Leadership Message: Looking ahead with excitement and gratitude

Dear Colleagues,

As we step into the new fiscal year, it is time to reflect on some recent achievements and think of ways our UC Davis Health teams can harness this momentum in the months ahead.

This entire organization worked incredibly hard this past year to deliver amazing care in the face of budget challenges. To everyone’s credit, we believe we will have made our budget targets, or come very close, when our June performance comes in! Thank you to everyone from our foundational staff to our nursing colleagues to our clinicians and physicians. This is a true testament to what we can do, and what we do, when we put our heads down and put our patients and their families first!

Following that lead, on July 1, the doors of the 48X Complex opened to patients, marking a new juncture in how UC Davis Health and our surgical and procedural teams deliver care. As one of the largest outpatient procedural centers in the country, 48X will address a growing regional demand for outpatient care by amplifying the availability of more convenient, personalized care options and new technologies, including minimally invasive procedures.

Research shows that the demand for outpatient procedures is expected to grow by at least 21% in the next 10 years. By offering same-day procedures that help patients recover without needing a hospital stay, 48X significantly expands our ability to meet patients where, when and how they expect care delivered in today’s evolving health care landscape.

Through 48X and other forthcoming projects, as well as our Vision 2030 strategy, we are redefining health care in Northern California with an emphasis on connecting with patients and improving outcomes.

We have started spreading the good news about 48X, to inspire our communities and also ourselves! For managers, supervisors and faculty, our leadership will hold a “mini-Town Hall” on July 30 to provide insights into the first month of operations, share what to expect in the coming weeks, and cover other key topics of interest. There will also be time set aside for questions and answers.

Focused on Folsom

48X is just one sign of continued growth and opportunities ahead this year. Remember, the research hub Aggie Square also just opened in May. Following on 48X, our Folsom Medical Office Building – the next piece in our expansion approach – is expected to open for patients in September. This three-story, 114,000-square-foot facility will increase access to high-quality care for patients in the surrounding Folsom area. As the first phase of the Folsom Center for Health Master Plan, the new clinic will consolidate three existing leased Folsom clinics and add Imaging and Infusion services for the Folsom community. It is another example of how we’re bringing health care directly to our patients closer to where they live while offering more accessibility to our expertise in more specialties.

Together, our UC Davis Health teams can position the Folsom Medical Care Clinic as a beacon of hope and healing for its surrounding community. This will be just the first gem in what will become, in future years, an unbelievable medical campus in Folsom. Let’s make a difference in the greater Folsom area, one patient at a time, and continue to establish UC Davis Health as a foundational pillar of care throughout Northern California.

High Reliability Organizations

As we look for better ways to take care of more people, one way to meet our patients’ heightened expectations is by cultivating the principles of High Reliability Organizations (HROs). This widely-acclaimed framework helps organizations recognize risk, respond to failure, and continuously improve both patient and workforce safety. Think of these principles as a guide to help us be excellent at what we do, every place, every time, for every patient.

We know that studies show that in health care, a focus on safety leads to a reduction in preventable harm and safer care delivery, while also increasing trust between patients and their providers. One study found that 84.9% of patients who reported “optimal experiences of safety” at a hospital would definitely recommend it to family, friends and others. Contrast this with patients who did not report optimal experiences of safety – only 34% of them would definitely recommend the hospital.

High reliability is more than a single goal. It’s a mindset and a way of doing our work for all of us to embrace every day. Here are the 5 key principles of High Reliability Organizations:

• Preoccupation with failure: HROs are constantly alert to the potential for failure – even in seemingly routine operations. They treat near misses as opportunities to learn and improve. And they try to learn their lessons fast, before the opportunity fades.
  
  
• Reluctance to simplify: Instead of rushing to conclusions or relying on easy explanations, HROs analyze the full context behind a safety incident. Complicated situations may need complicated solutions.
  
  
• Sensitivity to operations: HROs are grounded in what’s happening on the frontlines of care. How do we really accomplish what we do every day? Leaders understand the daily realities of care delivery and are fully responsive to challenges to the process.
  
  
• Commitment to resilience: Instead of avoiding risk entirely, HROs build their capabilities to respond, adapt, and recover when things go awry. This minimizes harm, enhances learning in real time, and protects everyone from burnout.
  
  
• Deference to expertise: Frontline expertise is highly valued and empowered in high reliability organizations. People closest to the issue, regardless of title, contribute directly to making decisions and solving problems. You know that old mechanic who has fixed cars like yours a thousand times? Listen to them.

There’s no shortcut to achieving a culture of safety. But by embracing HRO principles, we’ll further enhance a UC Davis Health “Way” and culture that proactively identifies and mitigates potential risks, leading to fewer errors, better outcomes, and a more reliable health care system. I know that our teams are already high performers in so many ways, but we need to take advantage of opportunities ahead and sharpen our focus. Being a sustainable health system – one that is reliably present for our patients, learners, team members, and communities – is our obligation. We are currently considering how best to structure and accomplish a journey to high reliability. Stay tuned – more information is coming soon!

Now and into the future, our vision is to meet patients where, when and how they expect care – which might mean outpatient, in their home, or even virtual, and with care enabled by new medical technology. So much more awaits us all. Becoming more reliable as we manage these intersections is challenging, but it is what we have to do.

I think the coming year will be the most critical year this health system has ever seen. We are in the midst of an incredible growth spurt, and on a precipice now looking at so many opportunities in front of us! I’m so excited, and so grateful, to be on this team with all of you!

See you soon, stay well,

Bruce Lee Hall, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S.
Interim Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences
Chief Clinical Officer