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17 Executive Briefing: Physician Leadership Sponsored by: Shaping the Future of Healthcare: How Physicians Make a Difference by Leading Hospital Initiatives By Helen Adamopoulos A s the healthcare industry works to reinvent itself to contain skyrocketing costs while improving quality of care, provid- ers must grapple with a significant degree of uncertainty about the future. Not knowing what lies in store can be frighten- ing. However, Adam Blomberg, MD, national educational director of the anesthesiology division at Sunrise, Fla.-based outsourcing services provider Sheridan Healthcare, prefers not to look at this as a time of trepidation. "I really believe that this is a time for opportunity," he says. "It's really a time to make a mark." He says hospital-physician alignment is a crucial part of taking advantage of that chance to shape the future of healthcare. While hospitals and physicians have historically acted as separate enti- ties, Dr. Blomberg says it's important to establish "one solid voice" moving forward for the sake of the patients. As hospitals and physicians come together, physicians can make a positive impact by championing hospital initiatives to deliver bet- ter, more efficient care at a lower cost. Dr. Blomberg has expe- rienced this through his work as vice chief of anesthesiology at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. The value of physician leaders is only going to increase, says Joseph Loskove, MD, Sheridan regional medical director and chief of anes- thesia for Memorial Healthcare System, also in Hollywood. Physician leaders can bridge the gap between the different ways physicians and hospital administrators approach healthcare delivery. "The role of the physician leader is to understand both sides of the approach and serve as a mediator between the physicians and administrators," he says. Dr. Blomberg says the hospital and physician can only succeed if they join forces, since the hospital knows how to run the business while physicians understand what the patients need. "You need to have physicians championing initiatives within a hospital setting, but you need the hospital administration to be involved to understand the budgeting and the financing," he says. Edward Abraham, MD, chief of anesthesiology at Baptist Hospital of Miami, agrees that alignment between healthcare providers is crucial to improving care delivery. "Collaboration between the hospital staff and the physicians and the nurses and the hospital is vital," he says. Better outcomes, lower costs: How physicians can make a difference Dr. Blomberg had a chance to drive change at Memorial Regional in his role as a member of the surgical services executive commit- tee, which is made up of hospital executives as well as anesthesi- ologists and surgeons. He says that in response to the changing industry landscape, the committee decided to align surgeons, anesthesiologists, physi- cians and others to increase volume, maximize efficiency and in- crease surgeon and patient satisfaction. To accomplish that, he says they completely revamped the operating room. He and the other members of the committee put together other committees and a task force. After examining volume, efficiency and materials management, they redesigned block time and re- engineered patient flow, among other changes. He says the re- sults have been "wonderful for the hospital." "Volume has increased," he says. "Surgeon satisfaction and pa- tient satisfaction is extremely high. Efficiency is better than ever. And the reason that this happened is we all got together with one common goal." Dr. Loskove has also championed initiatives that require multidis- ciplinary teams to collaborate and solve problems. In one case, Dr. Loskove and team members from nursing, IT, purchasing and respiratory therapy, as well as physicians from the emergency de- partment, ICU, and trauma surgery, came together to create a process that would increase safety and outcomes for patients with difficult airways. Since a nationwide search for best practices was not fruitful, the team collaborated to develop a "difficult airway notification sys- *Survey of hospital decision makers considering 10 national/regional providers of anesthesiology services. Third party Research, Nov. 2013, n=255. "Sheridan" includes Sheridan Healthcare, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates and managed entities. GREAT MOMENTS ONLY HAPPEN WITH GREAT LEADERSHIP. Dr. Adam Blomberg, Vice Chief of Anesthesiology at Memorial Regional Hospital, National Education Director for the Anesthesiology Division at Sheridan Dr. Andrew Guttman, National Medical Director for the Anesthesiology Division at Sheridan, Chair of the Anesthesia Quality Committee at Sheridan LEADERSHIP DRIVES PERFORMANCE Hospital leaders rank Sheridan #1 among providers in reliability and availability of staffing. * Outsourced Clinical & Management Services Our clinical and management services are proven to deliver better goal alignment, stronger communication, and higher-functioning teams. Visit www.sheridanhealthcare.com/Beckers to download our Reviews & Results document Boosting Hospital Performance through Anesthesia Expertise or call 855.225.4085. *Survey of hospital decision makers considering 10 national/regional providers of anesthesiology services. Third party Research, Nov. 2013, n=255. "Sheridan" includes Sheridan Healthcare, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates and managed entities. GREAT MOMENTS ONLY HAPPEN WITH GREAT LEADERSHIP. Dr. Adam Blomberg, Vice Chief of Anesthesiology at Memorial Regional Hospital, National Education Director for the Anesthesiology Division at Sheridan Dr. Andrew Guttman, National Medical Director for the Anesthesiology Division at Sheridan, Chair of the Anesthesia Quality Committee at Sheridan LEADERSHIP DRIVES PERFORMANCE Hospital leaders rank Sheridan #1 among providers in reliability and availability of staffing. * Outsourced Clinical & Management Services Our clinical and management services are proven to deliver better goal alignment, stronger communication, and higher-functioning teams. Visit www.sheridanhealthcare.com/Beckers to download our Reviews & Results document Boosting Hospital Performance through Anesthesia Expertise or call 855.225.4085. 14-SHE-044_Sheridan_Beckers_ad.indd 1 3/3/14 12:01 PM "The value of physician leaders is only going to increase." — Joseph Loskove, MD, Sheridan Healthcare Regional Director and Chief of Anesthesia for Memorial Healthcare System