Alignment & Access
In 2023, we’ve focused a great deal on efficiency and effectiveness in our clinical areas. Whether you’re a surgeon, an internist, an emergency medicine physician, or you have another area of specialization, you’ve likely heard of, or have been directly involved in, a variety of efforts underway to increase efficiency, improve patient throughput and optimize various areas of our hospital. Part of what makes Houston Methodist Sugar Land such an amazing place is our collective commitment to fostering a growth mindset.
For example, a key area of focus this year has been on our ED processes and admissions. Because of the dedicated focus of many team members, door to provider time for ED patients has decreased from 41 to 26 minutes over the last year, and patients leaving without being seen has decreased from 3.2% to 1.1% over the last year, while total ED visits have increased 7% during this same timeframe. These efforts are significant and worth recognition.
As we look to our strategic priorities for 2024, we continue to focus our efforts on identifying correct placement options for patients in acute care and outpatient settings. How will we achieve success in these areas? Only through strong alignment with our medical staff and a shared focus on our patients. I firmly believe in an open medical staff. And, you’ve heard me say this before – it doesn’t matter if your white coat says Houston Methodist or something else – we’re all here to deliver unparalleled care to our patients, and we all have the same, finite amount of time in our days – 1,440 minutes – no more and no less. So, what do we do for our patients during this time? We must choose. Our primary job is to deliver the best, most appropriate care during the patient’s acute stay; however, we must resist the myopic mindset of focusing only on what lies directly in front of us. We only spend a small fraction of time with each patient. If we consider the patient’s longitudinal care journey versus a single episode of care, we can care for our patients more holistically.
Moving forward, you’ll be hearing more from me about alignment and access. What shared goals, objectives and metrics should we be focused on together? How do we better define roles and responsibilities? How do we make it easier for our patients to get in to see you quicker? We need your input and partnership as we address these opportunities together.