Creating the Burning Platform for Change - Trinity Health

in a single year. Inventory costs have decreased by more
than $1 million through the use of supply standardization.
The amount of time it takes patients to receive lab results
has been reduced by more than 85 percent. Plus, the
health system has saved $11 million in planned capital
investment by using space more efficiently.
Having undertaken more than 660 continuous
improvement activities in the past seven years, Virginia
Mason staff members know the system’s vision and
strategy for achieving it. “We have a very well developed
strategic plan that all 5,000 of our employees could
explain to you,” says Suzanne Anderson, senior vice
president, CFO, and CIO. “Having everyone understand
what we are aiming for and having the Virginia Mason
Production System as our tool to get there is what
allows us to achieve the results that we are aiming for.”
A triangle graphic is used to reinforce the health
system’s strategic plan at every turn (see the exhibit
on this page). The graphic spells out Virginia Mason’s
vision, mission, values, key strategies, and foundational
elements.
“As we do our work, we start meetings with this
graphic so people understand that whatever we are
working on at that moment ties to our strategic
plan and what we are trying to accomplish,”
says Anderson.
For example, a current initiative aimed
at improving the discharge process in the
emergency department (ED) addresses
Virginia Mason’s “service” strategy,
which seeks to “create an extraordinary
patient experience.”
Virginia Mason leaders use
this simple graphic to
continually communicate
and sum up the health
system’s vision and
strategic plan.
Strong
Economics
People
We attract
and develop
the best team
Patient
Vision
To be the Quality Leader
and transform health care
Mission
To improve the health and
well-being of the patients we serve
Values
Teamwork | Integrity | Excellence | Service
Virginia Mason Team Medicine ® Foundational Elements
Responsible
Governance
We relentlessly
pursue the
highest quality
outcomes of care
Integrated
Information
Systems
Source: Virginia Mason Medical Center. Reprinted with permission.
Strategies
Quality Service Innovation
We create an
extraordinary
patient experience
Education
Virginia Mason Production System
The initiative also ties into one of the plan’s foundational
elements—strong economics—since a more efficient
discharge process would help increase patient throughout.
Further, it ties to the “people” component of the
strategic plan because a less crowded ED reduces the
frustration that staff members experience when they
work in a harried ED.
“Elements of this initiative tie into each one of the
pieces of our strategic plan,” says Anderson. “If you
have staff people involved in the work, it is important
for them to understand the bigger picture.”
Catching the Momentum
The leaders of Trinity Health see the current healthcare
landscape in historic terms—and they are using this
momentum to stoke a transformative change process.
“We say our business model is experiencing a
tectonic shift,” says Adkins, pointing out that delivering
hospital-centric health care is no longer sufficient to
fulfill Trinity Health’s mission. “We have to realign our
business, change many of our processes, and reposition
ourselves to reflect how we see healthcare transformation.”
But it’s also important to get it right, says Andrea
Walsh, executive vice president of HealthPartners,
the integrated healthcare system in Minneapolis.
One of the biggest leadership challenges in
health care is balancing the need for urgent
change with a well thought-out strategy.
“We need to figure out that right balance
of taking the time to do it right with
the recognition that we do not have
a lot of time.” n
We foster a
culture of learning
and innovation
Research
Virginia Mason
Foundation
10 LEADERSHIP | Fall/Winter 2009
Republished with permission from the Fall/Winter 2009 Leadership Special Report, copyright 2009, HFMA Learning Solutions, Inc., www.hfma.org/leadership