Change is never easy. But, for strong organizations to continue to prosper, it is always going to be a prerequisite that they be willing to do so.
With health care reform already in motion and even more changes on the horizon, the time is right for change in the way we approach patient care here at the medical center.
To be successful, these changes must involve a coordinated and strategic effort on the part of all of the different entities through which care is provided. In terms of adult care this includes the College of Medicine, The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC Physicians, the Bellevue Medical Center, Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital, the VA Hospital and Private Practice Associates LLC.
For pediatric care, the College of Medicine, Children’s Specialty Physicians, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, and The Nebraska Medical Center are the participating entities.
We must all come together as one coordinated team whose primary goal is to optimize the health of the patients who entrust their care to us. Using a prevailing term in health care reform, this means care of the highest “value,” defined as quality divided by cost.
To provide the best value, one must improve quality and decrease costs. To do this we must take a critical look at ourselves: our expenses, our processes and the way we interact with one another. In particular, this will require creation of leadership partnerships among physicians, other health care providers and health care management professionals. Each has much to bring to the team, and all voices need to be heard.
To accomplish this, we are embarking on a multi-year process to drive the necessary changes. As announced last month, we’ve hired Deloitte Consulting to help us assess our current situation and provide advice on how to become a patient-centered, integrated clinical enterprise that provides outstanding quality while improving profitability.
Over the next couple of months, this will include assessments of College of Medicine programs that directly or indirectly support the clinical enterprise. The analysis will help determine our future strategic direction, and we will be sure to keep you informed of any recommendations that are made.
Although the focus will be on the clinical mission of the college, we must be cognizant that health care reform and the overall challenges of the economy also demand change in how we approach our other two major missions – education and research.
Our medical and allied health students will need to be prepared for a very different approach to health care, and their education also must be value-based – the highest quality of education at the lowest cost. We must also think about and optimize the value that our research enterprise brings to UNMC.
I will plan to discuss these issues at my State of the College address this Thursday afternoon, Feb. 7, at 5 p.m. All faculty and staff are invited to attend. In addition, here’s a helpful chart that provides a rundown of the six strategic themes we need to implement to achieve our vision through the year 2020.
There is much work to do. However, I am confident that we have the resources and the people to accomplish it. Let’s come together and make it happen.