Create and Sustain an Improvement Culture to Drive Clinical, Financial, and Operational Outcomes

Creating and Sustaining an Improvement Culture

January 24, 2018

Agenda

1. Brief Health Catalyst Overview.

2. The Importance of Focusing on

Culture and Communication.

3. Outcomes Improvement Governance.

• Roles and responsibilities.

4. Creating an Improvement Culture.

• Best practices on how and what to

communicate.

© 2018 Health Catalyst

Proprietary and Confidential

Health Catalyst Overview

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Representative Investors

Representative Customers Founded: 2008

Employees: 490+

HQ: Salt Lake City, UT

Solution: EDW, Analytic Apps &

Professional Services

Patients: 85+ Million

Hospitals: 390+

Clinics 4,000+

http://www.crystalrunhealthcare.com/

http://www.crystalrunhealthcare.com/

http://www.ey.com/US/en/Home

http://www.ey.com/US/en/Home



Leadership, Culture, and Governance

Financial Alignment

What should

we be doing?

How are

we doing?

How do we

change?

Where do we focus?

How are we financially compensated?

Core Competencies of Outcomes ImprovementWhy this focus is important.



Key Definitions

- Culture

• The values, beliefs and norms that characterize your organization.

• A determining factor in your organization’s ability to adapt to change and

achieve meaningful outcomes improvement.

- Outcomes Improvement Governance

• The leadership, structure, process and organizational culture needed to

support sustained, system-wide outcomes improvement.

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Governance Handbook

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Governance Principles

Stakeholder Engagement: Starting at the top,

engage all stakeholders around a common vision.

Shared Understanding: Have a common

understanding of organizational need, capabilities,

and readiness.

Alignment: Adopt a consistent improvement

methodology, align incentives, and balance

polarities.

Focus: Practice disciplined decision-making to

prioritize, fund, organize, and sustain initiatives.

The governance “must-haves” that support the success of outcomes improvement in healthcare organizations, regardless of their structure:

Our emphasis is on

principles, not prescriptions.



Outcomes Improvement Governance Committee

• Establish a vision for outcomes improvement.

• Identify and select priorities.

• Develop structure to support improvement efforts.

• Allocate resources.

• Align incentives.

• Manage and hold teams accountable.

• COMMUNICATE.

Key Functions

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WHAT Needs to be Communicated to Support a Culture of Improvement?

• A clear and compelling vision.

• Allows your leadership team to affirm the importance of outcomes

improvement work.

• Engages people at every level of the organization.

• Facilitates the achievement of organizational strategy and goals.

• The strategic goals and the organizational priorities.

• The output of the Governance Committee.

• Transparent expectations for improvement.

• Everyone is on the improvement team.

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WHAT Needs to be Communicated to Support a Culture of Improvement?

• The improvement methodology.

• Process for initiating improvement

work.

• How to access resources.

• Include clarity on authority.

• Accountability, measurement and

reporting mechanisms.

• Results - successes and failures.

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Conversely - “Worst Practices”

• No vision or multiple visions.

• Improvement work is hidden,

isolated and not understood.

• No one knows the improvement

language or methodology.

• Resources are not clearly

allocated and the process is not

transparent.

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Poll Question #1

What “Worst Practice” do you most often see at your organization?

131 respondents

1. No vision or multiple visions. – 34%

2. Improvement work is hidden, isolated and not understood. – 23%

3. No one knows the improvement language or methodology. – 6%

4. Resources are not clearly allocated and the process is not

transparent. – 38%

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HOW Can Leaders Communicate?

• Include a specialist on your Outcomes Improvement

Governance Team.

• Analyze your stakeholders early and often.

• Understand who is impacted and customize messages.

• Craft your central message around shared values.

• Be a constant champion.

• Chief cheerleader.

Best Practices

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HOW Can Leaders Communicate?

• Commit to regular times and mechanisms for communication.

• Make sure communication flows both ways.

• Hold open forums; solicit feedback.

• Be transparent.

• Don’t be afraid to “show your work”.

• Mix it up – and be creative.

Best Practices - Continued

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“One of the most important things I do as a leader is to

market our improvements across the organization.

Among other things, I promote our successes, large

and small. I find that the more that I communicate, the

more people see the value of our shared work and want

to be a part of it”

Chief Medical Officer of a

community health system

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Communication – An example



Leadership, Culture, and Governance

Financial Alignment

What should

we be doing?

How are

we doing?

How do we

change?

Where do we focus?

How are we financially compensated?

Core Competencies of Outcomes Improvement



ACCELERATED PRACTICES

PROGRAM

Attend with a team and a project—leave

knowing how to accelerate outcomes

improvement and lead change.

ACCELERATED PRACTICES FOR

EXECUTIVES PROGRAM

Working with you, we’ll customize a dynamic

program that focuses your senior leadership

team on the improvement journey ahead.

Health Catalyst UniversityOffering hands-on courses and customized training, Health

Catalyst University can help you with your improvement goals.

Create a Culture of Improvement

801.365.3646 [email protected]

healthcatalyst.com/health-catalyst-university

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.healthcatalyst.com/hcu-program/accelerated-practices-ap-program/

https://www.healthcatalyst.com/hcu-program/accelerated-practices-ap-program/



Thank you

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Create and Sustain an Improvement Culture to Drive Clinical, Financial, and Operational Outcomes

Healthcare

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