January 2020

INTERMOUNTAIN INITIATIVES

Intermountain launches plan to build nation’s model health system for children

New model will expand Primary Children’s care network

Intermountain Healthcare recently unveiled its plan to build the nation’s model health system for children by devoting $500 million or more to pediatric-specific projects, programs, and facilities that serve the Intermountain West—an effort that has inspired a $50 million gift from Utah business- Katy Welkie, RN, MBA, CEO of woman, civic leader, and philanthropist Gail Miller and the Miller family. Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain’s Children’s Health The plan to build a model health system for children is made possible through the unique combination of the premiere free-standing Primary Children’s Hospital, the strength of Intermountain Healthcare’s network of 160 clinics and 24 hospitals, and pediatric specialty expertise from University of Utah Health.

The new model will expand the Primary Children’s care network, which serves children in a 400,000 square-mile area in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Alaska.

By bringing together coordinated teams of specialized pediatric caregivers from multiple Intermountain facilities and Primary Children’s pediatric partners at University of Utah Health, Intermountain’s plan to build the nation’s model health system for children will feature advancements in pediatric health research, innovation and technology.

Gail Miller, Utah businesswoman, civic leader, philanthropist, and “This effort comes at a critical time, as the number of children served by Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain Board chair continues to rapidly grow, and their needs continue to change and become more complex,” said Katy Welkie, RN, MBA, CEO of Primary Children’s Hospital and vice president of Intermountain’s Children’s Health.

“To address the growing need for health issues facing children, we must create a new model of pediatric care that will cater to the unique challenges that we see across our large geographic area,” Welkie said.

Intermountain Healthcare has committed to funding half of the $500 million or more needed to complete the plan, and has commissioned Intermountain Foundation to seek the remaining funding through philanthropic support. This represents the largest commitment to the care and health of the Marc Harrison, MD, president region’s children since Primary Children’s was envisioned in the early 1900s. and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare Intermountain’s plan to build the nation’s model health system for children includes three components and associated projects, programs, and facilities:

Strengthen Primary Children’s Hospital • An advanced fetal care center will offer in-utero treatments including groundbreaking fetal surgery for the first time in the Intermountain West. • An enlarged and enhanced Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will give highly vulnerable newborns the highest accredited level of specialty care. • An expanded cancer treatment center will provide children with revolutionary treatments in an ideal healing environment. • Breakthroughs in pediatric research with University of Utah Health at the new Primary Children’s Center for Personalized Medicine will help children with previously untreatable diseases to thrive.

Extend excellence in pediatric care across the Intermountain West • A second Primary Children’s Hospital campus will be constructed in Lehi to address the growing population in Utah County, and a corresponding need for specialty pediatric care. The new five-story, 66-bed Primary Children’s Hospital campus will provide trauma and emergency services, behavioral health, intensive care, and surgical and clinic services found nowhere else in Utah County. • An expanded pediatric care network will extend the expertise of Primary Children’s Hospital throughout the Intermountain West, bringing specialty care closer to families outside the Wasatch Front through nationally-recognized telemedicine technologies, digital health services, and pediatric emergency clinicians in rural areas.

Innovatively target emerging children’s health needs • Additional mental and behavioral health services for children and teens will be added to address an urgent need with new locations, call centers, telehealth and response capabilities, and collaborations with community organizations. • Teen-to-adult transition programs will help children with serious conditions such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis access seamless care as they grow to adulthood. • A coordinated Healthy Kids program will provide interventions to children experiencing traumatic events to decrease their risk for health issues later in life. This program includes partnerships with school and community groups throughout Utah.

Intermountain Healthcare’s plan to build the nation’s model health system for children inspired a $50 million gift to the Intermountain Foundation from Gail Miller and the Miller family—the largest single gift the Miller family has given to any organization.

Gail Miller is owner and board chair of Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, which includes the Utah Jazz, and chair of the Intermountain Healthcare Board of Trustees. The Millers’ gift will serve as the groundwork for establishing Utah as the home of the nation’s healthiest pediatric population.

“The time to enhance the health of our children, families, and communities at all levels is now,” said Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, who is also a pediatric critical care physician.

“We are humbled and honored that the Miller family has provided this transformative gift to help Intermountain achieve the best care for children anywhere,” Dr. Harrison added. “We will steward this precious gift for the sole good of our children and hope that it will inspire others to join us and help bring to this once-in-a-generation opportunity to life.”

“Intermountain Healthcare’s plan is impactful and innovative, and will improve our collective health through a finite focus on children,” said Miller. “Our family is committed to enriching lives and doing good in our communities. We understand from personal experience how important it is to have the highest quality healthcare available to address the needs of children. Our family absolutely recognized the need to be involved in this historic model health system.”

Civica Rx, Blue Cross Blue Shield launch nonprofit drug company

Consumers may see savings on generic prescription drugs from outpatient pharmacies

Consumers may soon see savings on generic prescription drugs from outpatient pharmacies thanks to a new partnership between Civica Rx and Blue Cross Blue Shield. They have announced plans to launch a new nonprofit drug company with the goal of lowering prescription drug costs for consumers.

Civica Rx is a not-for-profit drug company formed in 2018 by Intermountain Healthcare and several other health systems and philanthropies to provide low-cost generic drugs for use in hospitals. Civica now represents more than 1,200 U.S. hospitals—including Intermountain’s 23 hospitals—that are already benefitting from lower cost drugs including antibiotics once in short supply. The new company will be a subsidiary of Civica Rx and will provide medication for outpatients.

“Civica is already bringing value—in quality, supply, and price—to the inpatient hospital market and with Blue Cross Blue Shield will expand that mission to reach individuals and families buying generic prescriptions in hospitals and pharmacies,” said Dan Liljenquist, Intermountain’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer and Civica board chairman. “Combining Civica’s mission with the commitment Blue Cross Blue Shield companies show to their members places us in a position to make a significant impact on lowering drug costs.”

“Civica’s mission is to make quality medicines available and affordable to everyone,” said Martin VanTrieste, Civica president and CEO. “Serving patients is our privilege and our responsibility—one that we’re proud to share with Blue Cross Blue Shield companies who are committed to tackling one of the most important healthcare challenges of our time. Numerous studies confirm that medication costs can dictate whether individuals fill or ration their generic prescriptions. Together with Blue Cross Blue Shield companies, we’re taking action to put patients first.”

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a Chicago-based national trade group that represents some of the nation's biggest health insurance companies, says 18 Blue Cross Blue Shield companies will spend $55 million to create the new Civica Rx subsidiary to “acquire and develop abbreviated new drug applications for select generic drugs.” The group plans to have its first generic medicines available by early 2022. They haven't yet announced which drugs they plan to release first.

Leaders from Blue Cross Blue Shield, which provides insurance coverage to tens of millions of Americans, say they hope this move will help them reign in soaring drug prices for their members.

“We’re looking for innovative solutions in the market to shake up the status quo and make pharma- ceuticals more affordable,” Blue Cross Blue Shield Association chief strategy and innovation officer Maureen Sullivan said in an interview with Forbes.

Those involved say they’re expecting other health plans and employers to back the new company and talks are underway with multiple potential partners. UPDATES AND FEATURES

Intermountain CEO: Making healthcare affordable an ‘absolute responsibility’

Intermountain leaders speak at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Healthcare is too expensive, the healthcare industry needs to change to make it more affordable, and no stakeholder can do all of this alone. That’s the message Intermountain CEO Marc Harrison, MD— who’s back to working in the office following his cancer treatment—delivered to healthcare leaders and industry analysts at the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

“We have an absolute responsibility to make healthcare as affordable as possible,” Dr. Harrison said. “We must set aside our differences and come together to solve the challenges of our time.”

Bert Zimmerli, executive vice president and chief financial officer, added, “You hear all the time that healthcare is becoming unaffordable. I don’t agree with that. Healthcare already is unaffordable.”

Zimmerli cited a recent study by Moody’s that revealed U.S. households’ healthcare costs have risen twice as fast as income over the last 15 years. And he said another national study released last spring found:

• One in four people have skipped a medical treatment because of costs • 45 percent fear bankruptcy if they experience a major health event • 76 percent think they pay too much for the care they receive

Utah continues to have the lowest healthcare costs per person in the nation—26 percent below the national average—in large part because of Intermountain’s ongoing efforts to provide high-quality, evidence-based care at costs well below the national average. But Dr. Harrison and Zimmerli both said much more work is needed, and caregivers’ focus on driving down costs over the past few years has helped Intermountain make headway.

Dr. Harrison and Zimmerli shared examples of how Intermountain is reducing costs for patients:

• Intermountain led the creation of Civica Rx, the nonprofit prescription drug company that’s already offering low-cost medications to partnering facilities across the country. This unique solution addresses two major problems facing all providers: drug shortages and drug prices. • Intermountain is collaborating with other healthcare, public health, and community-based partners, as well as not-for-profit organizations like food banks, homeless shelters, and community advocacy groups, to address non-medical factors that affect a person’s health. These social determinants of health include things like housing instability, utility needs, chronic hunger, and lack of transportation. • Intermountain launched the HerediGene Population Study that will analyze the genetic blueprints of 500,000 people to focus on discovering new connections between genetics and human disease, which could save lives. • Intermountain lowered the cost for patients of “shopped” procedures, such as deliveries and many surgery and imaging procedures. • SelectHealth reduced pricing on individual exchange products in 2019 and is keeping annual insurance premium increases for our Share product at just 2 to 2.5 percent for the next three years. • Intermountain’s focus on wellness and preventive care through initiatives like SelectHealth Share and Reimagined Primary Care are helping patients stay healthy and avoid hospital admissions and other expensive types of care. • Virtual care services, including Intermountain Connect Care, are helping make care more accessible, convenient, and affordable.

Dr. Harrison said there is more work to do and invited healthcare leaders at the conference to rise above the conflict culture and work together to make real progress for those we serve in all our communities.

Clayton M. Christensen remembered for innovation, wisdom

Christensen’s legacy will continue to inspire new ideas and thinking

Leader, teacher, and Intermountain trustee Clayton M. Christensen died Thursday, Jan. 23, at age 67.

Christensen, who was born in Salt Lake City and spent most of his professional career on the East Coast, served on the Intermountain Healthcare Board since 2014. Christensen brought tremendous wisdom and insight in helping to govern the organization and focus on Intermountain’s mission. Clayton M. Christensen “A scholar, innovator, and renowned leader, his professional legacy will inspire new ideas and think- ing for generations to come. He was an appreciated and guiding member of our board, but more importantly loved helping the communities we serve. He will be missed,” said Dr. Marc Harrison, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, who described Christensen as “one of the world’s best and brightest thinkers” and “one of the most principled and authentic human beings.”

“Clayton Christensen leaves a tremendous legacy for good around the world and here at Intermountain. We were so fortunate to have him as a dear friend and member of our Board. His extraordinary insights on business gave the world new perspectives on innovation, on how to better recognize and meet the needs and expectations of customers, and even ways to lift entire nations out of poverty,” said Dr. Charles Sorenson, president and CEO emeritus and founding director of the Intermountain Healthcare Leadership Institute. “But for me, Clay’s most important message was the way he challenged us to pause amid the hectic pace of life to decide what’s most important and what will be our immutable values. Answering those kinds of questions helps all of us, especially leaders, set priorities and create results that will benefit others now and long after we’re not here. Clay’s life is a great example of that truth.”

Christensen authored nine books and more than a hundred articles, including The New York Times best-selling, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” He received the Global Business Book Award for “The Innovator’s Dilemma,” and The Economist named it as one of the six most important books about business ever written.

Christensen is regarded as one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth, and he founded a number of successful companies and organizations that use and apply his theories in various ways: Innosight, a consulting firm helping companies create new growth businesses; Rose Park Advisors, a firm that identifies and invests in disruptively innovative companies; and Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank whose mission is to apply his theories to vexing societal problems such as healthcare and education.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts at Brigham Young University, Christensen studied at Oxford University as Rhodes Scholar, receiving a Master of Philosophy in applied econometrics. Christensen completed a master’s as well as a doctorate in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and received five honorary doctorates and an honorary chaired professorship at the Tsinghua University in Taiwan. Vice president and chief operating officer over Clinical Programs and Clinical Services retiring in February

Kane began her career at Intermountain almost 40 years ago

Terri Kane will retire February 14 from her position as vice president and chief operating officer over Clinical Programs and Clinical Services.

Terri Kane, vice president and “Terri is both an inspirational colleague and valued friend to the many of us who’ve had the opportunity chief operating officer over to work with her through the years,” said Rob Allen, Intermountain’s senior vice president and chief Clinical Programs and Clinical operating officer. Services Kane began her career at Intermountain almost 40 years ago as a registered nurse in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital. She was later promoted as unit manager, beginning her leadership career at Intermountain.

Kane’s significant accomplishments as an Intermountain leader include helping launch our Clinical Programs work in the late 1990s, serving as the clinical director over the Women and Newborn Clinical Program. In 2001, Kane moved to St. George to lead as COO at Dixie Regional Medical Center, and in 2006, she was promoted to administrator at a time of significant change and growth in the southern end of the state.

Under her leadership, Dixie Regional grew from 126 to 332 beds, including the addition of the River Road hospital campus. Open heart surgery, newborn intensive care, neurosurgery, Life Flight, level II trauma status, precision medicine, and many other significant additions and services were added to Dixie’s portfolio during her tenure as administrator. In 2011, Kane became the southwest regional vice-president, overseeing Dixie Regional, Cedar City, and Garfield Memorial hospitals. She also served as a resource and mentor to many leaders in our organization.

“Terri’s leadership experience and clinical expertise were invaluable in 2017 as we began our trans- formational journey to put the patient and people in our communities at the center of our work and align across the system as One Intermountain. In her role as VP/COO of Clinical Programs and Clinical Services, she effectively guided teams through reorganization and realignment, helping prepare us for future success,” Allen said.

As Kane retires, Intermountain leadership will assess this important role prior to posting and move quickly to ensure leadership is in place as we continue moving forward and progressing together to best serve our patients and communities.

SelectHealth President and CEO to retire in August

Richards has been president and CEO of SelectHealth for the past 10 years

Pat Richards, President and CEO of SelectHealth for the past 10 years, is planning to retire in August of this year.

Richards has been involved in healthcare, and/or health insurance for almost 50 years, starting in Pat Richards, President and CEO nursing school at St. Joseph’s Hospital Nursing School in Marshfield, Wisconsin in 1971. She later of SelectHealth earned her bachelor’s degree and completed MPA coursework at the University of Toledo and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Salt Lake Community College in 2019.

Before she came to Intermountain, Richards held executive leadership positions at Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, the provider-sponsored health plan of the Henry Ford Health System, Anthem Health Plans of Maine, Paramount Health Care, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ohio.

Richards’ contribution to SelectHealth, Intermountain, and the communities Intermountain serves will have lasting impact for generations. Under her leadership SelectHealth has:

• Grown to serve over 900,000 members, based in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada • Expanded coverage for beneficiaries of Medicare Advantage and Medicaid • Increased access to insurance for individuals, families, and small employers through active participation in the health insurance marketplace • Been ranked “highest in member satisfaction in the mountain region” nine times by J.D. Power and Associates • Been named Utah’s “Best Companies to Work for” 11 times by Utah Business magazine • Been recognized with the “Top Workplaces” award from Energage and Salt Lake Tribune

Richards was named a “Women of the Year” in 2018 for her impact on the healthcare industry, and “CEO of the Year” in 2013 by Utah Business magazine for her leadership and vision.

Richards and her high-performing leadership team have put SelectHealth in a strong position that is poised for continued growth, and have cultivated a culture of engaged caregivers.

“SelectHealth is the strongest it’s ever been thanks to her leadership. She will be a tough act to follow,” said Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO of Intermountain.

A national search firm has been selected and an internal and external search for her replacement will begin immediately.

Clinic offers new substance use disorder assessment, referral services

Services offered at Dayspring Cottonwood clinic in Murray

Intermountain has launched a new assessment and referral service at the Dayspring Cottonwood clinic in Murray to help individuals get treatment for substance use disorders. The assessment and referral services team uses the American Society for Addiction Medicine’s placement criteria to determine the treatment level necessary and works with the patient to identify a provider based on their specific treatment needs, insurance benefits, and resources available in their community.

The service is now targeting Salt Lake County patients and there are plans to expand into other areas in the future.

Dayspring Cottonwood is in Murray on the TOSH campus. Referrals can be made through power chart under “Addiction Services” or an appointment can be scheduled by contacting the clinic directly at 801-314-2600. The clinic hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Recent Intermountain research news

Pediatric trauma, heart health part of research

New pediatric trauma study—first in the nation—to examine whether medication that stops bleeding in adults works in severely-injured children. University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital are jointly participating in the nation’s first-ever pediatric multi-center clinical trial of a medication to determine if it is effective in stopping bleeding in children who experience severe traumatic injuries.

Researchers receive academic appointments from Intermountain Healthcare. Intermountain extended academic appointments to 23 researchers, enhancing the experience of caregivers and supporting research systemwide to ultimately deliver better care to patients. The first three cohorts were appointed in late 2019 and represent 15 research areas, giving investigators an academic identity at Intermountain, which was previously not available.

IRMF grants fueling innovation. Sean Esplin, MD, and Sarah Majercik, MD, received grant funding approval from the Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation as it announced its 2019 fourth quarter research grant approvals for innovative research projects.

Intermountain researchers selected to University of Utah scholars’ program. Two Intermountain caregivers, Kate Minick and Andrew Knighton, have recently been named to the Vice President’s Clinical & Translational Research Scholars Program at the University of Utah. Kate Minick, PhD, DPT, of Rehabilitation Services, and Andrew Knighton, PhD, CPA, of the Healthcare Delivery Institute, were selected for 2020-2021.

New Intermountain study aims to determine the most effective method to identify people at risk for heart disease before they ever develop problems. Researchers from the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute are launching one of the largest and most ambitious research initiatives ever undertaken in the state of Utah to test a new standard of care to better identify and treat people at risk of having a heart attack—and to potentially stop it before they ever have one.

ACCESS

Mothers’ milk bank opens in Utah

Intermountain, University of Utah Health founding sponsors of new facility

Mountain West Mothers' Milk Bank has opened a new facility in Salt Lake City and is now providing much-needed pasteurized human milk for preterm babies. The milk bank is one of only 28 fully operational accredited human milk banks in the United States and the only one in Utah. Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health are both founding sponsors of the new facility; they each contributed $250,000 to help the new facility get started.

The facility will process more than 100 gallons of milk each month.

At any given time, the state’s largest NICUs have up to 60 babies each who would benefit from donated milk. With the new human milk pasteurization facility, donated breast milk can be sent directly to Utah babies through an efficient process that ensures an adequate milk supply. Before the Utah facility opened, milk donated in Utah was shipped to a hub in Atlanta, then redirected to Denver. In Denver, it was processed and then returned to Salt Lake City. The long shipping process put the milk at risk of thawing and becoming contaminated.

Utah has been expanding the number of donation stations for years while it worked toward opening its own milk bank. At the new pasteurizing facility, milk is collected from about 550 lactating donors— usually new moms who are overproducing breast milk. The donors undergo screening and obtain approval from their doctors and the pediatricians of any other children they’re nursing.

Donated milk is collected and frozen at collection centers around Utah, including at multiple Intermountain facilities, then it’s taken to the facility in South Salt Lake. There it’s sorted, thawed, treated, then frozen again before distribution to babies in need.

“This accomplishment has been many years in the making and comes as the result of many hard- working people in our community dedicated to bringing a fully-functioning milk bank to Utah to provide for the tiniest, most fragile babies in local and regional NICUs,” said Elizabeth Smith, board chair of the Mountain West Mothers’ Milk Bank. “None of this would be possible without more than 500 donor moms who over the years have generously shared their breast milk to help save the lives of preemie babies.”

How one clinic dropped wait times from 10 months to two weeks

Patients waiting to be seen also decreased

Patients of the St. George Pulmonary Clinic had a big access problem: They had to wait between six to 10 months before they got their first appointment at the clinic—plus managing the revolving list of more than 150 people who were waiting to be seen was inefficient and frustrating for both patients and clinic caregivers. But thanks to an innovative caregiver idea, patient wait times have now dropped to an average of just two weeks—which means patients are getting the care they need much faster.

A related problem: Toni Brown is a nurse practitioner at the clinic, and advanced-practice providers, or APPs, like her rely on physician mentoring to increase their skills. Pulmonary physicians at Dixie Regional split their week between the clinic and working in the ICU, so their time in the clinic is limited. That means Brown often had to wait for help and guidance from the physicians before she could treat her patients, which led to delays in care. The inability to align the physicians’ schedules, coupled with the need to teach and engage with APPs, led to delayed diagnoses and initiation of therapy.

“The patient experience reports showed negative comments about delays in both access and test results,” said Becky Johnson, the clinic’s practice director.

Brown felt something needed to change, so early last year she proposed a weekly case review con- ference between the APPs and the pulmonologists to discuss each individual case. The reviews would take up the time of two patient appointments every week, and considering the already problematic patient access issue, giving up patient appointment times seemed counter-productive. But the team agreed to give it a try.

Brown said, “I knew if I could get time with the physicians and get case information quickly, I could help more patients.” She needed something to help her feel better supported in her role; she also understood doctors needed a process that wouldn’t waste time or further delay patient care.

The weekly case reviews were more valuable than anticipated. Not only were cases put in front of pulmonologists earlier, but a tremendous amount of teaching and learning went on during the case reviews. Each patient’s case received dedicated discussion time in the conference and was reviewed by both the physician and APP. Within a month after starting case review conferences, the St. George Clinic initiated a new process to have most new patients seen by APPs first. So patients are seen sooner and get test results more quickly.

“The loss of two appointments was actually an incredible gain,” Johnson said. “Working to improve access previously meant we needed more patient appointments. We had to think outside of the box and stop limiting ourselves.”

Both Johnson and Brown agree that quality hasn’t decreased even as the clinic has accommodated more patients—if anything, it’s increased. “Even in its infancy, the program is easy to sustain because it focuses on standardization and best practices,” said Johnson. “Case review allows for a comprehensive commitment to the highest standards of care while embracing opportunities for improvement. Wait times are now only about two weeks and the list of patients who are waiting to be seen is down from 150 to 25.”

“What felt impossible became possible through the St. George Pulmonary Clinic’s team-based efforts to find better ways to care for patients,” Johnson said.

Intermountain, national medical group help improve diabetes care

Collaboration between Intermountain Medical Group, American Medical Group Association

A collaboration between Intermountain Medical Group and the American Medical Group Association has helped improve care for more than a million patients with type 2 diabetes nationwide.

The achievement is the result of the Together 2 Goal initiative, a collaboration launched in 2016 to improve quality of life and reduce costs for patients with chronic conditions. The association and national provider partners work to implement best-practice care processes and equip patients with a catalog of leading resources. Of the million people who’ve improved their health through the T2G program, about 34,000 are Intermountain patients.

Intermountain is a founding member of the program, and our Diabetes Care Process Model serves as the primary source material for much of the initiative. Providers and caregivers around the country are using the model to measure and improve key diabetic metrics, including A1C results, blood pressure control, and kidney and eye screenings.

“Intermountain and the association are both committed to establishing, measuring, and adhering to evidence-based best-practice medicine at the lowest cost possible,” said Mark Greenwood, MD, the Medical Group’s family medicine medical director. “Improvement is slow, but our data show slow and steady improvement.”

Dr. Greenwood oversees the program for Intermountain and mentors clinicians at national partner institutions. He specifically helps to integrate emotional and behavioral support into program design. “The rewards have been profound,” he said. “The quality of diabetic control for patients at Inter- mountain and across the country continues to improve. It’s very satisfying to meet with a patient who’s eating better, exercising, losing weight, and following the guidelines and see how their life and health improve.”

Despite meeting the 1 million patient goal, medical groups and health systems across the nation will continue to implement TG2’s best practices through 2021. Participating groups will use the remainder of the campaign to hardwire care processes to make improvements sustainable, and new organizations can learn from the work that's already been done.

Learn more about the program in this Q&A video with Dr. Greenwood.

STEWARDSHIP

Trustees key to overseeing patient safety, quality, experience

10 best practices for boards, committees, and trustees

The Patient’s Experience and the Trustee’s Role

Intermountain’s community board trustees are key to overseeing patient safety, quality, and experience. In our recent 2019 Intermountain Trustee Forum, Patricia Ravert, PhD, RN, presented about the trustee’s role. She shared best practices along with insights gained by her as a community board trustee of the Utah Valley Hospitals Board, as well as a trustee of the Intermountain Healthcare Board and the chair of its Clinical Excellence Committee.

Best Practices

In the pursuit of our mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible, we look for best practices and ways to continuously improve our good governance. Patient safety, quality, and experience are the ultimate responsibility of the community board, sometimes known as the “governing body.” Whether it’s the community board or its professional standards committee or the quality and safety committee who assist the board, here are 10 best practices boards, committees, and trustees can adopt.

1. Educate in each meeting. In every meeting take at least five to 10 minutes to learn more about patient safety, quality, and experience. 2. Beware the acronym. Avoid using acronyms when possible, and when a term is unfamiliar ask what it means. You may find the Healthcare Acronyms and Terms helpful (available on the One Intermountain Governance Teamspace Portal). 3. Organize the meeting agenda. Put safety, quality, and experience at the top of the agenda so you don’t run out of time. And make sure a bulk of the meeting is spent discussing and addressing this important responsibility. 4. Expect accountability in reports. Make sure leaders and caregivers understand that they’re responsible to implement and execute on patient safety, quality, and experience improvement efforts, and that they clearly and timely report to the board. 5. Use storytelling. Listen to real patient experience stories to understand and give important context to data. 6. Use metrics. Be familiar with important metrics like key performance indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, and improvement efforts and use them to identify trends. 7. Seek key representation. Make sure your board is not only hearing from patients, clinicians, and community members but that the board is properly composed of these key stakeholders. 8. Share committee assignments. Assign both experienced and new community-minded trustees to the committees that work on quality, safety, and experience issues so they gain understanding and development. Often, they can be the best advocates for the patient. 9. Verify systems and resources. Make sure caregivers have the appropriate resources and systems in place that they need to do their job and meet our quality, safety, and experience expectations. 10. Get curious. As a trustee, one of the best ways to fulfill your responsibility is to ask tough questions. This creates a psychological safe place. We can take a safety pause to clarify and learn or ask questions about a culture of safety, our systems, accountability, past events, and recognizing good work. For example, you could ask the following:

• What are you doing to nurture a culture of safety? • Do our systems help our teams and our patients? • Are caregivers accountable for behaviors? • Has this happened before? • What’s needed and what can we learn from this experience? • Do leaders have the support and resource needed to ensure patient safety, quality, and experience? • Have you celebrated this great work?

As a community board trustee, you are trusted to do the right thing when it comes to patient safety, quality, and experience. Best practices and questions like those shown above can help you and your board not only fulfill your legal responsibility as the governing body, but also make sure we’re helping people live the healthiest lives possible in our communities.

Deadline to complete trustee diversity survey extended

Trustees have until Friday, Jan. 31, to voluntarily complete survey

Trustees are encouraged to complete the system-wide diversity survey of all trustees. The deadline to complete the survey, which was distributed in a Dec. 6 email, has been extended to Friday, Jan. 31.

The survey is confidential and voluntary. Survey responses are aggregated for each board but are otherwise anonymous. We want your honest feedback and look forward to your responses.

Sound governance requires a broad range of competencies, expertise, and perspectives. The annual diversity survey helps us continuously improve and gauge whether Intermountain boards reflect the communities we serve and have the appropriate competencies. If you have any questions, please contact Intermountain’s Governance Office at (801) 442-3584 or [email protected].

EVENTS AND RECOGNITION

Intermountain leader named to National Quality Forum board of directors

Forum drives measurable improvements in the nation’s quality of care Shannon Connor Phillips, MD, MPH, has been named to the board of directors for the National Quality Forum, a group of private and public healthcare leaders that drive measurable improvements in the nation’s quality of care. Dr. Phillips is Intermountain’s chief patient experience officer, leading the Office of Patient Experience.

“I’m excited to serve with the National Quality Forum, an organization with major impact on healthcare policy and measurement for our country,” said Dr. Phillips. “I believe Intermountain’s transformation to a value-based care model is the work ahead for many providers, payers, and industry partners. Additionally, our focus on a broader definition of quality and consumerism that starts from the Shannon Connor Phillips, MD, patient perspective is well-aligned with the National Quality Forum direction.” MPH, is Intermountain’s chief patient experience officer, leading the Office of Patient Dr. Phillips said one of the things she’s excited to bring to the board is her knowledge and experience Experience. with addressing the social determinants of health.

Intermountain in the news

Recent news stories about Intermountain in the national and international media

Health IT Analytics, December 2, 2019: Intermountain Launches Pediatric Precision Medicine Center “The center is the first of its kind in the Intermountain West, making targeted care more widely available to children with a wide range of challenging medical conditions.”

Patient Engagement Health Information Technology, December 3, 2019: How Hospitals Serve as Anchor Institutions for Community Health “At Intermountain Healthcare, being an anchor institution means driving community health through economic opportunity and growth.”

The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2019: Vaping-Related Lung Illnesses Appear to Have Peaked “More doctors are also asking about vaping history, flagging potential cases, and treating patients accordingly, potentially preventing some hospitalizations, says Denitza Blagev, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah.”

The Lancet, December 7, 2019: Clinical Presentation, Treatment, and Short-term Outcomes of Lung Injury Associated with E-cigarettes or Vaping “In this multicenter, prospective, observational, cohort study, we collected data on all patients with lung injury associated with e-cigarettes or vaping seen in Intermountain Healthcare.”

Modern Healthcare, December 7, 2019: Vaping-related Cases Lead to Care Guidelines from Intermountain “Having seen 105 of Utah’s 112 cases as of November 25, the health system developed guidelines to help clinicians more rapidly detect and treat patients.”

Becker’s Hospital Review, December 10, 2019: 10 Hospitals Planning Upgrades, Expansions “Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare’s $150 million Spanish Fork Hospital is expected to open in fall 2020.”

Advisory Board, December 10, 2019: Hospital and Industry News “Intermountain Healthcare last month published care guidelines to help clinicians detect cases of the vaping-illness, called EVALI, in patients.”

The New England Journal of Medicine, December 11, 2019: Early High-Dose Vitamin D for Critically Ill, Vitamin D-Deficient Patients Intermountain Medical Center is listed as a study contributor. Forbes, December 12, 2019: Urgent Care Centers Eclipse 9,200 Driven By Optum and Hospital Systems “Healthcare systems such as … Intermountain Healthcare and Carolinas Healthcare have all made significant commitments to urgent care in their communities and beyond …”

Bloomberg, December 12, 2019: Hunt for Deadly Vapes Hindered by Marijuana’s Legal Patchwork “Urgency came from people like Dixie Harris, a pulmonologist at Intermountain Healthcare, Utah’s biggest provider.”

Modern Healthcare, December 14, 2019: Deepening Scrutiny on Affordability is 2019’s Biggest Trend in Finance “One integrated health system, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare, is unique in its outspokenness about lowering prices. The health system says it has lowered out-of- pocket prices on certain shoppable procedures.”

The New York Times, December 31, 2019: Doctors, Nurses, and the Paperwork Crisis That Could Unite Them “A group of coders at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah is working on a more radical solution, called activity-based design, which updates records by voice, and offers helpful algorithms to clinicians as they interact with patients.”