MBA grad takes capstone to clinic and decreases patient opioid use

Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, MBA ‘16, turned the birthing center she developed in her MBA capstone project into reality. After pitching the idea alongside two other Carey Business School students to St. Peter’s Hospital (N.J.) executives, the hospital built Cherot’s proposed birthing center on their first floor. For Cherot, the new center was just the beginning.

Cherot began her career as an OB-GYN, eventually becoming Chief Medical Officer at Axia Women’s Health, one of the largest women’s health networks in the U.S. Annually, Axia Women’s Health providers delivers more than 20,000 babies, sees 500,000 patients, and performs nearly 10,000 surgeries.

“I thought ‘what’s next?’ I used my business acumen to really align with what women deserve or need to better heal after their repeat cesarean sections.”

Cherot found the answer in a new smartphone app. She developed the app so that women can educate themselves prior to their cesarean section and prepare for post-operative care. The app also connects the women with their providers, allowing doctors to monitor patients remotely for several weeks.

The app revolutionized the post-operative experience. Opioid use decreased by 87 percent and hospital stays were down from 3.7 to 2.4 days. Readmission rates decreased while patient satisfaction increased.

While the app’s effects are undeniable, it wasn’t always an obvious solution for Cherot.

“If you had asked me five years ago, I couldn’t even use my DVR. But I built an app. All of that came from the development of my business skills through Carey Business School,” Cherot said.

Carey Business School gave Cherot the skills to launch her app and the business acumen to successfully propose and build a new birthing center. Cherot’s innate drive for innovation and commitment to patient takes her the rest of the way.

For Cherot, all of her innovations, past and future, come from the same inspiration.

“Women deserve more.”