Hi Team –

 

As a faith-based organization with a nearly 170-year legacy of serving the poor, the marginalized, and those most in need, we answer our sacred calling through every encounter and interaction with our patients and community. We have been guided by this legacy of service through wars, recessions, natural disasters and, most recently, a global public health crisis. And, true to form, our TriHealth team members have once again “stepped up” in support of our system’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. In the week since announcing our partnership with the American Red Cross, the TriHealth Team has generously donated more than $12,700 to provide food, supplies and resources to the people of Ukraine! Today, I’m pleased to announce that to further the reach of our giving and its impact on the Ukrainian people, TriHealth will match dollar-for-dollar the first $20,000 donated by our team members and physicians through our custom American Red Cross giving portal. Thank you for once again bringing our mission and our TriHealth Way values to life through your generous giving and compassion for others at their time of greatest need. 

 

Our physicians play a vital and enormously important role on the TriHealth team – our values-based and patient-centered culture – that is leading the way each and every day to Get Healthcare Right for our community. And so, tomorrow, we celebrate our physicians on National Doctors’ Day and recognize and applaud their courage, resiliency and selflessness. And these traits have never been more on display than in the past two years as we have served and cared for every patient in need… often at personal risk and great sacrifice! 

 

But even as we managed through this two-year public health crisis, our physicians continued to step up in collaborating with TriHealth as we put in place the innovative population health-based care and financing models that are delivering on our commitment to the Triple Aim of Better Care, Better Health and Better Value. Thanks in large part to these efforts, TriHealth is increasingly being recognized as a regional and national model for Getting Healthcare Right. Examples include recognition as one of the country’s top performing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) by UnitedHealthcare and Anthem. And as a direct result of our physicians’ commitment to advancing value-based care, last year – for the first time ever – we earned $5.5 million in Medicare Shared Savings and another $6 million in Shared Savings through our Anthem ACO, which is now helping to fund investments in under-reimbursed essential services like behavioral health and preventive care. Our physicians have been strong partners and at the forefront of our work to put key clinical effectiveness goals into action with their patients – including better managing chronic conditions, overseeing medication adherence and reducing avoidable admissions and ED visits – all of which are improving the health of our patients and delivering more efficient care. 

 

Without a doubt, TriHealth is blessed with the region’s finest community of physicians, which was evidenced once again by recognition of nearly 140 of our physicians in Cincinnati Magazine’s Top Doctors edition last January. On behalf of our trustees, our leadership team and our team members, a BIG thank you to our physicians for all they do this day – and every day – for all those we serve.

 

Speaking of celebrating our physicians, I’m pleased to inform you of three recent physician leadership appointments in our system. Last month, the TriHealth Board of Trustees welcomed Dr. Kristin Coppage and Dr. Lorraine Stephens as our newest trustees by virtue of their Medical Staff leadership roles. 

 

Dr. Coppage, who joined TriHealth in 2005, serves as President of the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical/Dental Staff, as well as TriHealth’s System Chief for Women’s Services. She practices maternal-fetal medicine with TriHealth Physician Partners’ (TPP) Tri-State Maternal-Fetal Medicine Associates. 

 

A member of the TriHealth medical community for 27 years, Dr. Stephens serves as President of the Bethesda North Hospital Medical/Dental Staff. She also leads our family medicine departments as TriHealth’s System Chief for Family Medicine and TPP Medical Director for Family Medicine. Prior to these system leadership roles, Dr. Stephens led the Bethesda Family Practice Residency Program. 

 

Dr. Coppage and Dr. Stephens replace Dr. Kurt Knochel and Dr. Danny Fischer who served two years on the TriHealth Board and as Presidents of the Good Samaritan and Bethesda Medical Staffs, respectively. We thank them for their dedication, expert leadership and service to the TriHealth Board and our medical community!

 

Finally, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Robert Rolf, orthopedic surgeon and longstanding member of the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Staff, has been appointed by the System Board to serve as TriHealth’s next System Chief for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Dr. Rolf was recommended by System Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Helen Koselka, following a collaborative search and selection process. Dr. Rolf replaces Dr. Joseph Thomas, who announced in December his plans to step down from the role and focus on his clinical practice.

 

We congratulate Drs. Coppage, Stephens and Rolf on their new roles and thank Dr. Thomas for his service to TriHealth and our patients as past Chief of Orthopedics. These physician leaders are helping to advance our TriHealth mission and vision of Getting Healthcare Right. 

 

The steady and sharp decline of COVID cases continues again this week, marked by fewer new infections and hospitalizations in our region. For the first time in more than nine months, TriHealth’s COVID inpatient census has fallen to single digits – currently at seven patients with ZERO COVID patients on ventilators! And we are seeing a similar trend across the region, where 13 of 14 tri-state counties are rated as “low” status per the CDC’s new Community Levels guidance. Encouragingly, we now only have five TriHealth team members off work due to COVID – a remarkable drop from January when nearly 600 team members were out with COVID. This means our physicians and team members are healthy and ready to serve all our patients across all clinical services at full capacity. Now, that is something to celebrate!!! 

 

Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite 2022 Healthcare Heroes t-shirt design. Voting is underway and closes on March 31. Click here to cast your ballot. The winning design will be unveiled at our special Healthcare Heroes Week Town Hall on May 10 – so mark your calendars to tune in! And following the announcement, you will be able to order your very own super soft and comfortable t-shirt to proudly wear at work and in the community!

 

Healthcare Heroes Week is yet another opportunity for our system and leadership team to shine the spotlight on you and to say thank you to the very best team in healthcare. From physicians and nurses to team members, leaders and volunteers, every member of the TriHealth team has played a vital role and contributed to our ability to emerge from this pandemic as a stronger, more resilient and more aligned organization and culture. And as we now enjoy better, brighter days less dominated by COVID, we look forward to celebrating during Healthcare Heroes Week all we’ve accomplished together, as One Team, TriHealth Strong!