The health care industry has come a long way in 35 years, and retiring President of Carle BroMenn and Carle Eureka medical centers Colleen Kannaday has seen all of it.
"I've gotten to the point where I just feel like I've done good work and my heart is calling me for more opportunities to volunteer and to focus on some things that are meaningful and impactful for me," Kannaday said in an interview on WGLT's Sound Ideas. "I also feel like it's a nice time for the younger generation and for new leaders to continue to step up."
After more than decade in her role as president, she explained the developments Carle has made in recent years, and what the organization will still be working toward after her departure.
New technology and artificial intelligence
According to Kannaday, the most notable change she’s seen is the development of new technology and how it has been integrated into the medical field.
Carle has four robotic surgical aids, or surgical “arms,” that allow surgeons to manipulate their instruments and perform procedures with an elevated level of control and precision.
The da Vinci surgical system is used for general and gynecological surgery. Another robotic aid is used for orthopedic surgery, particularly total joint procedures, which is a type of joint replacement surgery. One is used in urology for prostate issues, and the Ion is used in pulmonology for lung cancer screening.
“I think a lot about the technical advancements that really allow for minimally invasive surgery to be performed with minimal recovery time, fewer complications and more specifically like with Ion, the ability to make a diagnosis much earlier in a patient that perhaps has lung cancer,” Kannaday said.
The use of artificial intelligence is being approached with caution because Carle does not want to be on the "bleeding edge," where a rush to adopt could lead to problems.
“We are absolutely using AI, and there are great applications from a radiological perspective being able to highlight for the radiologist areas they need to go back and focus on or take an extra look,” Kannaday said. “We’re using it in coding and billing and those types of places. We’re taking a very thoughtful approach as we look at it related to the other clinical applications. Obviously there can be many ethical implications, and so it’s really being thoughtful, engaging the right partners, and knowing it’s a very powerful tool we’re going to continue to adopt it but with great thought and care.”
Medicaid and accessibility
The health care industry is facing an affordability crisis with Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring soon, and the signing of the Big Beautiful Bill limiting access to Medicaid.
“We continue to really focus on ‘How do we provide access to all patients,’ and to really look at the sites and the locations of care, and to be able to do it in a way that’s affordable,” Kannaday said.
Kannaday said she's concerned this will lead some patients to delay necessary case because they must now pay out of pocket.
“Our biggest concern ... is that if patients don’t have Medicaid, if they lose that insurance, they will not seek care until it’s too late, until they are sicker, [or] a cancer diagnosis is further along rather than a time with early screening where treatment is easier,” Kannaday said.
This concern about accessibility in health care led to the development of a mobile health clinic, a portable clinic offering affordable primary care to McLean, Champaign and Vermillion counties.
Mental health services
Carle in Normal currently houses the only inpatient mental health facility in Normal, as well as outpatient services and an inpatient addiction recovery unit.
However, Kannaday believes there is still work to be done in this field.
“We continue to work with all the partners in McLean County to try to figure out how we can be better coordinated because the care is quite fragmented, and each entity seems to play a particular role,” Kannaday said. “The lack of progress, in my opinion, is not from a lack of desire. It’s from the complexity of the systems and the opportunity to figure out how we come together in a more seamless way to provide this care.”
Kannaday chose her final day at Carle to be Friday, Feb. 13 — a lucky day for her as she got engaged on a Friday the 13th, and the wedding rehearsal dinner was on one as well.
Following her retirement, she intends to spend her time volunteering in the community after taking some time off.
"I promised my husband for the first year, because we do have some immediate plans, that I would not say yes to any major volunteer opportunities, that I would give him the first year and we would focus on us," Kannaday said.
