Everyone has heard the phrase, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” but at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, we tend to take a different approach. Even when we succeed, we’re determined to keep improving. For example, PPMC has long been committed to pooling the talents of our innovative staff to promote interdisciplinary models of care and process improvement. Unit-Based Clinical Leadership teams (UBCLs) — which combine the efforts of nursing, physician, and quality improvement staff to develop unit-focused safety approaches — have been integral to this collaborative strategy. However, while the UBCLs have served PPMC well over the years, the evolution of the service lines and an expanded care model across the health system have created an opportunity for advancement.
Rather than continuing to organize around units, PPMC has taken steps to align with the system-wide orientation toward service lines and patient populations. Instead of staying siloed in geography-based teams, we are building off the success of the UBCLs by transforming them into redesigned, renamed Clinical Effectiveness Teams (CETs). CETs are still charged with improving patient outcomes, but borders imposed by units no longer matter, and the focus is now on the entire continuum of a patient’s care (whether inpatient or outpatient) rather than single visits to a single unit.
CETs are not replacing unit leadership; it’s vital to have individuals in place who can address unit-specific needs and facilitate engagement. However, nursing, physician, and quality and patient safety leads are shifting their focus from a handful of patients on one unit to an entire patient population spanning multiple locations. For example, the Stroke CET will focus on the care processes and outcomes for all stroke patients that are cared for and discharged from PPMC, regardless of which unit they were on during their hospital stay. Every staff member working with these populations will be able to offer input and ensure best practices and guidelines are shared widely, which will reduce variations in are between units and hospitals and propel the health system’s priorities forward.
The ongoing transition from UBCLs to CETs provides an exciting opportunity to shift our perspectives of patient population management and really change how we are caring for our patients. Every PPMC staff member plays a significant role in ensuring the success of these changes, and the senior leadership team thanks you all for your cooperation as we strive to offer the best possible care experience to our patients.