Charting Our Course

Initiatives and projects for 2021

COVID-19

We will continue to navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. As the Skagit Regional Health team provides care to the people of our communities, we also will stay on the leading edge of public health guidance, science and safety with a watch on a path on a path to support vaccinations, emerging treatments and testing options to best meet the needs of our team and patients.

ROUNDING 2.0

Leadership rounds are a key component for high reliability organizations as a way to focus on the well-being of managers and team members, to discuss safety and improve the patient experience. Rounds provide a one-on-one forum for staff to share feedback while charting a course to build trust and rapport.

RECRUITMENT

Building and maintaining an outstanding healthcare team is a consistent initiative for Skagit Regional Health. Our team members, including staff and providers, are central to our ability to provide safe, exceptional care. The journey to become a high reliability organization and our True North are designed to create opportunity for continuous learning; build confidence; instill professional fulfillment; and create pride in our team and organization as an outstanding place to work.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Skagit Regional Health recognizes that the communities we serve and our workforce represent a widely diverse population. A Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is at work seeking to understand and break down the walls of inequity. The group, in concert with people across our system, seeks to create cultural awareness throughout the organization through communication, enhanced patient care, education, training and identification of care gaps. NEW SERVICES

Expanding Skagit Regional Health’s array of services continues to be important in meeting the expectations of our patients. In 2021, an orthopedic/spine service line will open; telehealth options will increase and the focus continues on regionalization and collaboration within our growing system.

AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTER (ASC)

To support volume growth and patient demand for surgical and endoscopy services, planning is under way for a 60,000-square-foot ASC on the main Mount Vernon campus. Anticipating completion of a definitive agreement and lease in first quarter of 2021 with completion in Fall 2023.

MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING AND URGENT CARE

To expand access to services, including Urgent Care, planning is under way for a 30,000-square-foot medical office building on Kincaid Street, just west of Interstate 5. Construction is due for completion in late 2022.

MANAGING EXPENSES

Facing unknowns on reimbursement, COVID-19, and other financial drivers, managing our expenses across the system is imperative.

operating 2021

plan

Foundational Principles for Skagit Regional Health

NEXT STEPS

A message from Danny Vera

In the preceding pages, we have described our focus on safety and becoming a high reliability organization (HRO) and we outlined several of our key projects and initiatives for the coming year. In this chapter, we turn our attention to Skagit Regional Health’s specific priorities and goals in our 2021 operating plan. For the third year, this plan is built on our five guiding principles: • Quality and safety • Employee engagement • Patient experience • Growth and access • Finance

As we move into 2021, the priorities presented in the operating plan and the Key Performance Metric (KPM) goals to support them bring additional focus and measurement in keeping with our overarching work on HRO.

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to create an ever-changing challenge for us in the months to come. However, we are making the decision to lay out our goals and present our shared vision as an ongoing commitment to our efforts to continuously improve, create access and care for our patients.

We pledge to regularly report on our progress to the Board of Commissioners, our leaders and healthcare team as the months unfold and, as always, invite your feedback along the journey.

DANNY VERA, PharmD, MBA Regional Vice President Chief Operating Officer