My top priorities are employee safety, we ranked in the top 25% of healthcare systems this past year, but there is much more to do. Employees must be kept safe from physical injury, exposure to infection diseases and be psychologically safe at work. Additionally, we need to help our employees deal with the multiple stresses that they have experienced during the pandemic. We are looking particularly at improving the work-life balance of our employees.

Unsure if you can call these innovative, but flexibility in staffing schedules, new staffing programs (7 on/7 off), collaborations with health science programs/full funding for education,) building a Leadership Academy for administrative and physician leaders and developing a Health & Wellness Village (new campus) for our communities and colleagues.

Culture is my passion because it will drive quality care, create an amazing experience for our colleagues and patients, and create a sustainable healthcare system well into the future. Our culture is defined by "Every physician & colleague loves their work and lives our values, embodied by it "begins with me"". We have to create a culture where healthcare workers can again connect with what they went into their professions to do, to take great care of patients and their families.

Labor, supplies and IT. These are our biggest spends, but will take changes in processes, models of care and reimagining partnerships to make a reality.

I think standardization of care has to move to the forefront of our efforts. Standardization helps improve quality, decrease costs and make it easy for our providers at all levels to do the right thing every time. Associated with this is hardwiring process improvement efforts to decrease waste and improve outcomes like length of stay will be very important. We must also look at how we deliver care. The traditional models, both in the inpatient and outpatient settings will likely not be sustainable in the coming years.

Examples of how we reimaging corporate culture and wellbeing: • Our Lifepath wellness program allows the employee to choose and individualize what’s important to them rather than the traditional company approach that tells everyone to lose weight and stop smoking. We want to partner with our employees not dictate their health and wellbeing. • Bi-weekly, live, all-colleague forums to increase transparency. • Bereavement Boxes to reinforce respect and care for the whole person (not just the employee). • Leadership Academy • Partnership with UMR, NAH Medical Group, Pop Health, and Pathfinder building an effective campaign around getting your annual physical. • Mindful Minutes campaign that resulted in greater self-care and financial contributions to 4 non-profits in the community. • 3 Health Stations installed at our hospitals so people can monitor their own blood pressure, weight and BMI. Driving our culture throughout the organization has become a corporate priority. Thinking about work-life balance, versus just work, is a new perspective.

Hospital at Home (HaH)- NAH is exploring a future HaH program. In such a program, patients would receive acute/hospital-level care from a team of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other professionals in their own homes and at alternative care sites, such as a hospital hotel for patients that lack clean, safe living scenarios. HaH programs provide access to 24/7 on-call service to respond to any urgent or immediate needs. Daily visits, or more often if needed, from a doctor or nurse practitioner, either in-person or by virtual visit. Mobile lab services, IV medications, and other equipment or therapy brought directly to the home—to include electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, x-rays, respiratory therapy, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics, and pharmacy services. Daily visits from home care nurses to check vital signs and administer medications, including infusions. Social work oversight to coordinate care and develop follow-up plans as needed. As we conceptualize the future of inpatient care while preparing to build a new health and wellness village, NAH is visioning a Virtual Care (Command) Center (VCC) a state-of-the-art virtual hospital that will deliver medical services to communities, patients and long-term care residents across the northern half of the state of Arizona. Included in a future VCC, would be eICU and virtual hospitalist capabilities—serving as a single-hub, staffed with doctors and nurses that monitor patients' vital signs and provide a second set of eyes to bedside caregivers in ICUs across the system. A team of doctors dedicated to seeing patients within our hospitals 24/7 through virtual care technology. Doctors and Advanced Care Practitioners (APPs) will have the ability to efficiently monitor patients and order needed tests or read results to deliver quicker care to the patient.