Irvine, Calif.-based Hoag Orthopedic Institute opened in November 2010 through a partnership between Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif., and a group of local orthopedic physicians. Now, the hospital has nearly 80 orthopedic surgeons and more than 320 physicians on the medical staff, and is growing. Dereesa Purtell Reid, MBA, CPA, joined Hoag Orthopedic Institute as COO just over a year ago. Here she describes her strategies to drive growth at the hospital and her goals for the end of 2012.
Question: How would you describe your leadership style?
Dereesa Purtell Reid: My leadership style is fast-paced, enthusiastic and goal-oriented — based upon measurable results. One of the most rewarding ways that I prefer to lead is by engaging a team of people across various disciplines to solve problems — I call this the "brain trust." This collaboration gives individuals an opportunity to share their respective areas of expertise and to see how they connect or can contribute to the overall organizational success. Cross-pollination of ideas and sharing of knowledge across the team sets the stage for continuous improvement.
For example, the current implementation of various stages of electronic health records requires that we work across many disciplines not only to build the EHR but also to troubleshoot complex problems. The same is true when we look at the continuum of care for patients to provide the best care at the best time in the most efficient way.
Q: What strategies have you used to drive growth at the hospital?
DPR: Physician leadership is key — it is foundational more so than ever with value-based purchasing and population management. Equally important is employee satisfaction, which translates into patient satisfaction. It is impossible to produce the highest quality of care without these two ingredients.
Once quality and patient satisfaction reach top levels, the growth is organic. Self-insured employer groups are shopping for the best value for their employees' healthcare. When we talk about quality, we are measuring beyond the hospital discharge. Readmissions and long-term functional outcomes, even the quality of post-acute care providers, are important to us.
Bundled payment and travel medicine are also new avenues that we are growing beyond the traditional geographic reach. Bundled payment has been a successful payment methodology for years with organ transplants. It is a methodology that is highly adaptable to orthopedics, especially joint replacement surgery.
Q: What have been the greatest challenges in your role as COO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute?
DPR: Hoag Orthopedic Institute is in its second year (opened in November 2010). It has been a rewarding year as there are new challenges as we "scale up" the business to handle growing volume. Successfully maintaining top patient satisfaction scores, excellent clinical outcomes and reducing cost is always a challenge, especially as more physicians and new employees join the team. We often say "culture drives everything."
Chief operating officers are tasked with managing limited resources that must be appropriately prioritized to meet organizational goals and the demands of healthcare reform. Hoag Orthopedic Institute is comprised of physicians who are true innovators and are focused on finding solutions to the healthcare crisis. Similar to other successful industry leaders, ideas must be vetted and prioritized.
Q: How do you overcome these challenges?
DPR: As COO, I must quickly move from understanding what is occurring with the front-line staff to a 10,000 feet view of the organization. It is essential to be able to communicate our goals with various levels of the organization to ensure we don't lose focus on our strategic goals. I am very fortunate to work with physician executive leaders and board members that provide not only excellent clinical leadership, but also understand the business challenges of healthcare facilities. It is professionally very rewarding to work with this group of outstanding orthopedic surgeons and board members.
Q: What are your top goals for the hospital for the end of 2012?
DPR: Hoag Orthopedic Institute's emphasis continues to be driving the value equation — the highest quality of care and optimal cost. We are excited about healthcare reform and will continue to seek new ways to partner with employers and payors. Additionally, we are ramping up our research and education program. Research and education are essential to innovation in orthopedic care. This year we will perform more than 10,000 orthopedic procedures throughout our Irvine, Calif., hospital and surgery centers located in Newport Beach and Orange, Calif. We have nearly 80 orthopedic surgeons and more than 320 physicians on our medical staff. At this level of volume, we have a unique opportunity to begin a solid research and education program.
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Question: How would you describe your leadership style?Dereesa Purtell Reid: My leadership style is fast-paced, enthusiastic and goal-oriented — based upon measurable results. One of the most rewarding ways that I prefer to lead is by engaging a team of people across various disciplines to solve problems — I call this the "brain trust." This collaboration gives individuals an opportunity to share their respective areas of expertise and to see how they connect or can contribute to the overall organizational success. Cross-pollination of ideas and sharing of knowledge across the team sets the stage for continuous improvement.
For example, the current implementation of various stages of electronic health records requires that we work across many disciplines not only to build the EHR but also to troubleshoot complex problems. The same is true when we look at the continuum of care for patients to provide the best care at the best time in the most efficient way.
Q: What strategies have you used to drive growth at the hospital?
DPR: Physician leadership is key — it is foundational more so than ever with value-based purchasing and population management. Equally important is employee satisfaction, which translates into patient satisfaction. It is impossible to produce the highest quality of care without these two ingredients.
Once quality and patient satisfaction reach top levels, the growth is organic. Self-insured employer groups are shopping for the best value for their employees' healthcare. When we talk about quality, we are measuring beyond the hospital discharge. Readmissions and long-term functional outcomes, even the quality of post-acute care providers, are important to us.
Bundled payment and travel medicine are also new avenues that we are growing beyond the traditional geographic reach. Bundled payment has been a successful payment methodology for years with organ transplants. It is a methodology that is highly adaptable to orthopedics, especially joint replacement surgery.
Q: What have been the greatest challenges in your role as COO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute?
DPR: Hoag Orthopedic Institute is in its second year (opened in November 2010). It has been a rewarding year as there are new challenges as we "scale up" the business to handle growing volume. Successfully maintaining top patient satisfaction scores, excellent clinical outcomes and reducing cost is always a challenge, especially as more physicians and new employees join the team. We often say "culture drives everything."
Chief operating officers are tasked with managing limited resources that must be appropriately prioritized to meet organizational goals and the demands of healthcare reform. Hoag Orthopedic Institute is comprised of physicians who are true innovators and are focused on finding solutions to the healthcare crisis. Similar to other successful industry leaders, ideas must be vetted and prioritized.
Q: How do you overcome these challenges?
DPR: As COO, I must quickly move from understanding what is occurring with the front-line staff to a 10,000 feet view of the organization. It is essential to be able to communicate our goals with various levels of the organization to ensure we don't lose focus on our strategic goals. I am very fortunate to work with physician executive leaders and board members that provide not only excellent clinical leadership, but also understand the business challenges of healthcare facilities. It is professionally very rewarding to work with this group of outstanding orthopedic surgeons and board members.
Q: What are your top goals for the hospital for the end of 2012?
DPR: Hoag Orthopedic Institute's emphasis continues to be driving the value equation — the highest quality of care and optimal cost. We are excited about healthcare reform and will continue to seek new ways to partner with employers and payors. Additionally, we are ramping up our research and education program. Research and education are essential to innovation in orthopedic care. This year we will perform more than 10,000 orthopedic procedures throughout our Irvine, Calif., hospital and surgery centers located in Newport Beach and Orange, Calif. We have nearly 80 orthopedic surgeons and more than 320 physicians on our medical staff. At this level of volume, we have a unique opportunity to begin a solid research and education program.
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