August 31, 2017

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Hi Team –

I can’t think of a better way to toast the end of summer than to do so with nearly 9,000 TriHealth team members, volunteers and physicians at our Annual Team Member Picnic! That’s exactly what I had the pleasure of doing this past Sunday at Coney Island Amusement Park, where we enjoyed a beautiful late summer day filled with family fun, friendship, great food and lots of laughter.  What a wonderful way to celebrate and thank you – our amazing team – for all you’ve done over the past year to make every TriHealth experience a GREAT experience for all those we serve!  The new Coney Island venue, suggested by team members, was a big hit – and will become a new annual picnic tradition.

Before I share this month’s updates, I want to first acknowledge those that are suffering in the wake of the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey – both those directly affected and all those with loved ones in the areas impacted.  I know we are all sending our prayers, and are seeking ways to help provide care and comfort during this terrible time.  Tomorrow, we will be communicating how our system and team members can extend a helping hand to those in need – another important way we can demonstrate our Values in Action.

As I shared in last month’s Update, Fiscal Year 2017 – Year 1 of our Multi-Year Strategic Plan Journey from Good to Great – was a year of growth and progress, marked by improving performance and building momentum. Click here to review our TriHealth Way FY17 Annual Highlights Report.

Much of our initial work over the past 18 months was – out of necessity – devoted to building the solid foundation and cultural framework required for enduring success in an ever-changing healthcare landscape of tough new realities.  This work was focused around three key areas:  Culture, Delivery System Transformation, Clinical and Operational Excellence.

Following 18 months of rapid, and sometimes “dizzying” change, filled with continuous introductions of new mindsets, practices and structures, our framework for success is now largely in place.  This means we’re ready to turn our attention to fully mastering and optimizing what we’ve already introduced – and that’s exactly what we will do in FY18.  This will enable us to deliver on our promise to get healthcare right for all those we serve – better care, better health and better value – for many years to come.  Here are some highlights of what you can expect:

Culture – We made impressive gains in FY17 to lay the groundwork for a better way – the TriHealth Way.  So in FY18, we will redouble our efforts to further hardwire and master the many TriHealth Way leadership, service and communication practices already introduced.  In short, a major focus of FY18 will be to “hold our gains” and continue to improve by maximizing the value and benefit of these new practices and structures, all while embedding them into our culture as “second nature.”  Additionally, we will share the results of our Team Member, TPP and Medical Staff annual survey results with all stakeholders, and discuss ways to address the improvement opportunities identified – both at the system level and within each business unit and department.

Delivery System Transformation – With our new regional integrated organization structure, Clinical Service Lines and physician leadership model now in place – including TPP and our new System Department Chiefs – in FY18 we’ll be devoting our time and investments to delivering on some major transformational initiatives, such as:

• Recruiting 47 new physicians
• Opening Anderson Ambulatory Campus
• Finalizing plans for Liberty Township, Western Ridge, and other Ambulatory Campuses to aggregate physician practices and improve access
• Continuing to strengthen regional hospital partnerships, such as Dearborn County and Highland District
• Launching construction of the new Harold and Genie Thomas Comprehensive Cancer Care Center on the campus of Bethesda North
• Continuing to collaborate with physicians and caregivers to improve the health of 190,000 community members currently under a value-based payment program, which will enable us to achieve nearly $37 million in value-based payment incentives.

Clinical & Operational Excellence – For FY18, we’ve established a new set of stretch goals for each Pillar based on specific metrics, outlined in the image below.

Achievement of these goals will enable us to build and improve upon our FY17 performance – all of which will translate into better care for our patients and community.  These goals will be tracked and measured monthly on our System and Business Unit Balanced Scorecards – which will be posted each month by leaders on Departmental Communication Boards, enabling you to follow our progress.  Additionally, I will share periodic updates on our Pillars Performance in my Monthly Updates and in our Team Member Forums – and our leaders will incorporate our work to achieve these goals into discussions that occur at monthly department and unit team member meetings.

As you can see, we have a lot of exciting work underway and on the horizon as we continue to build and capitalize on the strong foundation and system culture we’ve now established throughout TriHealth!  Thank you for your hard work and outstanding efforts which have brought our Vision and Values to life in so many new and exciting ways – and have positioned us for continued and growing success in the year ahead!  

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend – I hope it’s filled with lots of fun activities with family and friends!