Becker's Hospital Review

23 CEO / STRATEGY Kaiser to restructure Colorado, Washington operations By Kelly Gooch K aiser Permanente's Colorado and Washing- ton medical groups and health plan have agreed to a new organizational structure and operating model in these two markets, Becker's learned in April. The move is "to bring these organizations togeth- er in each market as one operating entity so that they may respond to the increased competition in a more agile way," according to a source within Oak- land, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente. Colorado Permanente and Washington Permanen- te medical groups are part of Permanente Medical Groups, which are self-governed, physician-led, pre- paid, multispecialty medical groups. Overall, there are more than 23,000 physicians in eight groups. In the Colorado and Washington markets, compo- nents of the new model include the new Kaiser Per- manente Medical Foundation, more alignment of the medical groups' support of Kaiser Permanente health system's mission, and one market leadership team that includes all physician levels. "The medical foundation will organize expertise, systems, resources and standards to manage ambu- latory care operations for our Colorado and Wash- ington medical groups," the source said. "Through this change, the Colorado and Washington medical groups and health plan will have even more aligned responsibility and accountability to lead the market as one organization, including strategic planning, business planning, capital planning, growth, culture and marketing." The medical foundation will also focus on growth and furthering relationships with organizations in Kaiser Permanente's other markets. The source said the model aims "to better enable our organizations to be more agile, better compete and be more successful in these two markets. We believe this new model will improve our ability to build market leading and innovative care and cover- age capabilities, better enabling us to deliver on our mission. It will make it easier to meet the needs of our members and patients by making work better, more aligned, more efficient and more transparent for clinicians and staff." The organizational changes related to the new model are slated to take effect over the next several months, with the full model expected to be in place by the end of 2022. n as the courage to move forward when others think it can't be done and the courage to address inequity. Great leaders have tremendous courage, humil- ity and strength. Sanjay Shetty, MD. President of Steward Health Care System (Dallas): As we saw throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, great leaders can emerge from the most desperate of circumstances. What sets them apart is their ability to con- front new realities quickly, creatively, and with empathy. From my perspective, great leadership in care delivery starts by putting the patient at the center of everything we do. Every decision and every action must be made with the pa- tient''s best interests in mind. e pandemic forced healthcare systems and pro- viders to move quickly and leverage new capabilities, but at Steward we always ensured what we were doing was the right thing for our patients, since we know that it is ultimately the right thing for our staff and the communities we serve. Janet Tomcavage, MSN, RN. Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at Geisinger (Danville, Pa.): Being a great leader means effective listening and then empowering your team to use their voice, gather the facts, make decisions and ultimately learn from their experiences — good and bad experiences that will continue to arm them with the skills they need to real- ize the greatness they have within themselves. I started my career as a bedside nurse and then as an individual contributor in a nurse educator/specialist role for almost 20 years before I stepped into a formal leadership role. I understand the value and contribution that front line staff have in any organization. e pandemic has been incredibly difficult — I've witnessed unwavering efforts by our nurses and other care teams and have been truly inspired by the way our teams continue to deliver the best care to patients and our communities while supporting each other. Being in a leadership position is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles that I've held. We know that the pandemic has forever changed health- care and that the future of our work will look different. Being a great leader, especially as we head into this new chapter, will require fortitude and creativity while liing up our teams to "rethink the routine" and embrace new methods of delivering care to the patients and communities we serve. Investing in our teams is a critical element of leadership — whether that be removing barriers that are getting in the way of executing a project or supporting their recovery aer the incredible journey they have experienced. Today's leader will need to address well-being and safety in our workforce and develop a commitment to ongoing investment in our people. Great leaders acknowledge their own gaps, get out of the way and build a team that takes calculated risks to change. Our teams are working hard to redefine the care team for the future for both the inpatient and outpatient settings so that each team member can leverage their skill sets and reach their full potential. And while we will face challenges along the way (change is hard), I have no doubt that our nursing team will rise to meet them head on — just as they always do. In the process, I hope to sup- port each team member to find fulfillment in their role and to keep learning, growing and working together as part of a team that delivers compassionate and high-quality care to our patients. Terri Vieira. President of Northern Light Inland Hospital, Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital and Northern Light Continuing Care Lake- wood (Brewer, Maine): Great leadership leads by example and inspires others to be confident in their ability to lead. Our experience through the pandemic is a good example where leaders set safety rules and followed them, acting as role models for staff who were entrusted to be safety champions for our patients and for each other. Ali Worster. Vice President of Human Resources and Patient Experience at Northern Light Health (Brewer, Maine): A good leader knows the goals of the organization, how the organization works, and supports staff to get to those goals. A great leader knows how their organization really functions on the front lines, what stressors individuals who make things happen are under, and demonstrates empathy and action to encourage and remove barriers for staff to achieve personal, departmental and organizational goals. n

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