Good Day Ascension - Summer 2019

Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

Summer 2019

Our Mission-inspired Transformation LEADERS COLLABORATE TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE WAYS TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES

INSIDE: Ambulatory process improvement accelerates development / Orthopedic advances return patients to joys of life

WELCOME

A word from our Sponsor

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his issue features our Mission-inspired Transformation, and I can feel the energy and excitement.

It reminds me of this verse from Isaiah: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). Isaiah was laying the foundation for Jesus’ healing ministry, just as we are called to carry it on as we lay the foundation for new ways of thinking and delivering care.

The Ascension Sponsor is transforming as well. As I move on from my responsibilities as Chair effective July 1, I want to welcome Sr. Jean Rhoads, DC, to this role. She has been a part of the Ascension story since the beginning of Ascension, and I could not think of a better person to support our ministry on this journey. I have truly cherished my time with you, and I know Ascension will continue to do great things as a ministry of the Church.

Sr. Mary Kay Hadican, CSJ — Chair, Ascension Sponsor

View from the Board

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ur world is changing, and Ascension continues to respond in new and unexpected ways. The Ascension Board fully supports the Mission-inspired Transformation work, knowing the pace of change and disruption has intensified. I see Ascension transforming from the inside out as we address rising consumerism, the digital revolution and the shift to value-based care.

I also want to thank and recognize the servant leaders Ascension recently said farewell to and those who will leave us by the end of the year. It is never easy to say goodbye, especially considering the strong relationships these leaders have built with the Ascension Board. At the same time, we are excited to see a new team of emerging leaders who will build on the Ascension foundation that began some 20 years ago. They — and you — are the future of Ascension. I know we will continue to do great things together as we live out our Mission and Values for the benefit of those we serve and one another.

Stephen Dufilho, CPA — Chair, Board of Directors

Leading the transformation

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can hardly believe this is our 10th issue of Good Day Ascension and how much has changed in the world and in our ministry since we began. This edition shines a spotlight on how we are leading the transformation of healthcare.

With our Mission-inspired Transformation, the future is now. I was blessed to participate on the Executive Advisory Committee that envisioned the work and can tell you it’s different than anything I’ve seen or been privileged to be a part of. We’re not just changing what we’re doing — we’re changing how we’re doing it to ensure Ascension thrives for decades to come. In the midst of all the change and excitement, I am reminded that our Mission will continue to be a constant as we chart new territory.

As always, we welcome your feedback at GoodDay@ascension.org.

Nick Ragone, Esq. — Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension

Our Mission: Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words.

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CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS 4 Mailbox Karen Springer, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Operations, Ascension, leads a panel discussion with Ascension Senior Vice Presidents, from left, Bernie Sherry, Ascension Wisconsin; Tom VanOsdol, Ascension Florida; Jonathan Nalli, Ascension Indiana; Dr. Joe Cacchione, Ascension Michigan; and Craig Cordola, Ascension Texas.

FEATURES 14 Our Mission-inspired Transformation Ascension is undertaking a Mission-inspired Transformation to reimagine new ways of working that will best support our Mission and our focus on delivering compassionate, personalized care where, when and how it is needed, to the individuals and communities we serve, with special attention to those who are most in need.

24 Ambulatory process improvement pays big dividends Ascension’s new approach to ambulatory service development provides consistency and saves time as the System expands its ambulatory footprint focused on those we serve.

26 Getting back in the game — of life A new marketing campaign invites consumers to “enjoy more of life” and helps elevate orthopedic care, including advances in joint replacement and walk-in injury clinics.

Patients and families share letters of thanks.

5 Inspiration Our Value of Integrity: Inspiring trust through personal leadership is foundational to our work to transform healthcare and deliver on our promise to those we serve.

6 Up front Ascension brand team’s signage strategy places patient at center. … Programs honoring veterans spread across our System. … Ascension Medical Group welcomes new president. … Talent Acquisition employs social media to attract qualified nurses. … Ascension Advocacy shares priorities for new Congress.

12 Getting to know you Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee, MD, MPH, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health System and Chief Community Impact Officer, Ascension.

13 Wellness now Did you know that having a primary care provider offers many benefits to your health?

29 News from the ministries What’s happening across Ascension?

35 The last word A few stories you might have missed from GoodDay.Ascension.org.

Back cover Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

On the cover: Summer 2019

Ascension Medical Group Chief Medical Officer Baligh Yehia, MD, left, leads members of the Redesigning the Front Door to Our Health System Design Team through a brainstorming session during the Mission-inspired Transformation kickoff meeting.

Along with her amazing AscensionConnect team, Mary Delgadillo connects people virtually to the care and resources they need.

Our Mission-inspired Transformation LEADERS COLLABORATE TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE WAYS TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES

INSIDE: Ambulatory process improvement accelerates development / Orthopedic advances return patients to joys of life

SUMMER 2019

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M AI LBOX

THE GOOD DAY ASCENSION TEAM WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE IN THIS MAGAZINE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE EDITIONS. SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO GOODDAY@ASCENSION.ORG.

Letters from those we serve … Other ERs should take a page out of your book on running an ER and hiring quality people. Thank you and the staff for your care. I would highly recommend this ER to anyone. Thank goodness the ambulance brought me to your ER! Patient at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, Ascension Florida

From the moment we walked through the doors, we were treated with respect and taken care of in a very timely manner.

My daughter is 1 and was suffering from a wrist injury of unknown origin. She was in pain and very upset. … I want to specifically mention that our day shift nurse, Jennifer Egler, was SO amazing with my sweet girl. She sang her favorite song to her and caught on to the fact that a smile and a song would comfort her immediately.

Mother of patient at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, Ascension Indiana

They are professional and polite when you are not … LOL. And if you have an emergency, they are calm and good informing [you] on the situation.

Brother of patient at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, Ascension Kansas

We have a very medically fragile child with a condition that causes chronic anaphylaxis and life-threatening problems.

Recently, we were on our way home to Ohio when we had to call 911 from the highway. We were transferred to Ascension St. Mary’s in Saginaw and had

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the great fortune to have Jeanette Kistler, RN, as our nurse. She was phenomenal.

Her clinical excellence and going above and beyond, especially when she very unexpectedly and courageously stepped forward to resolve insurance (issues). …

Jeanette willingly invested the time solely because it was “the right and best thing for the patient.” Wow! Thank you, Ascension St. Mary’s, for the most excellent and patient-centered experience we have ever had.

Mother of patient at Ascension St. Mary’s, Ascension Michigan

… I had a TAVR [transcatheter aortic valve replacement] procedure with Dr. Robert Jumper. Not only was the entire pre-op testing through my discharge home seamless, your entire staff, bar none, was totally committed to my ultimate welfare. … I can only applaud the efforts, operations and the living of a caring philosophy. You have a committed team of employees. Be proud!

Letter to CEO from patient at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Thank you to all the amazing medical providers and staff that went above and beyond and showed us genuine care and hospitality while we were in both Ascension St. Joseph (Tawas City, Michigan) and Ascension St. Mary’s (Saginaw, Michigan). Almost every single person we had contact with treated us very well. … You all work day in and day out saving lives and mourning the ones that don’t make it, and it takes someone very special to do a job like this and still maintain

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a positive attitude and give respect and care to a patient and their family at the same time. Thank you all and God bless!

Patient at Ascension St. Joseph and Ascension St. Mary’s, Ascension Michigan

… Jennifer [Lumsden] treated the entire family with professionalism and compassion. … Jennifer never gave up and pursued for the benefits she knew that the patient could eventually have with this medical device. … I cannot say enough to thank your entire team at Lourdes for giving this opportunity for quality care to us as a family and the community in which we all live.

Letter to president from family member at Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, New York

Thanks to employees of your hospital I was able to celebrate my 79th birthday. … I was asked to come to the hospital on March 15 for an echocardiogram at 11 a.m. … As I returned [from the restroom] my senses faded but I was able to reach a chair in the hall. A number of people happened to appear and attended to me as I suffered cardiac arrest. … Dr. Michelle Cole began treating me. I remembered hearing the Code Blue on the intercom. …

This communication is not about an old man spared the untimely end of a wonderful life. It is about you guys, the people who serve others … a group of people who do their jobs truly knowing the importance of what a life means to a loved one.

You guys are my heroes and angels on a mission to relieve pain and serve others.

Letter to associates from patient at Seton Medical Center Hays, Ascension Texas

I N S P I R AT I O N

Defining moments: Living our Value of Integrity

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hroughout the history of our national health ministry there have been many defining moments — defining moments that called Ascension’s hospitals and sites of care into being, that called them to adapt to changing needs and to make transformative decisions on the path to finding new ways to serve God’s people.

We stand again at another defining moment as we explore what our Mission-inspired Transformation is calling us to do today and for our future. This moment, like the moments that came before, invites us to ensure that we are guided by our Mission and Values. In a particular way, the Value of Integrity: Inspiring trust through personal leadership helps us to remain faithful to who we are.

Integrity, which we’re highlighting in June and July, is an invitation to be faithful to who we are called to be and to live our Mission and Values in our encounters with each other and with those we serve. It is lived out every day by all who serve at Ascension and contribute to our Mission-inspired Transformation.

One associate recently shared a story of a defining moment for her team: “A woman came in who had never had a mammogram. Because she did not have health insurance, it took a while for an associate to convince her to use our mobile mammography unit, which provides access in the community. When we found something in her mammogram, our physicians rallied around and were able to take care of her and provide the surgeries and treatment she needed. We saved her life. To me that’s another example of who we are, how we live the Mission, and how we care for the people that we serve.”

— CYNTHIA TAUEG, VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY HEALTH-BASED SERVICES, ASCENSION MICHIGAN

This team led with Integrity by making a decision that was faithful to our Mission to make sure that this woman received care.

Reflection question What have been defining moments in your life? How have you been invited to choose and lead with Integrity, even when it was challenging?

For more resources on Our Ascension Values, check out ascension.org/values.

Service of the Poor: Generosity of spirit, especially for persons most in need Reverence: Respect and compassion for the dignity and diversity of life Integrity: Inspiring trust through personal leadership Wisdom: Integrating excellence and stewardship Creativity: Courageous innovation Dedication: Affirming the hope and joy of our ministry

SUMMER 2019

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UP FRONT

Left: Illuminated beacons at the Ascension Providence Hospital entry in Waco, Texas, are part of a color wayfinding strategy to consistently identify the main entrance in blue. Our Ascension Values are also inscribed on the beacons, serving as their first introduction to patients and visitors.

DID YOU KNOW? The minimum height for text on Ascension exterior signs is 25 percent larger than the recommended copy size for vehicular wayfinding.

The Ascension brand team listened to associate input requesting better visibility, beyond industry best practices. Signs were redesigned to increase letter size, improve contrast and include color coding to help define areas and improve navigation for patients and families.

Left: Ascension’s first dual-language emergency sign in English and Spanish debuted at the entrance to Ascension Providence Hospital in Waco, now a standard practice at all Ascension Texas hospitals. Ascension took extra time while working on the brand implementation to understand the Waco campus wayfinding challenges and made new signs to better help patients and visitors navigate their way.

Above: This new sign on the Ascension Genesys campus has the largest channel letters in the Grand Blanc, Michigan, region, with individual letters more than 8 feet tall. Associates held a special ceremony to officially illuminate the sign.

Signs of the times NEW SIGNAGE PROGRAM PUTS PATIENTS AT THE CENTER

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s Ascension care sites adopt their unified names, they are implementing new, state-of-theart signs. Monuments and letters on the buildings are illuminated with the latest LED technology, saving ministries maintenance time and thousands of dollars a year in energy costs.

We are also improving patient navigation on campuses using color coding and consistent destination naming, and providing timely information at the right place along the path of a patient’s or visitor’s travel. A modular panel design gives the sign system the flexibility required to support changing configurations at our sites of care.

“Every aspect of our unified brand is based on consumer research and

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insight, and our sign strategy is no different,” said Nick Ragone, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension. “Of course, we want our signs to look fantastic, and they do. But design opinions vary. So we developed the Ascension sign family on solid industry insights and input from our local experts who work in these care sites every day.”

Ministry leaders and Medxcel Facilities Management associates have been part of the process early on as sign plans are developed for each location.

They work directly with the Ascension brand team to examine every step in a patient’s journey. From emblems and beacons designed to tell our story and share our Values, to the language used

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on directional signs, every sign decision is made from the vantage point of those we serve.

Nick said this is evidence of the progress we are making toward our Mission-inspired Transformation.

“Being person-centered is central to who we are as Ascension,” he said.

“Our signage strategy applies that same thinking to wayfinding. Couple that with our consumer access strategy for marketing and you’ll see we have expanded the patient experience. It no longer begins the moment someone is in our care. It begins the moment he or she needs us. And we’ve made it as easy for them to find us as possible in a variety of ways.”

UP FRONT

Salute PROGRAMS HONOR SERVICE OF VETERANS

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program that began last year deep in the heart of Ascension Texas to honor our country’s veterans has taken root in the heartland.

It started when a family member of a veteran who passed away at Ascension Seton Medical Center Williamson, part of Ascension Texas, asked what procedures were in place for veterans.

The hospital took the family member’s question to heart, seeking the help of its Person and Family Advisory Council and local veterans to develop a plan. In a matter of 62 days, the hospital rolled out a three-pronged Red, White and Blue Program to ensure veterans were recognized and honored for their patriotic commitment, dedication and service.

“We listened and responded with fresh eyes and bold action,” said Kate Henderson, MHA, Regional Hospital President, Ascension Texas. “We began to sit down and see what the veteran’s healthcare experience looked like and created a program specific to their care.”

An integral part of the program is a “final salute” to veterans who pass away in the hospital. Instead of wheeling veterans out the back door to meet the funeral home director, as is customary for all deceased, associates line the hallway to pay tribute to the veteran as he or she is wheeled out the front door of the hospital.

“There’s typically not a dry eye in the room,” said Craig Cordola, Senior Vice President, Ascension, who serves as Ministry Market Executive for Ascension Texas. “I am proud of our team and how they found a way to begin and end their care in an honorable way. I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate our Mission in action to our veterans.”

Since then, not only has the program successfully spread to several Ascension Texas hospitals, St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital, part of Ascension Indiana, took its level of care for military veterans to another level with its Stars and Stripes program.

When admitted for treatment, patients who are veterans receive a stars-and-

stripes armband and a door magnet on their hospital room door. Staff greet them with, “Thank you for your service.”

In addition, a “final salute” ceremony conducted by hospital staff takes place to honor deceased veterans when they leave the hospital.

Mike Schroyer, President, St. Vincent Anderson, was inspired to develop the program after hearing of the impact it had in Ascension Texas. “Being part of a large system like Ascension makes it possible for us to share these kinds of programs,” he said. Other Ascension Indiana hospitals are also considering the program.

“We would not have the opportunities and freedom this nation has today without the courageous accomplishments of our veterans,” Mike told the local newspaper. “The Stars and Stripes program is to display our support and gratitude for our veterans, ensuring that they are being recognized with the respect and care that they deserve.”

Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, part of Ascension Florida, also began a special recognition of military veterans called the Veterans Recognition Program.

“On average 260 veterans look to Sacred Heart for treatment every month,” Henry Stovall, President and CEO, Sacred Heart Health System, told the local TV station. “We have always given our veterans, active duty [military] members and their families great care, but there is more we can do.”

Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola, part of Ascension Florida, honors military veterans with its Veterans Recognition Program.

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UP FRONT

Welcome THOMAS GRAF, MD, FAAFP, NAMED ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP PRESIDENT

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scension Medical Group (AMG) welcomed its new President, Thomas Graf, MD, FAAFP, on April 15.

A family medicine physician and academic, Dr. Graf has focused on driving quality improvement to reduce the total cost of care. He has helped develop and written about care models that have delivered measurably better results for quality, cost, and professional and patient experience in a variety of venues. He has practiced in an integrated delivery system, with over a decade at Geisinger, as well as clinically integrated networks and accountable care organizations (ACOs), including being a founding board member of the National Association of ACOs. He also has worked at academic medical centers through his consulting work with The Chartis Group.

“Dr. Graf’s experience in creating clinically integrated networks and ACOs will be extremely valuable as Ascension Medical Group continues its work advancing personalized care models to best serve our patients,” said Joseph Cacchione, MD, Executive Vice President, Ascension, Clinical & Network Services and Ministry Market Executive, Michigan. “We are pleased to have someone with such depth join our team.”

Dr. Graf came to AMG from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, serving as Vice President of Healthcare Transformation and Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Graf’s responsibilities included creating a virtually integrated delivery network for 3.8 million commercial, Medicare Advantage and managed Medicaid members across New Jersey and supporting provider systems as they move to accountability for total quality and cost.

He has extensive experience in population health, having been involved in clinical re-engineering and payment model evolution since 2005 with the Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the great progress that AMG is making in becoming the best place to practice medicine and to receive care,” Dr. Graf said. “There is so much opportunity for AMG as it continues its evolution as a high-performing national medical group, and I am excited to join this journey of transformation.”

In addition to serving as AMG President, Dr. Graf also has an expanded role in the organizational redesign of AMG, Ascension Care Management, and managed care services under the new name of Clinical & Network Services.

This redesign is part of Ascension’s Mission-inspired Transformation efforts to reimagine new ways of working to reach our goals and have an even greater impact on persons in need, all in support of Ascension’s Advanced Strategic Direction.

Dr. Graf earned his Doctor of Medicine from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed his Family Practice Residency at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the great progress that AMG is making in becoming the best place to practice medicine and to receive care. There is so much opportunity for AMG as it continues its evolution as a high-performing national medical group, and I am excited to join this journey of transformation.”

— THOMAS GRAF, MD, FAAFP, PRESIDENT, ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP

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•••

Ascension May 6, 2019

Meet Angelique, RN, Nurse Manager of the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at Seton Medical Center Hays, Ascension Texas. She started her career as a clinical assistant and has worked her way up the clinical ladder at Ascension. At Ascension Seton, take your career to the next level.

Consider the possibilities with us. #AscensionCareers #NurseWeek

Angelique, RN PACU MANAGER

1,018 People Reached

76 Engagements

Jodie Cherry Roth, Susan Porter and 38 others

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Nurses needed ASCENSION LAUNCHES A DIGITAL, MOBILE-OPTIMIZED RECRUITING CAMPAIGN

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f you’ve checked social media recently, you may have seen some Ascension ads on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. These tactics are part of an enhanced Talent Acquisition effort to attract qualified nurses and make it easier for them to apply for a job.

Additional recruitment efforts in this campaign include direct mail, email advertising, and ads on nontraditional sites such as Google.

“We want to both simplify the application process and increase the number of quality hires,” said Ellen Gifford, Vice President, Human Resources and Talent Acquisition.

Three months after the new campaign launched in December 2018: • Nearly 1,400 registered nurses submitted interest in joining Ascension • Nearly 60 percent of the candidates reached had never previously applied to Ascension • Overall nursing applications grew 40 percent year over year “Like all of us, candidates are consumers. They search online for all sorts of products and services … not to mention jobs! We decided to pursue an opportunity for a digital, mobile-optimized

experience for nursing candidates to engage with us,” said Amy Wilson, MSN, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations, Ascension.

So how does it work? Interested nurses see the ad and respond online. They are then taken to our campaign landing page.

If they qualify, a recruiter reaches out within one business day to speak to them about opportunities at Ascension.

“I applied through the ad on Indeed.com and I love that you can still talk to a recruiter,” said Denise Eschner, an occupational health registered nurse hired at St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside in Jacksonville, part of Ascension Florida.

Pamela Andrews, hired as a registered nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit at St. Vincent’s Chilton, in Clanton, part of Ascension Alabama, said joining Ascension has been a wonderful choice.

“I joined Ascension because of the spiritual emphasis of patient care, the positive and unifying work environment, and a commitment to excellence and compassionate care,” she said.

Ascension plans to use the same approach in attracting other qualified clinical and nonclinical candidates in the future. Future campaigns will continue to focus on optimizing the message and improving the candidate experience.

If you know nurses who may be interested in joining Ascension, they can learn more by visiting findmynursingcareer.com.

SUMMER 2019

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UP FRONT

Speaking up ADVOCACY TEAM SUPPORTS PRIORITIES THAT ADVANCE OUR MISSION

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he 116th U.S. Congress welcomed a diverse array of new members in the Senate and House of Representatives. As it does before every new Congress, Ascension Advocacy laid out a strategic plan to position Ascension to be as effective as possible in the political and policy environment.

“It is important for us to craft our policy priorities by studying the environment and consulting with our leaders while always staying true to our Mission,” said Peter Leibold, Chief Advocacy Officer, Ascension. “Through a survey sent to more than 5,000 Ascension leaders and an in-depth study of the administration and the Congress, we developed four Mission-driven priority areas where we will expend the most significant, direct advocacy resources.”

Ascension Advocacy’s priorities for this Congress are: • Expanding and protecting access and coverage to care • Addressing rising drug prices and protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program • Removing regulatory barriers to value-based care • Protecting provider reimbursement In addition to these four priorities, Ascension Advocacy also monitors and collaborates with partners to further our agenda on numerous issues ranging from human trafficking to behavioral and mental health to the interoperability of health records. These issues are crucial to achieving Ascension’s

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Mission, and to amplify our voice and benefit from others’ expertise, we often pursue them through partnerships and collaboration.

Ascension has strengthened its voice in the regulatory process, responding to calls for input on proposed rules.

This includes a detailed and powerful submission to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) commenting on its goal to modernize fraud and abuse laws, including the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Recently, Ascension Advocacy collaborated with the Legal Ministry-wide Function to develop a persuasive white paper, which received positive feedback from the administration, discussing the barriers some laws impose on the implementation of value-based care arrangements. In addition to formally submitting regulatory comments, Ascension attended an invitation-only meeting in the secretary’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services with the secretary’s point person on regulatory relief.

In addition, leaders from The Resource Group and Pharmacy represented Ascension in a meeting with HHS Secretary Alex Azar on the impact of escalating drug prices on health systems and other health providers. Ascension provided insight on the impact manufacturers have when they increase prices and the negative impact that has on providers and on patient care. HHS has expressed interest in learning more specifically from Ascension about these issues.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program continues to be important to our national health ministry by enabling our participating sites to purchase outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. Advocacy has worked extensively with Pharmacy to prepare Ascension to take the steps necessary to endorse the 340B Good Stewardship Principles of the American Hospital Association (AHA). Advocacy worked with colleagues across Ascension to craft an innovative approach to providing the transparency called for in the AHA principles by telling our story of how

“ It is important for us to craft our policy priorities by studying the environment and consulting with our leaders while always staying true to our Mission.”

— PETER LEIBOLD, CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER, ASCENSION

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UP FRONT

Above: Travis Andersen, President of the South Region, Ascension Wisconsin, left, and Bernie Sherry, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Wisconsin, speak with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) about rising drug prices and the positive impact the 340B Drug Pricing Program is making for the communities we serve. Right: from left, Tim Adams, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Tennessee; Amy Wilson, MSN, BSN, RN, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations, Ascension; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN); Nancy Anness, Chief Advocacy Officer, Saint Thomas Health, Ascension Tennessee; and Fahad Tahir, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Thomas Midtown and West hospitals, part of Ascension Tennessee.

Ascension ministries use important 340B resources to support our Mission.

We do so through our charity care efforts, assisting individuals who need it with low- or no-cost prescription drugs, and making investments in programs that improve the health of communities.

Ascension advocates not only in Washington but also in all the state capitals where we have ministries.

Ascension Michigan saw a win shortly before last year ended, with then-Gov. Rick Snyder signing HB 4066 and HB 4067, making Michigan the 27th jurisdiction to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which

creates an expedited pathway to licensure for physicians wishing to practice in multiple states. This legislation facilitates increased access to healthcare for patients in underserved areas of the state, allowing them to more easily connect to medical experts using telemedicine, and also provides for a more streamlined and expeditious process for recruitment of physicians to these same underserved areas.

The Advocacy Ministry-wide Function also prioritizes growing the advocacy community and educating colleagues on the importance of public policy. Members of the Ascension

Leadership Academy participated in an Advocacy Immersion on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where they spoke to the offices of representatives and senators on the importance of the 340B Drug Pricing Program and healthcare transformation. The 16 members of Leadership Academy Community 3 and many Ministry Market Executives who attended the event represented nine states.

As Ascension Advocacy continues to advocate on behalf of those we are privileged to serve, there will continue to be opportunities to elevate the voices of associates and leaders on crucial issues that align with our Mission and Values.

SUMMER 2019

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UEPRFSROONNATL P R O F I L E P

Getting to know you ASCENSION CONTINUES TO LEAD THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR MINISTRY FROM ITS TRADITIONAL HOSPITAL ROOTS INTO THE FUTURE OF VALUE-BASED DELIVERY AND SOCIALLY INTEGRATED SYSTEMS OF CARE. TO HELP LEAD THIS WORK, TAMARAH DUPERVAL-BROWNLEE, MD, MPH, MBA, WAS NAMED PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM AND CHIEF COMMUNITY IMPACT OFFICER, ASCENSION. ers in the way. There are two transformations underway now, one in Washington, D.C., and another in Milwaukee. We’re also creating a framework for what these healthy villages will look like, one that is rooted in our Mission, where we are committed to improving the health and well-being of persons, making sure that there is special attention to the poor and vulnerable, being advocates for social justice and good stewards of the resources that they have — especially in the newworld era when assets in their legacy forms are insufficient to do the work that needs to be done today and tomorrow.

Q: What’s it like to be Ascension’s first CCIO? A: I am extremely excited and humbled to be afforded the opportunity to serve the ministry in this way. The establishment of this role and prioritizing this body of work really speaks to the vision that [Ascension CEO] Dr. Anthony Tersigni has for transforming healthcare, and Ascension is the organization to lead it. In this work, we will elevate the value of building healthy communities and transforming our ministries, especially where we are critically looking at our person-centered footprint and what patients really want in their healthcare delivery partners.

Q: Can you share more about your role in transforming ministries?

A: A key priority of my role ensures that leadership is in place for the development and implementation of healthy villages, a concept that reimagines healthcare beyond the site of care and improves the health of a community by being responsive to their personal health goals and addressing any social barri-

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Q: What other responsibilities do you have as CCIO? A: I will continue the work we started three years ago in advancing health equity through eliminating preventable healthcare outcome disparities, leading community health improvement, and providing clinical and quality leadership for the Ascension Community Health Ministries. The ability to have cogent strategies addressing community health and integrating the continuum of activities conducted across our ministries is all-powerful and necessary. Particularly exciting for me is that this role is also tied to our Mission-inspired Transformation work aimed at building socially integrated systems of care. As we think of health more broadly than clinical care, we’re considering what it takes for people to thrive in their communities where some part of that is going to be physical, but also thinking about mental, environmental and spiritual.

Q: How are you involved in the Mission-inspired Transformation?

A: I’m a part of a talented group of leaders comprising the Design Team working on building the framework of Socially Integrated Systems of Human Flourishing. Our initial focus area is in improving maternal health for persons seen at our sites of care, especially for women of vulnerable backgrounds.

WELLNESS NOW

Do you really need a primary care provider?

THE LASTING BENEFITS OF A HEALTH PARTNERSHIP

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ach year, you hear or see messages about getting a primary care provider (PCP) and having an annual wellness visit.

Why? Because multiple studies show that having a PCP can actually keep you healthier over time, as you and your doctor partner to manage your health. Establishing that partnership means having an annual wellness visit — one of the easiest ways to get a good assessment of your health and how to manage it.

Having a doctor on your side has more benefits than you might think:

Save money

Finding a doctor who is in network generally will save you money because your insurance will cover more of the cost, and if you participate in a SmartHealth plan, using a Tier 1 provider is especially cost effective. Review your personal benefits plan to see just what kind of cost savings you can enjoy by staying in network.

Save time Having an annual wellness visit and establishing a relationship with your doctor might seem inconvenient at first, but imagine the time you’ll save if you’re ill and really need a doctor. You’ll know exactly who to call instead of spending time searching and then sitting in a waiting room.

Find a primary care provider today If you don’t have a primary care provider, it’s easy to search online to find a doctor in your area who is in the SmartHealth network. You can see profiles and office hours and choose a doctor right for you. Then schedule an appointment for a wellness visit. You can meet and get to know your doctor so you have someone on your team when you need it most. If you are a SmartHealth participant, find your primary care provider at mysmarthealth.org.

Be in control

Many of us look for ways to improve our health — by eating healthier, moving more during the workday, improving how we exercise or getting more sleep. So why aren’t we getting an annual wellness visit to match? Going to the doctor isn’t just for when you are sick; it should be part of your overall wellness practice that empowers you to be the best you can be.

SUMMER 2019

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Our Mission-inspired ASCENSION IS REIMAGINING NEW WAYS TO

Eric Engler, Chief Strategy Officer, Ascension, explains to kickoff meeting participants how the Mission-inspired Transformation will position Ascension for the future through reimagining new ways to work in support of our Mission.

WORK IN SUPPORT OF OUR MISSION — AND DELIVER COMPASSIONATE, PERSONALIZED CARE TO THOSE WE SERVE

Eduardo Conrado, Chief Digital Officer, Ascension, engages kickoff participants on changes and disruption in the external environment — such as the digital revolution — that continue to intensify.

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he story of Ascension has always been one of transformation — evolving to meet the needs of the people and communities we serve at a given time. The pace of change and disruption today calls us to transform in a new way — to fundamentally change our operations and our culture to remain strong and vital for the future of our ministry.

Ascension is engaging in our Mission-inspired Transformation to reimagine new ways of working that will best support our Mission and our focus on delivering compassionate, personalized care where, when and how it is needed, to the individuals and communities we serve, with special attention to those who are most in need.

Our Mission-inspired Transformation will position Ascension for the future by ensuring that we transform our core healthcare delivery system while developing new models for the future. This work will ensure the growth and success of our healthcare ministry while transforming our culture through nimble decision making, empowered teams, accountability, and alignment of strategy and implementation.

Our Mission-inspired Transformation includes important work around our operating model and organizational culture that will enable our ministry to grow and thrive.

And, perhaps most significantly, it includes the adoption of collaborative Design Teams bringing together multidisciplinary groups to envision and implement transformational solutions using design thinking and agile ways of working.

We will be the trusted partner for the health and well-being of those we serve.

• What you need: Compassionate, personalized care with a convenient, exceptional experience at every step in your health journey • Where you need it: Everywhere from your home to your work, while you’re on the go, or in our state-of-the-art facilities • When you need it: On-demand, in-person and digital access to health information, healthcare services and support for your well-being • How you need it: With inspired caregivers and interdisciplinary teams

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

Transformation The Design Teams began their efforts in late January in an inspirational kickoff meeting.

“We built significant engagement and excitement among the leaders for both what we are pursuing in the Mission-inspired Transformation and how we are committed to work differently along the journey,” said Eric Engler, Chief Strategy Officer, Ascension.

Design Teams use an agile “sprint” process involving frequent huddles to ensure progress, engagement and alignment. Each team breaks work into tasks that can be achieved in two-week “sprints.” Each two-week sprint begins with a sprint planning meeting; involves frequent engagement via “huddles” (both virtual and in person) to ensure progress on tasks; and concludes with a sprint review to celebrate accomplishments, capture lessons learned, identify pivots and plan for the following sprint.

“This marks the beginning of our effort to turn our ambition into actionable items that will help us not only be successful in the more traditional

Ascension CEO Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, welcomes participants to the Mission-inspired Transformation kickoff meeting at Cortex, an innovation hub in St. Louis.

side of healthcare but also in a whole new side of healthcare that we’re inventing as an organization,” said Joseph Cacchione, MD, Executive Vice President, Ascension, Clinical & Network Services and Ministry Market Executive, Michigan. “We can’t wait for the market to change and then react.

As Ascension, being so large and such an influencer of healthcare, we can help craft and create healthcare — the right healthcare system for the future.”

“The Mission-inspired Transformation is the vehicle for us to think differently about what healthcare looks like between now and 2025, to make sure that our ministry is able to be sustainable and meaningful for the patients and families

that we serve,” said Craig Cordola, Senior Vice President, Ascension, who serves as Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Texas. “The Mission-inspired Transformation work is giving us the freedom to use agile methodology, with really bright and talented people around us.”

“Transforming healthcare means that we’ve got to get outside of the boxes that we work in and really look at where we are in communities and how we can better serve all persons in all those populations that we have within the surroundings of our hospitals,” said Karen Springer, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Operations, Ascension. “This is a great opportunity for us to look at how we move that dial and move it quickly.”

Our key transformational initiatives

Michelle Heavens, MHA, BSN, RN, Senior Director, Operational Excellence, Ascension Medical Group, and Armando Cardoso, Senior Director, Managed Care Analytics, Ascension, discuss Design Team plans.

Building socially integrated systems of human flourishing

Designing the caregiver model of the future

Delivering the 2025 consumer experience

Redefining excellence in surgical care

Bringing health and healing to the home

Reimagining our presence and capacity

Redesigning the front door to our health system

Growing covered individuals through strategic purchaser contracting

SUMMER 2019

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Our Mission-inspired Transformation

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his Design Team is identifying the links between social determinants of health and priority health outcomes to develop a scalable and sustainable framework to coordinate resources for those most in need. The group is initially focused on maternal health, including the needs of women before, during and after pregnancy. The Design Team has already identified existing and new models that will help coordinate care for some of our most vulnerable populations. The Design Team is also analyzing current uses of Ascension’s approximately $2 billion of annual spending for Care of Persons Living in Poverty and Other Community Benefit Programs to identify opportunities to better coordinate efforts across Ascension.

Building socially integrated systems of human flourishing THIS DESIGN TEAM IS FOCUSED ON ACTING AS A CATALYST TO MEANINGFULLY IMPACT SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, INCLUDING REDIRECTING EPISODIC, REACTIVE

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INPATIENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT SPENDING TO FUND TARGETED PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY FOR SELECTED HEALTH CONDITIONS.

Our team is focused on how we currently approach work around a myriad of processes. It’s exciting to dig into multiple facets and get a clearer picture of how they fit together rather than tackling individually. But this work isn’t just about what we create; it’s also about how we work to get there — learning to be agile, to share and collaborate across disciplines and functions, and take action quickly.”

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— CAROLINE BATTLES, VICE PRESIDENT, STATE POLICY AND ADVOCACY, ASCENSION

We are lifting up the poor and addressing their social, emotional and spiritual needs; health disparities; and overall health. It means a new way of thinking, a new way of doing, a new way of using all of our gifts, talents and resources to ensure we are following God’s holy direction for our sacred ministry. The synergy, excitement and Spirit-led moments are indescribable. One can feel God’s presence among us.”

Tamarah Duperval-Brownlee, MD, MPH, MBA, President and CEO, Providence Health System, Washington, D.C., and Chief Community Impact Officer, Ascension, right, discusses goals and objectives with team members including Caroline Battles, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Ascension.

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G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

— NANCY ANNESS, CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER, SAINT THOMAS HEALTH, ASCENSION TENNESSEE

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his Design Team has assessed Ascension’s end-to-end experience throughout the consumer journey and is prioritizing opportunities to bring Ascension to parity with best consumer practices and address critical consumer pain points. The team is building a road map that will address digital needs and capabilities with a focus on transparency, convenience and time savings. The team plans to scale consumer solutions and digital platforms next year across the Ministry Markets.

Delivering the 2025 consumer experience THIS TEAM IS FOCUSED ON CREATING INITIAL CONNECTIONS,

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SOLVING HEALTH NEEDS AND MAINTAINING ONGOING, MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH CONSUMERS THROUGH AN ENHANCED, END-TO-END EXPERIENCE.

I am excited to work collaboratively with leaders across our national ministry — seeking new ways of serving our communities while more fully and proactively meeting consumer needs. Our Mission-inspired Transformation team allows us to be future thinking and action oriented, and as always, putting those we serve at the center of all we do.”

— MARIE JUDD, MBA, FACHE, CPXP, SENIOR DIRECTOR, CARE EXCELLENCE/PERSON AND

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FAMILY ENGAGEMENT, ASCENSION

We are truly transforming as an organization by prioritizing a personalized, compassionate and accessible end-to-end consumer healthcare experience for the future. As a Design Team, we are a collaboration of researchers, designers, patient advocates, online experts and consumer marketers. Together, we are looking closely at what matters most to those we serve and how we can make their interactions better, more seamless, less confusing — drawing from

Jason Dinger, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Innovation, Ascension, leads a Design Team in an exercise to better understand access points along the end-to-end consumer journey.

retail and e-commerce to meet consumer expectations for customer service and service industry transactions.”

— TARA VAIL, VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, ASCENSION

SUMMER 2019

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Our Mission-inspired Transformation

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his Design Team is establishing a differentiated model to deliver integrated and holistic care and services to the home. Initial efforts are focused on “aging in place,” an acute and post-acute hospital in the home model, and using technology to extend the care team into the home to treat patients with chronic disease.

A broader portfolio of home initiatives will make the home the next “site of care” in our continuum.

Bringing health and healing to the home THIS DESIGN TEAM IS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND SPREADING INNOVATIVE IN-HOME CARE MODELS AND SOLUTIONS TO RESPOND TO EMERGING CONSUMER WANTS

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AND NEEDS WHILE CAPTURING AN INCREMENTAL SHARE OF THE GROWING IN-HOME CARE MARKET.

“Our team has brainstormed new kinds of ‘care,’ from reducing family friction using envisioned Ascension Care Connect Experts, to making homes safer through home modification and monitoring services, to introducing robotic pets for pet therapy in the home.

This work has a deeper focus on the whole person and I believe positions us to deliver on the promise of personalized care well beyond our traditional definitions.”

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— K ATE HENDERSON, REGIONAL HOSPITAL PRESIDENT, ASCENSION TEXAS

“It is hard to describe the passion and commitment I have seen and experienced while working with colleagues across Ascension (with diverse backgrounds and expertise). The ability to create a better health experience by keeping patients in their own home surrounded by family, friends and the appropriate caregivers, and supported by technology, is exciting and motivating. I am more optimistic about Ascension’s future than at any other time in my 26 years with Ascension because

Members of a Design Team listen to Liz Foshage, Senior Vice President, Finance, Ascension, as they work together to brainstorm innovative in-home care models.

of the opportunities identified for our System through the Mission-inspired Transformation work.”

— LIZ FOSHAGE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE, ASCENSION

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his Design Team is rethinking healthcare access from individual points of care to an integrated portfolio of “front door” care offerings that better align with market-specific populations and consumer needs and preferences.

The Design Team’s initial focus is on piloting transformative “new doors” that have high growth potential and create new value for consumers and physicians. These initial doors include Direct Primary Care, Comprehensive Care Clinics and Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Care.

Redesigning the front door to our health system THIS TEAM IS FOCUSED ON RECONFIGURING EXISTING ACCESS

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POINTS AND ADDING NEW “FRONT DOORS” TO PROVIDE THE OFFERINGS, FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF DEFINED CONSUMER SEGMENTS.

Being a part of the Front Door Design Team has been an opportunity to step back and take on the consumers’ perspective to fundamentally rethink how we engage with them. Bringing in team members from across the organization adds a great deal to development of new ideas and ways of working to better serve all segments. The work is a very exciting opportunity to think about both the immediate and longer-term ways that we relate to consumers and how we

“

can use technology and virtual visits.”

— MARK WHALEN, CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP

The connection with other Ascension leaders across the System in their varied fields has made the work very interesting and engaging but has challenged us to work across disciplines with the same end goal. Creating simple and logical access to the system by our consumers — making it easier for the consumer to access and utilize the care we provide in ways that make sense to the consumer — is vitally important. We want to make sure we are accessible and available — for consumers who need a quick virtual visit, to the complex care teams who can wrap around our

Mark Whalen, Chief Strategy Officer, Ascension Medical Group, discusses Ascension’s front door care offerings — including transformative ‘new doors’ — with a Design Team.

most fragile patients, and everything in between.”

— ELIZABETH HELMS, FNP, NURSE PRACTITIONER, ST. VINCENT, ASCENSION INDIANA

SUMMER 2019

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Our Mission-inspired Transformation

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his Design Team used ethnographic research to develop an understanding of pain points along the caregiver journey. To address these pain points, the Design Team is developing an interdisciplinary care team model that allows for top-of-practice, patient-focused workflow supported by innovative technology, such as interactive technology in patient rooms and intelligent inventory management.

The team has also identified structural enablers, including spiritual care and a multifaceted productivity metric that encourages low-cost, high-quality care for our patients.

Designing the caregiver model of the future THIS DESIGN TEAM IS FOCUSED ON RETHINKING THE CAREGIVER TEAM AND RE-ENGINEERING WORKFLOWS TO CREATE NEW MODELS OF CARE DELIVERY. THIS INCLUDES DEPLOYING INTERDISCIPLINARY CARE TEAMS ENABLED BY TECHNOLOGY TO ALLOW CAREGIVERS TO PRACTICE AT TOP OF LICENSE; MAKING WORK SUSTAINABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND OUR MINISTRY, WHILE STRENGTHENING THE JOY OF CARING;

“

AND CO-CREATING A CULTURE, ROOTED IN OUR VALUES, THAT ALLOWS US TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST.

I [have] experienced firsthand the joys and pains of the profession.

This team provides the ability to create an innovative model where our caregivers can experience more joy and fulfillment in their profession by practicing at top of license. This is where I feel called into this role to assist in advocating for our caregivers by thinking differently than we typically do inside healthcare walls alongside other innovative leaders.”

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— GRACE LEE, MS, RN, PROJECT COORDINATOR, SAINT THOMAS HEALTH, ASCENSION TENNESSEE

Each member of our Design Team is committed to discovering how a caregiver team of the future needs to function in order for every Ascension caregiver to recover the joy of their vocation. In our discovery, the team has uncovered unintended obstacles that get in the way of caregivers working at the top of their license; these obstacles need to be removed for the sake of those we serve and for the sake of our caregivers’ well-being in the workplace. Serving on a Mission-inspired Transformation Design Team has deepened our commitment to com-

Amy Wilson, MSN, BSN, RN, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations, Ascension, makes a point about the caregiver journey during a breakout session.

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passionate care for both patients and our caregivers.”

— MARY M. HEINTZKILL, MTS, BCC, DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL CARE AND

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

MISSION INTEGRATION, ASCENSION

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hrough “journey mapping,” this Design Team has identified opportunities to improve the patient experience as well as initiatives to drive surgical care team satisfaction.

The group has also prioritized opportunities to drive value through savings and efficiency across supplies, instrument management and surgical scheduling, and plans to develop a national dashboard to promote performance transparency and the sharing of best practices. These operational improvements will also be a critical enabler as the team prioritizes surgical growth in key service lines.

Redefining excellence in surgical care THIS TEAM IS FOCUSED ON PROMOTING NEAR-TERM OPERATIONAL RELIABILITY AND CONSISTENCY WHILE DRIVING LONGER-TERM SURGICAL EXCELLENCE AND GROWTH. SURGICAL

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EXCELLENCE WILL ADDRESS THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE, THE SURGEON AND CARE TEAM EXPERIENCE, DAILY OPERATIONS, ALIGNMENT MODELS, AND REQUIRED CAPABILITIES.

This is a pivotal moment in the history of Ascension. Through this work, we are identifying and taking on the barriers, pain points and challenging assumptions that keep us from providing an outstanding experience for our patients, our surgeons and our associates. While it is still very early, it’s exciting to see the immense number of opportunities the Design Teams are exploring, and our ability to leverage our human capital and other strengths and collaborate across ministries will fundamentally transform our organization in the process.”

— JUAN SANCHEZ, MD, MPA, VICE PRESIDENT, SURGICAL SERVICES,

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SAINT AGNES HOSPITAL, BALTIMORE

This work has been a collaborative opportunity unlike any I’ve seen to date at Ascension. The multidisciplinary makeup and transparent interaction of the Design Teams and Transformation Office allow for a broader, yet detailed examination of the impacts of changes being considered. Having clinicians, executive leaders, midlevel managers, front-line staff and System Office associates participate in meetings, data requests and thought

Tony DeDominico, MSN, RN, Senior Director of Operations, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Ascension Texas, left; Sarah Fisher, Surgical Service Director-OrthoSports, St. Vincent’s Birmingham; and Juan Sanchez, MD, Vice President, Surgical Services, Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, discuss excellence in surgical care.

sharing is allowing us to impact the future of Ascension.”

— JULIE ELLIS, SENIOR DIRECTOR, BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TOOLS, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, ASCENSION

SUMMER 2019

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Our Mission-inspired Transformation

Reimagining our presence and capacity THE TEAM IS LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO REPURPOSE OR TRANSFORM SELECT FACILITIES WITH UNDERUTILIZED SPACE. THE TEAM IS WORKING TO UNDERSTAND CAPACITY AND USE OF ASCENSION’S FACILITIES AND IDENTIFYING PARTNERS AND MODELS THAT CAN SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCESS AND HELP ASCENSION BEST MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS.

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I am so appreciative of the opportunity to serve on the Presence and Capacity Mission-inspired Transformation Design Team. This is a new body of work for me, and due to the agile methodology, cross-functional team makeup and the close engagement with other MiT Design Teams, I have learned more in the past few months about our ministry than at any other time in my tenure.

The challenge we have been tasked with is a significant one, but I am confident that we can

Members of the Reimagining Our Presence and Capacity Design Team discuss areas of focus and potential deliverables.

deliver innovative and pragmatic solutions in a very short amount of time thanks to our visionary leaders and the space we have been given to

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work in creative, nontraditional ways.”

— JASON PAGAN, PHD, SENIOR DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES, ASCENSION INDIANA, AND STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING & ANALYTICS, ASCENSION

To me, ‘Reimagining Our Presence and Capacity’ means stewarding our assets to better enable us to serve our Mission into the future. For Ascension, it means finding a way to honor heritage, meet the needs of our changing time and ensure a vibrant future for our ministry.”

— SARAH HERZOG, VICE PRESIDENT AND ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL, ASCENSION, ASCENSION WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST MINISTRY MARKETS

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Growing covered individuals through strategic purchaser contracting

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ore and more, large employers are contracting directly with providers to meet the health needs of their employees.

Starting with the Ministry Markets where direct-to-employer arrangements are in place, this Design Team is identifying market gaps and developing value-based, insurance-like and bundle offerings that may be attractive to self-insured organizations. The team is developing a consistent and standardized approach to proactively seeking mutually beneficial relationships with purchasers and other aggregators of covered individuals.

THIS TEAM IS FOCUSED ON CREATING DIFFERENTIATED, ECONOMICALLY ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS OFFERINGS AND

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GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGIES THAT WILL LEAD TO NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH SELF-INSURED EMPLOYERS AND OTHER AGGREGATORS OF LIVES IN EACH MINISTRY MARKET.

Managing a population is clearly ‘where the puck is heading’ in healthcare. This is an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to achieve the quadruple aim and to bring high-quality and affordable healthcare to our communities. We have the opportunity to continue to move the organization more from volume to value, to serve our communities as a cross-continuum healthcare system. … We are learning to apply a new tool (agile) and bring together energetic and dedicated professionals into a new type of conversation, with a renewed sense of urgency, and I think that is a huge win!”

— DON BIGNOTTI, MD, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, ASCENSION MICHIGAN

Next steps

A Design Team listens and discusses how Ascension can partner with self-insured employers to arrange value-based, insurance-like offerings in our Ministry Markets.

In the weeks and months ahead, the work of our Design Teams will be visible across our ministry in projects and pilots designed to help us test, refine and spread change quickly, adopting successes from market to market.

Enabling implementation of these important workstreams and our continued growth and strength as One Ascension is an evolution of our operating model to create a more integrated, flatter organization that brings aligned accountability and allows us to move more quickly and nimbly in our decision making.

We are committed to the transformative work envisioned by our Design Teams and to ensuring Ascension’s organizational culture supports opportunities for leaders and associates to identify and implement new ways of working and solutions in a participatory community of work and mutual respect.

SUMMER 2019

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Ambulatory process improvement pays dividends with speed and savings ASCENSION’S NEW APPROACH TO AMBULATORY SERVICE DEVELOPMENT PROVIDES CONSISTENCY AND SAVES TIME

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ealthcare is undergoing an incredible transformation.

Near-daily scientific advancements in medicine and the rapid progress of technology are bringing healthcare delivery ever closer to home.

To prepare for what the future of healthcare might bring, Ascension continues a strategic focus on the way we develop outpatient sites of care across our ministries. Recently, Ascension’s Strategy Ministry-wide Function led an interdisciplinary team to further enhance our ambulatory strategy, using the experiences from our individual ministries to better serve individuals where it’s most convenient for them.

“When Ascension leadership identified our ambulatory development process as a key strategic area to be addressed, we knew there were some fundamental changes needed in our process to accelerate time to market. Our work group identified the key bottlenecks and pain points and worked together with leadership to identify solutions,” said Steve Fiamingo, Associate Vice President, Strategy, Ascension. “This was a complete team effort, a true One Ascension example, where we were able to bring together a cross-functional working team to solve a problem for the organization and make real improvements to the ambulatory process.

We still have work to do to improve, but we are well on our way.”

“Efficient execution of our ambulatory strategy is essential to Ministry Markets developing clinically integrated systems of care to achieve our Advanced Strategic Direction,” said Karen Springer, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Operations, Ascension. “For persons to receive the right care in the right setting at the right time at an affordable cost, they need a menu of integrated services that are comprehensive, coordinated and convenient.”

As recently as four years ago, Ascension Texas had a limited network of ambulatory sites of care. The ministry primarily relied on community partners such as Austin Regional Clinic and the local Federally Qualified Health Center, Lone Star Circle of Care, to fill that void.

“Although we maintain a strong relationship with Austin Regional Clinic and Lone Star Circle of Care, we needed to develop an ambulatory network with a broader geographic reach and more integrated clinical specialties, including telemedicine and behavioral health, than our community partners could provide,” said Ray Anderson, Chief Strategy Officer, Ascension Texas. “To meet the healthcare needs of Central Texas, support our clinically integrated system of care and develop a robust network for our health plan offerings, we began development of our ambulatory network in 2015. We soon realized that we needed better organization of resources and accountability for each aspect of the process locally and at the System level.”

Jen Barrera, Director of Strategic Implementation, Ascension Texas, was tapped to take on the

IDE NTIF YING AND OVE RCOMING CHALLE NG ES

“Often the most vulnerable in our society are forced to access care in less than optimal settings, such as the emergency department,” said Jamie Logsdon, Vice President, Strategy, Ascension Wisconsin. “Having alternative sites of care such as freestanding urgent care centers closer to home could help those whose work hours conflict with their physician’s office hours, or who lack transportation.”

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Elijah Murrell, Director, Ambulatory Projects, Ascension

highest-priority ambulatory projects from initial development to full operation. To do this, Jen had to engage and manage the right stakeholders.

“We’ve had success in opening new sites of care and yet we have opportunities to improve some of our processes,” Jen said. Other colleagues across the System who also were opening ambulatory sites of care noted similar challenges that impacted how quickly they could start caring for patients.

With the feedback from Texas as well as other markets, Ascension leadership acknowledged the difficulty of quickly advancing ambulatory projects across several ministries. It was determined that Ascension needed a new end-to-end process to accelerate the development of ambulatory sites.

With that goal in sight, Ascension established a core work group to gather information. The first task for the core work group was analyzing more than 50 projects that had been started between FY15 and FY18. Elijah Murrell took on a new role as Ascension’s Ambulatory Projects Director.

“It was a great first step in beginning to align decision-making authority and accountability among the stakeholders in the development of ambulatory sites,” Ray said. “The new structure allowed for better collaboration and a sense of ownership. We could now focus everyone’s attention on Ascension’s primary goal, which is taking care of patients and families.”

The work group quickly learned that getting from project conception and approval to the start of construction and, ultimately, the opening of a new site was taking up to 24 months. Group members recommended a new goal for Ascension: occupancy of new sites within 12 to 18 months from project approval.

WORKING IN A NEW WAY: OU R A SCE NSION WAY

Ascension took several important steps toward meeting its new goal: • Developed an ambulatory playbook to help Ministry Markets create facility plans based on the opportunities for regional partnership, population trends and data on the needs of specific populations.

• Initiated monthly Ministry Market touchbase calls with ambulatory leaders to help System leaders better understand pending projects and help identify which to bring forward.

Ambulatory Strategy Playbook components — the foundation for the redesigned process Objective Market Analysis Using quantitative analysis, assess local healthcare landscape and identify initial prioritization of sub-markets

Local Market Conditions and Strategic Context Complete assessment of Ministry Market’s service mix, strategic priorities and competitive landscape

Identify Priority Markets and Assets Using qualitative and quantitative analyses, identify priority markets with recommended site types

Retail Corridor Selection and Site Sequencing Mapping of ideal site location based on corridor analysis and strategic categorization of recommended sites

Selection of Unique Services by Site Determination of service offerings at each site and related estimated volumes

• Created a standard project initiation meeting to engage all stakeholders in bringing projects to full readiness for review.

Input at these pivotal meetings would come from not only local and national team members in Operations; Real Estate; Medxcel Planning, Design and Construction; and the Strategy Ministry-wide Function but also Ascension Technologies; Ascension’s Human Resources, Finance, Legal, and Marketing and Communications teams; and Ascension Medical Group.

“Input from AMG clinicians will guide Medxcel’s refinement of design standards and facility models, leading to a standard portfolio of options,” Elijah said. “This will enable project construction to begin very shortly after capital approval.

We will become much more efficient in building our designs in each market.”

SUMMER 2019

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Getting back in the game

of life

Orthopedic advances return patients to their favorite activities

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Jennifer’s successful ankle surgery at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Michigan keeps her active on the golf course.

fter nine years serving in the military took a toll on her body, Jennifer found herself on the path to orthopedic surgery.

Following successful ankle surgery at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Michigan and a quick recovery, she was able to get back to doing the things she loves, such as playing golf. Jennifer now travels across the country to play with veterans and even competed in the VGA National Golf Championship.

Vincent, a grandfather of two and an avid motorcycle rider, was living with pain because he thought he was too young for a hip replacement. Twenty-six hours after surgery at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit, he was home walking and playing with his grandchildren. A week later he was able to get back on his motorcycle.

As the U.S. population grows and grows older, the need for orthopedic procedures — including hip and knee replacement — also increases. The number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double from about 50 million today to nearly 100 million by 2060. According to a Becker’s Spine Report published last year, total hip replacements are expected to grow by 171 percent and total knee replacements by 181 percent by 2030.

These statistics are one reason Ascension is focused on attracting and caring for those who need orthopedic procedures, allowing them to get back to the activities they enjoy.

Ascension ministries are taking many approaches to meet the needs of this growing population. One such example: Because falls are the single biggest cause of major orthopedic trauma in seniors, the Rose Family Senior Assessment for Independent Living Center on the campus of Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, Michigan, offers assessments and immediate care for seniors, providing on-site education programs and treatment for mobility, balance and fall prevention.

“ Orthopedics is one of Ascension’s key service lines in terms of growth potential.”

— JIM PALAZZO, VICE PRESIDENT, SERVICE LINES, ASCENSION

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Take the first step ... to living with less pain

NEW ORTHOPEDIC MARKETING CAMPAIGN INVITES CONSUMERS TO ‘ENJOY MORE OF LIFE’ In support of the orthopedic service line and its goals for continued growth, Ascension’s Marketing and Communications team launched a consumer-focused advertising campaign this spring. Knowing that orthopedics and joint replacement volume is increasingly coming through self-referral, with more than 30 percent of consumers playing an active role in choosing their orthopedic surgeon, © Ascension 2019. All rights reserved. 518952

the campaign invited people to get back to enjoying life again.

When it comes to any orthopedic need, Ascension Genesys care teams are here when you’re ready. With a full range of surgical options as well as less invasive orthopedic services, our goal is to help you live with less pain so your next step can be a leap.

Research by Ascension’s marketing intelligence team verified the right language, including the importance of a personalized plan tailored to a patient’s specific needs and innovations that speak

Get the orthopedic care that’s right for you at ascension.org/michiganortho

to shorter recovery times.

“We know the importance of meeting people when and where they are searching for information, validating their choice of surgeons and choosing

Take the next step...

From left, Transfer Center staff Holly Kintzel, BSN, RN, and Vickie to living with Triplett, ASN, RN, facilitate patient transfers into the system of St. Vincent, part of Ascension Indiana, by connecting a sending physician less pain to an appropriate accepting physician and then coordinating bed placement and nursing report.

From assessment to on-site treatment, the care teams at Ascension Standish Orthopedic Walk-in Clinic, the region’s only clinic of its kind, listen to understand your situation to provide the care you need, when you need it.

With a full range of up-to-date, less invasive orthopedic services, our goal is to help you live with less pain, so your next step can be a leap.

their provider,” said Nick Ragone, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension. “By creating a campaign that speaks to compassionate, personalized care and weaving in powerful stories of our patients that could be easily shared with peers, we were able to create a relationship between our providers and those looking for care.”

Supported by TV, radio, print, outdoor billboards, social media and patient testimonial videos, and optimized online for those searching for orthopedic care, the campaign focused on increasing attendance at joint pain seminars and generating engagement

Services: • Muscle, bone or joint injury • Pain or swelling in a joint • Arthritis • Knee sprain or strain • Wrist, elbow or shoulder injury • Ankle sprain or strain

through online health risk assessments.

Focused toward active adults with emphasis on summer injuries, weekend warriors who may have overextended themselves and adults 50-plus who have existing orthopedic problems, the creative

Walk-in or schedule an appointment 989-790-6719

805 W. Cedar St. Standish, MI 48658

approach centered around helping patients take the

Located in the Visiting Physician’s Office, near the Administration Building

first step to living with less pain and getting back to enjoying more of life.

Open Mondays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. © Ascension 2019. All rights reserved. 519098

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Vincent hits the road on his motorcycle pain-free after undergoing hip replacement surgey at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit.

Another example: For patients needing short-term care, Ascension Genesys Short-Term Rehabilitation Center in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is the only hospital in the region to offer patients the convenience of having their orthopedic surgical procedure, physical therapy and short-term rehabilitation all in one location.

And it’s not just the 65-plus group that is seeking joint replacements or other common orthopedic procedures. “Weekend warriors” often experience joint pain and are looking for relief at our sites of care.

Advancements in robotic surgery and unique treatment options such as anterior hip replacement are continuing to lower the typical age range for adults undergoing orthopedic surgical procedures.

“Orthopedics is one of Ascension’s key service lines in terms of growth potential,” said Jim Palazzo, Vice President, Service Lines, Ascension.“And we project that demand for outpatient joint replacement surgery will nearly double over the next 10 years.

Since close to 80 percent of our orthopedic surgeons are not employed by Ascension Medical Group, aligning strategically through different models is necessary and vitally important in our ability to deliver the best care for our patients.”

To accomplish these goals Ascension has reorganized its service line leadership so that each Ministry Market features a dyad partnership — a director

of orthopedics and a lead orthopedic physician working collaboratively.

This partnership is tasked with improving access to care, evaluating and promoting quality initiatives, and assessing potential growth and business opportunities among orthopedic specialties and sub-specialties. Structuring service lines in this way is better preparing Ascension for the increased need for orthopedic surgeries in all areas, and especially for hip and knee joint replacements.

In Michigan, where Ascension already cares for a large portion of the state’s orthopedic patients, more than 7,000 total joint replacement surgical procedures were performed last year. And many more people who needed less-intensive procedures and assessments are especially interested in convenience. One of the ways Ascension is caring for patients who are looking for a fast and convenient option after an injury is a walk-in clinic. Four new clinics are now open in Michigan — with no appointment necessary. Each clinic is directly associated with the local ministry and many of them are staffed by orthopedic physicians, nurses and specialists from the hospital. For people seeking the convenience of having all their care in one place, these clinics provide an examination, diagnosis, imaging and treatment after an injury.

A similar one-stop-shop model is being used at a new Spine Institute at Ascension Saint Thomas in Tennessee. Patients can have all their spine-related orthopedic needs taken care of, including pre-op imaging/ testing, surgery, post-op recovery and rehabilitation all in one location.

One of the ways Ascension Texas is growing and meeting the needs of its community is through sports medicine and other trauma-related orthopedic services. A new trauma clinic at Ascension Providence in Waco offers minimally invasive hip replacement surgeries and is piloting direct, same-day scheduling between its clinics and a large family practice pediatric group.

“We’re focused on increasing our footprint in orthopedic sports medicine in Texas, and we know that to be successful, we need to exceed expectations,” said Brent Bauer, MD, Orthopedic Trauma Medical Director, Ascension. “We’re asking for and sharing patient testimonials to reinforce our service-oriented culture, and we’re making the clinic as patient friendly as possible. We’re also looking at ways to manage pain for our patients and get them back to their busy lives faster.”

“ We’re focused on increasing our footprint in orthopedic sports medicine in Texas, and we know that to be successful, we need to exceed expectations.” — BRENT BAUER, MD, ORTHOPEDIC TRAUMA MEDICAL DIRECTOR, ASCENSION

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G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

NOTES FROM ACROSS OUR ONE INTEGRATED MINISTRY ALABAMA

Rating marks top performance St. Vincent’s St. Clair received 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outstanding scores in patient experience and quality.

The rating recognizes inpatient performance on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, a national standard for patient experience surveying, as well as 57 quality measures.

Fund gives to Jeremiah’s Hope Academy The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham awarded St. Vincent’s Foundation a $30,000 grant for Jeremiah’s Hope Academy, a job skills training program to equip persons for entry-level healthcare positions.

OR offers 3-D imaging Providence Hospital was the first in the Gulf Coast region to offer the latest in high-definition 3-D imaging — a robotic system that uses state-of-the-art imaging to provide head-to-toe patient images throughout a procedure.

AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

Safe sleep quality award received The Birthplace at St. Mary’s Healthcare received the New York State Safe Sleep Project Quality Improvement Award in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the facility’s staff to improve safe sleep practices for infants. The recognition was awarded by the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative.

BALTIMORE

Medical Mission a success Saint Agnes Healthcare partnered with

the United Way of Central Maryland, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and others to provide free health screenings and dental services to members of the community in need during its first Medical Mission at Home event.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Lourdes joins super-CIN Lourdes Hospital has joined health systems across the state of New York in a super-clinically integrated network (CIN) created to expand value to larger populations and strengthen population health management, helping upstate New York health systems, hospitals and provider groups transition to value-based care.

The formation of this CIN serves to share collective expertise and resources across the state while promoting a seamless, consistent, innovative and coordinated patient experience across the network of providers, reducing total cost of care while simultaneously improving the quality and health of communities. Ascension’s St. Mary’s Healthcare in Amsterdam, New York, is also part of the CIN. BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT

Women’s group has heart St. Vincent’s Cardiology, the St. Vincent’s Foundation and the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease collaborated to create St. Vincent’s WomenHeart, a peer-led support group for women with heart disease. The group meets once a month, facilitated by a WomenHeart Champion trained to help improve the lives of other women with heart disease.

FLORIDA

Pediatric hospital opens Sacred Heart Health System celebrated 50 years of dedicated pediatric services with a ribbon-cutting at the new,

four-story Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart. In addition to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Med/ Surg Unit and Pediatric Emergency Department, the facility includes 72 private Neonatal Intensive Care Unit beds. A recent $1.75 million donation will help fund the creation of a pediatric oncology unit.

Bay Medical Sacred Heart joins System Sacred Heart and Ardent Health Services completed the sale of Ardent’s interest in Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City to Ascension. As part of Ascension’s planned $47 million investment to rebuild the hospital after it was devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018, 144 beds will reopen and services will be enhanced during 2019.

Area donor supports center Jacksonville-area philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver provided the lead gift for a cardiovascular facility at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside. The Delores Barr Weaver Heart and Vascular Pavilion will include 30 medical/surgical rooms, 30 intensive care unit rooms and two open-heart surgery units.

Robotics accreditation achieved Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside became the first hospital in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia to receive accreditation from Surgical Review Corporation as a Center of Excellence in robotic surgery. OB-GYN Sonnie Kim-Ashchi, MD, who leads the program, was named a Surgeon of Excellence.

Hospital receives 5 stars Ascension St. Vincent’s Clay County was the only hospital in northeast Florida to receive 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The hospital was also the only facility in the area listed on IBM Watson’s list of “100 Top Hospitals.”

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

ILLINOIS

Code Dignity honors patients When a patient dies at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook, the family is offered the opportunity to walk with their loved one along a back hallway to the morgue. A “Code Dignity” is called to allow staff to participate. eCART system expands The eCART system, which uses real-time data to detect a patient’s clinical deterioration hours or even days in advance of current methods, will further expand from the legacy AMITA Health acute care hospitals to the 11 legacy Presence Health hospitals. eCART detects inpatients at risk of sepsis, cardiac arrest and other conditions that may lead to rapid decline.

INDIANA

Physician receives Red Dress honor Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC, Medical Director of the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation programs at St. Vincent Heart Center, was one of five women honored with the prestigious 2019 Woman’s Day Red Dress Award during a ceremony in New York City. The awards recognize individuals who are highly experienced and respected professionals working passionately every day in their careers to help save, improve and change the lives of American women.

Grant targets breast cancer St. Vincent Indianapolis genetic counselors received a national grant targeted to improve the quality of breast cancer patient care. The program was one of 15 projects chosen to share more than $1.8 million from the Association of Community Cancer Centers in partnership with Pfizer Global Medical Grants.

This team’s work through the grant seeks to double the number of eligible

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patients in treatment for early-onset and metastatic breast cancer for genetic counseling and testing.

Transport team achieves accreditation The St. Vincent Critical Care Transport team received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS). St. Vincent is the only critical care transport in Indiana with this accreditation, and its Neonatal, Pediatric and Maternal Fetal team is also the only specialty transport program in Indiana to hold CAMTS accreditation for both air and ground transportation.

Seahawks’ Griffin twins inspire patients Twin brothers and fellow Seattle Seahawks Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin made a surprise visit to Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent. They continued to pursue their dreams of playing together in the NFL even after Shaquem’s left hand was amputated when he was 4 years old due to a medical condition known as amniotic band syndrome, which caused his hand to develop irregularly. Their lifelong dreams came true when the Seattle Seahawks drafted Shaquill in 2017 and Shaquem in 2018.

Shaquem has since used his platform as the first one-handed NFL player to be an inspiration to children with disabilities.

St. Vincent Indianapolis Genetic Counselors, from left, Stephanie Cohen, MS, LCGC; Dawn Nixon, MS, LCGC; and Claire Harwood, MS, LCGC, spearheaded an initiative to improve the quality of breast cancer patient care.

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

App improves outcomes In partnership with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, St. Vincent launched the PulsePoint Respond mobile app to help decrease the number of sudden cardiac arrest fatalities. The app is designed to engage local residents trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first responders when a life-threatening emergency occurs in their community.

KANSAS

ED opens in closed hospital Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg has opened an emergency department in a hospital that closed in Fort Scott, Kansas, 30 miles away. Ascension Via Christi is also providing diagnostic imaging and laboratory services in clinical space leased from the hospital’s former owner.

MICHIGAN

Parish hosts Medical Mission Ascension Michigan’s first Medical Mission at Home event, held at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, was an incredible demonstration of its commitment to live Ascension’s Mission in service to others. Physicians, clinicians, volunteers and executives joined with longtime community partners, including

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

the Chaldean American Association of Health Professionals, Chaldean American Ladies of Charity, and Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, to provide services, referrals and information. Many of the approximately 150 participants were refugees in need of health and related resources in their new environment. To support the many non-English-speaking attendees present, each was assigned a bilingual navigator to assist them in accessing the primary and specialty services available.

Ceremony marks rebranding finale It took two cranes nearly two weeks to erect the nearly 20-foot-tall sign on the fifth story of Ascension Genesys Hospital.

To recognize the culmination of rebranding at Ascension Genesys, an official lighting celebration was held. While weather prohibited an outdoor ceremony, associates, family and friends gathered inside the hospital on the fourth-floor rotunda to celebrate. The sign is the first exterior building sign at Ascension Genesys and to date is the largest sign on any building in the Grand Blanc community.

Northern hospitals recognized for quality Ascension Standish Hospital was the only critical access hospital in Michigan to receive a quality rating of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It was also recognized with 2018 Performance Leadership awards in quality and outcomes from The Chartis Center for Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. Additionally, Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Tawas City was identified as one of the Top 20 Rural Community Hospitals in America from the National Rural Health Association. And for the second consecutive year, the hospital was named among the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals in the United

Ascension Medical Group physician Giacomo Folden, DO, evaluates blood pressure readings and makes recommendations on ways to lower blood pressure at Ascension Michigan’s first Medical Mission at Home.

States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. It also received a 2018 Performance Leadership Award in the category of outcomes from The Chartis Center for Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.

Providence, Ascension River District and Ascension St. John — attained the national record for the highest number of board-certified holistic nurses in the U.S.

Renovated birthing center opens Ascension St. John Hospital leaders unveiled the newly renovated Cracchiolo Family Birthing Center. The $6 million project was a complete refresh of the Labor, Delivery & Recovery Unit, which is composed of 31 private suites, a seven-bed obstetrical emergency department, and 16 birthing suites used for ante- and postpartum stays.

Caring Cradle helps families St. John Medical Center was one of the recipients of a Caring Cradle for babies who are stillborn or who have died, courtesy of The Jaxon Cade Foundation and Catie MacDonald, who raised funds for the cradle in memory of her daughter, Olivia. The cradle is a compassionate tool for Labor and Delivery to help families experiencing infant loss.

Robotic liver removal conducted Maher Ghanem, MD, and Samuel Shaheen, MD, were the first surgeons in Michigan to remove 80 percent of a liver through a robotic-assisted procedure.

Surgery on the liver can be extremely challenging given its position under the rib cage and vascular complexity.

Dr. Ghanem, affiliated with Ascension St. Mary’s, moved to Saginaw to develop Michigan’s first and only minimally invasive robotic liver surgery program.

Most holistic nurses For the third year in a row, the four Ascension hospitals in southeast Michigan — Ascension Macomb-Oakland, Ascension

OKLAHOMA

TENNESSEE

First artificial heart implanted Saint Thomas Heart completed its first total artificial heart surgery on a 28-year-old male who arrived at Saint Thomas in severe heart failure. Due to the patient’s condition, the team determined the only chance for survival was an artificial heart transplant.

TEXAS

National honor for response unit The Ascension Texas Infectious Disease Response Unit (IDRU) was recognized by the National Ebola Training and

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

Education Center (NETEC). Toby Hatton, MA, BSN, RN, CHSP, Regional Emergency Management Officer for Ascension Texas, has worked with NETEC since its inception and applied the concept of the IDRU to form the Ascension Texas IDRU. The Ascension Texas IDRU is the first of its kind in the nation and is part of the region’s Emergency Medical Task Force.

Midwife team empowers patients at new clinic Ascension Providence Hospital opened a midwifery clinic in its Waco Center for Women’s Health. A team of three certified midwives and clinical support staff provide care for women’s health needs.

“We are excited to offer the freedom and flexibility of midwifery care with the safety and security of hospital birth,” said Richard Haskett, MD, Vice President and Executive Director, Ascension Providence Health Alliance. “We feel this is the best way to surround mom and baby with the safest environment while delivering the natural and personalized birthing experience that so many families desire.”

First wellness and rehab center opens The McCoy Wellness and Rehabilitation Center now doubles the capacity of the rehab and therapy departments at Ascension Seton Hays while offering innovative care close to home. The first-of-its-kind center was completely funded by over 300 generous donors in Hays County.

In addition to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, the center offers physical, occupational and speech therapy.

tent. “Ascension Seton was excited to continue to partner with High Five Events and be the Official Medical Provider for the Rookie Triathlon,” said Adam Bauman, Vice President, Business Development.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Dispensary of Hope opens at Providence Providence Health System now offers eligible patients access to free medications through the Dispensary of Hope program. The agreement between Providence’s pharmacy and the Dispensary of Hope marks the first Dispensary of Hope site in Washington, D.C. Ascension’s Dispensary of Hope distributes donated medications nationwide to pharmacies and safety-net clinics serving uninsured, low-income and chronically ill persons.

WISCONSIN

Leader elected to ACHE council Seth Teigen, FACHE, President of Ascension Franklin and Ascension St. Francis hospitals, was appointed to the Council of Regents, the legislative body of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). The Council of Regents serves as a vital link between ACHE and members by approving governance and membership regulations as The Ascension Texas Infectious Disease Response Unit drills with Austin Travis County Emergency Management Services during one of their quarterly trainings.

Seton is triathlon medical provider Ascension Seton was the official medical provider for the 16th annual Rookie Triathlon May 5 at Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park in Austin. The Ascension Seton team provided an on-course presence throughout the event and at the finish-line medical

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G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

well as promoting ACHE programs, services and activities within their respective areas. As a Regent, he represents ACHE’s membership in Wisconsin.

Geriatric ED accreditation received Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee received American College of Emergency Physicians geriatric emergency department accreditation.

Nonskid and nonglare flooring that reduces fall risks, accessible handrails, softer lighting that creates a calmer environment, and equipment upgrades that help seniors feel more at ease are all physical transformations in the new geriatric emergency department.

Personalized care grows in Racine Ascension broke ground for Ascension Racine Medical Center. While continuing to offer primary care, the new facility will offer specialty and urgent care, on-site laboratory and imaging services, pharmacy, rehabilitation, occupational health, and an outpatient surgery center.

Set to open in January 2020, the new medical center is part of a $100 million investment in the Racine community and part of a multiyear, multipronged commitment to create more convenient and affordable access points for patients throughout the state.

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

Labor and Delivery update begins Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee will invest $16 million in a new Labor and Delivery Unit. The area will include additional delivery rooms, Caesarean section suites and patient-friendly amenities.

Racine hosts Medical Mission Ascension Wisconsin held a Medical Mission at Home May 11 at Park High School. The event provided health and social services, including medical evaluations, basic laboratory testing, dental care, pharmacy/medications, and access to spiritual and community services.

Two executives honored Sandy Anderson, President of Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital, Tomahawk, and Ascension Eagle River Hospital, Eagle River, and Jennifer Derks, Chief Administrative Officer, Ascension Calumet Medical Center, Chilton, were named two of the 71 Critical Access Hospital CEOs to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review. Jennifer was also awarded a Best of the Best Administrative Award by the Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association.

ASCENSION GLOBAL MISSION

Ministries donate medical surplus In September 2017, Ascension Global Mission and The Resource Group began working with MedSurplus Alliance, a group of accredited Medical Surplus Recovery Organizations (MSROs), to collect and redistribute usable deadstock medical surplus to charitable organizations in low-resource countries. To date, more than half of our Ministry Markets have donated to their local MSRO. Those that have not yet made donations are underway or are waiting for the MSRO in their

area to receive final accreditation.

During FY18, one of the MSROs collected 129,328 pounds of medical supplies and equipment with an estimated value of $1.3 million.

This MSRO provides needed medical supplies and equipment to 36 countries ranging from Bangladesh to Zambia.

ASCENSION INSURANCE

System improves care management Optum Care Coordination was recently deployed in Ascension Indiana and the Ascension Wisconsin South Region, where more than 200 care management professionals were trained and are actively working with the system.

The Optum Care Coordination platform empowers Ascension to manage patient care proactively and intelligently across the healthcare ecosystem, prioritizing interventions and allocating resources for at-risk individuals. This at-a-glance insight lets care coordinators create personalized, patient-centric care plans that they can share with, and collaborate on with, all members of a patient’s care team to help those we serve navigate the health system.

ASCENSION INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Conference features industry experts Ascension Investment Management hosted its annual investor conference June 26-27. Catholic investors gathered to listen to a panel of industry experts discuss the emerging investment opportunities in renewable resources and Ascension Investment Management’s views on how the markets are affecting its investment philosophy.

ASCENSION LIVING

Resort-style orthopedic recovery begins To enhance the quality of post-orthopedic surgery recovery, Ascension Living introduced an all-inclusive, resort-style orthopedic respite stay program in several assisted-living communities. The program allows postoperative patients who do not have the support system needed at home after discharge to receive care in a furnished assisted-living apartment. Respite guests recover with the support of on-site outpatient therapy, transportation to medical appointments, nursing oversight, life enrichment programming and more.

Patient care award received Ascension Living received a 2018 Excellence in Patient Care award from Studer Group, part of Huron Consulting Group.

Ascension Living was recognized for demonstrating outstanding performance in post-acute patient care in 2017. To be considered for an award in this category, an organization must rank in the 90th percentile or higher for overall outpatient services satisfaction as measured by patient satisfaction surveys.

ASCENSION TECHNOLOGIES

CIO named to respected list Gerry Lewis, Ascension Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, and Ascension Technologies President and CEO, was named to the 2019 list of 100 Hospital and Health System CIOs to Know by Becker’s Hospital Review.

The publication’s editorial team makes selections based on nominations and independent research.

ASCENSION VENTURES

New investment, acquisitions, activities Ascension Ventures closed an investment in Strive Health. Strive Health is

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

partnering with providers to transform kidney care through early engagement; comprehensive, coordinated care; and expanded treatment options. Also, two Ascension Ventures portfolio companies recently announced acquisitions, Comprehensive Pharmacy Solutions (CPS) and Voalte Technologies. CPS provides a range of pharmacy services to hospitals and Voalte is a healthcare mobile communications platform. In other news, Ascension Ventures hosted its second Portfolio Company Summit, bringing together nearly 70 leaders from portfolio companies, Ascension and other health system limited partners.

Topics included health system strategies, the increasing importance of service lines and the important role of the consumer in a fee-for-value world. Finally, Matt Hermann, Senior Managing Director of Ascension Ventures, judged “pitch contests” for nurse entrepreneurs at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

conference in February and for healthcare wearables at the South by Southwest event in Austin, Texas, in March.

MEDXCEL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Medxcel upgrades communications platform Medxcel is connecting its emergency management teams to FirstNet — a dedicated public safety communications platform. This upgrade allows Medxcel to equip eligible Medxcel hospital personnel with new capabilities and reliable wireless access to critical information to better serve first responders and patients at Ascension facilities.

Adopting the FirstNet communications platform will minimize the common roadblock of communication challenges during emergency or disaster events.

“FirstNet gives us the reliability to help maintain communications during disasters so our teams can coordinate patient needs while also staying in close contact with our first-responder partners to

Stay connected with Ascension @ HOME, @ WORK, @ YOUR FINGERTIPS Twitter: @ascensionorg Keep up with Ascension tweets. Follow Ascension.

Facebook: facebook.com/ascensionorg Like our Ascension page and get the latest updates on your newsfeed.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ascensionorg Stay up to date with organization news and connect with other associates.

YouTube: youtube.com/c/ascensionorg Watch videos about Ascension on an array of topics.

Learn more about Ascension at ascension.org.

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prep for inbound care,” said Scott Cormier, Vice President of Emergency Management, Environment of Care and Safety, Medxcel.

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

THE RESOURCE GROUP

Organization celebrates 10 years Rooted in the ideal of hospitality, The Resource Group serves caregivers and patients through innovative resource and supply management solutions built on listening and collaboration.

Through the leadership of its caregivers, The Resource Group has delivered $1.2 billion in savings over the past 10 years. This year, The Resource Group commemorates 10 years of service by celebrating its identity and people, and by participating in service events nationwide. As The Resource Group continues its journey, it looks forward to serving, innovating and collaborating for years to come.

Good Day Ascension / Summer 2019 - Issue 10 Good Day Ascension is published by Ascension Marketing and Communications for associates and family members across our integrated national health ministry. Stories in Good Day Ascension support our One Ascension journey and reflect the commitment of associates, providers and volunteers across the health ministry to provide compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.

Executive Editor: Nick Ragone, Esq., nick.ragone@ascension.org Editor: Ted Siegel, ted.siegel@ascension.org Design and Production: dcpubs.com To share comments, ask questions or suggest articles for Good Day Ascension, please email GoodDay@ascension.org, or send a note to Editor, Good Day Ascension, Ascension Marketing and Communications, 101 S. Hanley Road, Suite 1100, St. Louis, MO 63105.

All content copyright 2019 Ascension. Republication or any other use of the contents of Good Day Ascension without the express written consent of Ascension is prohibited. Any reference to or depiction of a product or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by Ascension. Online version available at Ascension.org/goodday.

L AST WORD

As seen on the daily Good Day Ascension TO READ MORE ABOUT THESE STORIES AND OTHER NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR ONE INTEGRATED MINISTRY, VISIT GOODDAY.ASCENSION.ORG FROM WITHIN THE ASCENSION NETWORK.

✙ Lab assistant’s attention helps save patient’s life “You saved my life,” “Mrs. D” said to Laboratory Assistant Jennifer Klawender during a recent visit to the outpatient lab at Ascension River District Hospital, part of Ascension Michigan. Jennifer drew Mrs. D’s blood the previous time she was at Ascension River District for blood work. During that visit, the patient showed Jennifer a lump on her arm, and Jennifer suggested she may want to have an emergency physician look at it.

Since the patient was undergoing cancer treatment and Jennifer had gone through it as well, they had had From left, Teresa Barkley, Laboratory Manager, Ascension River District Hospital, and Laboratory Assistant Jennifer Klawender.

conversations about how the treatment changes the body so much. Mrs. D said she appreciated Jennifer’s concern but was hesitant about going to emergency department. But when Jennifer told her “that sometimes it’s better to err on the side of precaution,” she decided to stop in the ED before she left the hospital.

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

✙ Ministry and Mission Fund supports AMG associates in Indiana Thanks to a grant from the Ascension Ministry and Mission Fund, eight associates of Ascension Medical Group in Indiana recently became Certified Clinical Medical Assistants.

The associates, who previously served as Patient Service Representatives, completed a 14-week Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) course followed by 80 hours of hands-on clinicals.

After completing the course, participants take the National Healthcareer Association’s CCMA exam. In this first graduating class, all the participants passed the exam on their first try.

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

From left, new Certified Clinical Medical Assistant Martha Corn; instructor Samantha Mullins; CCMAs Sinikqua Moncrief, Dionna Hill, Chelsea Schumacher, Pratika Patel and Jessica Stanley; instructor Kataushia Thomas; and CCMAs Kisha Moore and Karla Hart.

✙ Caregivers treat 140 people at first Medical Mission at Home in Waycross, Georgia Ascension St. Vincent’s, part of Ascension Florida, provided free care to 140 people in just four hours at the health system’s first Medical Mission at Home in Waycross, Georgia.

The event was an expansion of annual events held in Jacksonville, Florida. It was held at the St. Vincent’s Health Center in Waycross. Throughout the day, volunteers provided free medical care and social services.

“Many organizations support global mission trips that provide free medical care to the underserved, but not every health system reaches out to those who are struggling right in Sister Grace Ford, Chaplain, talks with a patient at the Medical Mission at Home in Waycross, Georgia.

their own communities,” said Tom VanOsdol, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Florida. “This is who we are called to be.”

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

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WE ARE ASCENSION

Mary Delgadillo Regional Director, Virtual Care Operations (Central Region), Ascension Texas

Mary Delgadillo’s role has changed since she began working for Ascension 15 years ago, but her deep desire to improve access to care — especially for those who are poor and vulnerable — has been a constant.

Right out of college, Mary started working the night shift in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of what is now Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, part of Ascension Texas, as a respiratory therapist. Through a series of advances, Mary was an inpatient educator, respiratory care manager, and director of disease management for a clinic treating those with complex chronic conditions before assuming her current role as Regional Director, Virtual Care Operations (Central Region). She is also part of ASPIRE, an Ascension program to support the next generation of healthcare leaders.

“If anyone had told me a few years ago that I’d be working in

virtual care, I would not have believed them,” Mary said.

“But through my experiences, I have become a champion of technology-enabled care models that serve individuals with chronic conditions. I’ve been blessed to work with leaders at Ascension who have not only supported my personal growth but prioritized innovation and learning. Ascension is great about building up its associates and providing opportunities for advancement.”

Mary now works at AscensionConnect, where she can connect people virtually to the care and resources they need.

“My motivation to continue to envision the impossible comes directly from those I serve daily, my team,” she said. “They are the ones truly transforming healthcare. I always say that at the end of the day, I work for them. After all, you’re only as good as your team, right? And trust me, I have an amazing team!”