Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/611784
9 3 CMOs, CQOs on the Biggest Win for Patients This Year By Shannon Barnet, Max Green and Heather Punke William Bornstein, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer of Emory Healthcare (Atlanta): What I think is the big win for patients across America is the convergence of alternative payment models that focus on value for patients with technology that facilitates more continuous healing relationships between patients and providers. e convergence moves the care model from encounter- based relationships to continuous relationships, which are clearly necessary to optimally help patients with chronic diseases but are also important for maintaining health among those without chronic disease. For instance, I'm an endocrinologist taking care of people with diabetes. On average, a Type 2 diabetic will come in every three to four months for a 20 minute visit where I'm recommending that they change everything about their lives: diet, medications, activities, etc. It's unrealistic to meet with patients at that frequency, recommend changes and send them off on their own to have any likelihood of that being an effective way to achieve their goals. As we transition to alternative payment models that aren't exclusively encounter-based, it creates a model where we can invest in this continuous connectivity, connecting with patients on a regular basis between visits to help them make progress. Edward J. Donahue, MD, Vice President and CMO of Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center (Phoenix): Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center provided exceptional care for its patients and achieved many successes in 2015. In August, St. Joseph's partnered with the University of Arizona to open a 220,000-square-foot outpatient cancer center in Phoenix. e University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's provides leading-edge cancer care and is the only [National Cancer Institute]- designated comprehensive cancer center in Arizona. St. Joseph's Norton oracic Institute became William Bornstein, MD, PhD Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer, Emory Healthcare (Atlanta) Edward J. Donahue, MD Vice President and CMO, Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center (Phoenix) Ken Sands, MD Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center (Boston) W e asked three CMOs and chief quality officers from hospitals and health systems across the na- tion for a favor: Define the "biggest win" for patients in 2015, in their organization or the indus- try as a whole. e following are their responses, lightly edited for clarity and length. PATIENT EXPERIENCE