CEO Rounds November 2013

I have joined you at an incredibly busy time for our health system.  I refer to UMMC as a health system because we are evolving to be exactly that.  The merging of University Physicians into the hospital system, and the inclusion of Grenada Lake Medical Center are the most visible examples of this evolution.  Other transitions are less visible, like the move to EPIC.  EPIC provides the infrastructure to move patients seamlessly between the ambulatory and acute care environments.  These transitions are exciting, and will allow us to provide ever more integrated care.  Such integration will be critical to meet the challenges of health-care reform.         

As I look out over our industry, the challenges and opportunities of health-care reform are truly upon us.  We are entering a time of significant change, change that will require us to think differently about how and where we provide care.  One of my core beliefs is that we will be paid less tomorrow for what we do today.  I also believe quality of care and the outcomes of care will be ever more important.  This means we face a landscape where there is a need to improve quality and outcomes, while decreasing the cost of care.  This is the Value Equation.

Over the next few months I will write about this value equation and what it means to our system.  Please know, I am very optimistic about where we are headed, and the potential our system has to help solve the value equation for the citizens of our state of Mississippi.  We control our own destiny.  Not all systems can say this, and given what I know about the incredible talent here at UMMC, I believe in our ability to meet the inevitable challenges the future holds.

Thank you for serving UMMC, our patients, and our state.  Your work is meaningful and important.