Douglas K. Eby, MD, MPH, Vice President of Medical Services, SCF/Alaska Native Medical Center;
Charles L. Clement, Vice President/Chief Information Officer, Southcentral Foundation

      This session will review how 15 years of improvement efforts in the US have failed to produce significant, fundamental change in the system. However, at Southcentral Foundation, they have had success and completely transformed their integrated health care system, including profound effects at the Alaska Native Medical Center. They have significantly reduced hospital admissions, ER visits, use of specialists, and even primary care visits. Reducing costs while improving clinical outcomes and process measures, and markedly improving satisfaction ratings will also be discussed.
      After this presentation you will be able to:

• Reduce "change fatigue" caused by Lean, Six Sigma, Tracer methodology, patient safety, Baldrige, TQM, CQI, PDSA, (etc.) by getting aligned traction on these within a different conceptual framework, a different paradigm.
• Describe the difference between "customer-centered" and "customer-controlled" or "customer-driven" and the transformative change that occurs with this shift.
• Identify differently designed and evolved management structures to more optimally get to sustainable improvement across the whole system.
• Approach the issue of health disparities and cultural competency in a different framework than is usually taught.