July 06, 2021
Hi Team –
Happy New Year!!! Or perhaps more accurately, “Happy Beginning of our New Fiscal Year!” July marks the start of Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) for TriHealth, and we’re heading into the new year with a shared sense of pride in all we have achieved together this past year in successfully navigating the turbulence of COVID-19, lifted by our collective optimism that the very worst of the pandemic is behind us and the “better days” we’ve hoped for are finally here. And together, our renewed commitment to getting healthcare right – better care, better health, better value – for every individual we serve will again guide our important work throughout the coming year and beyond.
COVID Updates
While new COVID cases and hospitalizations remain low at TriHealth, and national vaccination numbers are inching up – now exceeding 66% of eligible individuals having received at least one dose – we know our COVID battle is not yet over and that we must continue to protect our most at-risk populations, including our own team members and physicians. In light of the continued risk, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently issued emergency temporary standards to protect healthcare workers from COVID transmission. The TriHealth Command Center and our Infection Prevention experts are now assessing the new regulations to determine what, if any, additional safety precautions need to be addressed throughout TriHealth. The good news is that the vast majority of TriHealth’s COVID safety policies and practices already meet – and in many cases exceed – these new OSHA requirements. Stay tuned for more detailed information in the coming weeks as we determine what, if any, adjustments in our policies and practices are required to fully meet these new OSHA standards.
Starting FY22 Strong!
As we kick off the start of this new fiscal year – and emerge from the worst of the pandemic – we do so as a stronger, more resilient team and organization thanks to the lessons we’ve learned over the past 16 months successfully navigating all of the challenges brought on by COVID-19. As the COVID public health crisis gradually transitions from “pandemic” to “endemic,” now is our time to redirect our resources, talents and energy back to the transformational work of Getting Healthcare Right! And the roadmap to guide us as we begin Year 6 of our Journey from Good to Great is laid out for us in our FY22 Strategic Priorities and our Vital Few Pillar Goals.
Prior to the pandemic, our leadership team intentionally narrowed our organizational agenda and sharpened our priorities so that our team members, physicians and leaders could more effectively focus their work on these eight mission-critical Vital Few Pillar goals (below) – each tied to one of our five system Pillars of Safety/Quality, Service, Culture/People, Growth and Finance. And, the progress we have made in recent years in achieving these goals, along with our hardwired TriHealth Way behaviors and best practices, were battle-tested time and again throughout COVID and were proven to be the right areas of focus and the right way of serving our community during a time of unimaginable change, challenge and need. So, we are “staying the course” and continuing our work to excel with each of the eight Pillar Goals during FY2022:
- Care Consolidation: Retaining care within our system’s high-value network allows for our doctors, nurses and other caregivers to offer our patients the most coordinated and integrated team-based care possible – to deliver the right care, in the right way, in the right part of our continuum to produce the right clinical outcomes at the right cost. And that’s what getting healthcare right is all about!!!
- Patient & Team Member Safety: By measuring and working to reduce Falls with Harm and Hospital Acquired Infections, we are “first, doing no harm” and supporting our system’s commitment to becoming the safest and most reliable organization anywhere.
- Patient Experience (HCAHPS, CGCAHPS, EDCAHPS): Patient experience is an integral part of the quality of care we deliver to our patients and community, and a top priority at TriHealth and in today’s consumer- driven healthcare world. By “Always” striving to deliver the TriHealth Signature Patient Experience, we ensure that our patients receive the best possible care and health outcomes, and they are more likely to tell their family and friends that TriHealth truly is getting healthcare right!!!
- Team Member & Physician Engagement: There is a direct correlation between team member and physician engagement and how care and service is delivered to those who depend on us. In short, more engaged and committed doctors and team members provide better care!
- New Hire Turnover: When team members or physicians leave the system, it disrupts the continuity of care and service, leaves teams short of staff and impacts our bottom line with recurring recruiting and hiring resource needs.
- Net Operating Revenue: This is the money our organization receives for providing services to patients and is a key measure of our growth – and all healthy organizations must grow!
- Work Relative Value Units (wRVU): TriHealth Physician Partners (TPP) wRVUs track the overall patient activity of our TPP providers including office visits, consultations and surgical procedures, and is yet another measure of the progress our system is making in becoming the health system of choice for our community.
- Operating Margin: This is the metric for assessing and tracking the overall financial health of TriHealth and how effectively we are managing the limited resources of the system as good stewards, appropriately matching our costs to our revenue and the level of patient activity.
Over the years, we have made steady progress in achieving our annual goals and are today performing better in each of these areas than any time in our history – but the work is not done. One of the biggest lessons we learned from COVID-19 is that we can accomplish anything when we work together and remain committed. To achieve our ambitious plans for the coming fiscal year – and to further our work in improving the health of those we serve – it will require us to continue to work together as One Team, TriHealth Strong with the same dedication, commitment and passion that helped us emerge so successfully from this pandemic!
TriHealth Leading the Way in Maternity ServicesSpeaking of starting the year strong, I’m pleased to share that we are starting FY22 on the right foot with another important external recognition—or validation—of TriHealth’s role as the region’s leading healthcare provider for maternity care and services! Last week, Cincy Magazine published their annual “Family Choice Awards” guide for 2021 and named, based on consumer voting, Bethesda North Hospital as the “Best Place to Have a Baby.” This well-deserved recognition for the Bethesda North maternity team continues a recent TriHealth tradition, as Good Samaritan Hospital was honored with this same award for the past three years. And, this is just further validation of what our patients and community already know – that TriHealth is the BEST place, and the provider of choice, for moms to deliver their babies!
In addition to Bethesda North’s award, Cincy Magazine also recognized the TPP Group Health West Chester office as “Best Family Physicians’ Office” and named TPP’s Premier Obstetrics and Gynecology Montgomery office as a finalist for best OB-GYN practice. Congratulations to the team members, physicians and clinicians in these departments and practices for delivering the highest quality care and service to our patients – important milestones in our work to get healthcare right!
In Remembrance of Roger Weseli, former Good Sam Hospital CEO
Sadly, Roger Weseli, who led Good Samaritan Hospital as CEO from 1979-1991, passed away on June 21 at 88 years of age. Roger began his career at Good Sam as an administrative resident in 1959 and advanced through roles of increasing responsibility before being named CEO in 1979. In addition to significant capital and other clinical program improvements marked by the opening of the 15-story Dixmyth Tower, Roger focused on creating a “customer first” culture to deliver an exceptional patient experience – a deeply held tradition that continues to define TriHealth’s mission more than 30 years later. Please join me in offering our condolences to the Weseli family and all the Good Sam and TriHealth team members and physicians who worked alongside Roger.
TriHealth “Day” at Great American Ball ParkThank you for all you have done and all you continue to do for our patients, our community, and each other. As you hopefully enjoy some much-deserved time off this summer, don’t forget to take advantage of our special Reds ticket offer! In just a few short days since announcing this offer, over 2,000 team members, physicians and volunteers have claimed their free tickets! While we all won’t be attending the same game, I want to encourage you to gather in spirit through our “Virtual TriHealth Day at Great American Ball Park” on our TriHealth social media channels – and take a moment to share photos and stories and to hopefully bring home a Reds win! And to add to the excitement as we cheer on the Reds, when you share your photos with us, you will be registered for a drawing for some really cool prizes! Visit Bridge for details on the Reds ticket offer, stay tuned for more information on our “Virtual TriHealth Day at Great American Ball Park” experience … and Go Reds!!!