especially in communities that have historically experienced medical neglect or discrimination?
Building trust with patients from diverse backgrounds, especially in communities that have historically faced medical neglect or discrimination, requires a multifaceted approach.
The bottom line is in order to deliver patient-centered care, providers need to understand their patients.
Patients are diverse in so many ways and this must be considered when providing care. To understand a patient is to learn about them which means practicing open and transparent communication but also engaging and promoting two-way communication. This means letting the patient guide and explain their ailments and what they may be experiencing with respect. In no matter the setting, trust can only be earned and while it takes time, you can completely ‘close the door’ on trust with patients in one interaction and never be able to obtain it again. In the way the current system is set up it can make it challenging for providers to give more than a set of time to each patient. Cultural competency and hiring a diverse workforce are other ways to promote a safe patient-provider experience.
What role does cultural competence play in improving patient outcomes, and how can medical professionals be better trained to meet the needs of underrepresented groups?
Cultural competence plays a crucial role in improving patient outcomes by ensuring that healthcare providers understand and respect the diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and practices of their patients. When healthcare organizations have staff that are both effective communicators and can demonstrate cultural awareness patients are more likely to understand their health conditions, treatment options and trust their healthcare team which can lead to more accurate diagnoses. Also, if the staff understand the cultural beliefs of their patients, they can provide tailored interventions and recommendations to align with patients’ values, which can improve commitment to treatment plans. To ensure that medical professionals are better trained to meet the needs of underrepresented groups they should attend cultural competency education programs, diversity in training programs, take part in mentorship programs, utilize simulation and role playing and implement feedback that they receive.
Can you share any successful strategies or programs that have been implemented to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for underserved communities?
Rather than sharing strategies that have been implemented, I’d like to offer a reminder for readers that may be able to help move the needle.
There is no change without awareness. It’s as simple as that, but to make people aware of the challenges underserved communities face is no easy undertaking. In the field of health, the basis of any change begins with adequate data collection. Data collection requires funding and is often enacted as the baseline of any larger changes made down the road.
One of the most effective ways to help accelerate understanding around the disparaging that underrepresented populations face is to lean and put pressure on the political system. This means representatives of local, regional and federal offices. Advocation across these various levels can make for enormous change, faster than anything else. To do it we need continuous support from a mix of stakeholders.
How can technology and telemedicine be leveraged to reach underrepresented populations who may face geographic or financial barriers to traditional healthcare services?
Leveraging technology and telemedicine can significantly enhance access to healthcare for underrepresented populations facing geographic or financial barriers.
Thanks in part due to the pandemic, telemedicine has become a trusted and accepted method of service. It allows patients living in remote areas, especially, to connect with healthcare providers from their homes, eliminating travel time and costs.
Telehealth can also reduce overhead cost which lowers operational costs for healthcare facilities, potentially leading to lower fees for patients. Also nowadays many insurance plans now cover telemedicine services, making it more financially accessible for patients.
As a “healthcare insider”, if you had the power to make a change, can you share 5 changes that need to be made to improve patient outcomes for underrepresented populations?
1 . Implement Comprehensive Cultural Competence Training: Mandate cultural competence training for all healthcare professionals to address biases and enhance understanding of diverse populations. An example of this could be a hospital integrating a program that allows staff to experience the healthcare journey from the perspective of a patient from a different cultural background can foster empathy and improve communication.
2 . Enhance Access to Telehealth Services: Expand telehealth services specifically tailored for underrepresented groups, ensuring that technology and resources are accessible. An example could be a community health organization could partner with local internet service providers to offer free or subsidized broadband access to low-income families, along with training on how to use telehealth platforms.
3. Use of Technology: Integrate the use of technology when it comes to a patient’s care. An example of this would be to use Odesso’s CDC’s platform to streamline data to ensure that health providers can provide the best possible care using all of a patient’s information.
4 . Establish Community Health Workers Programs: Create and fund Community Health Work programs to serve as liaisons between healthcare systems and underrepresented communities. A health system could train and employ these workers from the communities they would serve to provide outreach, education and support for navigating healthcare services through a tailored and culturally sensitive lens.
5 . Develop Patient-Centered Care Models: Actively involve patients in decision-making and treatment planning, considering their unique backgrounds and preferences. A primary care clinic could implement a shared decision-making model, where providers work collaboratively with patients to create individualized care plans. For instance, for a patient with diabetes, the provider might discuss various management options and respect the patient’s cultural dietary preferences when making recommendations.
What specific steps can be taken to ensure that medical research and clinical trials are more inclusive of underrepresented groups, and why is this important for improving overall patient outcomes.
Ensuring that medical research and clinical trials are more inclusive of underrepresented groups is essential for improving patient outcomes and advancing health equity. Steps that can be taken include ensuring a diverse study design that incorporates specific diversity goals for recruiting underrepresented populations during the planning stages of research. Additionally, stratifying data by demographic factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status will help ensure diverse representation. By collaborating with community organizations and leaders, trust can be built and valuable insights into the needs and concerns of the underrepresented groups can be considered. As part of collaborating with the community, focus groups are a great way to gather feedback and understand the barriers to participation. The next step would be to address the barriers to participation which may be financial in which case offer compensation, cover travel costs or provide transportation services to minimize financial barriers if the barrier is do with time the trail should be designed with flexible hours to accommodate participant schedules making it easier for them to attend. Other ways to ensure inclusive medical research and trials are to incorporate training for research staff, ensure transparent communication, analyze data by demographic factors and advocate for policy changes.
Inclusivity in research is crucial for ensuring that findings are applicable to a broader population, which enhances the generalizability of results. Different populations may respond variably to treatments due to genetic, environmental, or sociocultural factors, and diverse trials help identify these differences. Moreover, inclusive research promotes health equity by addressing the specific health needs and disparities faced by underrepresented groups, leading to better-targeted interventions. When communities see themselves represented in research, it fosters trust in the healthcare system, encouraging greater participation in future studies. Ultimately, inclusive research contributes to the development of treatments and interventions that are effective for all populations, resulting in improved overall health outcomes.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement it would be about embracing the power of modern technologies like AI, Automation and Data Centricity within the US Healthcare market. The movement would be targeted to Healthcare executives in charge of change and transformation. For many Healthcare executives, the art of what’s possible using GenAI isn’t clear, and my movement would drive clarity, confidence and the pragmatism they’d need to joyfully adopt it. The benefits are astronomical for patients, the revenue savings are out of this world, and the speed to quality care is 100x faster in some cases.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Visit our website: https://www.odesso.com/health/
Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zameerrizvi/
Follow our company page on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/odessohealth/
Thank you so much for these insights! This was very inspirational and we wish you continued success in your great work.
Zameer Rizvi of Odesso on 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Patient Outcomes for Underrepresented… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.