I think the best way for leaders to support each other is to be empathetic. One never knows what a colleague is going through – either personally or professionally. So, taking a moment to place oneself in the shoes of another will go a long way toward supporting a fellow leader.

—Dave Ludwick

 

Community Spotlight

Each month, we profile a special member of our community: a student, alumni, faculty member, or partner. Check out this month’s inspiring story below.

Dave Ludwick, B. Sc. ME, P.Eng. , MBA, PMP, PhD, CHE, ICD.D

Executive Director
Edmonton North Primary Care Network

Role/partnership with CHA Learning: Faculty Member & Subject Matter Expert
Website: https://www.enpcn.com/
Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter (organization)
Location: Sherwood park, Alberta

Dr. Dave Ludwick is the Executive Director of the Edmonton North Primary Care Network in Edmonton, Alberta. Prior to his current role, Dr. Ludwick was Executive Director for the Sherwood Park – Strathcona County PCN, which he built and led from 2007 until 2019. Dave built SPPCN from a start up into a $6million non-profit corporation in which patient health outcomes dramatically improved, patient wait times were substantially reduced and staff turnover was less than 5% per year. In addition, Dave’s vision and strategic leadership for the operation of the inter-disciplinary Primary Care Network has achieved impressive financial savings for public health care dollars.

Dave is an accomplished senior executive with 25 years of experience primarily within the healthcare industry and the high-tech software sector. He has acquired expert level knowledge of the Canadian health sector and its complex issues through research, clinical studies and senior executive healthcare management experience. Dave has numerous research studies and publications to his credit and has been invited to deliver presentations to esteemed members of the medical and healthcare community throughout Canada.

Dave combines his executive leadership skills, business and financial expertise, healthcare operations experience and strong educational credentials with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to serve as a skilled leader of transformation to bring healthcare organizations to a level of unprecedented success within the Canadian healthcare industry.

Specialties:

Dave is an expert in health information systems specializing in the non-technical implications of health information systems adoption in primary care, secondary care and acute care settings.

Dave graduated with a Bachelors in Engineering from the University of Manitoba (1990), a Masters in Business Administration (1998) from the University of Ottawa and a PhD in Health Informatics from the University of Alberta (2009).  Dave holds a project management professional designation (2003).  In 2020, Dave completed CHA Learning’s LEADS Inspired Leadership program which helped him acquire his Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders (2020).  Dave has extensive governance experience and holds an ICD.D designation (2022) from the Institute of Corporate Directors. In addition to reporting to a board of directors, Dave has experience as members of boards of directors.

Dave has been a faculty member in CHA Learning’s Health Information Management Program since 2016, where he is the instructor and subject matter expert for our Health Informatics course. In addition, Dave will be jumping in as one of our first facilitators in our online community, The Hive, facilitating discussions about digital health, cybersecurity, cyber risk and virtual care. We are always excited by the expertise and perspective he brings from his work in primary care, as a health leader and through all of this prior education. Dave’s enthusiasm for teaching and learning is palpable and contagious!

 

A Little More About Dave:

What is something you have worked on that you are proud of?

I have had the great fortune to work on many things that I am proud of.  As mentioned in my profile, I started the Sherwood Park Primary Care Network from scratch and built it into a multi-million dollar successful non-profit corporation.  I am also an inventor, having invented plant biology equipment to help plant researchers conduct their research in a more scientific manner.  I will also say that I am very proud to be the father of two young gentlemen.

 

Who do you admire in healthcare and why?

In the last two years, our local health authority (Alberta Health Services – Edmonton Zone) has had to respond to the pandemic.  Like all other health authorities in the country, my colleagues at AHS have worked extraordinarily hard under extraordinarily trying conditions.  These folks deserve a ton of respect.  My hat is off to them.

 

What would you want someone to know entering [CHA Learning Program]?

I was not particularly blessed with a great deal of smarts, but I was blessed with a strong work ethic.  All challenges can be met with a little hard work. Set down to work and you will be successful.

 

How do you make room for continuing to learn while leading?

Like anything that is important, you simply have to reserve time.  Priorities come down to values.  We typically devote time to the things we value and so by being clear about my values, I have been able to focus time on things that matter to me.

 

What are the best ways that leaders can support other leaders, whether within the same organization or different organizations?

I think the best way for leaders to support each other is to be empathetic.  One never knows what a colleague is going through – either personally or professionally.  So, taking a moment to place oneself in the shoes of another will go a long way toward supporting a fellow leader. 

 

What are some of your favourite hobbies outside of work?

I have a number of wide ranging interests.  I am an avid road cyclist and have pedalled many of the largest mountain passes in eastern British Columbia and south Western Alberta.  I am also a collector of vintage cars having a number of cars from the 20s, 30s, the 60s and 80s.  I am also musician.  I play piano and guitar.

 

PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS

  • Papers
    • Ludwick D, Doucette J. The Effects of Telemedicine on the Pathology Process. Conference Proceedings of the 3rd Annual IASTED Telehealth Conference, Montreal, PQ, May 2007
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. Adopting electronic medical records in primary care: Lessons learned from health information systems implementation experience in seven countries.  Int J Med Inform 2008
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. Primary Care Physicians’ Experience with Electronic Medical Records: Barriers to Implementation in a Fee-for-Service Environment.  Int J Telemed Appl 2009
    • Ludwick D, Doucette J. Case Study: Lessons Learned in the Implementation of Operational Processes for the Alberta EHR and the Implications for EMR Adoption in Primary Care.  Vol. 7, No. 4, 2009
    • Ludwick DA, Manca D, Doucette J. Primary Care Physicians’ Experiences with Electronic Medical Records Implementation experience in urban, hospital and academic family medicine.  Canadian Family Physician.  Can Fam Physician 2010;56:40-7.
    • Ludwick D, Lortie C, Doucette J, Rao, J, Samoil – Schelstraete C. Evaluation of a telehealth clinic as a means to facilitate dermatological consultation: A pilot project to assess the efficiency and experience of teledermatology used in a Primary Care Network. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 2010: pp 1–6.  DOI 10.2310/7750.2010.09012.
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. A review of GP system certification programs in 7 countries and 5 Canadian provinces. ElectronicHealthcare. 8, No. 1.
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. Improve office efficiency by putting your patients to work: Case Study Part 1 of 3: Workflow implications of an online self-service appointment scheduling system in family practice Vol. 8, No. 2.
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. Improve office efficiency by putting your patients to work:  Case Study Part 2 of 3: The financial viability of an online self-service appointment scheduling system in family practice.  ElectronicHealthcare, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2009.
    • Ludwick DA, Doucette J. Improve office efficiency by putting your patients to work: Case Study Part 3 of 3:  Patients’ perspectives regarding online self-service appointment scheduling in family practice.   ElectronicHealthcare, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2010.
    • Ludwick DA. Why Does It Take So Long to Adopt an EMR? Part 1 of 2: A Model of the Effects of Socio-Technical Factors on Physician Office Productivity.    Vol.9 No.1 2010
    • Ludwick DA. How much does it cost to adopt an Electronic Medical Record? Part 2 of 2: Financial implications of socio-technical factors on physician office productivity.    Accepted, February 2010
    • Jones D, Ludwick D. Suburban Cardiac Screening: Improving access to cardiology consultation within a primary care network. Healthcare Management Forum.  Spring 2011.
  • Presentations
    • Ludwick D, Ludwick C, Doucette. The Effects of Telemedicine on the Pathology Process. Presentation to 3rd Annual IASTED Telehealth Conference, Montreal, PQ, May 2007
    • Ludwick D. Case Study: The Alberta EHR – The Effect of Information and Computing Technology on Health Care: The Implications of Operational Processes. Presentation to ITsMF Canadian National Conference May 2007
    • Ludwick D. Case Study: The Alberta EHR – The Effect of Information and Computing Technology on Health Care: The Implications of Operational Processes in Government and Primary Care. eHealth 2008, Vancouver, BC, May 2008
    • Ludwick D, Doucette J. The Role of Change Management in the Deployment of Physician Office Systems. Presented to eHealth Canada, May 2008, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Ludwick D. Primary Care Physicians’ Experiences with EMRs – Feedback from Primary Care Physicians regarding their experiences using EMRs. Presentation to Primary Care Initiative Forum, Nisku, Alberta, October 2008
    • Ludwick D. It’s so easy to implement Electronic Medical Records – Not!  Advice for vendors and policymakers.  Presentation to the University of Victoria Graduate Studies Program, October 2008
    • Ludwick D, Enns C, Relf M. Engaging Physicians: What’s the deal?   Presentation to Re-Imagining Health Services: Innovations in Community Health Conference, Vancouver, BC,  November 2008
    • Ludwick D. Improve office efficiency by putting your patients to work: Viability of an online self-service appointment scheduling system. Presentation to eHealth 2009, Quebec City, PQ, June 3, 2009.
    • Ludwick D. Improve office efficiency by putting your patients to work. Presentation to the Alberta Network for Health Information Exchange, Edmonton, Alberta, September 8, 2010.
    • Ludwick D. Clinical outcomes of a centralized primary care network CDM clinic. Presentation to the Primary Care Initiative Forum, Edmonton, Alberta, October 14, 2010.
    • Jones D, Ludwick D. Suburban Cardiac Screening: Improving access to cardiology consultation within a primary care network. Presentation to the Primary Care Initiative Forum, Edmonton, Alberta, October 14, 2010.
    • Ludwick D. Panelist for Accelerating Primary Care 2011. Moving into the Future: A Practical Perspective.  Edmonton, Alberta
    • David C. Jones, Brenda Young, Dave Ludwick. Complex Care: Program Evaluation with the SF-12 Health Status Questionnaire.  Accelerating Primary Care, October 2 to 4, 2011, Edmonton, Alberta
    • David C. Jones, Leonard Frank, Dave Ludwick. Chronic Disease Management and Clinical Outcomes: Before and After Studies at Two Primary Care Networks. Accelerating Primary Care, October 2 to 4, 2011, Edmonton, Alberta
    • Jones D, Ludwick D. Suburban Cardiac Screening: Improving access to cardiology consultation within a primary care network. Presentation to the Primary Care Initiative Forum, Edmonton, Alberta, October 14, 2010.
    • Ludwick D. eHealth in Primary Care. Presentation to TELUS Technology Summit.  Edmonton, Alberta, June 2, 2011
    • Ludwick D. eHealth in Primary Care. A status update.  Presentation  to TELUS Technology Summit.  Edmonton, Alberta, Nov 2011