By Kester Freeman
Retired CEO, Palmetto Health
A handful of hospitals are in the process of reforming healthcare and these changes are happening now, without any mandates from Washington. Imagine that!
The hospitals are participating in a program called QUEST: High Performing Hospitals, and a recent post on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation health reform blog describes how these hospitals have saved more than 8,000 lives and more than $577 million dollars in ONE year by adopting specific improvement goals. You really should read the post.
The QUEST initiative should be a model for U.S. healthcare. It promotes evidence-based medicine in a way that reduces costs and improves the quality of care and patient outcomes. What can be more important than saving lives?
When I was a hospital CEO I found it shocking that so many physicians would resist this type of collaborative clinical practice and fight for their individual autonomy.
Remember there is no "I" in team. Healthcare in not about individual gain, it is about improving the health of people and the health of our communities.
I hope this attitude is beginning to change as we prove that programs like QUEST and a team approach are integral to achieving high quality care.
