I’d like to begin by saying how pleased I am with the progress being made in integrating our clinical enterprise. The effort being made by innumerable individuals from across the legacy organizations is remarkable and humbling.
On July 1, the clinical enterprise took the next critical steps to becoming a single new clinical entity. We now will function under a combined, integrated budget and strategic planning/hiring process. Most notable for patients will be that they will now receive only one statement for our services – rather than receiving bills from each component of the clinical enterprise involved in their care.
We have been working hard to finalize and implement the new compensation plan for physician faculty in clinical departments, as well as a new model for funds flow process within the clinical enterprise. Special thanks go to four individuals who have put in yeoman effort on these endeavors – Deb Thomas, Stephanie Daubert, Joel Pedersen and Joel VanderVeen.
As detailed in this newsletter, we have selected physician and administrative leads in cardiovascular services, cancer and acute care services. We anticipate designating leaders in at least two more service lines shortly.
The College of Medicine is a complex unit. Some employees are very involved in the clinical enterprise; others not so much or not at all. We have painstakingly gone through all the jobs in the college and tried to determine how much involvement each employee has in clinical care.
This review has identified approximately 240 College of Medicine non-faculty employees currently employed only by UNMC who spend 80 percent or more of their time on clinical activities. It makes sense that these employees should become employees of the clinical enterprise, joining the employees of UNMC-P, TNMC and BMC who will be moving their employment to this new entity as well.
The College of Medicine employees who will be impacted by this move will be notified by Sept. 1. So that we don’t disrupt the annual benefits cycle, all employees' (current UNMC, UNMC-P, TNMC/BMC) transfer of employment to the clinical enterprise will occur on or about Jan. 1 to coincide with the end of pay periods for the various groups. That’s when their new benefits program will begin.
I understand that making a transition like this can cause angst among employees and wish that there was an easier way to accomplish this. I want to assure all employees that we will do everything possible to make this a smooth transition.
Shifting gears, I wanted to salute two longstanding faculty members for the outstanding recognition they recently received from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). James Armitage, M.D., received ASCO’s Special Recognition Award for his major accomplishments in the fields of oncology and hematology, while Julie Vose, M.D., began her term as president-elect of ASCO and will take over as president next June. They make us proud.
Finally, as recently announced UNMC will assume management of the University Health Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This is a great example of how the various campuses in the university system can work together to achieve successful outcomes.
I salute all in the College of Medicine and Clinical Enterprise, particularly Shelley Baldwin, Dennis Bierle, Mike Sitorius, and Cory Shaw, who worked through the critical details to make this happen in an incredibly short time frame. Thanks for all of your efforts!
Finally, have a happy and safe 4th of July.