Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1529631
23 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP let them see who they're going to be working with, and hopefully get them to see the value in why they chose to be here. I always thank those who come back to Inova because we onboard, on average, probably 100 to 150 every Monday morning. Inevitably, there's someone who had chosen to go work somewhere else and is now coming back. And I thank them for one thing, so that people see those coming back to Inova. It tells others, "I've looked somewhere else, and I see that Inova is the place to work." We focus on making sure our compensation is market competitive. We certainly don't want to ever be trying to drive that market up because those cost pressures are really not sustainable if we did that. We want to be market competitive. We want to know when the market moves. We try to immediately make sure that we're assuring that our team members have not only the right compensation but the right benefits for them. And so we have a specific benefits survey to try to ask people what really brings value to you. I know I think it might bring value to you, but I may not understand you like you do, of course. And so we try to make sure that we understand even our benefits and what's going to do that. And then the last thing is my big bet on success at Inova is on our culture. People say that oen; it's a code word, "Our culture is great." Well, we really focus on that. We put specific bodies of work, and we make a commitment to it. By making this a place that, regardless of who you are, you believe this is the place where you'll have your best day and your best career, you'll be around people you want to be around. We believe that that's our competitive advantage, and so far, it's working out well. Our voluntary turnover rate is 13.7% at this point. Our first- year nursing turnover rate is 14.4%. It's still way higher than I would like to see. But when it's some fraction of what we're seeing in other places, what it tells me is that focusing on this being the place where people see they will have their best career is a differentiator. Q: How are strategic partnerships with community organizations and other healthcare institutions shaping your efforts to address key challenges within your health system and drive long-term success? SJ: We're relatively fortunate here in our community to have some strong relationships with community organizations. We know there are things that others do better than us, and so we, for example, have given millions of dollars in health equity opportunities to support other organizations that have health-related activities in our community, and we believe help our community be healthier and have better healthcare. As far as the social drivers of health, we know that there are tons of people in the community; they're going to have more influence on those than we are. So we try to make sure that we gather data on it, we address those when they're within our care, but we don't try to be the ones who are going to make water quality better or make decisions on certain other things. And then I would also say that we're fortunate here to have really strong relationships with most of our county and city governments, and that includes their agencies, of course. So the fact that we can work with the community governance of where we are can solve real problems. During COVID, that was obviously a time that gave us lots of opportunities to do that. But even in the current settings, we've done some scenario planning. We brought in county government officials to be part of that. So doing that in conjunction with our community governance partners helps us, and it helps them. When you talk to each other, you figure out that both of you are trying to solve the same thing. It's amazing how suddenly you get a lot more done than when you silo off. n Where MD Anderson, City of Hope leaders see progress By Elizabeth Gregerson A dvancements in immunotherapy and personalized medicine have pushed the oncology field forward, according to leaders from MD Anderson and City of Hope who shared their insights with Becker's. Question: Where has the industry made the most progress in the last five years? Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Peter Pisters, MD. President of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Immunotherapy has been at the center of cancer treatment advances in recent years. We have seen tremendous responses for many patients with immune checkpoint inhibitors, improving five-year survival for melanoma patients from 3% historically to 60% in a recent study. MD Anderson's James P. Allison Institute is continuing to expand our understanding of immunotherapy and immunobiology to bring the benefits of immunotherapy to more patients. Building upon that foundation, we are also seeing very exciting progress in recent years with cell therapies, such as CAR-T cell therapies. Our experts are advancing new approaches, such as CAR NK cells and TCR-based therapies, broadening applications for cell therapies to many more patients. In our mission to end cancer, we are paving the way for more integrated and effective treatment and therapeutic modalities. Robert Stone. CEO of City of Hope: Beyond the incredible strides we've made with innovation, the fact that more people now recognize the connection between access to optimal cancer care and survival is an incredibly important step toward more equitable, effective cancer care. When you focus on what's good for the patient and what they value – survival, quality of life, and a return to normalcy – you can make a world of difference for families, the community and society. That's why connecting people to the innovation and expertise available at a comprehensive cancer center is so important. We can save many more lives with the technology and innovation available today. n