It's easy to understand, even predictable really,
how we can get distracted by the sheer volume of
projects underway in our health system.
Hello, I'm Anna Roth,
CEO of Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers.
I'd like to talk about how we,
as an organization undergoing so much change and transformation,
must keep our focus and not get swept away
by the business of operating, updating and upgrading.
What's happening in and around our system is huge.
In addition to our ccLink electronic health record implementation,
we're opening the new West County Health Center this year,
expanding the Concord Health Center,
continuing our improvement efforts
and working on a multitude of other projects to
fully realize Health Care Reform in our county.
I've felt myself being pulled into the swirl of
the technological advances we're implementing,
as well as the many new exciting opportunities to
improve ourselves, such as the 1115 Waiver and
the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments program, also known as DSRIP.
I want to take a moment to pause amid this organized commotion
and revisit the real reason we are
undertaking these monumental projects.
I remind myself that these are all just tools
to help us fulfill our purpose: to care for patients.
There are many demands for our attention and time.
Make no mistake that these efforts to improve our system
are critical to realizing our mission.
We are now more able than ever to
provide care on a larger scale and
in better ways than we ever thought possible.
But even while we are well into our ccLink implementation
and other improvement and innovation,
we need to keep our focus on our mission- which is to
care for and improve the health of all people in
Contra Costa County with special attention to those who
are most vulnerable to health problems.
The efforts we are making toward quality and safety improvement,
patient-centered care,
partnering with patients and families,
and other innovations are essential.
When given the opportunity to step back
to scan the entire landscape of what is underway,
it is truly breathtaking to see all that we are doing.
Never a week goes by that I am not asked about
the innovative work you are all doing — that includes you
— our patient and family partners!
When I speak at events,
unfailingly I am approached afterward by
organizations praising your work
and wanting to learn more.
I believe it is because we are bold enough
to try new and creative approaches
with patients and family members as partners
to find novel ways to do "common things uncommonly well."
What does this mean to me?
It means that our system is being redesigned
to provide the best and highest quality care
that results in a superior care experience
and an overall better health status for Contra Costans
while doing so at the lowest possible cost.
If we can remain focused on our goal—
to provide the best care possible for those most in need—
we won't lose track of our mission.
Please join me in keeping our focus on our purpose,
the purpose of ccLink, DSRIP, innovation, improvement and all we do:
providing the best care in the best way to those we serve.
