Download

20Showdown in the Heart of TexasRobert Posteraro,Wilhelmina Estrada,Tim George,Julito Uy,and Sandra YeeThe Deep South Healthcare System (DSHCS) is a large, multifacility healthcare systemconsisting of a corporate headquarters located in Florida and seventeen healthcarefacilities (hospitals and clinics) located throughout the southeastern United States fromFlorida to Texas. The mission of DSHCS is to bring state-of-the-art health care to theirpatients. Their vision includes becoming the largest, most efficient provider of healthservices for their geographical regions through the acquisition and modernization ofsmaller regional hospitals. Their strategic plan includes significant emphasis on informationsystems to virtually link their network, as well as to partner with strong localphysicians.The HomeBase Hospital Organization (HBO) is located in a city with a populationof 200,000 in the state of Texas with a wider catchment area containing 1 millionpeople. It was acquired by DSHCS 5 years ago and consists of an adult hospital, a children’shospital, several outlying hospitals, clinics, and a medical group. HomeBase Hospital,a 500-bed hospital, is a major trauma center and is the largest single facility inthe DSHCS. The radiology services at the hospital are equipped with the customarydiagnostic equipment—magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spiral computerizedtomography (CT), ultrasound, and nuclear medicine capabilities. The radiology informationsystem is interfaced with the hospital information system (HIS) and is used primarilyfor ordering radiology examinations and scheduling procedures. The combinedentity of the HBO is the largest entity in DSHCS in terms of number of patients seenand number of radiographic exams produced each year. The next largest entity inDSHCS performs 50 percent fewer radiographic examinations than HomeBaseHospital.The entities that make up HBO are under the control of a single board of directorsand a chief executive officer (CEO). The CEO of HBO, Mr. Hyde, is a native of thearea and understands the local politics, customs, and people. He had been the CEO ofanother DSHCS hospital before the acquisition of HomeBase Hospital, and his statusin the community helps buffer the corporate presence in the area.The geographical distance between HBO and the corporate offices of DSHCS andthe large size of DSHCS demand that communication between the corporate CEOand the local CEO be maintained on a regular basis. Because of the large cost of acquiringHBO, the corporate chief operations officer (COO), Mr. Ollie, has tasked Mr.Hyde with improving the financial picture of HBO through efficiency and cost-cuttingmeasures.199