Becker's Hospital Review

72 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP the future by growing our services around our patients and members. Our three priority capabilities will drive customer loyalty and attract new customers. Together, we are growing lives under management and we are changing the way we think about how we manage those lives. Our digital and ambulatory strategies provide the new resources and tools we need to attract and retain lives; our health plan provides the infrastruc- ture from which to manage lives. As an integrated system, growth in one component of our business nat- urally leads to growth in another. Health systems must invest in geog- raphy, capital and talent to achieve the scale at which symbiotic growth strategy can be executed effectively. Over time, the investment will result in a loyal, strong consumer base that is satisfied with their access and delighted by their experience in the managed care, digital and ambu- latory settings. When our patients under management need acute care services, we will be there too. We are going out into our communities, meeting customers where they are and establishing relationships with them. at's lasting growth. Callie Heyne contributed to this column. n How a diverse workforce drives value-based care: Q&A with Mass General's first equity & inclusion chief By Anuja Vaidya O n May 15, Massachusetts General Hospital in Bos- ton named Joseph Betancourt, MD, its first chief equity and inclusion officer. Here, he discusses his key re- sponsibilities in the newly created role as well as how he plans to improve in- clusion in the hospital's workforce as well as in its patient population. Editor's note: Responses have been ed- ited lightly for length and clarity. Question: What are your key responsibilities as chief equity and inclusion officer? Dr. Joseph Betancourt: At MGH, we aim to have diverse talent across the organization, performing and excelling in a support- ive environment, trained to deliver equitable high-quality care to — and conduct research in partnership with — a diverse com- munity that feels valued and respected. In my new position, I will aim to provide leadership, partnership and guidance so MGH can develop innovative strategies to measurably: • Identify and address disparities and achieve equity in our quality of care. • Recruit, retain, promote and support diverse talent across the organization, at all levels. • Diversify researchers, research participants and our re- search agenda. • Diversify our patient population and further strengthen our community engagement. • Train all caregivers to effectively communicate and care for diverse populations, and work effectively and respectfully in teams. • Create a welcoming, respectful environment for all, includ- ing patients and staff. Q: What excites you most in your new role? JB: The importance of improving quality and achieving equity is at an all-time high, and we are at a tipping point where health- care leaders clearly understand that we can't deliver on our promise of value, high performance and high reliability in the presence of disparities in healthcare. To be successful, we must ensure we have a healthcare work- force that represents various lived experiences and perspec- tives, and that feels respected. We must also have a system of care that supports the needs of all patients and walks the talk by measuring performance and acting when gaps are identified. This is the work I will lead, and it is exciting because we at MGH want to be a leader in everything we do, including in these im- portant areas. Q: What are some key initiatives you plan to roll out as chief equity and inclusion officer? JB: We will develop a portfolio of activities that aims to better recruit, retain, promote and support a healthcare workforce, in- cluding nurses, doctors, researchers and staff, that is diverse in all ways. We will do the same for our patient population and for our research participants. We will also expand our caregiver training activities to better incorporate those that improve cross-cultural communication and our ability to mitigate stereotypes that im- pact clinical decision-making and team cohesion. We will continue to build on our already strong quality reporting system that helps us identify and address disparities. Finally, in these challenging times, we will focus on building an organiza- tional culture that assures our care teams and patients feel val- ued, respected and engaged. Q: What is your advice for healthcare organizations looking to enhance their diversity efforts? JB: The work that I've described above is as important as quality and safety, and as such it should be treated with that same level of rigor and accountability. Issues of diversity, equity and inclu- sion are essential to value and high performance and should be supported by the creation of leadership oversight, resources and the appropriate structures that assure success. This will in- clude being deliberate, setting targets, demonstrating transpar- ency and holding our leaders and organizations accountable for executing at a high-level and achieving outcomes. Leaving this work to chance is not enough and excelling in these areas will separate high-performing healthcare organizations from their peers in the years to come. This is what we strongly believe at MGH. n

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