Maureen on WIHI

Leading Across the Continuum
Thursday, May 5, 2011, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Guest: Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

If you want to lead across the continuum, you have to care across the continuum. And not just at the moment when patients happen to be in your hospital beds, or are sitting in your office practice, or are on the phone. Clinical and administrative leaders now have to also care about what they either don’t see or have learned to ignore, or assume someone else is dealing with in some other health care setting. Patients and family members usually have the complete story, if anyone bothers to listen. The challenge now is to build the system that can engage with the patient/family narrative and put it to good use.

IHI President and CEO Maureen Bisognano can’t think of anything more important than reforming health care in the US and elsewhere so it’s better integrated, better coordinated, and much, much more cost effective – across the continuum. However, what sometimes sets her apart from the rhetoric “du jour” is that she’s relentless about anchoring changes in the patient’s journey. That can sound easy, but it isn’t – even when the handwriting is on the wall with bundled or global payments, patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and more – all of which, by definition, require much greater awareness of the patient experience. Leaders tend to get caught up in contractual and legal issues, certifications, revenue sharing, and what’s next with public reporting.

The good news is that Maureen views the current state as an opportunity, not a barrier, and she’s criss-crossing the country talking with frontline caregivers and leaders alike about the tremendous opportunity everyone now has to innovate and build new models of care with patients at the center. Over and over again, Maureen will say there is a connection between what patients know and what clinicians know – and when the information becomes part of a shared pool of knowledge, amazing things happen. And, she’s gathering the evidence to prove it.

WIHI host Madge Kaplan is pleased to welcome Maureen Bisognano to the program, fresh off her recognition by Modern Healthcare as one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare for 2011. Please join us!

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